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☆ Erdogan offers free gas pre-election after first Black Sea field shipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERSANKARA, April 20 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday flicked the switch on Turkey's first delivery of natural gas to an onshore plant from a reserve discovered in the Black Sea, and promised to provide free natural gas for households before May 14 elections. "We will provide free natural gas for household consumption up to 25 cubic meters monthly for one year," Erdogan said at the inauguration of an onshore natural gas port in the northern province of Zonguldak. Limitless natural gas for all household consumption will be free for the next month, Erdogan said. 10 million cubic metres of gas per day in Turkey's Black Sea gas fields will be produced initially, Erdogan said. Production will be increased to 40 million cubic metres of gas per day in the coming period, he said.

Fear that another tragedy could strike forced her to leave Istanbul because she couldn't afford a new apartment there, she said. However, seismologists said the February disaster has not changed the likelihood of an Istanbul quake, with the two areas on different faultlines. Any disaster in Istanbul would stagger Turkey's economy given the broader Marmara region accounts for some 41% of national GDP. Some 1.5 million homes are considered at risk in the city, Urban Planning Minister Murat Kurum said this week. According to official data, an average of more than three people live in each household, meaning up to 5 million live in these properties.

☆ Turkish parliament ratifies Finland's NATO accession as Sweden kept waiting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Turkish parliament was the last among the 30 members of the alliance to ratify Finland's membership after Hungary's legislature approved a similar bill earlier this week. Finland and Sweden asked to join NATO last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "NATO membership will strengthen Finland's security and improve stability and security in the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe," the Finnish government said in a statement following the Turkish parliament vote. Twe Turkish parliament's ratification of Finland's NATO membership is set to be approved by President Tayyip Erdogan and then published in the country's Official Gazette. When Finland's instrument of accession document reaches the U.S. State Department, the Nordic country will formally become a NATO member.

☆ Emerging market investors turn increasingly bullish for Q2 -HSBC survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 23 (Reuters) - Nearly half of emerging market investors are bullish on prospects for developing markets in the second quarter, a survey by HSBC showed on Thursday, thanks to rising optimism following the reopening of the Chinese economy. More than two thirds of the respondents expected emerging currencies to beat those of developed markets in the same period. "Asia has seen the largest improvement in sentiment, largely reflecting the expectations of a strong rebound of Chinese economic activity," said Murat Ulgen, Global Head of Emerging Markets Research at HSBC. The overall tally of investors bullish about prospects for emerging market assets rose to 47% from 29% in the previous survey in December. The poll was conducted before the recent financial market turmoil following the sudden failures of two U.S. lenders and an emergency sale of embattled Swiss banking behemoth Credit Suisse (CSGN.S).

[1/3] Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during their meeting in Ankara, Turkey March 17, 2023. The parliaments of all 30 NATO members must ratify newcomers. "We have decided to initiate the ratification of Finland's accession process to NATO in our parliament," Erdogan told reporters after meeting with Niinisto, adding he hoped parliament would endorse the bid before May 14 elections. Amid simmering tensions with Sweden, Erdogan signalled in January that Turkey could endorse Helsinki ahead of Stockholm. Washington and other NATO members had hoped the two Nordic countries would join the alliance at a NATO summit set for July 11 in Vilnius.

[1/3] Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during their meeting in Ankara, Turkey March 17, 2023. The parliaments of all 30 NATO members must ratify newcomers. "We have decided to initiate the ratification of Finland's accession process to NATO in our parliament," Erdogan told reporters after meeting with Niinisto, adding he hoped parliament would endorse the bid before May 14 elections. Washington and other NATO members had hoped the two Nordic countries would join the alliance at a NATO summit set for July 11 in Vilnius. Turkey's parliament is expected to ratify Finland before it closes in mid-April ahead of the parliamentary and presidential votes scheduled for May 14.

[1/5] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with people in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 8, 2023. "The earthquake definitely changes our opinion because the first responders and tents were very late to arrive," he said. How big a challenge Erdogan faces is difficult to determine, given the lack of polling in the region. One party official said they would "re-direct" residents' focus to efforts to rebuild and stress no one but Erdogan could do this quickly. The region voted 65% or more for the AKP and its nationalist ally the MHP in the last election in 2018.

[1/2] Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, accompanied by IYI Party leader Meral Aksener and Felicity Party leader Temel Karamollaoglu, talks to media following a meeting of the opposition alliance in Ankara, Turkey March 6, 2023. A cost-of-living crisis amid rampant inflation and years of economic turmoil have eroded Erdogan's support, giving Kilicdaroglu another advantage. Recent polling showed Erdogan's support had edged up since last summer thanks to measures including a raise in the minimum wage. The following year, he was elected unopposed as CHP leader after his predecessor's resignation in the wake of scandal. His election fuelled party hopes of a new start, but support for CHP has since failed to surpass about 25%.

