Malik Agar, the deputy of army chief Gen Abdul Fattah Al Burhan on the ruling Sovereign Council, is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this week in St Petersburg. AFP
Malik Agar, the deputy of army chief Gen Abdul Fattah Al Burhan on the ruling Sovereign Council, is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this week in St Petersburg. AFP
Malik Agar, the deputy of army chief Gen Abdul Fattah Al Burhan on the ruling Sovereign Council, is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this week in St Petersburg. AFP
Malik Agar, the deputy of army chief Gen Abdul Fattah Al Burhan on the ruling Sovereign Council, is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this week in St Petersburg. AFP

Sudan army set to give Russia Red Sea base in exchange for arms


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Sudan's army is expected to allow Moscow to build a naval logistics base on the Red Sea in exchange for arms as a top official from the north-eastern African country visits Russia to negotiate the deal.

The army has been fighting a civil war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April last year, with both sides seeking international allies and legitimacy.

Malik Agar, a former rebel leader and army chief Gen Abdul Fattah Al Burhan's deputy on the ruling Sovereign Council, flew to Russia on Tuesday and is scheduled to meet President Vladimir Putin later this week on the sidelines of an economic forum in St Petersburg.

If concluded, the deal could give the army a significant edge over the RSF, whose gains in the early days of the war in Khartoum caught the army off guard and allowed the paramilitary to capture large areas of territory in the western Darfur region and south of the Sudanese capital.

“The army is in desperate need of weapons, ammunitions and spare parts for its Russian-made warplanes,” said prominent Sudanese analyst Osman Al Mirghany. “Offering Russia a naval base in return for them is its best option.”

The expected deal between the army and the Kremlin would be a revival of an agreement that Moscow signed with former dictator Omar Al Bashir shortly before he was removed from power in April 2019 amid a popular uprising.

That deal, publicised by Russia’s state-owned media in 2020, provides for the construction by Russia of a naval base north of the city of Port Sudan, which has remained in control of the Sudanese army.

The base would accommodate up to four vessels and include storage for weapons, fuel and ammunition. Up to 300 navy personnel could stay at the site at any given time.

Gen Al Burhan appears determined to dig deep in the fight against the RSF as he shuns calls by the US and Saudi Arabia to return to the negotiating table in Jeddah to find a peaceful end to the war.

“Our real achievement is that we shifted from defence to attack. Our capabilities are ready for the recapture of Bahari and Khartoum,” said Gen Yasser Al Atta, assistant army chief, referring to the capital and its sister city.

The capital’s other sister city is Omdurman, where the army has recently scored a string of victories, pushing the RSF out of the old quarter.

Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich at Port Sudan in 2021. AP
Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich at Port Sudan in 2021. AP

The US and Saudi Arabia brokered several ceasefires soon after the war broke out last year but they collapsed soon after they came into force or were totally ignored.

News of the potential deal with Russia first broke in a May 25 interview by Gen Al Atta that was broadcast by the Saudi-owned, Dubai-based Al Hadath television channel.

Gen Al Atta said the Sudanese army would receive “vital weapons and munitions” in return for granting Russia use of the outpost.

Russia’s interest in a naval base in Sudan is part of its ambitious drive to gain leverage in Africa and a foothold on the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest commercial routes and a focus of regional rivalries.

Sudan has an 853km coastline on the Red Sea that sits on the waterway’s middle reaches, south of the Suez Canal and north of the Horn of Africa.

'A done deal'

Sudan's General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in Port Sudan last year. Reuters
Sudan's General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in Port Sudan last year. Reuters

Sudanese analyst and former army officer Nouraldeen Al Sayed said he had no doubt that the deal would be struck.

“It’s a done deal. Agar’s mission is to finalise the agreement, sign the deal. Only procedural issues remain to be resolved.”

The deal is expected to stoke concern in the West about Russia’s efforts to forge closer ties with African countries, sometimes at the expense of former colonial nations such as France in West Africa and the Sahel regions.

The close ties being forged by the Sudanese army and the Kremlin could signal a shift in Moscow’s approach to Sudan, ending the support the RSF once received from the Wagner Group, whose mercenaries had for years armed and trained its fighters.

Washington is already alarmed by Khartoum’s close ties with Iran, which has supplied Gen Al Burhan’s army with attack drones that shifted the balance of power in favour of the army.

News of the potential deal with Russia has also come at a time when the army is gaining confidence while determined not to negotiate.

“We are not going to Jeddah,” Mr Agar said last week. “Those who want us to go there had better first kill us in our homeland then take our bodies there.”

The war in Sudan has caused a massive humanitarian crisis, with more than eight million people displaced, 18 million people facing acute hunger and 3.6 million children at risk of malnourishment.

“Time is running out for millions of people in Sudan who are at imminent risk of famine, displaced from their lands, living under bombardments, and cut off from humanitarian assistance,” UN agencies said recently.

– Al Shafie Ahmed reported from Kampala, Uganda

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs

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Power: 727hp

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Transmission: 8-speed auto

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Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
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  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
  • Financial well-being incentives 
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

What is blockchain?

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.

The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.

Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.

However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.

Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
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  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
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FIXTURES

All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)

Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur

Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

At Eternity’s Gate

Director: Julian Schnabel

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen

Three stars

Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
About RuPay

A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank

RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards

It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.

In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments

The name blends two words rupee and payment

Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs

What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE

Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.

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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

Profile

Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

THE LOWDOWN

Photograph

Rating: 4/5

Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies

Director: Ritesh Batra

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz

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Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

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Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.

Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.

The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.

Updated: June 05, 2024, 2:00 PM