Ever since Donald Trump came to power a year ago, he has attracted considerable derision over the hardline stand he has taken against North Korea and its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Critics have accused the US president of being a modern-day Dr Strangelove, a man hellbent on provoking nuclear armageddon by directly confronting North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and threatening his country with total destruction if he continues with his attempts to build nuclear weapons capable of hitting the American mainland.
But in their desperation to lampoon Mr Trump, the crucial point these critics appear to have overlooked is that Washington’s uncompromising stance now appears to be paying dividends.
After decades during which American diplomacy has done little more than appease North Korea, Mr Trump’s approach is having a profound impact on Mr Kim’s conduct.
Having initially dispatched a fleet of warships to intimidate Pyongyang, the Trump administration then brought further pressure to bear by persuading the UN to impose tougher sanctions, while at the same pressuring China to use its influence to bring its troublesome neighbour – and long-standing ally – to heel.
The result is clear to see in the conciliatory tone Mr Kim adopted in his New Year address when he offered to reopen communication channels with South Korea and even raised the prospect of sending North Korean athletes to compete in the winter games Seoul is due to host next month.
It remains to be seen just how much this new spirit of detente between Pyongyang and Seoul will accomplish. But the fact these two long-standing foes are now talking to each other for the first time in years is a vindication of Mr Trump’s no-nonsense approach.
And if Mr Trump’s robust tactics can deliver results with a rogue state like North Korea, then why not adopt the same tactics against another of the world’s leading rogue states, namely Iran?
It is now abundantly clear from the statements made by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as major-general Mohammad Ali Jafari, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, that the Islamic Republic has no intention of heeding the calls of the anti-government protesters, who are demanding economic reform as well as an end to Iran’s military involvement in Arab states such as Yemen and Iraq.
As has become the custom whenever the regime experiences opposition, Mr Khamenei has simply denounced the protests as the work of the “enemies of Iran”, while Mr Jafari, the Revolutionary Guards chief, sought to play down the scale of the protests, making the rather bizarre claim that only 15,000 people had been involved in the protests nationwide, although reports from the cities involved suggest the figure is infinitely higher.
But in an authoritarian regime like Iran, it is virtually impossible to gain a definitive picture of the scale of the protests. Similarly, given the uncompromising measures the regime uses to crush any form of dissent, the anti-government protestors have little likelihood of prevailing with their demands for change without some form of outside help.
It is for this reason that, unlike what happened during the 2009 Green Revolution, the major world powers are not turning their back on Iran's protestors and instead applying intense pressure on the regime to accommodate their views and undertake wholesale reform.
As recent events in Pyongyang have proved, economic sanctions can deliver results – as long as they are properly applied. Indeed, one of the main factors in president Hassan Rouhani’s successful election in 2013 was his commitment to deal with the crippling sanctions that had been imposed on Tehran regarding its wilful non-compliance with the international community over its nuclear programme.
At that time the sanctions were so effective that the Iranian economy had been brought to its knees and Mr Rouhani was almost forced to beg the major powers for a nuclear deal to get the sanctions lifted.
The controversies over whether the major powers should, in return, have secured a better deal with Tehran have been well-aired. But the key point is that the sanctions implemented against Iran until 2015 worked to devastating effect – and, with the right political will, could be made to do so again.
For this to happen the world needs strong leadership from Washington. It was former president Barack Obama’s decision to turn his back on the Green Revolution that allowed the agents of repression in Iran – the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij – to suppress the revolts.
But the Trump administration has made it clear it has no intention of repeating the mistake and is already pressuring the UN to address the matter.
The implementation of a new sanctions regime against Iran would certainly send a clear message to the ayatollahs that the outside world is no longer willing to tolerate their refusal to acknowledge the will of the Iranian people. Nearly four decades after the creation of the Islamic Republic, the ayatollahs’ warped interpretation of what an Islamic government should look like appears tired and anachronistic.
What the Iranian people desire and deserve is a new, more dynamic system of government, one that revives the country’s fortunes and fulfils the enormous potential that lies within.
The economic landscape of the modern Middle East is changing fast. Iran’s predominantly youthful population only needs to look across the tranquil waters of the Gulf to see what can be done when benign Arab governments allow the true spirit of entrepreneurial endeavour to flourish.
Con Coughlin is the Daily Telegraph’s defence and foreign affairs editor and author of Khomeini’s Ghost
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
WITHIN%20SAND
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Moe%20Alatawi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Ra%E2%80%99ed%20Alshammari%2C%20Adwa%20Fahd%2C%20Muhand%20Alsaleh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FINAL RESULT
Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
%3Cp%3EGoogle%20wasn't%20new%20to%20busting%20out%20April%20Fool's%20jokes%3A%20before%20the%20Gmail%20%22prank%22%2C%20it%20tricked%20users%20with%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Farchive.google%2Fmentalplex%2F%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3Emind-reading%20MentalPlex%20responses%3C%2Fa%3E%20and%20said%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Farchive.google%2Fpigeonrank%2F%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3E%20well-fed%20pigeons%20were%20running%20its%20search%20engine%20operations%3C%2Fa%3E%20.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%20subsequent%20years%2C%20they%20announced%20home%20internet%20services%20through%20your%20toilet%20with%20its%20%22%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Farchive.google%2Ftisp%2Finstall.html%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3Epatented%20GFlush%20system%3C%2Fa%3E%22%2C%20made%20us%20believe%20the%20Moon's%20surface%20was%20made%20of%20cheese%20and%20unveiled%20a%20dating%20service%20in%20which%20they%20called%20founders%20Sergey%20Brin%20and%20Larry%20Page%20%22%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Farchive.google%2Fromance%2Fpress.html%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3EStanford%20PhD%20wannabes%3C%2Fa%3E%20%22.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EBut%20Gmail%20was%20all%20too%20real%2C%20purportedly%20inspired%20by%20one%20%E2%80%93%20a%20single%20%E2%80%93%20Google%20user%20complaining%20about%20the%20%22poor%20quality%20of%20existing%20email%20services%22%20and%20born%20%22%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fgooglepress.blogspot.com%2F2004%2F04%2Fgoogle-gets-message-launches-gmail.html%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3Emillions%20of%20M%26amp%3BMs%20later%3C%2Fa%3E%22.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Blonde
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
Rating: 1 out of 4
Running time: 81 minutes
Director: David Blue Garcia
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
RACE CARD
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA); Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA); Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB); Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA); Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA); Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA); Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T); 1,400m
The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group