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☆ China's Wang Yi visits Russia ahead of possible Xi-Putin meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Turkey, July 26, 2023. Wang, who heads the foreign ministry as well as the ruling Communist Party's foreign affairs office, will meet Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev for annual security talks, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. The veteran diplomat's talks with counterpart Sergei Lavrov will cover a "wide range of issues" including "contacts at higher and the highest levels," the Russian foreign ministry said last week. Ahead of this week's visit, Wang travelled to Malta for hours of "constructive" talks with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wang Yi, Hakan Fidan, Stringer, Vladimir Putin, Wang, Nikolai Patrushev, diplomat's, Sergei Lavrov, Xi Jinping, Putin, Xi, Hague, Maria Zakharova, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Ryan Woo, Lidia Kelly, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Turkish, Rights, Security, China's, Criminal Court, ICC, White House, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, Rights BEIJING, Russia, Beijing, Communist, Moscow, Ukraine, China, Rome, United States, Malta, U.S

☆ German regulator is contact with France on Europe-wide solution over Apple iPhone 12 issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

An Apple iPhone 12 is pictured in a mobile phone store in Nantes, France, Sept. 13, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Germany's telecom network regulator said on Friday it was in touch with French authorities about a Europe-wide solution to radiation concerns with Apple's (AAPL.O) iPhone 12 which prompted France to halt sales of the model this week. The comment came after Apple said it would issue a software update for iPhone 12 users in France to settle the matter. The regulator did not give further detail or say if a solution for the bloc would include a software upgrade. Reporting by Hakan Ersen in Frankfurt; writing by Josephine Mason; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, Apple, Hakan Ersen, Josephine Mason, Jason Neely Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Nantes, France, Europe, Frankfurt

☆ Boss of Failed Crypto Exchange Gets 11,196-Year Sentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Faruk Fatih Özer, seen here in April, was sentenced Thursday. (Hakan Akgun/dia images/Getty Images)The founder of a collapsed cryptocurrency exchange has been sentenced to more than 11 millennia in jail. The 11,196-year sentence was handed down late Thursday by a panel of judges in Turkey to Faruk Fatih Özer, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Özer was the founder of the Thodex exchange, which imploded in 2021. Other defendants sentenced Thursday included siblings of Özer.

Persons: Faruk Fatih Özer, Hakan Akgun, Özer Organizations: Anadolu Agency Locations: Turkey, Faruk, Turkey’s

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Friday to discuss grain ahead of the Erdogan meeting. "It turned out that it is more difficult to do this than to build new corridors, new ground routes," said Shoigu, who attended the signing ceremony for the Black Sea deal in Istanbul in 2022. Turkey's foreign minister said at a briefing in Moscow on Thursday that reviving the deal was important for the world. U.S. wheat prices rose on Friday, though Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia saw no sign that it would receive the guarantees needed to revive the grain deal. Lavrov said he had discussed Putin's initiative to supply up to 1 million tonnes of Russian grain to Turkey at reduced prices for subsequent processing at Turkish plants and shipping to countries most in need.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Putin, Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, Dmitry Peskov, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, it's, Russia's, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Conor Humphries, Alison Williams Organizations: Sputnik, Erdogan, UN, United Nations, United, Kremlin, Turkish, Russian, Central African, Initiative, Qatar, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Asia, Astana, Kazakhstan, Sochi Turkey, Russia, MOSCOW, Black, Sochi, Ankara, Ukraine, United Nations, Turkey, Moscow, Istanbul, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, Eritrea, EU, Odesa

☆ UN chief sends Russia bid to revive Black Sea grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Turkish-flagged bulker TQ Samsun, carrying grain under UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, is pictured in the Black Sea, north of Bosphorus Strait, off Istanbul, Turkey July 17, 2023. Two Turkish sources told Reuters the pair will meet on Monday and primarily discuss Black Sea grain exports. The Black Sea grain deal was intended to combat a global food crisis that the United Nations said had been worsened by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "We cannot have a Black Sea initiative that moves from crisis to crisis, from suspension to suspension. Russia has said that if demands to improve its own exports of grain and fertilizer were met, it would consider resurrecting the Black Sea agreement.

