Greece and Libya agreed to hold talks on marking out their maritime zones amid tension in the Eastern Mediterranean that Athens said was caused by Turkey's "neo-Ottoman aspirations".
The announcement of negotiations by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis came after Turkey this week reaffirmed its commitment to a 2019 maritime deal with Libya, which angered Greece and Cyprus.
Athens said the agreement was a serious breach of international law that disregarded the rights of other Mediterranean nations.
But Mr Mitsotakis said on Wednesday that leaders had "agreed on the immediate resumption of talks between Greece and Libya on the delimitation of the maritime zones".
The issue feeds into growing tension between Athens and Ankara over borders, migration and gas deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey angered Greece by carrying out seismic research in disputed Mediterranean waters, while tension flared last year when thousands of asylum seekers in Turkey tried to storm the Greek land border.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is due to travel to Turkey on Thursday for face-to-face talks on the maritime border dispute.
Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, Greece's Defence Minister, said Ankara’s growing military presence destabilised the region and that Europe could “take more steps” if Turkey did not “change its behaviour”.
He said at a Chatham House event that Turkey was “escalating tensions” by dispatching military forces around the region.
“I would like to stress the fact that the primary source of this growing instability in our region has largely been Turkey’s neo-Ottoman aspirations to an aggressive posture,” he said.
Mr Panagiotopoulos said Turkey was pursuing a policy “characterised by disrespect of international law and good neighbourly relations”.
“Everybody is aware of Turkish military forces and assets dispatched to many countries – northern Iraq, Syria and Libya,” he said.
We do believe that Turkey does need to change its behaviour
"This is an enhanced military presence all over the region, for the sake of maintaining peace and stability. That's the Turkish position.
“In our mind, though, it has a certain destabilising element overall as well.
"We do believe that Turkey does need to change its behaviour, otherwise Europe, undoubtedly, will have to take more steps and more measures."
In addition to the border disputes, Greece and Turkey have long traded accusations over migration on Europe's borders.
The Turkish coastguard accuses Greece of illegally pushing migrants back to Turkey without allowing them to apply for asylum in the EU.
Athens rejects the allegations and accuses Turkey of orchestrating attempts by migrants to enter Greece illegally.
Thousands of people tried to force their way into Greece last year, in what Mr Panagiotopoulos claimed was an organised effort by Turkey.
“This operation was co-ordinated by Turkey with the sole purpose to threaten our security and undermine our country’s resilience and social cohesion,” he said.
However, he called for the countries to reach an understanding that he hoped would extend to “the full range of our bilateral relations”.
Separately, Mr Panagiotopoulos called for Greece and the UK to continue their “excellent co-operation” after Brexit.
“There is a certain mutual interest in remaining close partners in security and defence,” he said.
“Our position is that the UK should remain a strategic partner for the EU, taking into account the security interests of both parties.”
The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Andor
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tony%20Gilroy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDiego%20Luna%2C%20Genevieve%20O'Reilly%2C%20Alex%20Ferns%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%205%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
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
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
Company%20Profile
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
