Fewer than 24 hours after indicating that US troops in Syria could be leaving "very soon", President Donald Trump froze more than $200 million in reconstruction funds for the country and called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss developments.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Mr Trump has ordered his government to freeze "more than $200m in funds for recovery efforts in Syria" as he reassesses America's broader role in the conflict.
Mr Trump "called for the freeze after reading a news report noting that the US had recently committed an additional $200m to support early recovery efforts in Syria" the report said. The amount was pledged by departing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at a Kuwait conference last month.
The freeze came hours after Mr Trump announced his intention to pull 2000 troops out of Syria.
"We'll be coming out of Syria very soon. Let the other people take care of it now," he said at a rally in Ohio on Thursday. Mr Trump also said: "We're going to have 100 per cent of the [ISIL] caliphate, as they call it, sometimes referred to as land. We're taking it all back."
The news followed the killing of a US soldier by a roadside bomb in Northern Syria.
The president discussed Syria with his Turkish counterpart on Friday, in the second call between them in less than 10 days.
The White House said that Mr Trump and Mr Erdogan spoke about “regional developments and the strategic partnership” and that they “expressed support for continued efforts to increase cooperation between their two countries, to advance shared interests as Nato allies, and to work through issues that affect the bilateral relationship”.
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US soldier killed in Syria as Trump says he wants troop withdrawal 'very soon'
Saudi crown prince warns of risk of future war with Iran
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The Trump government appears to be looking for other sources to fund stabilisation and recovery efforts in Syria.
The Washington Post reported in mid-March that Mr Trump had asked Saudi Arabia's King Salman for $4 billion in stabilisation aid to hasten US exit from Syria, but it is unclear if such a deal materialised.
US officials told The Washington Post that they "have convinced Mr Trump that the US military cannot remove its troops from Northern Syria in part because of Iran."
In an interview with Time magazine, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is visiting the US, urged continued presence for US troops in Syria. "We believe American troops should stay for at least the mid-term, if not the long-term" he said.
Prince Mohammed added: "If you take those troops out from east Syria, you will lose that checkpoint," blocking an Iranian corridor at the moment. "And this corridor could create a lot of things in the region."
The specs: 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
Price, base / as tested: Dh101,140 / Dh113,800
Engine: Turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 148hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm @ 2,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed CVT
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Napoleon
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DUBAI WORLD CUP RACE CARD
6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m
10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Well Of Wisdom
7.05pm Summrghand
7.40pm Laser Show
8.15pm Angel Alexander
8.50pm Benbatl
9.25pm Art Du Val
10pm: Beyond Reason
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Listen to Extra Time
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
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