Persons: Yoruk, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Russia's, Guterres, Lavrov, Hakan Fidan, Michelle Nichols, Kanishka Singh, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Russian, United, Reuters, Turkish, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Samsun, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, Russia, United Nations, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, EU

☆ Inter glide to a comfortable 2-0 win at Cagliari
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 28 (Reuters) - First-half goals by Denzel Dumfries and Lautaro Martinez earned Inter Milan a comfortable 2-0 win at newcomers Cagliari in Serie A on Monday. After 21 minutes, a midfield mishap by Cagliari gave Marcus Thuram the chance to skilfully thread the ball to Dumfries, who executed an angled drive to break the deadlock. Unipol Domus buzzed with passionate energy as Cagliari fans once again welcomed Serie A matches after a year-long absence, following their goalless draw at Torino in the first round. Cagliari's Zito Luvumbo appealed for a penalty after he went down following a collision with the Inter defence but the referee waved play on. Just before the conclusion, Paulo Azzi had a golden opportunity to score for Cagliari but Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer produced a reflex save from point-blank range.

Persons: Denzel Dumfries, Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram, Martinez, Federico DiMarco's, Simone Inzaghi, DAZN, Hakan Calhanoglu, Cagliari's Zito Luvumbo, Inzaghi, Paulo Azzi, Yann Sommer, Tommy Lund Organizations: Inter Milan, Cagliari, Serie, Dumfries, Torino, Serie A, Inter, Thomson Locations: Gdansk

☆ Turkey begins rolling back costly FX-protected deposits
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a reversal, the central bank now wants lenders to set a new goal of transitioning KKM accounts into regular lira accounts, in part by dissuading companies and individuals from renewing the KKM accounts. According to a separate decree in the Official Gazette, the central bank also raised lenders' reserve requirement ratios for FX deposits, further nudging customers into regular lira accounts. KKM accounts have since ballooned to some $117 billion, or 3.1 trillion lira, around a quarter of total bank deposits. To cover KKM depreciation costs, the central bank paid an estimated 300 billion lira ($11 billion) in June and July, when the lira plunged again. The central bank said the KKM move would "enforce macro financial stability by supporting lira deposits" and pledged more such steps.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tayyip Erdogan's, Erdogan, Hakan Kara, Jonathan Spicer, Azra, Deepa Babington, Frances Kerry Organizations: Turkish Lira, REUTERS, Rights, Official Gazette, Bilkent University, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Rights ANKARA

☆ Vodafone boosted by 1&1 5G network deal in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The headquarters of Vodafone Germany are pictured in Duesseldorf September 12, 2013. Shares in British company Vodafone rose 3% in London and 1&1 (1U1.DE) soared 15%, set for its biggest one-day gain since 2008. 1&1, the mobile phone operation of German internet provider United Internet (UTDI.DE), is building a fourth mobile network. The deal knocked shares in Telefonica Deutschland (O2Dn.DE), as 1&1 teamed up with its competitor Vodafone. Vodafone said in its statement on Wednesday that the commercial agreement with 1&1 was for 18 years, and would start to deliver the 5G coverage to 1&1 customers from the second half of 2024.

Persons: Ina Fassbender, Margherita Della Valle, Sarah Young, Danilo Masoni, Hakan Ersen Organizations: Vodafone, REUTERS, United, Telefonica Deutschland, Telefonica, Thomson Locations: Vodafone Germany, Germany, London, Telefonica Deutschland's, Madrid

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Turkey, July 26, 2023. Stringer/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The United States has formally invited China's newly reappointed foreign minister, Wang Yi, to Washington, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday, after Wang's predecessor was abruptly removed from his post by Beijing. "In the meeting yesterday, we extended the invitation that had previously been made to foreign minister Qin Gang and made clear that invitation did transfer over," Miller said. The U.S. State Department said then they held "candid, substantive, and constructive" talks, and Blinken invited Qin to Washington to continue discussions. Wang, 69, served as foreign minister from 2013-2022 as ties frayed with the United States to a point Beijing described as an all-time low.

