Day: November 4, 2022

The UN said Friday that it has contacted Twitter after the company’s new owner Elon Musk announced his plan to charge $8 a month for verified users.

“We will need to evaluate our participation,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, citing changes including the fee for blue check and the issue of content moderation, which he said, “may impact how we communicate on Twitter”.

“So we’ve asked some questions. We’re waiting for some answers but obviously, we will draw conclusions based on what we hear,” Dujarric told reporters.

Musk’s announcement for Twitter’s blue check has received backlash from long-time users of the social media platform.

On Tuesday, he said the price has been “adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity.”

Users will get priority in replies, mentions and searches, which he said is essential to defeating spam and scams. Tick owners will also have the ability to post long videos and audio and will see half as many ads.

Musk initially faced criticism for his plan to charge users $19.99 a month to get or keep a verified account.

His takeover of Twitter has also ignited a firestorm of debate regarding free speech versus online harm, with Musk previously criticizing Twitter’s moderation policies and accusing the platform of being biased toward left-wing views.

Source: Anadolu Agency

US stocks closed lower Thursday, extending losses to a fourth consecutive day on comments by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as investors await key jobs figures.

The Dow was down 146 points, or 0.46%, to 32,001 at the closing bell. The blue-chip index plummeted 505 points, or 1.55%, in the previous session after the Fed chair said there are “some ways to go” with rate hikes and the “ultimate level” of increases will be higher than previously expected.

The SandP 500 lost 39 points, or 1.06%, to 3,719 and the Nasdaq fell 181 points, or 1.73%, to 10,342. The indexes fell 2.5% and 3.36%, respectively, on Wednesday after Powell said it is too early to consider putting the brakes on rate increases. “It is very premature, in my view, to think about or be talking about pausing our rate hikes. We have a ways to go,” he said.

US nonfarm payrolls and unemployment numbers will be announced before markets open Friday, which the Fed closely monitors to see how much the labor market has tightened due to the central bank’s aggressive rate hikes.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, was down 2.2% to 25.30. The 10-year US Treasury yield rose 2.2% to 4.149%.

The dollar index jumped 1.5% to 112.98, hovering around its highest in 20 years, while the euro fell 0.7% to $0.9750 against the greenback.

Precious metals were mixed with gold shedding 0.3% to $1,630 but silver increased 1.3% to $19.48.

Oil prices were down around 2%. Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading at $94.50 per barrel, while the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was around $88.01.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was shot and wounded during his anti-government protest march on Thursday, has said he will be back on the streets once he recovers fully.

“As soon as I get well, I have decided to take to the streets and will give the call for Islamabad,” Khan told a press conference from a hospital in Lahore on Friday.

He urged his supporters to continue protests until the officials he has accused of being involved in the attack on him in the Wazirabad district of eastern Punjab province resign.

He has accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and a senior intelligence official of being involved in the attack.

To ensure an impartial and fair probe it was necessary for the three officials to step down, Khan said.

The former cricket star had been leading a convoy of thousands since last week from the city of Lahore toward the capital Islamabad, calling for fresh elections.

He was wounded in the leg when shots were fired at him and other officials standing on the top of a modified container truck.

“Allah has given me a new life. I assure you that I will continue my fight … get ready for my call,” he said.

Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said: “Four people made a decision behind closed doors to kill me and I had told the nation beforehand. That’s why I had recorded a video naming all four.”

A calculated plot

Khan said two shooters were involved in the attack on him during the “long march,” and two bursts were fired from two different directions when he was on the container.

“It was not an instant plan. It was a calculated plot orchestrated by those who wanted to get me killed,” he said.

In a confession video, the suspect arrested by the police said he attacked Khan because “he is misleading the people” and had acted alone.

The former premier, who has called for early elections since his ouster in a parliament no-confidence vote in April, warned that the nation had finally stood up and now has two paths before it: a peaceful or a bloody revolution.

Sharif’s government says there would be no early vote, and the next elections will be held as scheduled, in late 2023.

He censured the coalition government for “suppressing peaceful protests” and also criticized intelligence officials for the alleged torture of his senior party leaders Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill.

He appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan for “justice” and asked the country’s army chief to “wake up” and take action against “black sheep” in the institution.

The former premier also criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan, which last month disqualified him for not disclosing transactions related to official gifts he received as a prime minister.

Since his ouster, Khan has held a series of anti-government rallies for “real freedom,” and has alleged that he was removed in a US-sponsored conspiracy. The coalition government and Washington have denied the claims.

Army, government reject allegations

Pakistan’s army responded to Khan’s claims, saying “the baseless and irresponsible allegations” against the institution and a senior army officer are “absolutely unacceptable and uncalled for.”

In a statement, the army’s media wing said the allegations are “highly regrettable and strongly condemned,” adding: “No one will be allowed to defame the institution or its soldiers with impunity.”

It requested the government to investigate the matter and initiate legal action against those responsible for defamation and false accusations against the institution.

