Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) attend a press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Turkey. EPA / STR
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) attend a press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Turkey. EPA / STR
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) attend a press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Turkey. EPA / STR
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) attend a press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Turkey. EPA / STR

Turkey and Israel working to restore ties to ambassador level


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Turkey and Israel have begun work on restoring mutual diplomatic representation to the ambassador level, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, as the two countries seek an end to more than a decade of strained ties.

Mr Cavusoglu was speaking alongside his Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, who was visiting Ankara after months of warming ties but amid Israeli concerns that citizens could come under attack by Iranian agents in the Nato-member country.

Israel had warned citizens against travelling to Turkey, citing suspected assassination or abduction plots by Iran, which has vowed to avenge the May 22 assassination of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps colonel in Tehran that it blamed on Israeli agents.

The Turkish foreign minister said that he and Mr Lapid were in close contact regarding threats to Israeli citizens and Mr Lapid thanked Turkey for helping to foil an Iranian plot to harm Israelis in Istanbul.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) attend a press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Turkey. EPA / STR
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (L) attend a press conference after their meeting in Ankara, Turkey. EPA / STR

Turkish media reported that authorities had detained five Iranians suspected of planning attacks on Israelis before Mr Lapid’s visit.

Police seized two pistols and two silencers in searches conducted in houses and hotels where the suspected attackers were staying, reports said.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has since confirmed that a joint operation with Turkey had succeeded in thwarting several attacks and resulted in a number of arrests in recent days.

Mr Cavusoglu visited Israel last month to encourage expanded economic co-operation in the first such visit by a senior Turkish official in 15 years.

Turkey, beset by economic troubles, has been trying to end its international isolation by normalising ties with several countries in the Middle East, including Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Israel and Turkey were once close allies, but relations grew tense under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians. In addition, Turkey’s embrace of the militant group Hamas has angered Israel.

The countries withdrew their ambassadors in 2010 after Israeli forces stormed a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza, which has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized power there in 2007. Nine Turkish activists were killed.

Israel apologised to Turkey for the deaths under a US-brokered agreement, but reconciliation efforts stalled.

Turkey recalled its ambassador in 2018 after the US recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, prompting Israel to respond in kind. The two countries have not reappointed ambassadors.

The latest rapprochement has been led by Israel’s mostly ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, who has held several telephone calls with Mr Erdogan and who visited Turkey in March, becoming the first Israeli leader to do so in 14 years.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrives at his office to head a weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrives at his office to head a weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. AFP

Mr Lapid’s visit comes amid political turmoil in Israel, where Mr Bennett’s fragile, year-old government decided this week to dissolve the Knesset, triggering new elections that are set to take place in the autumn.

Under the agreement that forged Mr Bennett’s coalition government, Mr Lapid is expected in the coming days to become caretaker prime minister until a new government is cobbled together after the elections.

The developments deepen a political crisis in Israel, which has held four elections since 2019, each largely a referendum over former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule.

Mr Netanyahu hopes to return to power in the coming vote, but polls show that, as in previous rounds, it will unlikely produce a clear winner.

The biog

Name: Abeer Al Shahi

Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan

Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.

Favourite activities: Bungee jumping

Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.

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What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
  • Grade 9 = above an A*
  • Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
  • Grade 7 = grade A
  • Grade 6 = just above a grade B
  • Grade 5 = between grades B and C
  • Grade 4 = grade C
  • Grade 3 = between grades D and E
  • Grade 2 = between grades E and F
  • Grade 1 = between grades F and G
The lowdown

Rating: 4/5

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

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Score

Third Test, Day 1

New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat

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Most wanted allegations
  • Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
  • Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
  • Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer. 
  • Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
  • Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
  • John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
  • Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
  • Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
  • Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain. 
  • Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
  • James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
  • Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack. 

A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

North Pole stats

Distance covered: 160km

Temperature: -40°C

Weight of equipment: 45kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 0

Terrain: Ice rock

South Pole stats

Distance covered: 130km

Temperature: -50°C

Weight of equipment: 50kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300

Terrain: Flat ice
 

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Updated: June 23, 2022, 3:22 PM`