Persons: Wang Yi, Hakan Fidan, Stringer, China's, Wang, Qin Gang, Qin, Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, Yang Tao, Matthew Miller, Miller, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Sandra Maler, Alistair Bell Organizations: Turkish, United, U.S . State Department, State Department, U.S, East, Pacific Affairs, North, Oceania Affairs, China's Foreign Ministry, State, Washington, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, United States, Washington, Beijing, China, East Asia, North American, U.S, Jakarta, Qin's

☆ Russian, Turkish foreign ministers discuss Ukraine, grain deal in phone call
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW, July 9 (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the situation in Ukraine and the Black Sea grain deal in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Sunday, Russia's foreign ministry said. Moscow has been threatening to quit the deal allowing the safe export of grain and fertilizer from Ukrainian ports because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertiliser have not been met. The deal expires on July 17. Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he was pressing Russia to extend the deal, brokered last year by Ankara and the United Nations, by at least three months. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov, Hakan Fidan, Tayyip Erdogan, Alison Williams Organizations: Russia's, Turkish, United Nations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Ankara

☆ Russian, Turkish ministers talk after Turkey sends Ukrainian commanders home
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 9 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey spoke by telephone on Sunday, a day after Ankara angered Moscow by sending five Ukrainian commanders home with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in what Russia called a violation of a prisoner exchange agreement. The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries said Sergei Lavrov and Hakan Fidan discussed the situation in Ukraine, as well as a Black Sea grain export agreement that lifted a Russian de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports last year. Russia captured the city last year after laying it to waste, killing thousands of civilians in a three-month siege. The captured Azov commanders, lionized as heroes in Ukraine and vilified in Russia, were released in a prisoner swap in September, under terms that required them to stay in Turkey until the war ends. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Turkey had violated agreements in permitting their release, and had failed to notify Russia in advance.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sergei Lavrov, Hakan Fidan, Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara's, Zelenskiy, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Marrow, Peter Graff Organizations: United Nations, Kremlin, Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Turkey, Ankara, Moscow, Turkish, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Kyiv, Azov

That followed the U.S. decision to impose export restrictions to curb China's access to key technologies used for artificial intelligence (AI). China has been the go-to for companies because it is able to export processed minerals at a lower cost than other countries. In Taiwan, a senior government official said China's restrictions on exports of gallium and germanium marked "a new wave of retaliation" in a "tit-for-tat approach." Some industry watchers believed China's metals restrictions could trigger short-term supply snags and higher prices. But Navitas Semiconductor Corp (NVTS.O), which makes chips that use a substance called gallium nitride, on Wednesday said it expects no adverse effects to its business from China's export controls.

Persons: China's, Stewart Randall, Janet Yellen, Roy Lee, John Strand, Supantha Mukherjee, Hakan Ersen, Ben Blanchard, Brenda Goh, Kanishka Singh, Anne Marie Roantree, David Gaffen, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S . Department of Commerce, EV, Sweden's Ericsson, Ericsson, U.S, Treasury, Navitas Semiconductor Corp, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, STOCKHOLM, WASHINGTON, Beijing, U.S, China, United States, Shanghai, Intralink, Netherlands, Australia, Europe, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Korea, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, Taipei, Washington

☆ German industry urges reduced dependency after China export controls
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Chinese export restrictions "illustrate the urgency for Europe and Germany to quickly reduce their dependency on critical raw materials now," said Wolfgang Niedermark, a member of the BDI German industrial association. In a position paper, the group said that Germany's and Europe's dependency on mineral raw materials such as rare earths from China was "already greater than that of oil and natural gas from Russia". Another German industry group, Bitkom, called for steps to massively increase Germany and Europe's digital sovereignty . Last week, European Union member states adopted the Critical Raw Materials Act, a centrepiece of the EU strategy to ensure industry can compete with the United States and China. The BDI's Niedermark said that agreement to recycle and process raw materials sent an important signal but called for a similar push to establish domestic mining in Europe.

Persons: Wolfgang Niedermark, Bernhard Rohleder, Niedermark, Rachel More, Hakan Ersen, Madeline Chambers, Miranda Murray, Emelia Organizations: Union, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Europe, China, Germany, Russia, Berlin, Ukraine, Beijing, United States

Egypt expelled Turkey's ambassador and accused Ankara of backing organisations bent on undermining the country. Amr Elhamamy will become Egypt's ambassador in Ankara while Turkey nominated Salih Mutlu Sen to become its ambassador in Cairo, the foreign ministries said in a joint statement. The appointments marked an important milestone in the normalisation of relations, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said following the announcement. After a series of further steps towards rapprochement, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Turkey to show solidarity after the massive earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria in February. Turkey's foreign minister made a return visit to Egypt the following month.