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also rejected Khan’s statements as “lies” and a “concocted story.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

US-based global e-retail giant Amazon announced Thursday that it has paused hiring for its corporate workforce amid “uncertainty” in the American economy.

“We anticipate keeping this pause in place for the next few months, and will continue to monitor what we’re seeing in the economy and the business to adjust as we think makes sense,” Beth Galetti, senior vice president of People Experience and Technology at Amazon, wrote in a statement on company’s website.

She said the US economy is facing “an unusual macroeconomic environment,” and the firm wants to balance its hiring and investments.

The company announced in early October that it was pausing hiring for corporate roles in its retail business.

The e-retail major was hiring thousands during the coronavirus pandemic when consumers turned towards online shopping due to the mandatory lockdowns. With businesses reopening, however, consumers have turned to physical stores.

Amazon’s latest move came the same day that US ride-hailing company Lyft announced that it plans to lay off 13% of its workforce due to the slowdown in the American economy and a possible recession next year.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The first Brazilian transitional meeting took place Thursday between the incoming and outgoing governments in the nation’s capital of Brasilia.

The meeting at the Planalto presidential palace occurred between officials from President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s side and incumbent Jair Bolsonaro’s team.

Vice president-elect Geraldo Alckmin has been charged with overseeing the transition with Bolsonaro’s Cabinet chief Ciro Nogueira, alongside several officials.

Alckmin told reporters that the meeting went well. “The conversation was very fruitful, very objective. The transition has already started,” he said.

Brazilian law allows the president-elect to name up to 50 people as part of his transitional team, according to the G1 news outlet.

Alckmin did not disclose the names of individuals on the team but insisted that they would be from parties that make up Lula’s coalition.

Following the tight presidential runoff on Sunday, Lula is resting in the north of Brazil alongside his wife in Bahia but is expected to participate in several meetings Monday to drive the transition forward, according to the Metropoles newspaper.

Alckmin also denounced blockades on roads by Bolsonaro supporters, noting the effect on health care supplies.

Bolsonaro urged supporters Wednesday to clear the blockades in a video posted on social media. Earlier in the day, his supporters staged demonstrations across the country calling for the army’s intervention after Lula’s win.

Bolsonaro gave a guarded speech Tuesday without directly conceding defeat, insisting that “as president of the Republic and a citizen, I will continue upholding all the mandates of our Constitution.”

Right after, however, his chief of staff acknowledged that there would be a transition ahead of Lula assuming the presidency on Jan. 1.

Supreme Court Justice Luiz Edson Fachin said later Tuesday that Bolsonaro acknowledged that the election was “over” during a private meeting.

Source: Anadolu Agency

An estimated 7.76 million people in South Sudan are likely to face extreme hunger and malnutrition in 2023 due to a combination of conflicts and climate shocks, according to a UN report.

“The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), released today, shows about two thirds of the South Sudanese population are likely to face acute food insecurity during the April-July 2023 lean season,” the country’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Josephine Lagu, told reporters Thursday in the capital Juba.

“This is more or less the same as last year, with 43,000 people likely in Catastrophe (IPC phase 5) acute food insecurity in Akobo, Canal/Pigi and Fangak counties of Jonglei state and Leer and Mayendit counties of Unity state,” she said.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said during the event that hunger and malnutrition are on the rise across the flood-, drought- and conflict-affected areas of South Sudan.

“We’ve been in famine prevention mode all year and have staved off the worst outcomes, but this is not enough,” said Makena Walker, Acting Country Director for WFP in South Sudan

“South Sudan is on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and day in, day out, families are losing their homes, cattle, fields and hope to extreme weather. Without humanitarian food assistance, millions more will find themselves in an increasingly dire situation and unable to provide even the most basic food for their families,” said Walker.

“The decline in food security and high prevalence of malnutrition is linked to a combination of conflict, poor macro-economic conditions, extreme climate events and spiraling costs of food and fuel.”

Sara Beysolow Nyanti, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, said the IPC report is the product of months of data collection and analysis, with participation from the government, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and other partners.

Nyanti noted that quality data like this is critical to formulating humanitarian response plans to help meet the needs of people in the country, and these figures show that the people of South Sudan need support more than ever.

“It’s vital we receive commitments from donors for 2023 so we can prevent a worsening of the humanitarian situation across the country,” she said.

The UN warned that malnourishment is at the highest level ever, surpassing levels seen even during the conflicts in 2013 and 2016.

The current situation of drought and floods could get even worse across the country. Eastern Equatoria state in the southeast of the country has seen the most significant deterioration in food security across South Sudan’s counties impacted by the Horn of Africa drought. Dry conditions have taken hold across the Greater Kapoeta region and decimated livelihoods as crops and cattle perish. Meanwhile, the northern part of the country is flooding, and all crops submerged by water as well as livestock are dying.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Manchester United reserved their place in the UEFA Europa League knockout round playoff with a 1-0 win against Real Sociedad on Thursday.

Argentine forward Alejandro Garnacho scored the winning goal for Man United in the 17th minute at Reale Arena in San Sebastian, Spain.

