Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, left, with his Syrian counterpart Mohammed Al Bashir in Damascus. Reuters
Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, left, with his Syrian counterpart Mohammed Al Bashir in Damascus. Reuters
Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, left, with his Syrian counterpart Mohammed Al Bashir in Damascus. Reuters
Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, left, with his Syrian counterpart Mohammed Al Bashir in Damascus. Reuters

Turkey to provide 2 billion cubic metres of gas annually to Syria, minister says


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Turkey will provide 2 billion cubic metres of natural gas to Syria annually, Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Thursday, in a joint news conference in Damascus with his Syrian counterpart, Mohammad Al Bashir, as they signed a joint co-operation agreement to boost energy collaboration.

Mr Bayraktar said that Turkey's gas exports to Syria will contribute to an additional 1,300 megawatts of electricity production in the country and that Anakara aims to triple electricity exports to Syria up to 1,000 megawatts in coming months. Supplies will help increase power hours in Syria up to 12 hours per day, and the two will also explore natural resources to help reconstruction efforts, he added.

Turkey will start supplying Syria, which has suffered from severe power shortages, with gas in June as the two work on completing a gas pipeline connecting them, Mr Al Bashir said in the presser.

"This will significantly boost electricity generation, which will positively impact the Syrian people’s electricity needs."

The two minister discussed completing a 400-kilovolt line that links the countries, contributing to importing around 500 megawatts of electricity into Syria, to be ready by the end of the year or shortly thereafter.

The ministers signed a joint co-operation agreement to boost energy collaboration. Reuters
The ministers signed a joint co-operation agreement to boost energy collaboration. Reuters

Cooperation also includes opening the door for Turkish companies to invest in mining, phosphate, electricity generation and electricity distribution in Syria.

"There is very intensive work underway regarding the discovery of new natural resources, whether gas or oil, on land or at sea," Mr Bayraktar said.

Syria suffers from severe power shortages, with state-supplied electricity available for only for a few hours a day in most areas. Damascus used to receive the bulk of its oil for power generation from Iran before Hayat Tahrir Al Sham took power in December.

How to invest in gold

Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.

A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.

Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”

Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”

Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”

By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.

You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.

You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.

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Cricket World Cup League Two

Oman, UAE, Namibia

Al Amerat, Muscat

 

Results

Oman beat UAE by five wickets

UAE beat Namibia by eight runs

 

Fixtures

Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia

Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE

Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia

Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

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From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

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Rating: 4/5

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
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  3. All aspects of post-production.
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  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
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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

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl

Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm

Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: Dh99,000

On sale: now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ENGLAND SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope 
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Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

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Updated: May 22, 2025, 12:38 PM`