Persons: Egypt's, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, Tayyip Erdogan, Amr Elhamamy, Salih Mutlu Sen, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Erdogan, Sameh Shoukry, Nadine Awadalla, Huseyin Hayatsever, Frank Jack Daniel, Christina Fincher, Emma Rumney Organizations: Turkey's, Turkish, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Turkey, ANKARA, CAIRO, Egypt, Ankara, Cairo, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Doha, Syria, Libya

☆ German alternative Mastodon gets boost from newly restricted Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, July 3 (Reuters) - Turmoil at Twitter following new limits to the amount of posts users can see appears to be driving a surge in activity at Mastodon, a German rival that prides itself on its decentralised, user-driven structure. "Looks like Mastodon's active user base has increased by 110K (110,000) over the last day. Not bad," Eugen Rochko, creator and chief executive of Mastodon, wrote on the platform late on Sunday. "I would prefer it if Elon Musk was destroying his site during the work week. On Saturday, Twitter boss Elon Musk announced new limits on the number of posts accounts can read in a day.

Persons: Eugen Rochko, Elon Musk, Musk, Hakan Ersen, Rachel More, Miranda Murray Organizations: Twitter, Mastodon, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, German

[1/5] Police officers intervene after people's reaction as demonstrators burn the Koran (not pictured) outside Stockholm's central mosque in Stockholm, Sweden June 28, 2023. "It's legal but not appropriate," he said, adding that it was up to the police to make decisions on Koran burnings. Representatives of the mosque were disappointed by the police decision to grant permission for the protest on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, mosque director and Imam Mahmoud Khalfi said on Wednesday. Up to 10,000 visitors attend Stockholm's mosque for the Eid celebrations every year, according to Khalfi. Turkey in late January suspended talks with Sweden on its NATO application after a Danish far-right politician burned a copy of the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Persons: Stefan Jerrevang, Hakan Fidan, Ulf Kristersson, Momika, Eid, Imam Mahmoud Khalfi, Khalfi, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Marie Mannes, Johan Ahlander, Burcu Karakas, Terje Solsvik, Peter Graff, Angus MacSwan, William Maclean Organizations: Police, TT News Agency, REUTERS, NATO, Swedish, Islam, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Stockholm's, Stockholm, Sweden, REUTERS STOCKHOLM, Turkey, Ankara, Ukraine, Khalfi, Danish, Turkish, Copenhagen, Istanbul

☆ China-bashing throws Vodafone a curveball
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Vodafone's (VOD.L) M&A ambitions in Britain are falling prey to anti-China rhetoric. Parliamentarians are also fretting over the security impact on contracts with government departments once the deal goes through. Vodafone may face similar scrutiny, leading to inevitable delays. The fact that CK Hutchison has retained the right to appoint the chief financial officer may be a red flag. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: CK Hutchison's, Li Ka, Franco, Patrick Drahi, Hakan Koc, Pyrros Koussios, Roman Abramovich, CK Hutchison, Pamela Barbaglia, Aston Martin, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, HK, Vodafone, BT, UK's National Security and Investment Act, Twitter, Siemens, Thomson Locations: Britain, China, Hong Kong, Canada

A director at the nonprofit Foxglove, which has helped organise a content moderators' campaign over their work conditions, described the move as "outrageous bullying". Following his appearance, trade union Verdi said Haksöz had been placed on a paid leave of absence pending an internal investigation. Meta and other social media companies have faced criticism over the working conditions of content moderators who aim to keep their platforms free from harmful material. In 2020, the firm paid a $52 million settlement to American content moderators suffering long-term mental health issues. "Cengiz was invited to testify to the German parliament about the dangerous working conditions on social media’s factory floor.

