The new year started with an exchange of positive messages between Tehran and Washington. President Obama, commenting on talks slated for next week between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group in Geneva, said Tehran “has an opportunity to reconcile with the world” and that a deal over its nuclear programme would make it “a very successful regional power”.
A few days later, his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani responded that his country cannot expect to develop in isolation and confirmed Iran’s need for foreign investment as a condition for prosperity.
Meanwhile in Iraq, US fighters are scouring the skies and Iran’s forces are advancing on the ground, Al Hayat editor Ghassan Charbel noted.
“Obama and Rouhani forgot to thank Al Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, for if it weren’t for ISIL’s ‘gifts’, Washington and Tehran couldn’t have achieved such rapprochement,” he wrote.
He described ISIL’s terrifying emergence in Iraq and Syria as an unexpected gift to president Obama. It brought Iraq back into the spotlight and meant that Syria was no longer the main or unique issue at hand. It is no secret that the US president never saw the Syrian crisis as an opportunity for intervention or for scoring points.
“ISIL’s rise helped in removing Nouri Al Maliki, who, although had successfully presented himself as a necessity for Iran and the US, has recently become an obstacle for both parties,” Charbel wrote.
“The swift surrender of whole squadrons of the Iraqi army and growing fears of yet another dictatorship in Iraq pressured Iran to persuade Al Maliki to step down.”
The terrorist organisation’s plan to invade Erbil and take over Kirkuk and its oilfields gave the US the perfect excuse to mobilise its forces and its allies to fight ISIL and stop its expansion.
Iran too benefited from ISIL’s plans, as for once, the world didn’t look at it as the source of all the threats in the region. The extremist group’s atrocities gave the impression that the primary threat in Syria is that of terrorist organisations and somehow validated Iran’s actions in Syria as efforts to contain the threat.
“It is even safe to say that ISIL’s behaviour was a service to the Syrian regime, which finds itself today in a far better situation as the extremist group made its way to the top of the agenda of the region’s countries,” he added.
ISIL has achieved the exact opposite of what it preaches. It became a calamity to those it claimed to defend and benefited those it claimed to oppose.
Younes Al Sayyed, a columnist in the Sharjah-based daily Al Khaleej, contended that the hard blows ISIL has received in Iraq and Syria – leading to its withdrawal on several fronts – indicates that the beginning of the end is near for the terrorist organisation.
The invasion of Mosul and the battle of Kobani on the Turkish border in northern Syria were turning points for the group because they led to an international mobilisation of military powers and justified the arming of Kurdish communities, allowing them to regain control over most of the areas they had lost to ISIL.
“ISIL’s failing on most fronts and the escalation of competitive struggle with other terrorist Islamist groups such as Al Nusra Front and the Army of Islam, coupled with its inability to manage territories under its occupation all formed to signal the beginning of its decline,” he noted.
It might be too soon to speak of ISIL’s defeat, especially when there are regional and international players that benefit from the group’s presence. Nonetheless, several indicators seem to suggest that the terrorist organisation is indeed on the wane.
Translated by Racha Makarem
rmakarem@thenational.ae
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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.
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.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Price: Dh980,000
On sale: now