Live updates: Follow the latest on Trump's Gulf trip
President Donald Trump upended more than a decade of US foreign policy on Syria when he said he would lift sanctions against Damascus, a game-changing move that dramatically alters the nation's economic and diplomatic position.
The Trump administration had until now insisted that any sanctions relief would be determined by the pace of reforms in Syria, after the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham rebel group overthrew the regime of Bashar Al Assad in December.
But Mr Trump cast that deliberative process aside as he visited Saudi Arabia, saying he would lift all sanctions at the request of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and that it is now Syria's “time to shine”.
“Oh, what I do for the Crown Prince,” Mr Trump said at Tuesday's US-Saudi Investment Forum, where delegates loudly applauded his announcement.
He also said he made the decision after discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government has pushed for the sanctions to be lifted.
Further underscoring Mr Trump's new approach, he said he planned to meet Syrian leader Ahmad Al Shara in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. The meeting is especially remarkable given that Mr Al Shara remains the member of a US-designated terrorist organisation because of past ties to Al Qaeda.
The White House and State Department provided no time for when sanctions would be lifted. The US has a complex mix of sanctions, terrorist designations and export controls against Syria aimed at choking off its banking, export and other sectors during the country's civil war, although some of the oldest measures predate the outbreak of violence in 2011.
Aaron Zelin, the Gloria and Ken Levy Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, predicted there would be some quick sanction cuts, allowing for an infusion of cash and investments, most likely from Gulf states.
“There still remains a lot of questions, even if Trump made this declarative statement,” Mr Zelin told The National.
He described the developments as a “net positive” for Syria, in a sentiment echoed widely. Syrians took to the streets and celebrated into the night in Damascus and elsewhere after Mr Trump's announcement.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Mr Trump's “bold move represents another step on Syria's path towards recovery and stability".
The Syrian Emergency Task Force, which works to help build democracy in Syria, said it had played a significant role in nudging the Trump administration to scrap the sanctions, including meeting Mr Al Shara for more than three hours to discuss the importance of a Syria-US partnership.
“With this announcement, there is hope,” Mouaz Moustafa, the SETF's executive director, told The National.
He said the most crucial first move would be to lift sanctions on Syria's central bank and waive the Caesar Act, a set of measures imposed by the US Congress during the Assad era.
That relief “would allow for a huge amount of both reconstruction and humanitarian efforts inside the country, and would save the Syrian economy from the eventual collapse that they were doing", Mr Moustafa said.
Sanctions relief will also make it much easier for humanitarian and aid groups to work in Syria.
“What Trump has done is actually saved Syria, and in a way, saved the whole Middle East, by keeping this key, geopolitically very important country together,” Mr Moustafa said.
The UN, which has pushed for sanctions relief on Syria, said the move was "important".
It will “help the reconstruction of Syria [and] help the Syrian people recover from more than a decade of conflict, a decade of underinvestment,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The announcement also marks a major personal win for Mr Al Shara, who has been unable to keep all of Syria under government control, including during sectarian attacks against civilians from the Alawite minority in the north-west.
Critics accused a transactional Mr Trump of being lured into making concessions to Syria by a reported offer for him to build a massive Trump Tower in Damascus. That comes after criticism over his willingness to accept a $400 million “gift” from Qatar – a Boeing 747 that would be used as Air Force One.
“It wouldn't be surprising that the Syrian government recognises how to deal with Trump,” Mr Zelin said. “Whether that's something that American citizens want … is another matter.”
Mr Trump's announcement also will lead to changes in Syria's relationships with its neighbours. Israel appears to have been cut out of the decision and has retreated on some of its rhetoric against Mr Al Shara's administration.
“We might see a different tack [from Israel],” Mr Zelin predicted. “It could also lead to broader negotiations related to initially a non-aggression pact and then something that then is negotiated eventually related to potentially joining the Abraham Accords or their own specific peace agreement.”
Unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, Mr Trump has shown that he is willing to seek regional deals and consensus without including Israel.
In what some commentators are portraying as a snub to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Trump is not scheduled to visit Israel after his Gulf tour ends on Friday.
RESULTS
Light Flyweight (48kg): Alua Balkibekova (KAZ) beat Gulasal Sultonalieva (UZB) by points 4-1.
Flyweight (51kg): Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) beat Mary Kom (IND) 3-2.
Bantamweight (54kg): Dina Zholaman (KAZ) beat Sitora Shogdarova (UZB) 3-2.
Featherweight (57kg): Sitora Turdibekova (UZB) beat Vladislava Kukhta (KAZ) 5-0.
Lightweight (60kg): Rimma Volossenko (KAZ) beat Huswatun Hasanah (INA) KO round-1.
Light Welterweight (64kg): Milana Safronova (KAZ) beat Lalbuatsaihi (IND) 3-2.
Welterweight (69kg): Valentina Khalzova (KAZ) beat Navbakhor Khamidova (UZB) 5-0
Middleweight (75kg): Pooja Rani (IND) beat Mavluda Movlonova (UZB) 5-0.
Light Heavyweight (81kg): Farida Sholtay (KAZ) beat Ruzmetova Sokhiba (UZB) 5-0.
Heavyweight (81 kg): Lazzat Kungeibayeva (KAZ) beat Anupama (IND) 3-2.
UAE WARRIORS RESULTS
Featherweight
Azouz Anwar (EGY) beat Marcelo Pontes (BRA)
TKO round 2
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) beat Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Split points decision
Welterweight
Gimbat Ismailov (RUS) beat Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR)
TKO round 1
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) beat Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Unanimous points decision
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) beat Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
TKO round 1
Catchweight 100kg
Marc Vleiger (NED) beat Mohamed Ali (EGY)
Rear neck choke round 1
Featherweight
James Bishop (NZ) beat Mark Valerio (PHI)
TKO round 2
Welterweight
Abdelghani Saber (EGY) beat Gerson Carvalho (BRA)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) beat Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Unanimous points decision
Bantamweight
Fabio Mello (BRA) beat Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Unanimous points decision
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magomedsultanov (RUS)
TKO round 1
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) beat Jayson Margallo (PHI)
TKO round 3
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) beat Roman Golovinov (UKR)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Submission round 2
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
TKO round 2
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
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Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
THE%20HOLDOVERS
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At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
