BEIRUT // Dozens of civilians were killed in a US-led anti-ISIL coalition air strike in eastern Syria on Tuesday as tensions between Washington and Damascus rose significantly over allegations that Syria could be preparing for a new chemical weapons attack.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a coalition air strike hit a building in the town of Al Mayadeen — about 47 kilometres south-east of Deir Ezzor — that was being used by ISIL as a prison, killing 42 people. The US said it would investigate the claims.
The strike came one day after the White House said the Syrian government may be preparing for another chemical weapons attack and warning Syrian president Bashar Al Assad that he and his military would pay “a heavy price” if one occurred.
“The activities are similar to preparations made before its April 4, 2017 chemical weapons attack,” said White House press secretary Sean Spicer in a short statement without offering any proof or explanation.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon said that the US had observed preparations for possible new chemical weapons attacks being made at Shayrat airbase, a facility that was the target of a US missile strike in April.
“This involved specific aircraft in a specific hangar, both of which we know to be associated with chemicals weapons use,” said Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis.
On April 4, a sarin attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun killed at least 87 people and prompted the US to launch 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat airbase in Homs province.
Syria and its ally Russia were quick to deny the US claims, with Syrian minister for national reconciliation Ali Haidar telling the Associated Press that the Syrian government had never used chemical weapons. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the White House statement “absolutely inadmissible and unacceptable”.
Mr Al Assad appeared defiant on Tuesday, making a rare public trip outside of the capital to Russia’s Hmeymim airbase in Latakia, despite the latest US threats.
A photo on the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency showed Mr Al Assad sitting in a Russian fighter jet and chatting with Russian troops.
Just hours ahead of Monday’s threat, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov urged US secretary of state Rex Tillerson to end American “provocations” of Syrian government forces and discussed the need to strengthen ceasefires in Syria.
Tensions between US troops and pro-government forces in Syria have been increasing recently, with US jets attacking pro-government targets on four separate occasions in the past month. Near the town of Tanf on the Syria-Iraq border, US jets have bombed pro-regime troops and shot down Iranian-made drones after Washington says they appeared to have had hostile intentions towards US troops and local allies on the ground. Further north, a US F/A-18E Super Hornet downed a Syrian government jet on June 18, with Washington saying the plane had dropped bombs near fighters belonging to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
Despite the escalations, Washington has maintained that it is not seeking a fight with the Syrian government or its allies.In his statement Monday, Mr Spicer repeated that the US was in Syria to fight ISIL.
Ahead of Mr Spicer’s comments, US secretary of defence Jim Mattis also reiterated that the US was seeking to avoid a conflict.
“We just refuse to get drawn into a fight there in the Syrian civil war, we try to end that one through diplomatic engagement,” he said.
However, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told lawmakers on Tuesday that the Syrian government — along with Russia and Iran — would be put “on notice” if chemical weapons were used by Mr Al Assad’s forces again.
“I believe the goal is at this point not to just send Assad a message but to send Russia and Iran a message that if this happens again we are putting you on notice,” she said.
British defence secretary Michael Fallon said he would support any retaliatory US military action, telling the BBC “as always in war, the military action you use must be justified, it must be legal, it must be necessary. In the last case it was … if the Americans take similar action again, I want to be very clear — we will support it.”
The April 7 cruise missile strike on Syria’s Shayrat airbase marked an abrupt shift in US president Donald Trump’s Syria policy. Previously, the young administration had appeared disinterested in the civil war, seemingly stepping away from the Obama administration’s attempts at negotiating a peace.
The strike was applauded at the time by anti-government Syrians, many of whom had long asked the US to intervene in their country’s conflict. However, it quickly became apparent that the strike was only a one-off aimed at sending a message to Mr Al Assad.
