The news that matter in Europe
The news that matter in Europe
Un tercer túnel que conecta las partes europea y asiática de Estambul, oficialmente llamado “Gran Túnel de Estambul” por el gobierno, se pondrá en funcionamiento en 2028, anunció el Ministro de Transporte e Infraestructura, Adil Karaismaloglu. “Actualmente se están realizando estudios y diseño…
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Last year, nickel savings fell into the spotlight, thanks to the tropical climate in the nickel floor, which drove prices down, and so on. reached the astonishing 100,000 dollars per ton.
This is the background of the London-based metals shop in an existential way. However, in the case of…
La forma de utilizar criptobilleteras y activos digitales analógicos en el mundo no ha recibido el apoyo del Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) y la posición de mi octava no ha cambiado hoy. Recientemente, advirtió al gobierno de Zimbabue sobre la introducción de la moneda digital oficial de…
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El ingreso real per cápita de los hogares creció un 0,6 % en la OCDE en el cuarto trimestre de 2022, superando el crecimiento del PIB real per cápita del 0,1 % (Figura 1). A pesar del crecimiento moderado en el tercer y cuarto trimestre, sobre una base anual de 2022, el ingreso real per cápita de los hogares cayó un 3,8% en la OCDE, el…
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Lorsque Fuminori Tsuchiko est arrivé dans la ville ukrainienne l’année dernière, il s’est dit qu’il voulait faire quelque chose pour aider les gens. Un vieil homme japonais a décidé d’ouvrir un café gratuit à Kharkiv, a rapporté Reuters. Lorsque Fuminori Tsuchiko est arrivé dans la ville ukrainienne l’année dernière, il s’est dit qu’il…
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The digital ruble will be offered to everyone after it has been tested among a narrow circle of real customers. This was stated in the State Duma of Russia by the governor of the Central bank, Elvira Nabiulina, quoted by TASS.
“We are ready to proceed with the pilot introduction of the…
La collection privée la plus chère et l’œuvre d’art la plus chère du XXe siècle ont été vendues. L’année écoulée 2022 restera dans l’histoire comme l’une des plus lucratives pour le marché de l’art. La réalisation commerciale la plus impressionnante à travers elle est sans aucun doute la vente de la collection…
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El Comité de Comercio Internacional dio luz verde el jueves a otra suspensión de un año de los aranceles de importación de la UE sobre las exportaciones ucranianas para apoyar la economía del país. Integrantes de la Comisión de Comercio Internacional aprobaron propuesta para renovar la suspensión de aranceles a la importación,…
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Le 4 avril, Chypre a publié sa première émission d’obligations à long terme alors que les gouvernements profitaient de la forte demande pour ces actifs après des semaines de marchés obligataires volatils. Cela a été rapporté par Reuters. Nicosie a levé 1 milliard d’euros lors de sa première émission obligataire à long terme, la dette du pays…
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El Parlamento aprobó las primeras reglas de la UE para rastrear las transferencias de criptoactivos, prevenir el lavado de dinero, así como reglas comunes sobre supervisión y protección del cliente. Los eurodiputados aprobaron con 529 votos a favor, 29 en contra y 14 abstenciones, la primera legislación de la UE para rastrear transferencias…
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Azerbaiyán suministrará gas natural a Hungría, a través de Bulgaria El presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, puede visitar Turquía para la ceremonia de inauguración de la planta de energía nuclear de Akkuyu el 27 de abril, anunció el presidente turco, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Actualmente estamos continuando con éxito el…
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A partir de este fin de semana, ya no es posible pedir allí una copa de vodka Absolut, whisky Jameson o ron Malibu. El grupo Svenska Brassierer, propietario de estos establecimientos, ha decidido dejar de comercializar todos los licores pertenecientes al grupo francés Pernod Ricard, según informa Le Monde. El…
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China’s actions represent the biggest threat to the Netherlands’ economic security and innovation. The head of the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), Erik Ackerboom, told The Associated Press in connection with the agency’s annual assessment of the…
The Israeli mortgage market is breaking new records. In June, Israelis took out mortgage loans totaling 11.6 billion shekels.
This is 22% more than the previous record set in May, when mortgages in Israel were taken for 9.5 billion shekels. The activity with which Israelis took out mortgage loans in the first half of this year indicates that the market is entering a new level, according to the economic publication Globs.
Mortgage data for May and June predicts the approximate volume of transactions and price increases (and there is usually a positive relationship between these three factors), which means that the Israeli real estate market does not stop for a second, and certainly not to find out what the new government is planning.
The information released by the Bank of Israel on mortgages in June is only partial, but even this data is enough to understand that 2021 promises to be remembered for its absolute records in the real estate market.
