Turkey and Britain sowing the seeds of a thorny issue

The UK has demanded Turkey give back a collection of ancient seeds seized from a British research institute in Ankara.

Thousands of scientifically important specimens were taken from the British Institute at Ankara on September 3 after authorities claimed they belonged to Turkey.

Researchers were reportedly given less than a day’s notice that they would be seized despite raising objections that their abrupt removal could damage them.

The collection, which is the legacy of late British archaeobotanist Gordan Hillman, comprises the seeds of ancient and modern crops.

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The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told The National that the UK wanted the seeds returned.

A spokeswoman said: “We have raised our concerns about this issue with the relevant authorities in the Turkish Government.”

According to a letter published by website AL-Monitor, British Institute chairman Stephen Mitchell said researchers pleaded for extra time to “minimise the risk of damage or loss to the material”.

However, the request was refused.

Mr Mitchell said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism notified the institute that the collection belonged to Turkey and it “would be removed the same day”.

He added that staff from the office of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan were directly involved in the removal of more than 100 boxes of archaeobotanical specimens and four cupboards of modern seeds.

According to reports, a decree issued last year gave the government the authority to seize local plants and build up a collection of agricultural products.

Echoing her husband’s nationalist agenda, Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan has previously said “agriculture is key to our national sovereignty”.

“Our farmers opened their treasure chests,” she said.

“In order to ensure that the heritage of this soil is transferred to future generations they entrusted their seeds to the state’s care.”

However, some researchers are puzzled as to exactly what Turkey would do with the British Institute’s seeds.

Dorian Fuller, from University College London’s Institute of Archaeology, told AL-Monitor the seeds “are essentially charcoal, dead and inert”, are only used for research purposes and can’t be grown.

OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS

Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)

Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye

Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine

Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye

Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)

Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)

Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra

Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh

Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar

Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

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