Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met and shook hands in Doha on Sunday in a rare sign of thawing ties as the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar offered regional leaders an opportunity to engage in informal diplomacy.
Mr Erdogan and Mr El Sisi met at a reception hosted by Sheikh Tamim, Emir of Qatar, who is seen beaming in the background in a photo of the moment that has gone viral since Sunday night.
A spokesman for Egypt's Presidency said in a statement on Monday that Mr El Sisi hoped the meeting would be the start of a fruitful bilateral relationship.
The leaders' handshake “attests to the depth of both countries’ historic ties”, he said.
Mr Erdogan said the handshake was the first step towards further normalisation of ties between the two countries after years of animosity, adding that more steps would follow.
Many leaders from the Middle East travelled to Qatar for the football tournament's opening ceremony, including Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Lebanon's acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and India's Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar were also in Qatar for the tournament while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha on Monday
In a readout of his comments made on a flight back from Qatar cited by Haberturk television channel, Mr Erdogan said Ankara's only demand from Egypt was a change in its attitude towards Turkey's position in the Mediterranean Sea.
Egypt and Turkey have had a tumultuous relationship in recent years, with Mr Erdogan insisting in 2019 that he would never meet his Egyptian counterpart, after opposing the 2013 fall of the Muslim Brotherhood-backed president, Mohamed Morsi.
Turkey has signed an oil and gas deal with Libya that drew warnings from Greece and Egypt that they would oppose any activity in disputed areas of the Eastern Mediterranean.
It has also carried out exploratory drilling in disputed waters around Cyprus.
Relations have been thawing between Turkey and several Middle East and Gulf states, including the UAE. The Emirates has a close relationship with Egypt.
Earlier this year, Turkish Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati travelled to Egypt for an Islamic Development Bank meeting. It was the first Turkish ministerial visit to the country in nine years.
Mr Erdogan's chief adviser Ilnur Cevik told The National during a trip to Abu Dhabi this month that there was to be "no turning back" from developing ties with the Gulf.
LIKELY TEAMS
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
India (from)
Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
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How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
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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.