The sharp increase in the number of mortgage loans occurred just in the month when the Minister of Construction Zeev Elkin announced that apartment prices will continue to rise. However, it is hardly worth linking the current mortgage record with his predictions made on June 16, because the monthly growth in mortgage volumes has been going on almost continuously since May last year. The actual degree of influence of such statements on the situation in the Israeli real estate market will be determined, presumably, not earlier than in a few months.
Vienna (Austria), 2 August 2021 – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Siemens AG signed a funding agreement worth US$ 4 million to strengthen business integrity.
The sum represents the largest single contribution by the private sector to UNODC’s anti-corruption work. It will be dedicated to funding a new UNODC project, called Global Action for Business Integrity, which aims to prevent and fight corruption by strengthening legal frameworks, helping small businesses identify corruption risks, and involving youth, civil society, and academia in developing anti-corruption responses. The scope of the project is global with a focus on seven countries: Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.
The Executive Director of UNODC, Ms. Ghada Waly, said: “To recover better from the COVID-19 crisis, businesses will need to recover with integrity. Thanks to the support of Siemens AG, UNODC will be able to help private sector companies build their capacity to play a bigger role in preventing and countering corruption, in line with the political declaration adopted in June by the UN General Assembly at its special session against corruption. I commend Siemens AG for its dedication to collective anti-corruption action, and I urge more companies to follow their lead.”
Sabine Zindera, Vice President, Siemens Legal and Compliance and head of Siemens’ global Collective Action activities and the Siemens Integrity Initiative added: “The fight against corruption is a clear business case for companies. What is more, Siemens has been constantly driving Collective Action over the past decade and has with a commitment of around 120 million US-dollars and 85 projects around the world strongly supported practical implementation on the ground. This is in our view indispensable for achieving lasting change and transforming the everyday into a true level playing field. We are very much looking forward to continuing our long-standing international cooperation with UNODC who is especially through the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) ideally positioned to engage and inspire many partners for practical implementation on the ground.”
The project Global Action for Business Integrity will mobilize stakeholders from the public sector, the private sector, civil society and academia to develop common responses:
• In Brazil, the project will conduct a youth hackathon to identify solutions to improve the dialogue between public sector, private sector and civil society on business integrity.
• In Colombia, the project will target civil society and academia and build their capacity to participate in collective action against corruption.
• In Egypt, the project will implement “On the Job Training” modules on business ethics for senior university students to build a culture of integrity among young professionals.
• In Ethiopia and in Saudi Arabia, the focus of the project is on training small- and medium-sized enterprises on corruption risk assessment.
• In Malaysia, UNODC will assist national authorities in the development and implementation of regulations on the liability of legal persons and beneficial ownership transparency.
• In Uzbekistan, the project will build the capacity of the public sector and civil society organizations in the area of strengthening anti-corruption components in legislation.
The project’s implementation is guided by the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument to prevent corruption and criminalize conducts such as bribery, trading in influence, abuse of functions and various acts of corruption in the private sector. In addition to the initiatives led in the seven focus countries, the project includes a global outreach component designed to identify good practices on business integrity and share them widely through publications and a global webinar series.
The project Global Action for Business Integrity is funded by Siemens AG under the Golden Stretch Funding Round, which builds upon the earlier three funding rounds. Siemens AG will now contribute US$ 4 million to UNODC over the next three years. Since the launch of the Siemens Integrity Initiative in 2009, Siemens AG has contributed over US$ 13.5 million to UNODC, enabling the Office to deliver nine projects in 17 countries.
Publication of the latest agri-food trade figures.
During the period from January to April 2021, EU agri-food trade (exports plus imports) reached a value of €103.4 billion; i.e. 1.1% less than in January-April 2020. While EU exports increased by 1.7% compared to the same period in 2020, reaching €63 billion, EU imports attained €40.3 billion, still 5.1% less than in the first four months of 2020. The monthly value for EU exports in April 2021 were 7.7% lower than March 2021, but also 9.8% higher than April 2020. EU imports in value also were 2.5% lower in April 2021 compared to March 2021, but 3.7% higher than the value observed in April 2020. On a year over year basis, for the period January-April 2021, EU agri-food export values fell most with respect to those towards the United Kingdom (minus €806 million, -6%), when compared with the same period in 2020.
The highest increases in the EU export values were recorded with respect to China (plus €912 million, +16%). This continued to be primarily driven by an increase in the EU exports value of pork meat. EU export values to the United States have also increased by 7.1% (plus €488 million) compared to the same period in 2020, mainly driven by wine and spirits. Looking at agri-food imports over January-April 2021 compared to the same period in 2020, a significant fall in the value of EU imports from the United Kingdom continues to be observed (minus €1.844 million, -37%).
