The news from Syria this week has been horrific. In the north-west Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, a chemical weapons attack killed more than 70 people, including 20 children. This attack confirms a simple and frightening reality: as this conflict continues, the nature of the fighting will become more deadly. But there is another debate that this attack has once again brought to the forefront of the international conversation regarding Syria: the future of Bashar Al Assad.
Unless and until there is an admission of guilt, we cannot be 100 per cent certain who was responsible for this appalling attack, which has been rightly condemned as a war crime. The finger of blame, however, points in one direction. In Syria, only the Assad regime possesses both chemical weapons and the means to deliver them, and there can be little doubt that the Syrian president has once again shown he has little compunction in killing his own people to cling on to power. A claim by Russia that the deadly nerve gas came from a rebel weapons cache hit by a Syrian air strike has been comprehensively debunked by chemical weapons experts, who point out that a nerve agent such sarin, when hit by a bomb, would be destroyed rather than spread. The suggestion by Assad supporters that the rebels themselves carried out the attack to provoke western intervention against the regime belongs in the farthest reaches of the conspiracy theory universe.
That leaves Mr Al Assad, and an apparently intractable problem. For the past few months, the mood music surrounding Syria has been one of realpolitik: as recently as this week, the White House was saying that Mr Al Assad’s presence as Syria’s head of state was a political reality that would have to be worked with. After Tuesday’s attack, the Trump administration blamed Barack Obama’s “weakness” in failing to deal with the threat of the regime’s chemical weapons. However, at the time of Mr Obama’s “red line” ultimatum in August 2012, Donald Trump argued vociferously against any US involvement in Syria. Now that he is president, the question arises of how he proposes to project strength.
Russian support for the Assad regime leaves the UN Security Council hamstrung, but one thing is certain: the international community, if those words are to have any meaning, cannot watch a head of state subject his own people to the agony of death by chemical weapons, and simply do nothing.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
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Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
If you go...
Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.
Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.
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.
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
