Day: September 27, 2022

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his gratitude to Türkiye’s first lady Emine Erdogan for supporting zero waste initiatives during a conference in New York.

“A responsible waste production and consumption is key to the achievement of the Global Goals,” a UN statement said on Twitter.

Responding to the statement, Emine Erdogan said: “In a short span of time, over 20 First Ladies, ministers, and representatives of international organizations have signed “The Global Commitment to Zero Waste” which we initiated with (Antonio Guterres). Together, through a joint effort, we will achieve the global #ZeroWaste goal.”

Last week, the Turkish first lady and Guterres signed a goodwill document to extend Türkiye’s Zero Waste project around the world.

They held a meeting at the UN headquarters which tackled environmental issues, including the Zero Waste project launched in Türkiye by the first lady in 2017.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkish security forces “neutralized” 13 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The terrorists, who were found to be preparing an attack, were targeted after they opened harassing fire in regions of Türkiye’s anti-terror operations.

Turkish authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

Source: Anadolu Agency

China has called on nations with the largest nuclear arsenals to work toward a nuclear-weapons-free world and has accused some countries, without naming any, of being obsessed with forging new military alliances, inciting conflict, and insisting on nuclear submarine cooperation.

Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, urged the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Monday that the nations armed with the largest nuclear arsenals “earnestly fulfil their special and priority responsibilities and further significantly and substantially reduce” their number.

It will create conditions for the eventual realization of comprehensive and complete nuclear disarmament, he said.

Geng was speaking at a high-level meeting hosted by the UNGA to mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, the Chinese daily Global Times reported.

“During the meeting that the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons and the eventual establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free world serves the common interests of mankind and is the shared aspiration of all countries,” he said

He accused certain countries, without naming anyone, of being obsessed with “major power strategic competition, constantly strengthening military alliances, provoking a confrontation between parties, advancing forward deployment of strategic forces, and insisting on nuclear submarine cooperation.”

Last year, the US, UK, and Australia signed the AUKUS treaty, under which Canberra will get nuclear-armed submarines.

Beijing has voiced its opposition to such a move.

New Zealand, a close ally of both Washington and Canberra, has maintained its distance from the trilateral nuclear move.

“These actions aggravate the risk of a nuclear arms race and nuclear proliferation, hinder international nuclear disarmament efforts, and run counter to the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons and building a world free of nuclear weapons. They should be terminated immediately,” Geng said.

He said China has been “committed to maintaining its nuclear force at the minimum level required for national security.”

“And China does not compare its input, quantity, or scale with other countries, or engage in a nuclear arms race with any other country,” he claimed.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Spain’s Organization of Consumers (OCU) reported on Tuesday that the price of groceries in Spanish supermarkets has shot up 15.2% in the last year.

That’s the sharpest annual price increase since the organization began conducting the survey 34 years ago.

“One piece of bad news is that most food products are more expensive,” said OCU spokesperson Ileana Izverniceanu. “The other is that every supermarket chain has increased prices, without exception.”

The price of the cheapest off-brand foodstuffs in grocery stores has witnessed an even stronger annual spike, with the same products costing 18.7% more than last year.

The most dramatic cost increases came in sunflower oil, which shot up 118% due to the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, olive oil spiked 53% amid increased demand and widespread drought across Spain and Europe this summer.

At the same time, the volcanic eruption on the island of La Palma last year helped fuel a 64% price spike in the cost of Spanish bananas.

The average cost of flour was also up 50% in Spain, causing other items like pasta or muffins to surge by 56% or 75% respectively.

In total, 95% of products became more expensive amid soaring inflation fueled by rising energy and transportation costs. Only a handful of products, including kiwis and avocados, got cheaper.

However, the rising costs for Spanish consumers are not homogeneous.

For instance, average grocery prices in the cities of Vigo or Cuidad Real are significantly cheaper than in Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona or Madrid, according to the survey.

Prices also fluctuate significantly between supermarket chains, and consumers who opt for the most affordable options can save an average of €994 ($955) per year.

OCU also demands “urgent measures” to help consumers deal with the cost of living crisis, including reducing tax on groceries and offering food vouchers to the most vulnerable families.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Google is celebrating the first female Turkish archaeologist Jale Inan with a doodle that will be displayed on its home page through Tuesday.

The search engine’s homepage, which is often altered to commemorate holidays, events, achievements and notable historical figures, showed a cartoon of Inan in her service uniform.

Born in Istanbul in 1914, Inan became the first female Turkish archaeologist. Her father, the director of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, inspired her interest in the ancient world.

Despite World War II, Inan completed her PhD. in Germany in 1943

After returning to Türkiye, Inan helped to unearth the ancient cultural sites, such as the Greek city of Perga and the Temple of Apollo in Side, now in Antalya province of Türkiye in the excavations that have been going on for many years.

Inan died at the age of 87 on Feb. 26, 2001.

Source: Anadolu Agency