There continues to be considerable disagreement over whether the conflict in Syria is nearing an end or whether it has morphed into a regional struggle that will bring more dangers to the country. Whatever the answer, the place where developments may be most far-reaching is northern Syria, where Turkish troops are deployed in a large area between Afrin and Jarablus.
The reason for this is that the Turkish plans for northern Syria appear to include two components: control over large swathes of land, coupled with a potential desire to send a large number of the three million Syrian refugees currently living in Turkey into these occupied areas to populate them. Ankara is laying the groundwork for a large zone of influence inside Syria, one that can be protected by Turkey’s armed forces and that can potentially be used to mobilise the refugee population.
From the Turkish perspective, such a zone would serve three main purposes. It would reduce Turkey's refugee burden by establishing a territory where many refugees can be resettled; it would allow the Turks to build up local military forces that could help block any resurgence of hostile Kurdish forces and it would give Ankara leverage to possibly destabilise the Assad regime and perhaps impose a post-war settlement that it favours.
Some have speculated that Turkey might go further than that and attempt to annex Syria's border areas in some kind of neo-Ottoman impulse. That's far from certain, however, and might indeed miss the point. What Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks is a major say in what happens in Syria and control over a large stretch of the Turkish-Syrian border would provide him with such latitude.
In light of this, President Donald Trump's remarks last week that the United States would soon pull out of Syria could be very relevant. While the Pentagon seemed surprised at Mr Trump's statement, it could be that the US president sees Turkish ambitions as an opening to withdraw from Syria. Not only would a Turkish-backed presence deny Bashar Al Assad and his Iranian allies the means to control northern Syria, it could keep in check any ISIL revival.
A Turkish deployment in northern Syria could also have implications for what happens in Idlib, the last major area outside the regime’s control. There was speculation when the Turks entered Afrin that a deal had been reached between Turkey and Russia, whereby Russia would look the other way on the Turkish intervention in exchange for Turkey’s allowing the Assad regime and Russia to re-conquer Idlib.
For now, that has not happened – and can such a quid pro quo actually hold further down the road? By helping insurgents in Idlib to resist a regime offensive, Turkey could gather strong cards to shape a political endgame in Syria. This might put its relationship with Russia under stress but Russian President Vladimir Putin must have known this was possible when he invited Turkey to participate in the Astana process, which implicitly recognises Turkey’s and Iran’s stakes in Syria.
The population factor will alarm the Assad regime. Among the millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey there is a pool of young men who could be recruited into a militia under Turkish sponsorship, one that could push down from the north. If that were to happen, it could transform the landscape of the Syrian conflict. Whether such a scenario is one Turkey prefers is unknown but even the possibility of this happening will greatly increase Turkish political leverage.
In 1998, Syria was compelled to accept the Adana Agreement with Turkey and abandon its support for the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. At the time, Turkish special forces were operating against the PKK dozens of kilometres inside Syrian territory in the area of Kamishli. Then president Hafez Al Assad understood that Syria was vulnerable in its border regions, because their mixed populations and economic ties with neighbouring states had always made Damascus’ influence there more tentative than elsewhere.
That pattern continues today. Mr Al Assad is just as keen to regain the areas of Deir Ezzor and Hasakeh in the north-east and Deraa in the south as he is northern Syria, because the stability of his regime will depend on his being able to neutralise threats from these outlying regions. That he maintained a strong intelligence presence in all of these places before the 2011 uprising only underscored how important he considered them to the regime’s durability.
Turkey knows this, as does Russia. Mr Putin had no choice but to integrate Mr Erdogan into the Astana talks, given Turkey’s access to the Syrian border. However, this could be something Mr Al Assad could come to regret if the Turks decide to exploit their gains to undermine him. With the Syrian regime’s depopulation policies leading to the creation of millions of refugees, the Syrian regime may be slowly filling a reservoir in which it can ultimately drown.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Brief scoreline:
Crystal Palace 2
Milivojevic 76' (pen), Van Aanholt 88'
Huddersfield Town 0
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
SHAITTAN
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Company%20Profile
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
RESULTS
West Asia Premiership
Thursday
Jebel Ali Dragons 13-34 Dubai Exiles
Friday
Dubai Knights Eagles 16-27 Dubai Tigers
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Company%20Profile
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
TOP 5 DRIVERS 2019
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 10 wins 387 points
2 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 4 wins, 314 points
3 Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 3 wins, 260 points
4 Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2 wins, 249 points
5 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1 win, 230 points
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Jurassic%20Park
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Indika
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tour de France 2017: Stage 5
Vittel - La Planche de Belles Filles, 160.5km
It is a shorter stage, but one that will lead to a brutal uphill finish. This is the third visit in six editions since it was introduced to the race in 2012. Reigning champion Chris Froome won that race.