jwood@thenational.ae
* with additional reporting from Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 536hp (including 138hp e-motor)
Torque: 750Nm (including 400Nm e-motor)
Price: From Dh1,380,000
On sale: now
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450+ employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation 2 to 5
Rating: 5/5
WWE TLC results
Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles
Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax
Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match
Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre
Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match
Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match
Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day
R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox
'Lost in Space'
Creators: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Irwin Allen
Stars: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
The pillars of the Dubai Metaverse Strategy
Encourage innovation in the metaverse field and boost economic contribution
Develop outstanding talents through education and training
Develop applications and the way they are used in Dubai's government institutions
Adopt, expand and promote secure platforms globally
Develop the infrastructure and regulations
The Mandalorian season 3 episode 1
Director: Rick Famuyiwa
Stars: Pedro Pascal and Katee Sackhoff
Rating: 4/5
Brown/Black belt finals
3pm: 49kg female: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) v Thamires Aquino (BRA)
3.07pm: 56kg male: Hiago George (BRA) v Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA)
3.14pm: 55kg female: Amal Amjahid (BEL) v Bianca Basilio (BRA)
3.21pm: 62kg male: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) v Joao Miyao (BRA)
3.28pm: 62kg female: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR)
3.35pm: 69kg male: Isaac Doederlein (BRA) v Paulo Miyao (BRA)
3.42pm: 70kg female: Thamara Silva (BRA) v Alessandra Moss (AUS)
3.49pm: 77kg male: Oliver Lovell (GBR) v Tommy Langarkar (NOR)
3.56pm: 85kg male: Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE) v Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA)
4.03pm: 90kg female: Claire-France Thevenon (FRA) v Gabreili Passanha (BRA)
4.10pm: 94kg male: Adam Wardzinski (POL) v Kaynan Duarte (BRA)
4.17pm: 110kg male: Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE) v Joao Rocha (BRA
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
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
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
FIXTURES
UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies+– by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer+(2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
ANATOMY OF A FALL
Director: Justine Triet
Starring: Sandra Huller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner
Rating: 5/5
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Charlie Hunnam
Rating: 2/5
Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo hybrid
Power: 680hp
Torque: 1,020Nm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.5L/100km
On sale: Early 2024
Price: From Dh530,000 (estimate)
Turning waste into fuel
Average amount of biofuel produced at DIC factory every month: Approximately 106,000 litres
Amount of biofuel produced from 1 litre of used cooking oil: 920ml (92%)
Time required for one full cycle of production from used cooking oil to biofuel: One day
Energy requirements for one cycle of production from 1,000 litres of used cooking oil:
▪ Electricity - 1.1904 units
▪ Water- 31 litres
▪ Diesel – 26.275 litres
Company profile
Company name: Hayvn
Started: 2018
Founders: Christopher Flinos, Ahmed Ismail
Based: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Sector: financial
Initial investment: undisclosed
Size: 44 employees
Investment stage: series B in the second half of 2023
Investors: Hilbert Capital, Red Acre Ventures
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
RIDE ON
Director: Larry Yang
Stars: Jackie Chan, Liu Haocun, Kevin Guo
Rating: 2/5
Maestro
Director: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Maya Hawke
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
SPEC SHEET: SAMSUNG GALAXY S24 ULTRA
Display: 6.8" quad-HD+ dynamic Amoled 2X, 3120 x 1440, 505ppi, HDR10+, 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 64-bit octa-core
Memory: 12GB RAM
Storage: 256/512GB / 1TB
Platform: Android 14, One UI 6.1
Main camera: quad 200MP wide f/1.7 + 50MP periscope telephoto f/3.4 with 5x optical/10x optical quality zoom + 10MP telephoto 2.4 with 3x optical zoom + 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2; 100x Space Zoom; auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, full-HD@30/60/240fps, full-HD super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 12MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC
I/O: USB-C; built-in Galaxy S Pen
Durability: IP68, up to 1.5m of freshwater up to 30 minutes; dust-resistant
SIM: Nano + nano / nano + eSIM / dual eSIM (varies in different markets)
Colours: Titanium black, titanium grey, titanium violet, titanium yellow
In the box: Galaxy S24 Ultra, USB-C-to-C cable
Price: Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,599 for 512GB, Dh6,599 for 1TB
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
The Specs
Lamborghini LM002
Engine: 5.2-litre V12
Power: 450hp at 6,800rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 4,500rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
0-100kph: 9 seconds (approx)
Top speed: 210kph (approx)
Years built: 1986-93
Total vehicles built: 328
Value today: $300,000+
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars