Day: April 1, 2024

ANKARA: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday discussed the Gaza situation and regional developments with his Qatari and Russian counterparts. According to Trkiye's Foreign Ministry, Fidan and Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani addressed the latest situation in the besieged Palestinian enclave and regional developments over the phone. In a separate phone call, Fidan and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov discussed regional issues and navigation security in the Black Sea, diplomatic sources said. Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed some 1,200 people. Nearly 32,800 Palestinians have since been killed and 75,300 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation. Israel stands a ccused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which on Thursday asked Israel to do more to prevent famine in Gaza. Source: Anadolu Agency

_: Daily electricity consumption in Trkiye decreased by 15% on Sunday compared to the previous day, totaling 701,502 megawatt-hours, according to official figures of Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS) on Monday. Hourly power consumption peaked at 33,300 megawatt-hours at 9 p.m. local time (1800 GMT), data from TEIAS showed. The country's electricity usage dropped to the lowest level of 24,224 megawatt-hours at 9 a.m. local time (0600 GMT). Electricity production amounted to 698,437 megawatt-hours on Sunday, marking a fall of 14.4% compared to Saturday. Electricity production from imported coal plants constituted 18.6% of total generation, while hydroelectricity and lignite plants contributed 15.9% and 14.3%, respectively. On Sunday, the country's electricity exports amounted to 3,643 megawatt-hours and imports totaled 6,840 megawatt-hours. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: 'An agéd man is but a paltry thing, A tattered coat upon a stick…'.[1] One would assume that, from a population in excess of 330 million people, two new, younger, reasonably competent candidates would percolate to the top. But four years after the 2020 United States presidential contest, which featured the oldest election day Democratic and Republican presidential candidates in US history, we are stuck with the same two candidates.[2] One is now an octogenarian who frequently experiences 'senior moments,' and sometimes seems to have difficulty simply standing upright; the other, who would become an octogenarian in office were he to be elected, now spends much of his time in court fending off criminal charges, legal challenges, convictions, and fines, and could conceivably be in prison come election day. Yet they were, even before the presidential primaries began, clearly the candidates that those 330 million people would be forced to choose between in November. This is the state that American dem ocracy, which once prided itself on youth and vigor, has descended to. No one else? Four years ago when Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump, the widespread assumption was that he would serve only one term, and that his Vice President, Kamala Harris, was the anointed heir.[3] Within a year, however, Harris's gaffes[4] and inability to gain media traction smothered her potential. None of the other 2020 Democratic presidential candidates decided to challenge Biden's repeat candidacy, and no other high profile Democratic candidate emerged since the 2020 election. As for the Republican Party, Trump used the past three years to solidify his control over the party.[5] The various legal proceedings launched against him after the January 6, 2021 events at the Capitol building have predictably served only to enrage his political base and enable him to pose as a victim, widening the sympathy felt for him in US society. The remaining moderate and anti-Trump Republicans tried to promote former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as an alternative presidential candidate.[6] The presidential primary elections held in January and February of this year immediately exposed Haley's lack of broad electoral support, bringing her candidacy to an abrupt end. Subsequently, if the election were held today, most polls indicate that Trump would comfortably defeat Biden, who won the 2020 election by 7 million votes.[7] How did we get here? For 200 years, US politics has been dominated by two parties, and political scientists have produced many volumes analyzing why the US political system maintains this character. But the Republican Party's current state can be traced back to the 1920s when it allied itself with finance and business, allowing the Democratic Party to take ownership of almost all important social issues in the 1930s and '40s. Since then, Republicans have had to appeal to cultural (including racial) or religious issues to maintain mass appeal amongst American society's conservative segment s. The Democrats continued to own most social issues until the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s forced them to field more mediagenic candidates who did not frighten Wall Street or liberal businesspeople that development gave us two-term President Bill Clinton and eventual Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose circle has dominated the Democratic Party since the 1990s. Fragmented parties The above historical trends have brought both of the major US political parties to an episode of severe turbulence. Trump now effectively controls the Republican Party, and may even use it not just to provide campaign funds, but even to foot his legal bills.[8] Fealty to Trump is now a litmus test for Republican Party candidates nationwide. The Democratic Party is divided between the Clinton-Biden-Obama power center and an energetic younger generation that prefers more progressive stances, especially on issues such as individual identities or the ongoing conflict in Gaza.