Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends the extended meeting with provincial heads of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara, Turkey, on October 10, 2019. / AFP / Adem ALTAN
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends the extended meeting with provincial heads of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara, Turkey, on October 10, 2019. / AFP / Adem ALTAN
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends the extended meeting with provincial heads of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara, Turkey, on October 10, 2019. / AFP / Adem ALTAN
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends the extended meeting with provincial heads of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara, Turkey, on October 10, 2019. / AFP / Adem ALTAN

Erdogan threatens to open the gates to Europe as he lashes at critics


Damien McElroy
  • English
  • Arabic

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned EU critics of his military offensive in Syria that he would "open the gates" to Europe for 3.6 million refugees in his country.

Mr Erdogan told activists from his ruling AK Party that the EU was wrong to calls the operation an invasion.

"Hey, EU, wake up," he said. "I say it again, if you try to frame our operation there as an invasion, our task is simple. We will open the gates and send 3.6 million migrants to you."

The offensive has been criticised by European states who do not accept Turkey's claims that it is acting in self-defence.

European officials have said any attempts by Turkey to resettle millions who have fled the conflict in Syria could fall foul of international laws against coercion.

"They are not honest, they just make up words," Mr Erdogan said. "We, however, take action and that is the difference between us."

The Turkish operation began on Wednesday evening, days after US troops were withdrawn from the north Syrian border regions.

The decision caused uproar in US Congress and among American allies as an abandonment of Syrian Kurds.

Ankara regards the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia as terrorists because of ties to the PKK group that has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey.

Kurdish representatives have condemned Washington's decision after years of fighting alongside American troops to defeat ISIS.

Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said the bloc urged Mr Erdogan to think again.

"The EU calls upon Turkey to cease the unilateral military action," Ms Mogherini said.

"Renewed armed hostilities in the north-east will further undermine the stability of the whole region, exacerbate civilian suffering and provoke further displacements."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the offensive “must stop”, as the Europeans prepared for an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Thursday.

“It calls into question the security and humanitarian efforts of the coalition against [ISIS]  and risks undermining Europeans’ security,” Mr Le Drian said.

Dominic Raab, the British Foreign Secretary, said he had "serious concerns" about Turkey's offensive.

"This risks destabilising the region, exacerbating humanitarian suffering and undermining the progress made against ISIS, which should be our collective focus," he said.

European officials say there has been an sharp rise in the number of arrivals, to more than 3,000 a month, from Turkey in recent months as tension with Mr Erdogan grew.

Under a 2016 agreement, Turkey committed to stop migrants reaching Greece. Greece was also allowed to send rejected asylum-seekers back to Turkey. In return, Ankara was promised $6.6 billion.

So far, half the funds have been given to Turkey.

MWTC

Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.

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Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

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Torque: 605Nm
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Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

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Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

What drives subscription retailing?

Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.

The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.

The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.

The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.

UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.

That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.

Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Pension support
  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
  • Financial well-being incentives 
MATCH INFO

What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)

Brief scores:

Manchester City 3

Aguero 1', 44', 61'

Arsenal ​​​​​1

Koscielny 11'

Man of the match: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

The biog

Age: 32

Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.

Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas

Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska

Honeymoonish
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THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

Price: From Dh59,700 

 

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UK-EU trade at a glance

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