A journalist wearing a protective face mask walks on the Galata bridge on the Bosphorus backdropped by New mosque during a curfew amid the ongoing pandemic of the Covid-19 disease caused by the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus in Istanbul, Turkey, 23 May 2020. EPA
A journalist wearing a protective face mask walks on the Galata bridge on the Bosphorus backdropped by New mosque during a curfew amid the ongoing pandemic of the Covid-19 disease caused by the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus in Istanbul, Turkey, 23 May 2020. EPA
A journalist wearing a protective face mask walks on the Galata bridge on the Bosphorus backdropped by New mosque during a curfew amid the ongoing pandemic of the Covid-19 disease caused by the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus in Istanbul, Turkey, 23 May 2020. EPA
A journalist wearing a protective face mask walks on the Galata bridge on the Bosphorus backdropped by New mosque during a curfew amid the ongoing pandemic of the Covid-19 disease caused by the Sars-C

Turkey detains two opposition journalists in probe on 'political and military espionage'


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Turkish police detained two opposition journalists as part of an investigation into "political and military espionage", the official Anadolu news agency reported on Monday.

Details of the detentions were not immediately clear, but other media reported they may be linked to reporting about Turkey's involvement in conflicts in Libya and Syria.

Ismail Dukel from Tele1 TV Ankara and Muyesser Yildiz, news coordinator at OdaTV online news site, were taken into custody on Monday and are being questioned by the anti-terror police in Ankara, Anadolu said.

Telel editor-in-chief Merdan Yanardag confirmed the detentions on his Twitter account and said they were aimed at giving an "ultimatum to independent media".

"We are at the top of our jobs. We will not remain silent and we will not bow," he said.

Anadolu did not elaborate on the detentions, saying only they were for "political and military espionage".

Pro-government Sabah newspaper reported that the journalists were accused of leaking information about Turkey's war plans in Libya and Syria.

It said Yildiz held "critical phone talks" with a military personnel - identified as EB - about Turkey's military units in Libya, adding that the E.B. was also detained in Istanbul in connection with the same dossier on Monday.

Turkey backs rebels looking to oust President Bashar Al Assad in Syria and has carried out three military incursions against the Islamic State and Syrian Kurdish militia forces deemed as terror group by Ankara.

In Libya, Turkey supports the UN-recognised government in Tripoli which has recently made gains against Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

The latest journalist detentions are not the first in connection with reporting on Turkey's military activities.

In March, Turkish authorities arrested OdaTV news editor Baris Terkoglu, reporter Hulya Kilinc and editor-in-chief Baris Pehlivanoglu on suspicion of disclosing the identity of a Turkish intelligence agency official.

The story also said that the officer was killed in Libya in February.

Turkey ranks 154 out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders' 2020 World Press Freedom index.

According to the P24 press freedom group, there are 103 journalists behind bars in Turkey, many arrested in a crackdown after a coup attempt in 2016.

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.  

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

Fanney Khan

Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora

Director: Atul Manjrekar

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand

Rating: 2/5 

Red Joan

Director: Trevor Nunn

Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova

Rating: 3/5 stars

F1 line ups in 2018

Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Tips for SMEs to cope
  • Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
  • Make sure you have an online presence
  • Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
  • Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
    Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Wicked: For Good

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater

Rating: 4/5