Day: December 10, 2022

There are more than 260,000 homeless people in Germany, according to government statistics published Friday.

Based on the first report by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on the homelessness situation, as of Jan. 31, 2022, there were 263,000 people who did not have a permanent home.

Homeless people are divided in the report into three categories: those who are sheltered in emergency accommodation, secretly homeless staying with friends or acquaintances and people who live on the streets.

The report revealed that 63% of the homeless were men and 35% were women, while the average age of the homeless was 44.

Two-thirds of the homeless have German citizenship and more than half of respondents said they suffer from a long-term illness or disability, while one-fourth indicated they have an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

The Labor Ministry report dwells on the socio-structural characteristics of the three groups and strategies for fighting homelessness and eliminating it by 2030. A report on plans to fight the problem will be presented next year.

On the other hand, a Berlin-based homeless rights advocacy group, the Federal Association for Homeless Help (BAG W), demanded stronger constitutional housing guarantees, more eviction protection, better rent control and easier ways for those without a fixed address to get on the books so they can receive adequate health care.

Activists point out that a severe housing shortage and skyrocketing rents are making it tougher to find and hold onto stable living conditions.

Germany has a substantial low-wage sector and major studies have indicated that income inequality is mounting as a greater share of salaries has to go for rent.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Digital media expert and strategist Glen Gilmore told the session titled, “The Global Race for Technological Superiority: Shifting Paradigms in the Age of AI and Cybersecurity,” that observers often see the positive use of artificial intelligence such as diagnosing a medical condition.

Noting that artificial intelligence offers solutions to people by collecting enormous amounts of data, Gilmore said it can detect and fix a problem before it occurs.

But he pointed out that when talking to experts in artificial intelligence, they also say that they do not fully understand how artificial intelligence works and it is something to worry about.

He also voiced the need for artificial intelligence to be more transparent.

Baher Esmat, Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa, ICANN, said one of the great things about the internet is that it creates opportunities for everyone.

Maurizio Geri, strategic analyst and policy advisor, said technology helped many societies develop.

Pointing out that artificial intelligence also has an important place in the global power competition, Geri said bureaucracy and military infrastructure should be quickly adapted to technological revolutions.

The annual TRT World Forum started Friday in Istanbul.

The gathering, which is held under the theme of “Mapping the Future: Uncertainties, Realities and Opportunities,” brings together academics, journalists, intellectuals, politicians and members of civil society from around the globe.

Nearly 100 speakers and more than 1,000 participants from nearly 40 countries are attending the forum, according to Mehmet Zahid Sobaci, director general of TRT, Türkiye’s public broadcaster.

The event is being held in person this year after it was held virtually for the past two years because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A former Minneapolis police officer in the US state of Minnesota was sentenced on Friday to three-and-a-half years in prison for his part in George Floyd’s death.

J. Alexander Kueng, 29, who kneeled on Floyd’s back during his May 25, 2020, fatal arrest, pleaded guilty in October to one count of aiding and abetting in second-degree manslaughter as part of an agreement with prosecutors. Multiple news outlets reported on his sentencing Friday.

The plea was announced as a joint state trial for Kueng and fellow officer Tou Thao was to begin with jury selection. A second charge of aiding and abetting in second-degree unintentional murder was dismissed as part of Kueng’s plea agreement, according to ABC.

Keung and Thao, 34, are currently serving federal sentences after being convicted in February on federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights.

“J. Alexander Kueng is now the second officer involved in Floyd’s death to accept responsibility through a guilty plea,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in an October statement on the plea deal. “That acknowledgement hopefully can bring comfort to Floyd’s family and bring our communities closer to a new era of accountability and justice.”

Derek Chauvin, 46, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck, was found guilty on three counts in Floyd’s death: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.

Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years and had additionally been sentenced to 21 years on federal civil rights charges.

Floyd, 46, died after Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck as he repeatedly said he could not breathe.

Fellow officer Thomas Lane, 39, pleaded guilty in May to a second-degree manslaughter charge and has been serving a two-and-a-half-year federal sentence concurrently with his three-year state prison sentence.

Floyd’s death ignited protests across the US against police brutality and systemic racism.

“We must never forget the horror of what we all saw in that 9-minute video, and that there rightfully should be both accountability for all involved as well as deep lessons learned for police officers and communities everywhere,” Floyd’s family attorney Ben Crump said in an October statement on Keung’s plea deal.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The US on Friday announced another $275 million in new military assistance for Ukraine to help it counter Russia’s offensive.

The latest tranche includes additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which have proven pivotal in Kyiv’s recent advances against Russian forces, as well as 80,000 155mm artillery rounds and additional equipment to help defend against drone systems, the Pentagon said in a statement.

It said the assistance includes “counter air defense capability,” but did not elaborate.

An additional number of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles ambulances and medical equipment, along with roughly 150 generators and field equipment, are also being sent.

The aid is being delivered under what is known as presidential drawdown authorities, which allows the US’ commander-in-chief to transfer equipment from existing stocks to allies and partners.

“This package will provide Ukraine with new capabilities to boost its air defenses and counter the threats Ukraine is facing from Iranian UAVs which Russia is using to attack Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and kill Ukrainian civilians,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.

The Biden administration has provided Kyiv with over $19.3 billion in military assistance since Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Serbia announced Friday that it would demand its armed forces return to Kosovo, where tensions are rising between ethnic Serbs and the government.

The announcement by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic came after Kosovo began beefing up its police presence late on Thursday in the country’s north, which is home to a substantial Serb community.

Belgrade harshly criticized the move as an attempt to invade the north of the country and violating the Brussels Agreement, a 2013 deal to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

“That’s why we are very close to it … Because the KFOR (NATO’s Kosovo Force) is not doing its job and the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija can’t feel safe. Their lives are in danger there, including children in kindergartens,” said Brnabic.

She underlined that Serbia would demand that Kosovo comply in full with the 1999 UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which allows a certain UN and Serb force to be deployed in Kosovo, such as clearing minefields, and maintaining a presence at Serb patrimonial sites and key border crossings.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is expected to address the nation during the day on the issue.

Explosions in northern Kosovo

Ahead of early local elections in four municipalities in northern Kosovo on Dec. 18, explosions and sirens were heard in some cities on Tuesday.

Forces affiliated with the EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) had increased their presence on the Iberian Bridge connecting the southern and northern sides of the city of Mitrovica.

Officials of the Kosovo Central Election Commission (KQZ) went to their offices in the north, accompanied by local police but were unable to enter.

Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo flared last month when ethnic Serbs in Kosovo withdrew from all central and local institutions to protest the decision to replace car license plates issued by Serbian authorities with those from Kosovo.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member states including the US, UK, France, Germany, and Türkiye recognizing it as a separate autonomous country from its neighbor.

But, Serbia continues to insist that Kosovo is its territory.

Source: Anadolu Agency