The Russian military and political establishment seem to be suggesting relations with the US are at their lowest ebb. The Russians also want it be known that Moscow does not need Washington, in Syria or elsewhere, and that they are comfortable with their achievements, influence and strategy in Syria, even where Idlib is concerned. The Russian military establishment is pushing back against US military presence in Syria, which it describes as "illegitimate", accusing it of supporting and enabling terrorists in Syria and demanding its withdrawal before Iran-backed forces are made to pull out from Syria. The political establishment is also in a mood of escalation against the US but is keen to differentiate between president Donald Trump and his administration, which has pressured him into backtracking from his promises to withdraw US forces from Syria and from implicit agreements to let Vladimir Putin handle Syria and the fate of Bashar Al Assad.
The divergence between the military and the political establishments is not in the open but it is evident from the difference in the views of Russian experts close to the government, who attended the Valdai Club conference this week, which concluded with Mr Putin's speech. Private conversations with both attendees and sources on the fringes of the event indicated that Russia is coming under increasing pressure from Damascus to settle the battle for Idlib militarily and that the Russian defence ministry is on board because it wants victory in the war and is interested in anything that could achieve this goal. For its part, the political wing prefers giving Turkey more time and opportunities so that Russia is spared from having to lead such an offensive in Idlib, given the high humanitarian cost and implications for the relationship with Mr Trump and broader relations with the US.
On the surface, the Kremlin is feigning indifference regarding impending US sanctions on Iran. However, it knows that Russian-American co-operation will take a hit after the measures come into effect on November 4 and elections are held in Donbass in eastern Ukraine on November 11.
The erosion of popular support for Russian involvement in another quagmire could also push Mr Putin to give the nod to the Idlib offensive to settle the war soon, as desired by the military. Indeed, the Russian leader realises that military action remains for now a way to rally support and erase second-guessing of his actions. In truth, one of the issues that he is being second-guessed on has to do with Iran.
Mr Putin addressed this at the concluding session of the Valdai Club’s 15th annual meeting, using a logic echoing that of US former president George W Bush justifying his “war on terror” in Iraq. Mr Putin said that Iran was an important partner in the war against terrorists in Syria and that it was better to fight them there than to fight them “here”.
He added that removing Iran from Syria was not a Russian issue, in response to questions about a request to do so from the Trump administration. He said that the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Syria must take place in the framework of a dialogue between Iran and the US and offered to help facilitate it. The Russian leader stressed that those who want Iran to leave must give guarantees not to intervene in Syrian affairs and stop financing terrorists and pledged not to abandon his allies in Damascus – both the regime and Iran – saying what was needed was to enhance Syrian defensive capabilities, before the forces invited to assist by the regime had left.
Here a military source, expressing anger with the volte face in the Trump administration’s erstwhile position of what Moscow believed was a green light for it to handle the Iranian issue in Syria, said what will happen now depends on the outcome of the upcoming visit by US National Security Adviser John Bolton to Moscow.
The Russians believe Mr Bolton is "obsessed with Iran" and that Syria is unimportant to him, except in regards to Iran and Israel. Some Russian experts think US forces will indeed withdraw from Syria exactly as Mr Trump had pledged. Others think the key to any deal with Mr Bolton would be maintaining good relations with Israel, despite Israeli airstrikes on Iranian positions in Syria, and others still believe there is no alternative for Moscow other than to make its position clear regarding the Iranian dilemma. Otherwise, tensions in relations with the US will be inevitable, despite the solid commitment to avoid military confrontation. There is also a view that US demands for Iran to withdraw is empty rhetoric, because Washington wants Iranian and Iranian-backed forces and advisers to remain in Syria, as this means they would act as open targets for military strikes and therefore present an effective means to put pressure on Tehran.
I also had the chance to raise questions to Mr Putin about Egypt. This week saw a summit between Mr Putin and Abdel Fatteh El Sisi in Sochi. Mr Putin said that Egypt has an important role in the context of the Cairo-based Syrian opposition factions and co-operation with Russia. Egypt will also be crucial to any bid to rehabilitate the Syrian government at the level of the Arab League, especially with regard to securing the approval of the Gulf states and the return of the Gulf role in Syria, an issue that had taken some steps forward on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month. Russian-Egyptian military co-operation is also significant in and of itself, with ongoing joint exercises and defensive collaboration, in addition to $25 billion worth of economic co-operation.
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Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
SPECS
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
THE POPE'S ITINERARY
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
