ISTANBUL // An eruption of violent street protests, the death of seven soldiers yesterday in the north, and a looming ban on Turkey's main Kurdish party are threatening to derail efforts to bring the country's long-running Kurdish conflict to a peaceful end.
Only a few weeks ago, politicians in Ankara said there was a chance to end Turkey's bloodiest conflict within a few months. Now, this aim seems hopelessly optimistic as tensions escalate. A leading Kurdish politician declared that the government's initiative to solve the Kurdish question was "over".
The constitutional court in Ankara is today scheduled to start detailed deliberations about whether or not to ban the Party for a Democratic Society, or DTP, which sees itself as representing Turkey's 12 million Kurds. A court rapporteur has recommended shutting down the party, in a file prepared for the 11 judges, press reports say. At least seven judges have to support a ban for it to take effect. It is not clear when a verdict may be expected.
Many observers expect the court to dissolve the party, which refuses to distance itself from the Kurdistan Workers' Party. The PKK has been fighting Ankara since 1984 in a war for Kurdish autonomy that has cost more than 40,000 lives. In the trial, the DTP, which has 21 deputies in parliament in Ankara, is accused of being a front organisation of the PKK, which itself is regarded as a terrorist organisation by Ankara and the West.
The start of the critical phase of the DTP trial coincides with an escalation of violence, mainly in the Kurdish region in Anatolia, but also in Istanbul and Izmir.
The seven soldiers were on patrol in a mountainous area of Tokat province when they came under fire from militants, the governor told Anatolia news agency.
Last weekend, a 23-year-old student was killed by a bullet to his back during street protests that erupted after a DTP rally in Diyarbakir. Protesters had thrown stones and Molotov cocktails and set off fireworks, while police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. A reporter said he heard shots of live ammunition.
The demonstrations were triggered by reports that prison conditions for Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK founder and leader who has been jailed since 1999, have worsened since his transfer into a new cell block on the prison island of Imrali near Istanbul. Ocalan told his lawyers his new cell measured only 6.5 square metres and that he found it hard to get fresh air. He said it was "like being at the bottom of a well".
Ankara denied Ocalan's accusations. The justice ministry said his cell measured 11.81 sq m and that Ocalan was allowed to play table tennis with other inmates who were brought to Imrali to end his solitary confinement after complaints by the Council of Europe.
While tens of thousands of DTP supporters took to the streets, there were also acts of anti-Kurdish violence. Unknown assailants opened fire on party members in a DTP building in Istanbul and attacked a building in Izmir with Molotov cocktails. No one was hurt in either attack. Tensions were further heightened after the death of a 17-year-old girl, badly burnt in an arson attack on a bus in Istanbul blamed on PKK supporters last month.
"For us, the Democratic Opening is over," Emine Ayna, a leading DTP official, said referring to the government plan, which centres on giving Kurds more language rights. The DTP had supported the plan, but now says it falls far short of what is needed.
Ms Ayna told the Radikal newspaper that, given the expectation the DTP would be banned soon, its grassroots were calling on deputies to "take to the mountains" and join the PKK rebels.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, said his government would stick with its reforms. Speaking before he left for a visit to Washington, where he was scheduled to meet the US president yesterday, Mr Erdogan said that after his return he would tour the country to explain his plan to voters.
Mr Erdogan said his government was determined to end the PKK's presence in northern Iraq and to dissolve the rebels' headquarters there. "Steps will be taken, whether it will be done within northern Iraq or whether [the PKK leadership] will be sent somewhere else," Mr Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet newspaper. Hurriyet reported there were plans to send PKK leaders to Gulf countries.
tseibert@thenational.ae
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
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
The view from The National
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova
Rating: 3/5 stars
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule
August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland
Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE
December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman
February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG
June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland
September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
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