Day: November 25, 2022

“At a time when the people and businesses, as well as the government, are working as one to overcome the crisis, the Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union (CTSU) has begun an indefinite group transport refusal,” Yoon wrote on social media, according to Yonhap News Agency.

“We will not tolerate acts of taking logistical systems hostage in a national crisis situation. If they continue their irresponsible transport refusal, the government has no choice but to consider various measures, including a work initiation order,” he stated.

Under local law, the government can invoke a work initiation order if logistics companies or workers cause large disruptions to cargo delivery by refusing to work without justification, the media outlet stated.

“We will respond sternly according to the law and principles to all illegal actions… I intend to make clear that what is sought cannot be gained through illegal violence,” the president warned.

In case of refusal of government order, violators of government orders face up to three years in prison or a $22,500 fine, the media organization reported.

Approximately 11,000 people took part in the CTSU strike across the country, demanding the extension of a freight rate system that guaranteed basic wages.

In June, truck drivers went on strike in response to the rise in fuel prices, demanding that the government intervene.

The strike, which lasted about a week, disrupted cargo transportation and resulted in financial loss. The strike also impacted domestic production, causing $1.2 billion in damage, according to media reports.

Truck drivers called off their strike after reaching an agreement with the South Korean Ministry of Transport.

Source: Anadolu Agency

In-mid October, Enagas declared an “exceptional operating situation,” warning that new LNG shipments could suffer from delays in offloading and that any requests to unload extra LNG would be denied because Spain’s gas reserves were too full.

When Enagas first issued the notification, the situation was expected to last until early November. However, the situation was postponed for weeks longer.

In October, Enagas said there was an unexpected “mismatch” between supply and demand.

Unseasonably warm temperatures combined with a surprisingly dramatic drop in industrial demand meant the country was not consuming as much natural gas as forecast.

At the same time, Spain, home to 44% of Europe’s LNG storage capacity, had intentionally filled reserves to prepare for a winter in which Russia could entirely cut off gas supplies to the EU.

Similar situations played out in other European countries, causing LNG tankers to travel to other markets and natural gas prices to plummet.

In late August, Dutch TTF natural gas futures, often viewed as the European benchmark price, peaked for the year at nearly €350 ($364) per megawatt hour.

Since then, the price has sunken dramatically, touching the bottom at €98 and currently sitting at €123.

After registering the hottest October on record, cooler temperatures are finally setting in across Spain. The weather and lower energy prices are contributing to an uptick in natural gas demand.

However, the colder, blustery weather has also helped fuel renewable generation in Spain.

On Monday, Spain smashed its previous record for wind power generation. At one point in the evening, wind was behind 53% of Spain’s electricity production.

Source: Anadolu Agency

In a statement by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said that right-back Danilo and forward Neymar faced an ankle injury each and they cannot play against Switzerland on Monday.

The players were injured in the Serbia match that Brazil won 2-0 in Group G on Thursday.

The South American powerhouse tops Group G on goal difference.

Earlier Thursday, Switzerland beat Cameroon 1-0 to come second in the group.

Cameroon and Serbia lost their first matches to be in lower ranks.

Only the best two teams in each group will qualify for the last 16 after the third matches.

Brazil will next play against Switzerland, then will face Cameroon to end the group stage in the Qatar 2022.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The government implemented a national strategy after a debate in 2019. The main measures were “sheltering the victims”, “helping victims of domestic violence file a complaint when they are unable to move especially when hospitalized,” protecting victims “by preventing the perpetrator from approaching them,” according to the statement.

However, victims cannot always find a way to obtain the help they need.

Anne-Sophie, a 37-year-old woman who used to work in the hotel industry, lives with her two daughters since she got divorced.

After eight years of marriage to a violent spouse, Anne-Sophie, now unemployed, told her story: “Police officers came to our house multiple times when our neighbors called but my ex-husband had been systematically released every time, since it was his word against mine.”

Scared of disrupting her daughters’ lives, she said she preferred burying her pain all this time.

“One day, I made a statement to the police on death threats, when he found it out in the evening, he beat me up,” Anne-Sophie said, adding: “Police intervention has not been useful.”

Another victim, Maryse, was lucky enough to benefit from the assistance of an association, as suggested by the local police officers in her neighborhood.

At the age of 56, after 25 years of marriage, she finally found the courage to file a complaint and leave to build a new life.

“When I heard about the campaign advising us to file complaint and call 3919, I did it,” Maryse said. “I dared to take the step and I do not regret it.”

She thinks police officers who have welcomed her saved her life and helped her through her “rebirth,” despite a “long and stressful legal process.”

The French government allocated €1,3 billion ($1,35 billion) to fight violence against women, according to figures from the State Secretariat for Gender Equality.

In 2021, the helpline recorded 92,674 calls, compared to 99,538 calls in the previous year.

A survey conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion IFOP said 14% of women call themselves victims of domestic violence.

Despite measures taken by the government, domestic violence cases continue to rise considerably. The rate was 9% in November 2021.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Most of the “halal economy” is in the finance sector, but the non-financial part should also be expanded, Mohammad Kabir Hassan, an economist at the University of New Orleans, told Anadolu Agency.

It is a $6-trillion worth economy but the majority of it is the Islamic finance — around $4 trillion. So, we really need to expand the non-financial part of the halal economy.

Halal economy is a bigger concept, covering many areas such as textile, cosmetics, and medical products, he recalled.

Benefits of halal products and services should be advertised to the people, he added.

On Türkiye’s position, he said: “Turkish halal economy can be a sort of role model for the rest of the Muslim world.”