A further decrease was also observed in the EU imports from the United States (minus €387 million, -10%). On the other hand, countries for which the EU import values increased the most over the first four months of 2021 include India, Brazil, Serbia, Australia and Argentina. The resulting agri-food trade surplus’ value stood at €22.7 billion, an increase of 17% compared to the period January-April 2020. This net trade balance continued to be driven by high exports of wine, spirits and liqueurs, pork meat, chocolate and confectionary, bulbs, roots and live plants. More information is available here.
Britain’s government said it signed a free trade deal with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein on Thursday, its latest post-Brexit trade agreement. The signing of the deal on Thursday followed an agreement in principle reached last month by the four countries.
The deal would help sectors including digital, financial and professional business services and cut tariffs for British exports, boosting a trading relationship worth £21.6 billion last year, the trade ministry said in a statement.
“Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have gone further with us than any other FTA partner, including new cutting-edge digital provisions to enable slicker trade across our borders,” UK’s International Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena said.
The UK is Norway’s top trading partner outside the EU, and in terms of their overall trade volumes, this deal is more significant for Norway and Iceland than it is for the UK.
At the same time, as London is no longer part of the European Common Fisheries Policy, it must deal directly with Oslo and British fishing fleets are keen to have access to the country’s sub-Arctic seas.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan took part in the solemn ceremony of the beginning of the construction of the Istanbul canal. which will run parallel to the Bosphorus and connect the Black and Marmara seas.
Construction will begin with one of six bridges across the future canal. Erdogan called this a new page in Turkey’s development.
The channel will have a length of 45 km and a minimum width of 275 meters at a depth of 21 meters.
Erdogan recalled that 45 thousand ships a year pass through the Bosphorus today and each such passage poses a threat to the city, since the ships carry different cargo.
“We look at the new project as a project to save the future of Istanbul,” Erdogan said.
At the same time, it will be a key bridge, which is the last part of another mega project already built – the Northern Ring Road of Istanbul, which starts from Silivri district, passes through the new Istanbul airport, continues across the Bosphorus on the newly built third bridge Yavuz Sultan Selim and joins the highway to Ankara. Thus, transit is carried out through Istanbul without having to enter the busy areas of the metropolis.
The Istanbul Canal will be built on the European side of the Turkish metropolis and will be about 45km long, 275m wide and 20.75m deep.
Following Erdogan’s announcement of the project, studies to assess the route of the Istanbul Canal were conducted by various universities in 2011-2013.
In 2013-2014, a preliminary design was prepared after receiving geological and geotechnical data from the drilling works along the route determined for the canal.
Through a study of the experience of artificial waterways in the world, a roadmap of research projects was prepared and in 2014-2017, preliminary studies for the research project were conducted.
Detailed field, laboratory studies and an environmental impact assessment report process of the Istanbul Canal were conducted in 2017-2019.
A total of 204 scientists and experts from various universities and institutions have worked on the Istanbul Canal project.
It is also planned to build a marina, container ports, a recreation area and a logistics center as an additional component of the project to the facilities and structures needed for the Istanbul Canal.
The total cost of the project is estimated at 75 billion Turkish lira ($ 8.6 billion) and is expected to be built within the framework of public-private cooperation. During the meeting at which Erdogan announced the project, he also said the project would be funded entirely through national resources.
The project is expected to be completed in seven years, with about a year and a half of preparatory work and five and a half years of construction.
Six bridges will be built over the Istanbul Canal, which will turn Istanbul into a city with two seas.
New residential areas with more than 250,000 apartments are planned to be built on both sides of the Istanbul Canal.
ECOLOGISTS: FOR AND AGAINST
Turkish environmentalists have long been sounding the alarm because the ships that pass through the Bosphorus pollute the environment, “poison” the lives of residents of the 16 millionth (according to official data) and 20 millionth (according to unofficial data) megalopolis. And the natural channel itself grows shallow, including not withstanding the load. In addition, in the event of an accident and an oil spill during the passage of oil tankers along the Bosphorus, this could have catastrophic consequences for an already disturbed ecosystem. And if we add to this the dissatisfaction of the ship owners themselves with the need to wait, sometimes for weeks, in line to pass through the Bosphorus, then the construction of an artificial canal could become a very profitable alternative for everyone. But here again the ecologists were the first to say their word (“Uluslararası politika açısından Kanal İstanbul: 310 milyon insan için bir risk”). They are convinced that an intervention of this magnitude, namely the confluence of the waters of the Marmara and the Black Seas, may have even larger negative consequences than the excessive use of the Bosphorus. We are talking about an increase in the level of hydrogen sulfide in the Sea of Marmara after its merger with the Black Sea, which can lead to the death of some representatives of flora and fauna, and also threatens an unpleasant smell from the channel.
Another – the transformation of the historical center and business districts of the European part of Istanbul into an island, according to experts, also poses a threat not only to nature, but also to the historical and archaeological attractions that this region is rich in.
In Scotland, the concept of a carbon capture plant was presented. It can slow the rise in temperature and mitigate global warming.
