'There aren't any more insults and the language is more reassuring,' Jean-Yves Le Drian said. AP
'There aren't any more insults and the language is more reassuring,' Jean-Yves Le Drian said. AP
'There aren't any more insults and the language is more reassuring,' Jean-Yves Le Drian said. AP
'There aren't any more insults and the language is more reassuring,' Jean-Yves Le Drian said. AP

Turkey's Erdogan changes tack to reset fragile relations with France


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

Turkey appears to have adopted a more moderate stance and has stopped insulting France and the EU, said the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Mr Le Drian said the change in tone was positive but warned that relations between France and Turkey remain fragile.

"There aren't any more insults and the language is more reassuring," he told a parliamentary hearing.

There have been heated exchanges between presidents Emmanuel Macron and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Turkish leader said Mr Macron needed "mental checks" and proposed a boycott of French products.

But in recent weeks he has sought to ease friction with the EU as his country faces economic challenges.

The two leaders spoke on Tuesday for the first time since September.

Mr Le Drian said the removal of Turkish ships from gas-rich Cypriot waters in the Eastern Mediterranean was positive, as was Turkey's desire to resume talks with Greece over maritime boundaries.

But he said disputes remained over Libya, Iraq and Nagorno-Karabakh.

"It's fragile because the list of disagreements is very long, but we want a healthy relationship with Turkey," Mr Le Drian said.

"Actions are needed and we will be able to position ourselves when those actions are carried out. For now, it's just verbal action."

During their video call, Mr Erdogan told Mr Macron that he wanted to co-operate in the fight against terrorism and could "contribute significantly to stability and peace" in Europe, the Caucasus, the Middle East and Africa, the Turkish presidency said.

In 2019, Recep Tayyip Erdogan went back on his vow to keep the doors open for refugees and at that year’s UN General Assembly detailed a plan to carve out safe zones in northern Syria. Reuters
In 2019, Recep Tayyip Erdogan went back on his vow to keep the doors open for refugees and at that year’s UN General Assembly detailed a plan to carve out safe zones in northern Syria. Reuters

"There are also measures that we can take together against terrorist organisations," Mr Erdogan said. "Turkey wishes to co-operate with France in all these areas."

He said the French-Turkish "friendship" has "overcome numerous obstacles" since the 16th century during the reign of French king Francis I and Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

But the Turkish presidency did not mention the fate of more than a dozen French teachers at Istanbul's Galatasaray University, whose work permits are delayed and who face the threat of expulsion over the diplomatic dispute.

France and Turkey clashed on several fronts last year.

Mr Erdogan criticised Mr Macron’s plan to introduce a "separatism bill", which supporters say is aimed at preventing extremism and critics say targets Muslims unfairly.

The bill was introduced after the murder and beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, who showed his pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed and was killed by an extremist.

France sided with EU member Greece after Turkey sailed into disputed waters.

Greece claims the area is part of its continental shelf, and called Turkish attempts to search for potential gas and oil deposits near Cyprus “illegal activities”.

Turkey says Greece and others are denying its rights to explore for energy resources in the Mediterranean.

Turkey and France were also at odds over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which is populated by ethnic Armenians and broke away from Baku's control in a 1990s post-Soviet war.

Fighting broke out in September until a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal was sealed last month. Turkey was a staunch ally of Azerbaijan.

The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO

Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday 

Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD

Student Of The Year 2

Director: Punit Malhotra

Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal 

1.5 stars

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THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

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What is graphene?

Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.

It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.

It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.

The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

The%20specs%20
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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Rain Management

Year started: 2017

Based: Bahrain

Employees: 100-120

Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund

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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

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Price: From Dh590,000

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

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Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Brief scores:

Newcastle United 1

Perez 23'

Wolverhampton Rovers 2

Jota 17', Doherty 90' 4

Red cards: Yedlin 57'

Man of the Match: Diogo Jota (Wolves)