Persons: Verdi, Cengiz, Haksöz, Cengiz Haksöz, Christoph Schmitz, Schmitz, Martha Dark, Martin Coulter, Hakan Ersen, Hugh Lawson Organizations: TELUS International, Digital, TELUS, Facebook, Reuters, Haksöz, Meta, Thomson Locations: Germany

☆ Blinken encourages Turkish counterpart to support Sweden's NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA/WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken encouraged Ankara to support Sweden in its bid to join NATO in a meeting with new Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said. "(Blinken) also... encouraged Turkey's support for Sweden to join the NATO Alliance now," he said. Blinken welcomed Ankara's support for Kyiv and its work on the grain deal, which allows Ukrainian exports from Black Sea ports, the spokesperson said. Sweden and Finland both reversed decades of military non-alignment last year and applied to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Fidan said he was there to demonstrate Turkey's support for Ukraine.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Blinken, Matthew Miller, Tayyip Erdogan, Tobias Billstrom, Huseyin Hayatsever, Rami Ayyub, Daren Butler, Ali Kucukgocmen, Christina Fincher Organizations: NATO, Turkish, State Department, NATO Alliance, Kyiv, Swedish, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, WASHINGTON, Ankara, Sweden, Turkey, Vilnius, Ukraine, London, Black, finalise, Finland, Stockholm, Blinken, Washington

☆ Chinese delegation to meet with Germany's top corporate brass next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FRANKFURT/BERLIN, June 16 (Reuters) - A Chinese delegation led by Premier Li Qiang will meet Germany's top CEOs next week as part of a visit to Europe, hoping to strengthen ties at a time when Berlin is pursuing a strategy to lessen its economic dependence on Beijing. A meeting between Li and a group of German and Chinese CEOs is scheduled for June 19, according to people familiar with the plans. Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE), SAP (SAPG.DE) and Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) all confirmed that their CEOs would meet with the delegation. The CEO of Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) division Audi will also participate, a person familiar with the matter said. BASF (BASFn.DE), Bayer (BAYGn.DE), Infineon (IFXGn.DE), Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and BMW (BMWG.DE), all companies with major business ties to China, declined to comment.

Persons: Premier Li Qiang, Li, Li Shufu, Mercedes, Roland Busch, Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Andrew Small, Marshall, Siegfried Russwurm, Ilona Wissenbach, Hakan Ersen, Christoph Steitz, Ludwig Burger, Patricia Weiss, Christina Amann, Andreas Rinke, Rene Wagner, Sarah Marsh, Jan Schwartz, Alexander Huebner, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Louise Heavens Organizations: Premier, Mercedes, Benz, SAP, Siemens Energy, Volkswagen, Audi, Beijing Automotive Group Co, HK, Siemens, Pacific Committee, BASF, Bayer, Infineon, BMW, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, BERLIN, Europe, Berlin, Beijing, China, Asia, German, Germany, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich

June 14 (Reuters) - Hundreds of social media moderators in Germany – who remove harmful content from platforms such as Facebook and TikTok – are calling on lawmakers to improve their working conditions, citing tough targets and mental health issues. Meta has faced mounting pressure over the working conditions of content moderators keeping its platform safe. In 2020, the firm paid a $52 million settlement to American content moderators suffering long-term mental health. "Without us, social media companies would collapse overnight," reads the petition, seen by Reuters. "Social media can never be safe until our own workplaces are safe and fair."

Persons: Germany –, Cengiz Haksöz, Haksöz, Meta, Martin Coulter, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Facebook, TELUS International, Digital, TELUS, Social, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Germany