Real Sociedad won Group E on goal difference, despite losing to Manchester United.

Both the Spanish club and United had 15 points after the sixth matches.

Real Sociedad qualified for the Round of 16 in the Europa League.

However, group runners-up United will play a playoff stage prior to the last 16.

Sheriff came in third with six points to qualify for the third-tier UEFA Europa Conference League. Omonoia lost all six of their matches to be eliminated.

Europa League knockout stage format

The eight Europa League group winners directly advance to the Europa League Round of 16.

Meanwhile, the eight Europa League group runners-up will face the eight third-ranked teams of the UEFA Champions League groups in the playoff phase.

A draw on Nov. 7 will decide the pairings.

Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona, Sporting, Salzburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sevilla and Juventus reached the Europa League from the Champions League after Wednesday’s matches.

Feyenoord, Midtjylland get out of balanced Group F

Dutch club Feyenoord and Denmark’s Midtjylland were the best two sides in Group F, where all the teams finished on the same points.

After Thursday’s matches, Feyenoord, Midtjylland, Italy’s Lazio and Austrian club Sturm Graz had eight points each.

But Feyenoord and Midtjylland remained in the Europa League thanks to their goal differences.

Midtjylland went to the playoff stage.

Third-placed Lazio made their way to the Europa Conference League.

Separately, Freiburg and Ferencvaros secured top spots in their groups to be in the Europa League’s last 16 directly.

Meanwhile, Nantes and Monaco booked their place in the playoff phase.

Trabzonspor finish 3rd

Turkish club Trabzonspor beat Hungary’s Ferencváros 1-0 at home but ended Group H in third position.

Greek midfielder Anastasios Bakasetas scored outside the area in the first half.

Trabzonspor bagged nine points to reach the Europa Conference League.

Group winners Ferencvaros had 10 points. Monaco took the same points after beating Serbia’s Crvena zvezda 4-1 in France.

Crvena zvezda had six points to be eliminated.

Results:

Midtjylland – Sturm Graz: 2-0

Feyenoord – Lazio: 1-0

Real Sociedad – Manchester United: 0-1

Sheriff – Omonoia: 1-0

Olympiacos – Nantes: 0-2

Qarabag – Freiburg: 1-1

Trabzonspor – Ferencvaros: 1-0

Monaco – Crvena zvezda: 4-1

Source: Anadolu Agency

The African, Caribbean, Pacific – European Union (ACP-EU) Joint Parliamentary Assembly has overturned an earlier decision and voted to allow Uganda to proceed with developing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.

The 1,443-kilometer (897-mile) long pipeline will run from oil wells in Uganda’s Western Region to Tanzania’s seaport of Tanga.

The EU originally said that the project should not take place because it would violate the rights of people in the areas of Uganda and Tanzania where the pipeline would be constructed and would also degrade the environment.

However, the ACP-EU assembly, sitting in Maputo, Mozambique, voted on Wednesday in favor of Uganda proceeding with developing the pipeline.

The assembly brings together an equal number of elected members of parliament from African, Caribbean and Pacific states and members of the European Parliament.

This came after the Ugandan delegation to the Maputo meeting led by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa convinced the assembly that the pipeline’s construction would not violate human rights or affect the environment.

“The delegation asked the assembly to allow for a just transition to renewable energy, as opposed to the abrupt halting of exploration, especially by the global south,” the Ugandan parliament said Thursday in a statement.

It said the ACP-EU resolution waters down an earlier stance by the European Parliament that had expressed grave concern over alleged human rights violations in Uganda and Tanzania linked to the project.

Uganda has 6.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, around 2.2 billion of which are recoverable.

Uganda, with Total EandP Uganda and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), which explored for oil, came up with the idea of constructing a 1,443-kilometer heated and buried crude oil pipeline to Tanzania’s coastal port of Tanga, which the ACP-EU was opposing.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Britain on Thursday introduced a new legislation that will “prevent countries from using the UK’s services to transport Russian oil” unless it is purchased at or below the price set by the Group of Seven and Australia.

The move “follows the decision made by the G7 finance ministers in September who committed to the price cap as a way of undermining (Vladimir) Putin’s ability to fund his war in Ukraine through inflated global oil prices, while ensuring that third countries can continue to secure affordable oil,” according to a government statement.

However, the statement also said that the UK and its coalition partners will not make use of the cap, as they have introduced an” import ban on Russian oil.”

“Today’s legislation on crude oil will come into force on 5th December with further measures on refined oil products coming into force on the 5th February, to align with EU timelines for a parallel measure,” the statement added.

“We continue to stand by Ukraine in the face of Putin’s barbaric and illegal invasion,” Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said.

He added: “We’ve banned the import of Russian oil into the UK and are making good progress on phasing it out completely.

“This new measure continues to turn the screws on Putin’s war machine, making it even tougher for him to profiteer from his illegal war.”

The new legislation “also brings forward the date of the UK’s oil import ban from the end of December to 5th December.”

Source: Anadolu Agency