In the north-east of Scotland, a large enterprise will appear that can extract a significant amount of carbon dioxide from the air. According to scientists, it can process up to a million tons of carbon – the same as about 40 million trees absorb.
The produced gas can be stored for a long time deep under the seabed off the coast of Scotland. But critics argue that technology is not a “magic pill” for fighting climate change.
This direct air capture (DAC) plan is a joint venture between UK-based Storegga and Canadian Carbon Engineering. It is at a very early stage of development – they want to commission the plant in 2026.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that in order to keep the planet safe, by the end of this century, the rise in global temperatures must be contained and made so that it does not exceed 1.5 degrees.
However, in 2020 the temperature was already 1.2 degrees above the historical level. To contain the rise in temperature, the researchers propose limiting the emissions of heating gases that contribute to their rise.
Scientists at Rice University have developed a way to convert carbon from various sources into useful forms like graphene or diamonds. The new technique uses a “flash” of electricity to heat carbon. The length of the flash determines its final shape. The research is published in the journal ACS Nano.
The method itself is known as flash joule heating (FJH), and the team first described it in January 2020. An electric current is passed through the carbonaceous materials, heating them to about 2,727 ° C, which turns the carbon into pristine turbostratic graphene flakes.
The researchers have now refined the process to create other materials. The initial flashes lasted 10 milliseconds, but scientists have found that by changing their duration from 10 to 500 milliseconds, carbon can be produced in other forms. For example, in the form of nanodiamonds.
In industry, small diamonds have long been used in cutting tools and as electrical insulators.
Areas in the easternmost part of the Sahara Desert will soon be developed by mining companies looking for gold deposits. This became possible after the Egyptian government eased the requirements for foreign investors to conclude concessions for the extraction of valuable minerals.
Although Egypt is the world’s fourth largest gold reserve and has a rich history in the extraction of the precious metal since the time of the glorious pharaohs, to date only one gold mine has officially operated in the country.
Now, however, the country wants to take advantage of high gold prices, trying to create an entire mining industry. The changes in the law, including the reduction in the share of profits that private mining companies have to transfer to the government, have made the country an appetizing bite for the big players in the sector, writes Reuters.
Thus, a year after the tenders for the selection of a concessionaire for various blocks in the desert were announced, the country has already signed five exploration contracts.
The government is trying to attract at least $ 1 billion a year in investment in the mining sector, a goal that industry sources say is achievable.
“Success will be measured by how many mines will be discovered and how many will move on to production,” said Patrick Barnes, head of metals and mining at Wood Mackenzie, a consulting firm that advises the Egyptian government on legislative reform.
“Early indicators show that this tender was much more successful than the previous one,” he added. industrial giants such as Barrick Gold.The blocks are located in the geological formation of the Arabian-Nubian Shield off the coast of the Red Sea.It is believed that there are some of the richest mineral deposits in the world.
The UK-based Altus Strategies said it was looking to build its own technical team and carry out remote monitoring and mapping operations on 1,500 square kilometers of land before starting the study.
The company expects to invest several million dollars in the short term, but the amount could jump to 100-200 million dollars if gold deposits are found. A spokesman for Canada-based B2Gold, which also won a concession agreement in Egypt, said the exploration would begin soon.
Mining companies welcome changes to Egyptian laws that previously required investors to set up a joint venture with the government. In addition, the revenues owed to the government as a result of the extraction were limited to 20%.
However, maintaining the requirement for exploration blocks to be auctioned reduces the chances of a gold mining boom, according to Sami El Ragi, chairman of Australia-based Nordana Pty Ltd.
“No successful mining country applies this process. They all have transparent laws that set out the qualifications, obligations and rights of investors. They work there on a first-come, first-served basis,” El Ragi said. , founder of the first and so far only gold mine in Egypt.
It takes an average of 10-15 years for a mining project to go from discovering valuable minerals to starting production. Despite the fact that the price of gold fell after the records it hit in 2020, economists expect that the appreciation will return in the coming years.
“If we reach a point where there are several deposits, Egypt could become one of the largest gold producers in Africa … It has excellent potential,” said Stephen Polton, CEO of Altus Strategies.
However, environmental activists say gold mining cannot be justified in any way. It generates harmful emissions, can harm water resources and, unlike copper and minerals used to make batteries, is not widely used in technologies that provoke a transition to a carbon-neutral economy.
The government has said it is open to mining other minerals, but gold remains the focus for now. “Gold is absolutely the best thing to start with, as there are quantities that are known,” says Barnes of Wood Mackenzie.
“Egypt has unlimited potential for extracting copper, gold and other commodities. The biggest concern for the industry is the lack of sufficient supplies of copper. Places like Egypt, which are considered unexplored but have high potential, will attract attention if they succeed. to keep the investment conditions” he added.