France has formally withdrawn from Nato’s naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea and called for fresh EU sanctions against Turkey over Ankara’s intervention in Libya.
Speaking at a security and defence committee meeting at the European Parliament, France’s Minister for the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, confirmed on Thursday that her country was withdrawing from operation Sea Guardian, the alliance’s security mission in the Mediterranean.
Ms Parly’s statements come as relations between France and Turkey, two Nato allies, reach a fresh nadir after a naval incident on June 10 in the eastern Mediterranean.
France had sought a Nato censure over the incident in which it claims its frigate, the Courbet, was harassed by Turkish vessels as it attempted to inspect a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship suspected of being used by Turkey to flout Libya's arms embargo.
Ankara has denied the ship, the Cirkin, was supplying weapons to the Government of National Accord (GNA), which it supports in Tripoli, but has claimed instead that the vessel was carrying medical supplies.
The UAE has backed France in its standoff with Turkey. In the aftermath of the June 10 incident, Dr Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said on Twitter that Abu Dhabi condemned the targeting of the French naval vessel.
Ms Parly is to speak with Minister of State for Defence Affairs Mohammed Al Bawardi later on Thursday.
Frustrated by an inconclusive probe by Nato into the maritime incident, Paris has now changed tack and is seeking EU sanctions against Ankara over its recent decisive intervention in Libya.
Ankara has turned the tide of Libya’s civil war in recent months, delivering air support and thousands of mercenaries to the GNA to end a year-long offensive on Tripoli by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army.
Ankara has regularly accused Paris of backing Mr Haftar, though French officials have denied this.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian has called for a meeting of his EU counterparts on July 13 to discuss the possibility of further sanctions against Turkey.
Brussels has already imposed sanctions on Turkish officials linked to drilling operations in waters in the eastern Mediterranean.
However, the standoff in the region, centred on the decades-old dispute over Cyprus and the island’s frozen conflict, has increasingly come to intersect with the civil war in Libya.
In December 2019 the GNA and Turkey confirmed a new maritime border deal in the Mediterranean in exchange for subsequent military co-operation, which has had a profound effect on the ground in the North African nation.
The UAE, Egypt, France, Cyprus and Greece condemned the agreements that would give Turkey access to potentially lucrative natural gas reserves in the area.
Next Thursday, the European Parliament is to examine Turkey's role in the eastern Mediterranean, Libya and the incident with the Courbet.
The debate will be held at the request of the European People’s Party, a centre-right coalition in the parliament which includes the parties of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
In Greece last week the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell travelled to the Greek border at Evros to indicate the bloc’s ongoing support for Athens in the face of ongoing Turkish hostility.
After the last round of sanctions brought by the EU against Turkey in November, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara could step up its deportation of EU nationals who fought with ISIS and said he could renege on his country’s migration deal with the EU and allow millions of Syrian refugees to cross into mainland Europe.
Greece, which was the principal point of entry for illegal immigrants into Europe in 2019, has vowed to defend its borders and has not ruled out the possibility of a military confrontation with Turkey.
The EU has sought to secure Nato support for its own naval mission, Operation Irini, to impose the UN weapons embargo on Libya, but Turkey would be likely to block any such moves.
Despite its withdrawal from Operation Sea Guardian, France continues to contribute to Irini with its frigate Jean Bart.
The creation of the EU mission was one of the main conclusions of the Berlin Conference on Libya at the start of this year. However, at the same time as the conflict in Libya has fractured the Nato alliance, Irini has exposed differences in the EU between Italy and Malta on the one hand and France, Greece and Cyprus on the other.
During a virtual discussion with the Libyan National Army on Wednesday, the US stressed its opposition to all foreign interference in Libya and emphasised the need for an immediate ceasefire and return to UN-facilitated negotiations, the State Department said.
In a statement released on Thursday, it said the US delegation emphasised that the LNA's affiliation with the Wagner group, a Russian Ministry of Defence proxy, and perpetuation of the oil shutdown are at odds with US and Libyan interests and undermine Libyan sovereignty, increasing the risk of a conflict that could damage critical oil infrastructure.
Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7
World Sevens Series Pools
A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan
B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland
C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales
D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
RESULT
Wolves 1 (Traore 67')
Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')
Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)
Roll of honour: Who won what in 2018/19?
West Asia Premiership: Winners – Bahrain; Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership: Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Winners – Dubai Hurricanes; Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference: Winners – Dubai Tigers; Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
Afghanistan squad
Gulbadin Naib (captain), Mohammad Shahzad (wicketkeeper), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
WORLD RECORD FEES FOR GOALKEEPERS
1) Kepa Arrizabalaga, Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (£72m)
2) Alisson, Roma to Liverpool (£67m)
3) Ederson, Benfica to Manchester City (£35m)
4) Gianluigi Buffon, Parma to Juventus (£33m)
5) Angelo Peruzzi, Inter Milan to Lazio (£15.7m
'Joker'
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Rating: Five out of five stars
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
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
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
