Deal to end the Kurdish conflict will test Turkey

In late March, from his cell in a Turkish jail, Abdullah Ocalan issued an order: the 2,000 fighters of his outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were to withdraw from Turkey and move south into Iraq. Now, as they go, they may be exporting a problem to Iraq and Iran and Syria, but they are giving Turkey a remarkable opportunity.

Three decades of sporadic PKK insurgency have killed at least 40,000 people, and left the country's south-east badly underdeveloped. In prison since 1999, Ocalan has, he says, changed his thinking and now favours non-violence; he has been negotiating with the government of the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Of Turkey's 75 million people, almost a fifth are Kurds. The PKK has never spoken for all those 15 million people, but PKK violence has poisoned relations with the majority. Turkish politicians are well supported when they cite PKK terrorism to argue against Kurdish interests.

But almost 20 per cent is too big a minority to suppress with impunity. Kurdish resentment of the government, and indeed support for the PKK, vary in proportion to majority attitudes towards the minority.

It is no coincidence that Ankara's talks with Ocalan have borne fruit just as Turkey is rewriting its constitution. The main purpose of this exercise, many suspect, is to beef up the presidency from ceremonial to executive status, since Mr Erdogan aspires to accede to it.

But this is also a golden opportunity to heal the breach with the Kurds. Here language policy is both practical and symbolic; some recent liberalisation on the teaching of Kurdish and its use in some courts, and in political campaigns, are welcome, but all this and more deserves to be entrenched in the constitution.

A 12-member commission on the new basic law has not reached consensus, and Kurdish rights are just one of the issues in play. A draft that guarantees new Kurdish rights will not necessarily be popular outside of the country's Kurdish heartland, so making this come out right will challenge even Mr Erdogan's formidable skills. But there is hope here of a just and enduring new arrangement.

But what, meanwhile, of those tough PKK fighters? Iraq's central government does not welcome them, and even Iraqi Kurdistan - which has its own well-trained military - will have little use for them. Some may drift into Syria, or to Iran, where local Kurds have a wary ceasefire with the Tehran government.

Dissolving the PKK is tomorrow's problem. Today's concern, for Mr Erdogan and all of Turkey's political class, is to define and implement a just new balance between the majority and the Kurds.

The biog

Name: Salem Alkarbi

Age: 32

Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira

First started supporting Al Wasl: 7

Biggest rival: Al Nasr

What is Folia?

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.

Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."

Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.

In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".

There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.

While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."

Players Selected for La Liga Trials

U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian

Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco

Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French

Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian

U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco

The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

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

How to wear a kandura

Dos

Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts

Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying

No Shame

Lily Allen

(Parlophone)

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.