☆ What Turkey’s new cabinet says about where the country is headed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Gul Tuysuz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The cabinet appointments hint at a return to orthodox economic policy while holding course on foreign policy as the president heads into his third decade in power. Erdogan’s unorthodox economic policies over the past few years have led to a cost-of-living crisis and a plummeting Turkish lira. Shadow diplomatThe new foreign minister is a well-known figure to Turks and international players who have negotiated with Turkey of late. Hakan Fidan, who had served as head of Turkish Intelligence Agency (MIT) since 2010, has been in every room and every discussion that has been pivotal to Turkish foreign policy over the last few years. He’s been ever-present but rarely heard – a shadow diplomat in Erdogan’s foreign policy arsenal who has charted rough waters in Syria, Libya and beyond.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, –, Nureddin Nebati, ” Simsek, Erdogan, Simsek, Mehmet Celik, Cevdet Yilmaz, Omer Bolat, ” Celik, Hakan Fidan, He’s, Fidan, Ibrahim Kalin, “, ” Fidan, ”, Suleyman Soylu, Istanbul Ali Yerlikaya, Hulusi Akar, Mevlut Cavusoglu, They’ve Organizations: Istanbul CNN —, Reuters, Daily, Trade, CNN, NATO, Turkish Intelligence Agency, MIT, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, EU, Defense, Development Party, AK Party Locations: Istanbul, Turkish Republic, Turkish, “ Turkey, Daily Sabah, Turkey, Syria, Libya, Greece, West, Celik, Damascus, Ankara, Sweden, Yerlikaya

☆ Turkey's Erdogan appoints spokesperson Kalin as intelligence chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ANKARA, June 5 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan appointed his spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin as the head of the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) on Monday, Erdogan's communications office said. Hakan Fidan, who had been Turkey's intelligence chief since 2010, was appointed foreign minister on Saturday. Kalin is a long-term confidant of Erdogan and has served as the spokesperson for the presidency and been a foreign policy adviser for the president since 2014. Kalin holds a Ph.D. from George Washington University on Islamic studies and was one of the founders of SETA, a pro-government think tank based in Ankara. Kalin has taken the lead on several diplomatic efforts in recent years, shaping Turkey's foreign policy agenda.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Ibrahim Kalin, Hakan Fidan, Erdogan, Kalin, Mark Porter Organizations: National Intelligence Agency, MIT, George Washington University, SETA, Ece, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Ankara

☆ Factbox: Turkey's new government: key figures in Erdogan's cabinet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Following are descriptions of key figures in the cabinet:MEHMET SIMSEK - FINANCE MINISTERFormer economy chief Simsek has been appointed as treasury and finance minister. He was highly regarded by financial markets when he served as finance minister and deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018. HAKAN FIDAN - FOREIGN MINISTERFidan was appointed as foreign minister, replacing Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was one of the longest serving top Turkish diplomats. ALI YERLIKAYA - INTERIOR MINISTERAli Yerlikaya was appointed as interior minister and replaced Suleyman Soylu, who kept his position since 2018. Yerlikaya, 55, served as governor of provinces of Gaziantep, Tekirdag, Agri and Sirnak before.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, MEHMET SIMSEK, Simsek, Merrill Lynch, HAKAN FIDAN, Fidan, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Erdogan, YASAR, Yasar Guler, Hulusi Akar, CEVDET YILMAZ, Cevdet Yilmaz, Ali Yerlikaya, Suleyman Soylu, Yerlikaya, Burcu Karakas, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer Organizations: FINANCE, U.S, Embassy, National Intelligence Organisation, MIT, Turkish Army, Turkish Development and Cooperation Agency, Kurdistan Workers Party, AK, Turkish, Commission, ALI, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Ankara, Oslo, Syria, Iraq, Istanbul, Yerlikaya, Gaziantep, Tekirdag

☆ Exclusive: Turkey's new cabinet almost certain to include Simsek, four sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Orhan Coskun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Simsek was highly regarded by financial markets when he served as finance minister and deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018. After chairing a final meeting of his old cabinet on Wednesday, Erdogan will announce new ministerial roles by Saturday, officials said. The new cabinet is almost certain to include his spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan, they added. One of the sources, a senior official with knowledge of the subject, said Erdogan and Simsek had spoken for 2-1/2 hours. The same official said former minister Cevdet Yilmaz could take up the role of Treasury and Finance Minister if Simsek were to become a vice president.

Persons: Erdogan, Tayyip Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, Simsek, Ibrahim Kalin, Hakan Fidan, Nureddin Nebati, Guillaume Tresca, Cevdet Yilmaz, Lutfi Elvan, Sahap Kavcioglu, Timothy Ash, Ash, Amruta Khandekar, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer, Toby Chopra, Catherine Evans Organizations: Intelligence, Lira, FX, Reuters, Treasury, Finance, Emerging, Generali Investments, AK, Simsek, BlueBay Asset Management, Thomson Locations: ANKARA

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