[9] On the other hand, US politics requires appeals to the broadest common denominator, not just to garner votes, but to win the donations needed to purchase the media exposure essential to modern political campaigns. Instead of finding common ground, the Democratic Party's generational blocs have grown more mutually combative, making cooperation difficult. That, in turn, affected candidate promotion and fundraising. Kamala Harris's implosion left Biden as the Democratic Party leadership's candidate because no other Democratic Party politician has Biden's broad appeal or name recognition. Currently, the Biden campaign has a cash advantage over Trump's campaign even though Biden trails in most polling. The end result is that the control Trump's insurgents have over his party, and the Democratic Party's internal schisms, have forced a replay of the 2020 presidential election. Yeats's famous poem, cited above, could have been referring to US society when it begins, 'that is no country for old men.' But the presidential candidates American voters will choose bet ween in November provide the impression of a society well into its senescence. [1] W.B. Yeats, 'Sailing to Byzantium.' [2] The only presidential candidates in US history older than Biden and Trump were either from extremely small parties or withdrew from the campaign during or after the primaries. [3] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/analysis-and-now-for-the-biden-era/2061848 [4] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-vice-president-to-migrants-do-not-come-do-not-come/2266643. The New York Times even took time to defend Harris last summer, to no avail: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/magazine/vice-president-gaffes.html. [5] https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/11/bloodbath-at-rnc-trump-team-slashes-staff-at-committee-00146368 [6] At one point, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was also seen as a possible candidate, but his own political problems undermined his presidential hopes. By the time the primaries began, Haley was understood as a stronger candidate than DeSantis. [7] https://projects.fivethirtye ight.com/polls/president-general/ [8] https://apnews.com/article/trump-campaign-fundraising-rnc-c0e8f1e7b59f70c5237e13a3462e5790 [9] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/19/us/politics/biden-donors.html Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Russia demanded Ukraine arrest and extradite Vasyl Maliuk, the head of Ukraine's security service, and those implicated in 'terrorist acts' in Russia. A statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday said that Moscow has put forward a demand to Kyiv to 'immediately arrest and extradite' those implicated in 'terrorist acts' in the country since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war over two years ago. Expressing that the demand was put forward under the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, the statement claimed Maliuk is one of those involved in such acts. Maliuk 'cynically admitted on March 25 that Ukraine was behind the bombing of the Crimean Bridge in October 2022 and revealed details of the organization of other attacks in the Russian Federation,' the statement said. The statement further claimed that an investigation into the Crocus City Hall attack near the Russian capital Mo scow late last month which killed over 140 people pointed to Ukraine. 'The Russian side demands that the Kyiv regime immediately cease any support for terrorist activities, extradite the perpetrators and compensate for the damage caused to the victims,' the statement added. In response to Russia's demand, Maliuk told Ukrainian media outlets that Moscow 'forgets' that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been put on the international wanted list. 'So any words from Russia's Foreign Ministry are worthless. In fact, there is only one statement the Russian Federation can make that is worthy of attention - to announce to the whole world its defeat in the war and the withdrawal of its troops from Ukrainian soil,' he said. Maliuk was charged in absentia last week with committing a 'terrorist attack' by Moscow's Basmanny Court, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: The western French department Indre-et-Loire remains on red alert Monday due to flood risk, according to the country's weather authority, Meteo France. The French towns and rivers in western France were flooded over the weekend, and residents were evacuated, according to local media. Rescuers continue searching for a kayaker who went missing in the flooded La Vienne river on Saturday, the La Depeche newspaper reported. La Vienne rose on Sunday evening up to 5.24 meters (17.19 feet), and the Creuse river rose to 6.78 meters, surpassing the record in 1982. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged Israel on Sunday to urgently enable access to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza and establish a humanitarian corridor. 'We urge Israel to urgently facilitate access and a humanitarian corridor so WHO and partners can carry out the lifesaving transfer of patients,' Tedros said on X. He said 21 patients have died since Al-Shifa Hospital came under siege on March 18, with hostilities continuing in its vicinity according to updates from a health worker at the facility. '107 patients are in an inadequate building, within the hospital compound, lacking needed health support, medical care and supplies. Patients have been moved multiple times within the hospital compound since the siege began. 'Among the patients are 4 children and 28 critical patients lacking necessary means of care - no diapers, urine bags, water to clean wounds. Many have infected wounds and are dehydrated,' he added. Tedros said that as of yesterday, there is now just one bottle of water available for every 15 people, leading to the rapid spread of contagious diseases because of highly unsanitary conditions and water scarcity. He added that a severe shortage of food poses a critical risk, particularly for diabetic patients whose health is deteriorating. Source: Anadolu Agency