ISTANBUL // A term of "patriotic duty", as the mandatory military service for every male is called in Turkey, has been a fact of life for millions in this country for decades. A well-known saying even states that "every Turk is born a soldier".
But this is about to change. The government in Ankara says it is working on two separate reforms that, if enacted, could decisively reduce the military's role in many people's lives.
One reform would give men over 30 years of age the chance to avoid military service by paying 25,000 lira (Dh51,000), while the other would allow conscientious objectors to choose non-military forms of public service for the first time in Turkish history. Women do not have to serve in the military.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, said he would announce details of the plan in the coming days, with officials of his ruling party saying the announcement could come during a speech tomorrow.
The plan will apply to men who have not yet served in the military because they have been studying or have been working and living abroad.
According to news reports, men over 40 will be exempt from military service if they pay up, while candidates between 30 and 40 years of age would be required to take part in a training course for 21 days.
Under current Turkish rules, regular conscripts between the ages of 19 and 41 serve a 15-month term in the 600,000 strong military, with university graduates serving six months. About 100,000 men are expected to make use of the new law, with the state netting roughly 2.5bn lira, according to news reports.
In a country where conscripts may end up in the military's continuing fight against Kurdish rebels, the payment plan has triggered high expectations and speculation. Even though details of the new law have not been made public, private banks have said they will provide credit schemes for those who would not be able to raise the necessary money on their own.
In recent years, deadly attacks by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a rebel group fighting for Kurdish self-rule since 1984, triggered protests by parents of fallen conscripts who said their sons had not been adequately trained before being sent into combat. In response to those complaints, Mr Erdogan said in September that army units consisting of professional soldiers would be deployed in the border areas in the south-east, the main theatre of the fight against the PKK, after the end of their special training next spring.
Ismet Yilmaz, the defence minister, said this month that the payment scheme would be introduced to end uncertainty for men who have not yet been called up. "What do you want to do with them? Tear them away from their families, their children, their workplaces to put them into the army?" the minister asked.
But critics argue the payment scheme will only benefit the rich, while the poor will have no choice but to join the army.
"Even now, soldiers dying in the fight against the PKK are all from poor families. The rich and the sons of high officials are not dying," Mehmet Guner, the president of the Association of Martyrs' Families, a group representing the relatives of soldiers killed in battle, said recently. Mr Guner said wealthy families used connections to officials in Ankara to make sure their sons would serve far from the fighting.
Under the payment scheme, that imbalance was set to get even worse, he said. "Kids from poor families will not be able to get bank credit." Mr Guner accused the government of trying to please a minority group of relatively wealthy voters by introducing the scheme. "But one day, they will pay the bill at the ballot box."
There have been three similar, time-limited payment schemes for military service with the last one introduced to raise state revenue after a devastating earthquake in 1999. That scheme generated reported revenues of more than 1bn lira. It is not known whether the new plan will have a time limit as well.
Meanwhile, Sadullah Ergin, the justice minister, said that new rules dealing with conscientious objectors would also be put before the cabinet by the end of next week.
The decision follows directives by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights. As a member of the Council of Europe, Turkey is obliged to follow rulings from the court that has asked Turkey to end the practice of multiple jail terms for objectors and to find a way to no longer force young men into military service. Currently, conscientious objectors are treated as deserters, with several of them in military prison.
There are about 80 conscientious objectors in the country, according to human-rights groups, but that figure could rise once it becomes easier to refuse military service.
According to news reports, the new law would allow objectors to undertake non-military duties in the army, such as kitchen or cleaning work, or serve in hospitals or other public institutions.
The alternative service is expected to be twice as long as the normal military service.
tseibert@thenational.ae
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Blonde
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAndrew%20Dominik%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAna%20de%20Armas%2C%20Adrien%20Brody%2C%20Bobby%20Cannavale%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
Smart words at Make Smart Cool
Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
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How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
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KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wes%20Ball%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Owen%20Teague%2C%20Freya%20Allen%2C%20Kevin%20Durand%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
Match info
Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT
Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000
Engine: 6.4-litre V8
Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 640Nm @ 4,300rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
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