Day: July 30, 2021

Iran’s foreign minister on Friday extended condolences for the deaths caused by forest fires raging across Turkey over the past few days.

“I was very affected by the forest fire that broke out in some parts of Turkey. We share the pain of the government and people of Turkey and we will stand by them,” Javad Zarif said in a message written in Turkish on Twitter.

“Our prayers and resources will be at the service of our brothers and sisters in Turkey,” he added, wishing a speedy recovery for those injured.

Since Wednesday, dozens of fires have erupted across Turkey, including in many coastal Mediterranean provinces.

The country has managed to bring at least 57 of the forest fires raging across the country under control, while efforts continue to contain 14 others, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters earlier on Friday.

The battle against forest fires continues at 1,140 points, Erdogan said.

The massive fires in southern Turkey have so far killed three people in Antalya province and one in Mugla province, while a total of 271 people were affected by the fire, including one in critical condition, according to authorities.

The flames erupted over the last few days in Turkey’s southern provinces of Antalya, Mersin, Osmaniye, Adana, and Kahramanmaras.

They also broke out in the southwestern province of Mugla and central provinces of Kirikkale and Kayseri.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey has administered more than 72.59 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to figures released on Friday.

The country continues its intensive vaccination campaign to curb the virus’ spread, as everyone 18 and over is eligible for vaccine shots.

According to Health Ministry data, over 40.85 million people have gotten their first dose, while more than 26.91 million have received their second jabs as well.

To date, 65.79% of the adult population has received at least one vaccine dose.

The ministry also confirmed 22,083 new infections and 69 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 5,752 more patients recovered.

Amid a nationwide drop in cases and an expedited vaccination drive, Turkey entered a new normalization phase on July 1, lifting almost all virus-related restrictions.

However, seeking to limit the spread of the virus’ Delta variant, the country suspended flights from India and required arrivals from the UK, Iran, Egypt, and Singapore to have negative COVID-19 test results taken within 72 hours prior.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 4.2 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with more than 196.91 million cases reported, according to the US’ Johns Hopkins University.


Source: Anadolu Agency

Formula 1 excitement will continue in Hungary with the 11th race of the season in the World Championship.

The 11th leg of the championship will be held on the 4,3-kilometer Hungaroring Track in the capital Budapest.

The qualifying laps of the Hungarian Grand Prix will start Saturday at 1300 GMT. The 70-lap race will be held at the same hour on August 1, Sunday.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull-Honda has 5 race wins, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) has 4 and Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) has one race win so far.

The top 5 list of the drivers and constructors are as follows:

Drivers:

1. Max Verstappen (Netherlands): 185 points

2. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain): 177

3. Lando Norris (Great Britain): 113

4. Valtteri Bottas (Finland): 108

5. Sergio Perez (Mexico): 104

Constructors:

1. Red Bull: 289 points

2. Mercedes: 285

3. McLaren: 163

4. Ferrari: 148

5. AlphaTauri: 49

Source: Anadolu Agency

The highest electricity price rate for one megawatt-hour in Turkey’s day-ahead spot market for Saturday will be 617 Turkish liras between 00.00 and 01.00, and 09.00 to 23.00 local times (0900 and 2200, and 0600 to 2000 GMT) while the lowest will be 377.54 liras at 07.00 local time (0400 GMT), according to official figures on Friday.

Turkey’s Energy Exchange Istanbul (EXIST) data for the trade volume on Friday’s electricity market showed a decrease of 2.1% to 327.72 million liras compared to Thursday.

The arithmetical and weighted average price of electricity on the day-ahead spot market is calculated as 585.43 liras and 585.16 liras, respectively.

The highest electricity price for one megawatt-hour on the day-ahead spot market for Friday is 617 liras between 00.00 and 01.00, and 08.00 to 23.00 local times (0900 and 2200, and 0500 to 2000 GMT) and the lowest at 383.30 liras at 06.00 local time (0300 GMT).

Source: Anadolu Agency

About 83 million people will die from global warming-related deaths in the 21st century without major changes to carbon emissions policies, a recently published study determined.

The research was published in the journal Nature Communications on Thursday, and attempts to account for what study author Daniel Bressler termed the “mortality cost of carbon.”

“Based on the decisions made by individuals, businesses or governments, this tells you how many lives will be lost, or saved,” Bressler said in a statement accompanying the report’s release. “It quantifies the mortality impact of those decisions. It brings this question down to a more personal, understandable level.”