He also said Türkiye has a very diversified economy, it exports thousands of products to 200 different countries,

Türkiye has a “rich history” and a “very dynamic leader,” the economist noted, and said: “Islamic world really lacks leadership, there are not really many leaders like (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan.”

Mentioning the country’s new economic model based on investment, production, employment, and export, he said the model has to be integrated with the concept of Islamic finance and halal economy.

“We need to go to the zero-interest-based financing,” he added.

Criticizing the existing old economy policies, he said: “Whenever inflation is up, you increase interest rate. Yes, you bring down inflation, but you also end up with recession.”

“And then, you reduce the interest rate again, then the economy goes up, so this is a temporary solution.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

“The EU macro-region, EUSALP, will play a key role in the EU’s shift towards a sustainable energy policy, and water is the key issue in this region — how we manage and sustain it,” Mirko Bisesti, councilor for education at the University and Culture of the Autonomous Province of Trento, told Anadolu Agency at the event in the Italian Alpine town of Trento. The Swiss presidency starts on Jan. 1, 2023.

The waters of the Alps have become contested as melting glaciers affect the lives of tens of millions of people.

Low summer rainfall and unusually high temperatures in northern Italy dried up the Po River.

The Alps are a massive reservoir of water which flows to 170 million people along some of Europe’s biggest rivers, including the Danube, Po, and Rhine.

The Trento conference showcased several EU projects that are aimed at improving management of the Alpine ecosystem.

“The aims of the Italian presidency have been well-developed,” said Maurizio Fugatti, the president of the region of Trento in Italy, noting that initiatives had been set in motion in biodiversity, circular economy, sustainability, supporting growth in rural areas, and digitalization.

The Autonomous Provinces of Bolzano/Bozen and Trento took over the Presidency of the European Union Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) on behalf of Italy for 2022 in January.

EUSALP wants to establish itself as an instrument of cross-border cooperation in the Alps and become the first carbon neutral macro-region in Europe, in line with the EU climate measures and the European Green Deal.

Enrico Di Muzio, a meteorologist at the EU-funded TINIA Interreg project which ends after 12 months at the end of this year, spoke of the need to collaborate across borders in weather forecasting.

“This is vital. It adds value to farmers, local authorities, and businesses, as well as people and families planning their vacations. There is no national weather forecaster in Italy, and often there is competition to improve one region’s conditions at the expense of others,” he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Although the conservative Nea Dimokratia (ND) government claims there is no tangible evidence proving that it was involved in the surveillance of dozens of politicians, businessmen and journalists, evidence is there, said Sophie in ‘t Veld, the Avgi daily reported, citing German public broadcaster DW.

With no prominent figure allegedly involved or who orchestrated the surveillance operations testifying to this day, it is in the best interest of the government to investigate the allegations, which are supported by pieces of evidence, she said.

She also drew attention that even the offices of Intellexa – the company that marketed the Israeli-made Predator spyware used in the surveillance operations in the country – were not searched by the police.

Surveillance scandal

On Aug. 8, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged that opposition politician Nikos Androulakis was wiretapped by Greece’s intelligence agency but denied knowledge of the operation.

The scandal first emerged on Aug. 4, when Panagiotis Kontoleon, then-head of the National Intelligence Service (EYP), told a parliamentary committee that the intelligence agency had been spying on financial journalist Thanasis Koukakis.

On Aug. 5, Kontoleon, along with the general secretary of the prime minister’s office, Grigoris Dimitriadis, resigned.

A parliamentary probe was launched after Androulakis complained to top prosecutors about an attempt to hack his cellphone with Predator spyware.

More recently, Documento published a list of 33 people allegedly spied on by the EYP on direct orders by Dimitriadis, including Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Deputy Defense Minister Nikos Hardalias, Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis, Labor Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras, former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, former Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis and former National Security Adviser Alexandros Diakopoulos.

Opposition parties have been blaming Mitsotakis for the scandal and have called for his government to hold snap elections, something he rejects.

The European Commission and European Parliament are closely monitoring developments related to the scandal.

Source: Anadolu Agency

“We have taken measures related to oil, Russian oil transported to the EU by pipelines with some minor exceptions, … but we have never announced any work on a ban on Russian gas and that has not changed,” Eric Mamer told a midday briefing in Brussels.

Asked about the latest situation on the Russian oil price cap, he noted that the discussions are ongoing as no agreement has been reached yet.

The EU has so far failed to reach a deal to cap the prices for Russian sea-borne oil.

Earlier on Thursday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said members are working “full speed” on a ninth sanctions package and will “very soon” approve a global price cap on Russian oil with the G7 and other major partners.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned of “serious consequences” for the global energy market if the West imposes a price cap on Russian oil.

Source: Anadolu Agency

“Should Twitter offer a general amnesty to suspended accounts, provided that they have not broken the law or engaged in egregious spam?” the poll asked users.

The poll garnered 3.1 million votes, with 72.4% of the respondents voting yes, while 27.6% voted no.

Musk has already reinstated several accounts that were banned for violating Twitter’s rules, including those of former President Donald Trump, congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kanye West.

Trump was banned for violating rules against inciting violence for his tweets during the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. Greene was suspended after repeatedly sharing coronavirus misinformation while West’s account was locked for posting anti-Semitic tweets, including threatening “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”

Musk’s ownership of Twitter, now rounding out its first month, has been marked by widespread chaos at the company as he seeks to make the service profitable by instituting mass layoffs and attempting to institute policies that have been met with widespread internal opposition on the platform leading to additional staff losses, or quickly rolled back.

Source: Anadolu Agency