European Council chief Charles Michel said he might have made an error during the so-called SofaGate diplomatic debacle in Ankara.
Mr Michel said he did not speak out initially because of the delicate state of relations between the European Union and Turkey.
Uproar ensued this week after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was relegated to a socially distanced sofa, while Mr Michel sat in an armchair next to Turkish leader President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a high-level meeting. Only two chairs were set out despite the three officials being of similar diplomatic rank.
Turkey – which blamed the EU for the incident and rejected accusations of sexism – was heavily criticised by European politicians, with Italy’s new Prime Minister Mario Draghi calling Mr Erdogan a dictator.
Mr Draghi's comments sparked an angry remark rebuke from Ankara, which demanded a retraction.
“We strongly condemn this rhetoric, which has no place in diplomacy. If Mario Draghi is looking for a dictator, he should look no further than Italy’s history," said Mr Erdogan's communications director Fahrettin Altun
Mr Michel, who said he regretted the incident on Tuesday deeply, was criticised for going along with the arrangement.
“I can tell you that I have rewound the scene in my head ... I would like so much to rewind, to go back. If I could do it, I would make sure that there is no ambiguity whatsoever,” he told Belgian news channel LN24.
Mr Michel “noted that a problem would arise but I also admit that in the moment of this situation, I was convinced that reacting, no matter how I would have reacted, would have presented the risk of being seen as a form of paternalism, since Ursula herself had expressed her disapproval of the subject in a clear and unambiguous way”.
“It was perhaps a mistake on my part, but in the moment that was my reaction because it is my way of understanding an equal relationship between men and women,” the former prime minister of Belgium said.
The visit by the EU leaders was a sign that tension could be cooling with Turkey after relations soured in 2020.
“This meeting followed ... months of political and diplomatic preparation,” Mr Michel said. “One can say I should have done this or that, but I had the conviction that this would cause a much more serious accident that would destroy the very fragile capacity ... to finally have a little less negative relationship with Turkey.
“There were fundamental issues at stake for Europe: in terms of migration, in terms of the fight against terrorism, in terms of an economic agreement.”
At the meeting on Tuesday, a visibly displeased Ms Von der Leyen eventually took up a seat on a sofa opposite Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is of lower diplomatic rank.
The Council's protocol team said it had not seen in advance the room where the talks took place.
"If the room for the tete-a-tete had been visited, we would have suggested to our hosts that, as a courtesy, they replace the sofa with two armchairs for the president of the commission," it said.
On Thursday, EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said “in protocol terms, the president of the commission is treated in the same way” as the council president.
Mr Draghi, who has been Italy’s prime minister for less than two months, waded into the row on Thursday.
"I am very sorry for the humiliation that the president of the commission had to suffer with these – let's call them for what they are, dictators – but with whom we need to co-operate," he said.
In the wake of his comments, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned Italy’s ambassador to condemn the remarks, referred to by Mr Cavusoglu as "populist, ugly and unreasonable".
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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Mountain%20Boy
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FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Brackets denote aggregate score
Tuesday:
Roma (1) v Shakhtar Donetsk (2), 11.45pm
Manchester United (0) v Sevilla (0), 11.45pm
Wednesday:
Besiktas (0) v Bayern Munich (5), 9pm
Barcelona (1) v Chelsea (1), 11.45pm
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The%20specs%20
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
