Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazakhstan in October, 2022. Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazakhstan in October, 2022. Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazakhstan in October, 2022. Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazakhstan in October, 2022. Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP

Erdogan 'to visit Putin for Black Sea grain talks next week'


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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will "soon" visit Russia to discuss the lapsed Black Sea grain deal with President Vladimir Putin, a spokesman for Turkey's ruling party said on Monday.

Mr Erdogan will visit the Russian city of Sochi for talks about the looming global "food crisis" soon, said Omer Celik, the Justice and Development Party spokesman.

Bloomberg earlier quoted two unidentified Turkish officials as saying the meeting could take place on Friday, September 8.

Turkey has played a key role in mediating between Moscow and Kyiv since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Although Turkey is a member of the Nato alliance, which opposes Russia's invasion and whose members have provided arms and support to Ukraine, Mr Erdogan has used his country's good relations with both sides to take the role as mediator.

Ankara helped to negotiate the only major agreement signed since the outbreak of the war – the UN-backed deal to ship grain from Ukrainian ports across the Black Sea to avert a global food shortage.

Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of grain, and the deal initially helped to bring down global food prices, providing relief in African countries.

But Moscow withdrew from the agreement last month, citing the UN's non-compliance with provisions aimed at easing Russia's exports of agricultural products and fertiliser.

The carrier ship 'Primus', registered in Liberia, sails towards the Bulgarian port of Varna on the Black Sea on August 26. Stringer / AFP
The carrier ship 'Primus', registered in Liberia, sails towards the Bulgarian port of Varna on the Black Sea on August 26. Stringer / AFP

Ukraine's ports have since come under attack, with Russia warning it considers any ships in the Black Sea as potential military targets.

Kyiv has also attacked Russian targets around the Black Sea.

Mr Erdogan is expected to try to revive the grain deal in the talks next week.

Last week, he sent Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Kyiv to secure Ukrainian support for renewed talks.

Mr Fidan tried to persuade Ukraine to abandon a US-backed plan to set up a new route for exporting grain that does not involve Russia, AFP reported.

"We know alternative routes are being sought [for grain shipments], but we see no alternative to the original initiative because they carry risks," AFP quoted him as saying in Kyiv.

Mr Fidan is expected to visit Moscow this week but a date has not been confirmed.

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Brief scores:

Liverpool 3

Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'

Manchester United 1

Lingard 33'

Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)

Match info

Uefa Champions League Group B

Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

if you go

The flights

Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com

Seeing the games

Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com

 

Staying there

Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com

 

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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How much of your income do you need to save?

The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.

In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)

Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.

 

Updated: August 28, 2023, 7:09 PM