After earning Ukrainian praise for the performance of its drones, helping broker a grain deal that may have staved off famine, hosting preliminary peace talks and leveraging western sanctions on Moscow to sharply boost its trade with Russia, one might have thought Turkey had benefited as much as it could from Russia's war in Ukraine.
But lo and behold, two new intertwining advantages emerged last week. First, Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Astana and offered to bring to fruition Ankara’s long-standing vision of becoming a regional energy hub.
Moscow’s proposal would divert its natural gas from the damaged Nord Stream pipeline to Turkey, via their shared TurkStream pipeline, and from there to EU member states. Such a shift would not be completely new. Russia has been using TurkStream to send significant amounts of natural gas not only to Turkey, but also to Hungary and other European countries.
Turkey’s energy minister said the new proposal sounded feasible, while France quickly rejected the plan. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has been working to wean itself off Russian energy supplies and most EU states would probably follow Paris’s lead.
Mr Putin’s suggestion comes just as Eastern Mediterranean gas supplies to Europe may be inching closer to fruition, after more than a decade of squabbling. Lebanon and Israel last week reached a landmark US-brokered maritime border deal that should unlock access to their sizeable reserves.
On Friday, the EU energy commissioner said Eastern Mediterranean gas could help the bloc shift away from Russian energy. Some observers think the Levant deal, between oft-warring neighbours, could give fresh momentum to a possible Cyprus resolution that would deliver East Med gas to EU markets via a pipeline through Cyprus and Turkey.
That remains to be seen, particularly given the sky-high tensions between Turkey and Greece in recent weeks. But Cyprus is the key to Turkey’s other new potential gain from the Ukraine war. Three decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine still relies on Soviet-era artillery, weapons and ammunition, and has since summer been running dangerously low on these military supplies – to the point of conserving shells in the field.
Eastern Mediterranean gas supplies to Europe may be inching closer to fruition
While seeking to quickly train Ukrainian troops on more advanced western weapons, Kyiv’s western backers have also been scouring the globe for Soviet-style weaponry. Several African and Middle Eastern states, including Congo, Rwanda, Kuwait and Egypt, have sizeable stockpiles of Soviet weapons, but they are not Nato members and have been reluctant to provide Ukraine with lethal aid.
Poland and other Eastern European nations have already sent Ukraine all the Soviet-style weapons they can without risking their own defences. Enter the Republic of Cyprus, which thanks to a decades-long US weapons embargo has a vast stockpile of Soviet-era weaponry, including more than 100 tanks and armoured vehicles.
In recent months, US officials have repeatedly met officials from Cyprus, which is an EU member, but not a member of Nato. The Cypriots’ stance is that, given the persistent security threat of Turkey’s occupation of the northern third of the island, they would be able to send Soviet-era weapons to Ukraine only if they were to receive adequate replacements.
Not coincidentally, the US this month lifted its arms embargo on Cyprus, clearing the way for Washington to sell arms to Nicosia. The hitch in this possible swap is Ankara. Mr Erdogan has already said that he would reinforce Turkey’s military presence on the island if the US were to start arming Cyprus.
This would risk reigniting an arms race and further exacerbating Turkey-Greece tensions. It’s worth noting that the current wave of agitations between the Aegean neighbours began after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged US Congress, in May, not to sell Turkey F-16s fighter jets, prompting Mr Erdogan to assert that the Greek leader no longer existed.
Things deteriorated from there. But last week, the ground shifted when the US Senate dropped two amendments from its annual defence spending bill that would have blocked the sale of F-16s to Turkey. Could clearing the way for F-16 sales to Turkey be Washington’s attempt to mollify Ankara in the event that the US does sell arms to Nicosia?
US Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee and the driving force behind ending the Cyprus embargo, the next day vowed to reject any F-16 sale to Turkey “until Erdogan halts his campaign of aggression across the region".
Mr Menendez did not clarify which Turkish actions might be considered part of that campaign, but he was probably referring to Turkish violations of Greek airspace and military assaults on US-allied Syrian Kurds. Regardless, Turkish officials have since expressed confidence that F-16 sales will go forward, possibly at the end of November.
Even if Congress is against it, US President Joe Biden last year reportedly offered F-16s to Turkey as a reimbursement for the $1.4 billion Ankara paid towards F-35 fighter jets it never received. The new US defence bill remains a long way from approval, and debate will resume after mid-term election in early November.
But for now, the plan seems tidy: Cyprus sends its Soviet-era weapons to Ukraine and the US replaces them with more advanced weaponry while mollifying Turkey with much-needed F-16s. If the Greeks complain, Washington might remind them that they’re taking delivery of more than 80 upgraded F-16s, alongside other US defence deals.
In the end, Ankara may not get everything it wants, despite Mr Erdogan’s favourable response to Mr Putin’s proposal on TurkStream. “There will be no waiting,” he said on the weekend, urging Turkish and Russian engineers to begin work.
In truth, Turkey may well have to put its gas hub dreams on hold yet again.
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Results
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
More on animal trafficking
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
INFO
Everton 0
Arsenal 0
Man of the Match: Djibril Sidibe (Everton)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Tour de France 2017: Stage 5
Vittel - La Planche de Belles Filles, 160.5km
It is a shorter stage, but one that will lead to a brutal uphill finish. This is the third visit in six editions since it was introduced to the race in 2012. Reigning champion Chris Froome won that race.
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
SCORES IN BRIEF
New Zealand 153 and 56 for 1 in 22.4 overs at close
Pakistan 227
(Babar 62, Asad 43, Boult 4-54, De Grandhomme 2-30, Patel 2-64)
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Racecard
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