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RIYADH: When Donya Modir was growing up, she nurtured an appetite and a curiosity for food. This interest grew until she graduated from the Culinary Arts Academy in Switzerland and was chosen as one of the ambassadors of the Kingdoms Tourism Ministry.

Cooking was my hobby and I used to cook for my family and repeat the same dish until I perfected it, so when I heard that there was a culinary art scholarship, I made the decision to grab the chance and go for it, Modir told Arab News.

Enrolling under the tourism scholarship program, Modir studied at the academys Le Bouveret campus in Switzerland and received a Swiss higher education diploma in two years.

I was lucky to be chosen to be on the scholarship and appointed to one of the elite culinary institutes in the culinary world.

It was an intense program. She had a daily schedule of 12 hours of intense studies in the culinary world both theoretical and practical in addition to general hospitality management and other assessments. Despite all the challenges, she managed to be an honors student and was selected as the Open Days Ambassador for Culinary for two full terms.

HIGHLIGHT

The received her position at Saudia aged just 22, making her the youngest sous chef at the organization. Her meteoric efforts were noticed by the Ministry of Tourism, choosing her as a success story under the title tourism makers, making her one of the ministrys ambassadors.

But halfway through the pandemic, Switzerlands lockdown kicked in. While most of the students went back home, Modir insisted on staying in the country and seized the time she had to finish so she wouldnt fall behind in her studying schedule.

Once Modir finished the academic program, an internship was vital to her graduate development.

For 10 months, I started applying my knowledge and passion to one of the most well established Swiss hospitality companies: The Living Circle.

The Living Circle is a collection of elite accommodations and eateries operated by devoted hosts in unrival stunning settings.

She also worked in many restaurants, starting with Alex Lake Zrich Hotel, The Boat House Restaurant, Widder Hotel, August Boucherie Restaurant, and a two Michelin star restaurant headed by Chef Stefan Heilaman.

During that time, I was promoted twice. This added so much confidence and made me the person I am today.

Coming back to the Kingdom, she immediately started working at Myaz Jeddah Restaurant: First as a chef, then as floor assistant manager.

Four months later, I was interviewed by Saudia Airlines Catering Company and was given the position of sous chef. Such a position in our world is really hard to get, especially when you are still at such a young age, she said.

She received her position at Saudia aged just 22, making her the youngest sous chef at the organization. Her meteoric efforts were noticed by the Ministry of Tourism, choosing her as a success story under the title tourism makers, making her one of the ministrys ambassadors.

In this position, Modir has advised the younger generation to enroll in tourism scholarships, noting that the Kingdoms tourism sector is enjoying revolutionary upgrades.

I was just a young Saudi student who was willing to achieve something in a field that was very promising for the future of tourism, and throughout my education and apprenticeship, I became equipped with genuine knowledge, more confident, more responsible and a reliable team member, Modir said, adding: That is exactly the aim of our Kingdom in sending us abroad, (it) is to empower us with such an education, so we can be ready to give back to this nation.

She continued: The Kingdom is aiming to excel in many aspects by empowering such sectors, including the food and beverage industry. It is now that we have started to forum our cultural identity and represent our hospitality through our cuisine and meet global standards.

Modir believes that food always has been and always will be a way to capture a nations identity.

With the Kingdom opening up to tourism, I believe it is mandatory as a culinary student to elaborate on our food more in the industry. It is simply fascinating how it brings people together.

The worlds biggest tourism training program from the Ministry of Tourism is investing SR375 million ($100 million) to train 100,000 young Saudis at 10 top global institutions, preparing for a bright future in tourism.

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Saudi leaders condole with Erdogan over victims of car accidents in southeast Turkey - Arab News

Welcome to todays Morning Brief, where were looking at the Russian President Vladimir Putin-Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meeting in Sochi, Russia; more fallout from U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis Taiwan visit; and Senegals election results.

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Erdogan and Putin Meet Again

Welcome to todays Morning Brief, where were looking at the Russian President Vladimir Putin-Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meeting in Sochi, Russia; more fallout from U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis Taiwan visit; and Senegals election results.

