Ensuring the ceasefire in Gaza endures was the focus of Wednesday's talks between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim, after Turkey’s leader arrived in Doha on an official visit.
“Our goal, as Qatar and Turkey, is to ensure the ceasefire in Gaza is permanent and to prevent any steps that could disrupt it,” Turkey’s ambassador to Qatar, Mustafa Goksu, told Turkish state news agency Anadolu. “The talks will focus on ensuring the smooth continuation of the ceasefire agreement.”
Mr Erdogan and Sheikh Tamim were holding a closed-door meeting on Wednesday morning, Turkish broadcaster TRT reported.
Turkey and Qatar, which both have close ties with Hamas, played key roles in urging the group to accept a ceasefire deal to end more than two years of conflict in Gaza. Nato member Turkey is now involved in negotiations over sending troops to the strip to form part of an international stabilisation force that would oversee security and eventually train new Palestinian police forces.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and spy chief Ibrahim Kalin met Hamas officials in Doha on Tuesday night, the Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed. The meeting, which included Muhammed Darwish, head of Hamas' consultative council, came as pressure mounts on the Palestinian group to proceed with disarming as part of the US-led peace efforts.
Alongside a 14-member delegation of ministers and officials from his Justice and Development Party (AKP), Mr Erdogan is visiting Qatar on the second leg of a three-country tour of the Gulf. On Tuesday his delegation signed agreements on maritime transport, direct investment and energy co-operation with Kuwait. Mr Erdogan will next travel to Oman.
Mr Erdogan’s visit “is of particular importance given the circumstances and challenges facing the Arab region”, Qatar’s official news agency reported.
The visit will also involve the signing of agreements between Turkey and Qatar in areas including politics, trade, defence and security, education and culture, Mr Goksu said.
The two countries have long-standing and close ties, and Turkey has a military base in Qatar. Ankara heavily criticised Israel for its strike targeting Hamas negotiators in Doha last month, amid fears that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government may attempt similar strikes on the Palestinian group in Turkish cities such as Istanbul, which they frequently visit.
Qatar wants Turkey as a partner in its regional mediation efforts, not only in Gaza. The two countries mediated a ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan, announced on Sunday, that ended over a week of deadly fighting.
“Qatar is seeking Turkey's support because it doesn't want to take the sole responsibility, so it prefers to share the burden with a significant and important actor,” Sinem Cengiz, a researcher at Qatar University's Gulf Studies Centre, told The National.
Mr Erdogan’s Gulf tour is not just about building closer ties with individual countries but boosting Turkey’s positioning within the region as a whole.
“The regional goal is very important here,” Ms Cengiz added. “The broader regional support that Erdogan is seeking from the Gulf states on Gaza and Syria is important.”
Ankara has newfound sway over the Syrian government since the fall of the Assad regime last year. But it also recognises the influence of Gulf nations over President Ahmad Al Shara. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have announced tens of millions of dollars in financial support to Syria, and have also cleared the country’s $15.5 million debt to the World Bank.
In a statement released by the Turkish presidency's communication office, stated that
Turkey will "continue to resolutely support" Syria's recovery process and will co-operate with Qatar in the country, including in the fields of energy, transport and humanitarian aid, a statement released by Mr Erdogan's office on Wednesday said.
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
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
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