Bressler does not maintain that the 83 million figure is definitive, but says it is based on “several key public-health studies,” noting his findings are based on their estimates. It also only accounts for deaths directly tied to increased temperatures, such as heat stroke, not mortality associated with climate-change caused weather, such as storms, droughts and fires.

He acknowledges that his figure may “be a vast underestimate.”

The study determined, however, that for every 4,434 metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere, one person will be killed. The figure of 4,434 tons of CO2 is equivalent to the lifetime emissions of 3.5 Americans, meaning that if levels remain the same emissions of one American kills 0.29 other people.

“That does not mean each living American is currently slated to kill 0.29 people–rather, it implies that adding 1,276 metric tons of carbon dioxide tons of carbon dioxide in 2020, equivalent to the lifetime emissions of one American, would kill 0.29 people this century through the effect on temperature-related mortality,” according to a Columbia University statement.

The cost of carbon should be raised from US President Joe Biden’s $51 a metric ton he set in February — in line with EU standards — to a “social cost” of $258 per metric ton. Raising the price seven-fold would prevent a projected 74 million heat-related deaths through 2100, Bressler estimated.

“My view is that people shouldn’t take their per-person mortality emissions too personally,” says Bressler. “Our emissions are very much a function of the technology and culture of the place that we live.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

Major stock markets in Asia closed lower on Friday to finish the week with massive losses, while European indices turned negative as the German economy grew lower than estimates.

Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, fell 33 points, or 0.86%, to close at 3,821, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock exchange plummeted 498, or 1.8%, to 27,283.

Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks traded on the Hong Kong stock exchange, declined 354 points, or 1.35%, to 25,961, while China’s Shanghai stock exchange was down 14 points, or 0.42%, to close at 3,397.

This week, the Asia Dow lost 0.62% and Nikkei 225 fell 0.96%, while Hang Seng and Shanghai plummeted 4.97% and 4.3%, respectively, amid the Chinese government’s crackdown on tech companies for monopolistic practices and data security.

In Europe, indices gained on Wednesday and Thursday when major companies, such as Royal Dutch Shell, Airbus, Barclays, and Deutsche Bank, posted strong earnings in their second-quarter results.

Major indices, however, turned negative on Friday, a drop sparked by the German economy’s second-quarter growth of 1.5%, from the previous quarter, being less than the 2% market expectation.

Germany’s GDP growth for the April-June period was up 9.6% year-on-year.

STOXX Europe 600, which includes around 90% of the market capitalization of the European market in 17 European countries, was down 0.35% to 462.23 points at 1300GMT.

London’s FTSE 100 fell 0.72% to 7,027 points and Germany’s DAX 30 slipped 0.66% to 15,536.

The French stock market, CAC 40, was flat at 6,634, while Italy’s Borsa Italiana FTSE MIB 30 lost 0.24% to close at 25,455 and Spain’s IBEX 35 was down 1.12% to 8,688.

Source: Anadolu Agency

VavaCars Fatih Karagumruk sign Moroccan defender Medhi Benatia from Qatar club Al-Duhail on a free transfer on Friday.

Benatia, 34, played for major European clubs like Juventus, Marseille, Roma and Bayern Munich through his career.

Veteran defender has 2 goals in 60 games for Al-Duhail.

He won three Serie A titles with Juventus, two Bundesliga championships with Bayern Munich.

Benatia has 2 goal in his 58 appearances for Morocco National Team.

Fatih Karagumruk finished 9th in the Turkish Super Lig’s 2020-2021 season with 60 points.

Source: Anadolu Agency

South Korean An San won a gold medal in the women’s individual archery at Tokyo Olympics on Friday, becoming the first woman archer to seal three gold medals at a single Olympics since 1904.

The 20-year-old beat Elena Osipova of the Russian Olympic Committee 6-5 in the final.

Lucilla Boari of Italy bagged the bronze medal by defeating Mackenzie Brown of US 7-1.

She was already a double gold medalist in the women’s and mixed team events.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The trade volume of Turkey’s spot natural gas market decreased by 24% to 7.67 million Turkish liras on Thursday, Turkey’s Energy Exchange Istanbul (EXIST) data showed on Friday.

Total trade on Wednesday amounted to 10.1 million liras.

On Thursday’s spot market, 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas costs 2,097 liras, while the cumulative natural gas trade volume amounted to around 3.65 million cubic meters.

Turkey received 139.81 million cubic meters of pipeline gas on Thursday.

US$1 equals 8.42 Turkish liras at 1100 GMT on Friday.

Source: Anadolu Agency