If you would like to receive Morning Brief in your inbox every weekday, please sign uphere.

Erdogan and Putin Meet Again

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, today in the Russian resort town of Sochi, with the two leaders set to discuss military invasionsboth potential and ongoing.

Putin and Erdogan last met less than three weeks ago in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Despite their differences over the war in Ukraine (Ankara is a major arms supplier to Kyiv), their countries have made diplomatic strides.

The most striking has been a deal to resume Ukraines grain shipments from its remaining Black Sea ports. The agreement, which was also facilitated by the United Nations, was the first positive step in relations between Russia and Ukraine since the invasion began and has already borne some fruit. The first shipment from Odesa, Ukraine, since the war began is on its way to the Lebanese port of Tripoli with around 27,000 tons of corn on board.

The two men have good reasons to keep up a good working relationship. For Putin, Erdogan serves as a reliable spoiler on NATO policy as well as a willing customer for Russian gas. For Erdogan, Putin helps showcase Turkeys independent foreign policy as well as keep the lights on at home: Russia supplies 45 percent of Turkeys gas, and Russias Rosatom is constructing a nuclear plant on Turkeys Mediterranean coast, which is expected to power 10 percent of the countrys domestic energy needs when fully operational.

Todays talks are expected to continue a topic pursued in Tehran: Turkeys impending invasion of Syria. In an echo of Moscows description of its war in Ukraine, Ankara describes the incursion as a special military operation.

Erdogan has stated his desire to establish a 30-kilometer [19-mile] deep security zone that extends from the Turkish border into Syrian territory and one that is likely to come dangerously close to Russian, Syrian, and Iran-backedforces.

The move is seen as a direct assault on Kurdish militias in the region, including the Peoples Defense Units (YPG), which make up the majority of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. When Turkey sees the YPG, it also sees the the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a group deemed terrorists by Turkey, the United States, and European Union.

As FPs Anchal Vohra wrote in June, there is also a supposedly humanitarian fig leaf attached to Erdogans machinations. Faced with rising anti-refugee sentiment at homewhich could pose an electoral threat to Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2023, as Idil Karsit explained in an FP profile of far-right leader Umit Ozdag last monththe Turkish leader has announced plans to resettle 1 million Syrian refugees in the newly created safe zones.

Todays meeting can be seen as another attempt by Erdogan to deconflict with a major military power before going all in. Erdogan really wants to get his ducks in a row so he can launch a further operation in northern Syria, and he really needs to make sure that theres no risk of Russia intervening in direct opposition to Turkish forces, Howard Eissenstat, a Turkey expert at St. Lawrence University and the Middle East Institute, told Foreign Policy.

Theres an obvious electoral benefit for Erdogan in stirring up nationalism before an election, but theres more at stake than optics, Eissenstat said.

Theres a profound sense from the national security establishment that the YPG needs to be ended, in particular because of its relationship with the U.S., and as a political determination on the part of the AKP to appear to be doing something with regard to refugees, he said.

The United States, which considers the YPG a key partner in its war against the Islamic State in Syria, has repeatedly cautioned against the incursion. But, Eissenstat saiddespite the leverage Washington has over Turkey in terms of military sales and economic mightthe decision might be one the White House is unwilling to make given the many sensitive diplomatic issues at play.

Eissenstat cautioned against underestimating Ankaras will, no matter what Washington thinks. I think that we often assume that the biggest kid in the room gets to decide who gets the cookies, but sometimes its whos closestand who wants it more.

Senegals election. Senegals ruling coalition has lost its parliamentary majority, the countrys electoral commission said on Thursday as provisional results were released. President Macky Salls Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition won 82 out of 165 seats, one short of a majority, in a reversal from its 2017 performance, when it won 125 seats. The result is likely to influence Salls plans to run for a third term in 2024, a decision he has yet to publicly make.

Taiwan fallout. Chinese missiles flew over Taiwan on Thursday and five landed in Japanese territorial waters as part of Chinese military drills launched in response to the visit of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island.

