Nouri al Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister (left), and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, shake hands in Ankara last year.
Nouri al Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister (left), and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, shake hands in Ankara last year.
Nouri al Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister (left), and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, shake hands in Ankara last year.
Nouri al Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister (left), and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, shake hands in Ankara last year.

Turkey throws weight around region


  • English
  • Arabic

ISTANBUL // The Turkish prime minister will visit Baghdad today, becoming the first Turkish head of government to visit the neighbouring country since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. The visit by Recep Tayyip Erdogan reinforces Turkey's singular role in Middle Eastern politics as a western-leaning Muslim country, but also points to difficulties at home. The office of Nouri al Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, confirmed last night that Mr Erdogan would fly to Iraq today for a one-day visit. The timing of the visit, like the visit of all foreign leaders to Iraq, was kept secret until the last moment for security reasons.

Mr Erdogan will be travelling with several members of his cabinet and is to meet Mr Maliki and Jalal Talabani, Iraq's president, in the Green Zone, the heavily barricaded diplomatic area of Iraq's capital, media reported. Mr Erdogan and his Iraqi hosts are likely to talk about how to preserve Iraq's territorial integrity, including the future of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, a Kurdish-majority city that Ankara is concerned could become the nucleus of an independent Kurdish state if it were to be included in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Contacts between the two governments have intensified in recent months. Ali Babacan, the Turkish foreign minister, and Ahmet Davutoglu, a close foreign policy adviser of Mr Erdogan, have visited Baghdad and Mr Maliki travelled to Ankara last year. Mr Erdogan's trip has been expected for some time. When Mr Davutoglu met Mr Talabani in Baghdad in May, he carried a message from Mr Erdogan that said he was willing to visit Iraq. Murat Ozcelik, Turkey's special Iraq envoy, met Mr Maliki in Baghdad last month to prepare the prime minister's visit. Abdullah Gul, Turkey's president, has also said he is ready to visit Baghdad.

Turkish press reports said the two sides will sign an agreement aimed at strengthening bilateral relations during Mr Erdogan's visit. Energy and trade will also be discussed, newspapers said. The pro-government daily newspaper Yeni Safak reported yesterday that Hilmi Guler, the energy minister, and Kursat Tuzmen, the foreign trade minister, would travel with Mr Erdogan. Among energy issues between the two countries are Kurdistan's electrical supply, which comes from Turkey, and vandalism of oil pipelines.

The most pressing issue on the table, however, remains rebel Kurds. Hurriyet, a daily Turkish newspaper, reported on its website, that getting the camps closed is a priority Turkey will bring up. Turkey sent thousands of troops into northern Iraq in February to flush out rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK, who have attacked targets within Turkey from Iraq. Mr Erdogan secured US backing for limited attacks against the PKK on Iraqi territory last year. Washington supports Turkey's actions against the rebels with real-time intelligence data. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Ankara, Washington and Baghdad.

But although the PKK's presence in northern Iraq is one of the main problems in Turkish-Iraqi relations, Ankara has been careful to limit direct contacts with the regional government of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq for fear of enhancing the status of the Kurdish administration there. Mr Davutoglu met representatives of the Kurdish region in Baghdad, but Mr Erdogan is expected to meet only with members of the central Iraqi government.

Under Mr Erdogan's government, Turkey has started to conduct a more active Middle East policy in recent years. While maintaining its traditional ties with Israel, Ankara has improved its relations with such countries as Syria, leading to indirect talks between Tel Aviv and Damascus in Istanbul. Relations with Iran have also taken a turn for the better. Last month, the Turkish army said it was co-operating with the Iranian military in its fight against the PKK. Turkey also sent soldiers to Lebanon to serve with UN troops there. Parliament in Ankara decided late yesterday to prolong the mission for another year.

Mr Erdogan's reported trip to Baghdad comes at a critical time for the Turkish prime minister, whose Justice and Development Party, or AKP, faces a possible ban by the constitutional court for alleged Islamist tendencies. A verdict is expected in the coming weeks. "You can say what you want, but Turkey is the most important country" in the region, Husnu Mahalli, a Syrian writer and Middle East analyst, said in a column for the daily Aksam. "And the prime minister of this country is going to Baghdad." Mr Mahalli said it was important for Turkey's future regional role that the AKP case be decided as soon as possible. "An Ankara that is occupied with its own domestic problems will of course not have the power and strength to get involved in issues in its surroundings."

@Email:tseibert@thenational.ae

UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

UFC Fight Night 2

1am – Early prelims

2am – Prelims

4am-7am – Main card

7:30am-9am – press cons

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.

Top 5 concerns globally:

1. Unemployment

2. Spread of infectious diseases

3. Fiscal crises

4. Cyber attacks

5. Profound social instability

Top 5 concerns in the Mena region

1. Energy price shock

2. Fiscal crises

3. Spread of infectious diseases

4. Unmanageable inflation

5. Cyber attacks

Source: World Economic Foundation

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RESULTS

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner AF Nashrah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner Mutaqadim, Riccardo Iacopini, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Hameem, Jose Santiago, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner AF Almomayaz, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m

Winner Dalil Al Carrere, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.

7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Jayide Al Boraq, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.

Sukuk explained

Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.

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.

Jebel Ali results

2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard

3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 64,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: One Vision, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Gabr, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson

4pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 96,000 (D) 1,800m

Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson

4.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Torno Subito, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson

5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,950m

Winner: Untold Secret, Jose Santiago, Salem bin Ghadayer

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Bert van Marwijk factfile

Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder

Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia

Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

England-South Africa Test series

1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London

2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham

3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London

4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester

MATCH INFO

Jersey 147 (20 overs) 

UAE 112 (19.2 overs)

Jersey win by 35 runs

Section 375

Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat

Director: Ajay Bahl

Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL

Rating: 3.5/5

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima


Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650

Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder

Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.