The Wednesday visit has already shown signs of heightening regional tensions: China already canceled a meeting with the Japanese foreign minister over a G-7 statement criticizing China over Taiwan.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is suspected of distancing himself from the rhetorical conflict: He did not meet Pelosi as she stopped in Seoul on Thursday, with the Blue House stating that the president was on a previously scheduled vacation. Pelosi is in Japan today, the final stop on her Asia tour.

Blinkens travels. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Philippines this weekend, where he is expected to meet with new President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Blinken will then travel to South Africa, where hes due to launch the U.S. Sub-Saharan Africa strategy before heading to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. As FPs Robbie Gramer reports, the new strategy is expected to present a shift away from a military-focused view of engagement on the continent as Washington attempts to compete with growing Russian and Chinese influence.

Griner sentenced. U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was handed a nine-year prison sentence by a Russian court on Thursday following her arrest for marijuana possession in February. U.S. President Joe Biden called the verdict unacceptable as his administration negotiates a prisoner-swap agreement, likely to include Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

French mayor Jean-Marc Peillexwhose town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains is a favored launch point for mountain climbers looking to climb Frances highest peak, Mont Blanchas called for future adventurers to first pay a 15,000-euro (or $15,248) deposit to cover the costs of rescue (or their demise).

Peillex has decried the rise of pseudo-mountaineers, who he says are putting too much strain on local authorities.

People want to climb with death in their backpacks, Peillex wrote on Twitter. So lets anticipate the cost of having to rescue them, and for their burial, because its unacceptable that French taxpayers should foot the bill.

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Erdogan Meets Putin to Push Syria Operation - Foreign Policy

An abandoned Ankara amusement parkgiven a big openingby President Recep Tayyip Erdogan three years ago has been transferred by a court to the city council after a two-year legal fight.

"Ankapark Wonderland Eurasia", opened just prior to Turkeys 2019 local elections, is now under the control of the Ankara municipality run by the main opposition party to Erdogans AKP, the Republican Peoples Party (CHP). City mayor Mansur Yavas is highlighting what he says was an abominable misuse of public funds by the AKPthe project cost $801mn, according to Yavaswith the prospect of the parliamentary and presidential elections, which must take place by June 2023, expected to heighten the war of words over the fiasco.

"Fifteen thousand social housing units or 300 student dormitories could have been built to meet the needs of the Ankara people," Yavas was reported as saying by Reuters after the city council took control of the park.

The news agency also reported how the dinosaur models, for which Ankapark was famous, were now falling apart, lying strewn around a defunct weed-covered area the size of around 120 football pitches.

Ankaparks operator shut down the attraction after eight months of operations in November 2019, citing losses.

AKP deputy provincial head in Ankara, Mehmet Yilmazer, attempted to shift the blame for the amusement park debacle on to Yavas, writing on Twitter: "Mansur Yavas has not provided any service to Ankara. He made Ankapark go bankrupt and then left it to rot."

The Ankara municipality is seeking development proposals for the site via a website.

In the year prior to the opening of Ankapark, there were portents of doom as its developers struggled to hit completion deadlines and safety demandsMelih Gokcek, the former AKP mayor of Ankara, was pictured stuck at the top of a rollercoaster shortly after the park was finished.

On opening day, in his speech in front of a model dinosaur and a fountain decorated with cat statues, Erdogan said the park would provide the Ankara municipality with 50mn Turkish lira a year. Ankapark ... isnt just a symbol of pride for Ankara, but for all of Turkey, Erdogan told a gathered crowd of thousands.

The park was meant to boast some 2,117 attractions including 14 rollercoasters. It was targeting 5mn visitors in its first operational year.

Populist Erdogan is known for pushing mega-infrastructure projects, including Istanbuls three-year-old mega airport and mega hospitals across the country.

The Turkish leaders crazyas in crazywow project, the multi-billion-dollar Canal Istanbul, which is to slice through Turkeys cultural and commercial capital in parallel to the Bosporus strait to link the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara with an alternative route for shipping, is moving forward. But it is under a lot of fire.

CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu last November appealed to foreign investors not to back it, saying experts have concluded the canal is entirely unnecessary and would hurt the environment. "In a period where the entire world is struggling with the devastating effects of the climate crisis, supporting a project like Canal Istanbul, which will disrupt the integrity of the ecosystem and cause irreversible damage to nature, stands in stark contrast to protecting nature and combatting the climate crisis," Kilicdaroglu wrote in a letter sent to diplomatic missions.

Credit: Turkish Presidency.

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Court transfers abandoned Ankara 'wonderland' given big opening by Erdogan to opposition council - bne IntelliNews

The government will continue to support households and businesses for as long as necessary in terms of electricity bills, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told CNN in an interview on Thursday, as the Greek economy is doing well.

He added however that the European Union must act on the energy crisis before the coming winter, to show solidarity and to be effective.

I really hope that as Europeans, we get out act together before winter comes, the Greek leader said.

The Greek PM also spoke of great challenges from Turkeys leadership, which would be better off focusing on its countrys economy.

He emphasised that Greece has always behaved responsibly and that it is better for Erdogan to deal with the Turkish economy, rather than reviving neo-Ottoman fantasies.

Mitsotakis also stressed that Greece will do everything to protect its sovereignty.

He also referred to upcoming national elections next year, expressing the hope that Greek citizens would give his government an opportunity to rule for another four years.

The markets are also rewarding Greece is because we are institutionally responsible, Mitsotakis said, adding that the crisis in Italy is a signal that his government should complete its term in office and not hold a snap election.

Contributing to Greeces economic recovery, he told the American outlet that one million visitors are expected to arrive in Greece in first week of August.

READ MORE: Turkish media: Mitsotakis and the Greek lobby harassed Turkeys efforts for the F-16 and F-35.

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Mitsotakis On CNN: Erdogan Should Deal With The Turkish Economy Rather Than Reviving Neo-Ottoman Fantasies - GreekCityTimes.com

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JERUSALEM, Israel Turkeys strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdogans plan to purge the U.S.-allied Kurdish force from northern Syria could create an Act 2 for the Islamic State terrorist movement to build a new caliphate, noted experts on the jihadi organization and Turkish power politics.

Erdogan had some harsh words on Wednesday against the U.S.He told the Turkish government-controlled news outlet Anadolu Agency: "Trkiye expects [a withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria] this as well because it is America that feeds the terrorist groups there," in a reference to the U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish military organizationThe Peoples Defense Units (YPG).

A Turkey-backed fighter looks out from a military position in the Syrian area of Jibrin in Aleppo's eastern countryside, towards the Kurdish-controlled area of Tal Rifaat, on July 19, 2022. (Photo by BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images)

Military cooperation between U.S. armed forces and the YPG was the driving force to eradicate the Islamic State (ISIS) in sections of northern Syria in 2019. The stakes are high for the Biden administration because Kurdish forces control roughly two dozen prisons in northeastern Syria that hold approximately 10,000 male Islamic State members.

Erdogan views the YPG as being aligned with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)an independence movement in southeastern Turkey that has been designated a terrorist entity by Turkey.

US DRONE STRIKE KILLS TOP SYRIAN ISIS LEADER MAHER AL-AGAL

"America has to leave east of the Euphrates now. This is an outcome that came out of the Astana process," stressed Erdogan.

The Astana negotiations continued this week at a summit in Tehran between the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey to carve out their plan to ostensibly end Syria's civil war.

In late May, Erdogan announced that "well come down on them [YPG in Syria] suddenly one night. And we must." The Turkish leaders saber-rattling has a precedent.

The Turkish military has launched numerous invasions into Syria since 2016, including its 2019 "Operation Peace Spring," to dissolve the Kurdish presence.

Nathan Sales, a former Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism as well as former Special Presidential Envoy to the Coalition to Defeat ISIS, told Fox News Digital "A Turkish invasion would be a disaster for the fight against ISIS. The SDF has 10,000 battle hardened ISIS fighters in custody. If these terrorists escape in the ensuing chaos, they will either try to rebuild the so-called caliphate in Syria or return to their home countries to continue their jihad there."

People take part in a funeral in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on February, 2, 2022, for Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters killed in clashes during a jailbreak attempt by the Islamic State (IS) group at the Ghwayran prison in the province. ((Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images))

US FORCES CAPTURE SENIOR ISIS LEADER HANI AHMED AL-KURDI IN SYRIA RAID

Turkey has faced accusations of aiding Islamic State combatants to oust the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad who, since 2011, haswaged a scorched-earth policy against a civilian revolt against his regime.

Sales said "Erdogan is a bully. If he senses weakness, he will exploit it; if NATO stands up to him, he will back down. Erdogan needs economic assistance after running Turkeys economy into a ditch, and hes eager to buy U.S.-built F-16s [fighter planes], which gives us plenty of leverage to shape his behavior."

Sales took the Biden administration to task for its lack of leadership in the Islamic Mideast heartland. Biden did not openly mention Syria once during his four-day visit last week to Israel and Saudi Arabia.

"The Biden administration is turning a blind eye to Syria, ceding the country to Iran and Russia. There is no substitute for American leadership, and we cannot afford to let our adversaries exploit a vacuum of our own making," said Sales, who is an advisory member at the Vandenberg Coalition.

BIDEN, ERDOGAN TO SQUARE OFF IN NATO SUMMIT

According to a Wednesday statement from The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi, he "expressed concerns over Turkish threats to attack northern Syria during a meeting with the Commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Kurilla, this week."

The Kurdish YPG military force is part of the SDF.

Mazloum Abdi noted that deterring ISIS is on shaky ground due to the Turkish threats and cited the "negative impact it will cause on the efforts of fighting ISIS."

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference, in Ankara, Turkey, on May 14. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Erdogan is said to be determined to eliminate the SDF from the Syrian cities Manbij and Tal Rifaat near the border of Turkey. The news outlet Kurdistan 24 reported that a Turkish drone hit a Syrian government military installation in Tal Rifaat on Monday. This follows another report Friday that a Turkish drone killed up to 12 members of local Syrian forces, including some members of the SDF near Aleppo.

TURKEYS ISLAMIST LEADER USING NATO TO GET FREE HAND AND PUNISH US ALLIES

Uzay Bulut, a Turkish political analyst formerly based in Ankara, told Fox News Digital "In Syria, the Turkish government engages in similar aggression. Starting in 2018, the Turkish army with the help of jihadists - invaded parts of northern Syria previously ruled de facto by Kurds. They committed crimes against Kurds, Christians, and Yazidis such as murders, kidnappings, and rapes."

She added "Turkey has also engaged in forced demographic engineering or ethnic cleansing in those regions driving out Kurds and replacing them with Arabs and other Muslims. Turkey's allies (involved) in those atrocities are Islamists that want to establish an Islamic state in the region. Sadly, Turkey's policies only lead to the empowerment of jihadists, further instability in the region, and even the destruction of innocent natives."

The International Crisis Group (ICG) wrote in a new study"The SDFs willingness and ability to counter ISIS is contingent on continued U.S. military support, and perhaps also lowered Turkish and regime threats to its rule."

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According to the ICG, "Fighting between Turkey and the SDF along the Syrian-Turkish border almost certainly would relieve pressure on ISIS."

The SDF declared the defeat of the ISIS caliphate in March 2019 after seizing the Syrian town of Baghuz from the Islamic terrorist. Then-President Trump celebrated the "liberation" of Syria but warned "We will remain vigilant against" the jihadi movement.

Fox News Digital sent press queries to the SDF and CENTCOM for comment.

Benjamin Weinthalreports on Middle East affairs. You can follow Benjamin Weinthal on Twitter @BenWeinthal.

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Erdogans threats of invading Syria could lead to Islamic State resurgence - Fox News