[1/4] Ibrahim Kurt helps salvage belongings from a collapsed home in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Nurdagi, Turkey, March 5, 2023. This 20-year-long rapid construction came crashing down in just two minutes," said Hasan Bal, 52, a retired teacher who lost 10 immediate relatives in the magnitude 7.8 quake. The initial quake on Feb. 6 tremor sliced directly through Nurdagi, leaving it among the worst hit communities in Turkey's deadliest modern disaster. Residents say cheap credit had helped the town expand, reflecting a nationwide building boom that has defined Erdogan's two decades in power. Aslan said her family is thankful for a furnished container home where they live for now on the outskirts of town.

☆ Open AI's tech chief wants people to chill out about the next version of ChatGPT: 'Less hype would be good.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OpenAI's chief tech officer wants less hype around GPT-4, an update to the model that powers ChatGPT. OpenAI has not said when it will release GPT-4, though Murati said it may "broaden opportunities." But Mira Murati, OpenAI's chief technology officer, wants the world to chill out a little. "I think less hype would be good," Murati told Fast Company when asked about GPT-4, an upgrade to GPT-3.5, the language processing model that currently runs ChatGPT. "With ChatGPT, you can have this infinite interaction and have it teach you about complex topics in a way that's based on your context," Murati told Fast Company.

☆ Turkey investigates building contractors as quake toll rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Eloisa LopezhISTANBUL, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Turkey will widen an investigation into building contractors suspected of violating safety standards following its devastating earthquake, the interior minister said, as the country stepped up housing plans for victims. "Our cities will be built in the right places, our children will live in stronger cities. The number of people killed in Turkey in this month's devastating earthquakes has risen to 43,556, Soylu said overnight. Urbanisation Minister Murat Kurum said 164,000 buildings with more than 530,000 apartments were destroyed or severely damaged by the earthquake. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6 damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings and left millions homeless.

[1/4] A man sits outside after an earthquake in Antakya in Hatay province, Turkey, February 20, 2023. The fear that kept her awake at night for two weeks had now come true. "I will pick you up and we will leave," Havva told her daughter. On Tuesday, Reuters saw Havva with Mehmet and her two daughters just outside Antakya city centre, boarding a bus that would take them to Edirne free of charge. Murat Vural, a 47-year-old blacksmith, who was at the camp on Monday night, likened the earthquake to religious stories about Antakya.

Days after Turkey's worst earthquake in modern history, Erdogan vowed to rebuild the southern disaster zone within a year, an undertaking conservative estimates put at $25 billion and others expect to be far higher. Authorities say more than 380,000 units in 105,794 buildings are in urgent need of demolition or have collapsed, out of 2.5 million structures across the region. "We will rebuild these buildings within one year and hand them back to citizens," he said. They devastated southern Turkey in the dead of winter, with overnight temperatures near freezing, leaving many emergency tents inadequate for the homeless. "FRIENDLY COMPANIES"The bill to rebuild houses, transmission lines and infrastructure is around $25 billion, or 2.5% of GDP, U.S. bank JPMorgan said in a report.

☆ Ghanaian footballer Atsu's body found under rubble in Turkey quake, agent says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ANKARA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu has been found dead under the building where he lived in southern Turkey after last week's massive earthquake, the ex-Chelsea winger's Turkish agent said. "Atsu's lifeless body was found under the rubble," Murat Uzunmehmet told reporters in Hatay, where the athlete's body was found. "Currently, more items are still being taken out. Atsu had been scheduled to fly out of southern Turkey hours before the quake, but Hatayspor's manager said on Friday the Ghanaian opted to stay with the club after scoring the game-winning goal in a Feb. 5 Super Lig match. Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria has climbed to more than 41,000, and millions are in need of humanitarian aid, with many survivors having been left homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures. It asked Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to open more border crossing points with Turkey to allow aid to get through. "I shouted, shouted and shouted. Civil war hostilities have obstructed at least two attempts to send aid to the northwest from elsewhere in Syria, but an aid convoy reached the area overnight. "The children and I, by some miracle, we ended up in this small space that I had left empty."

☆ Turkey orders arrests over collapsed buildings in earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Daren Butler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/7] Rescuers carry survivor Muzeyyen Ofkeli in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Hatay, Turkey February 12, 2023. Environment Minister Murat Kurum said that 24,921 buildings across the region had collapsed or were heavily damaged in the quake, based on assessments of more than 170,000 buildings. Rescuers were still looking for survivors in the earthquake rubble six days after the disaster, which hit parts of Syria and Turkey. The upmarket 12-storey residential complex was completed a decade ago and contained 249 apartments. The arrested man told prosecutors he did not know why the complex collapsed and that his desire to go to Montenegro was unrelated, Anadolu reported.

☆ Death toll rises to more than 21,000, rescues dwindle in earthquake aftermath
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ahmet Izgi | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesEmergency crews made a series of dramatic rescues in Turkey on Friday, pulling several people, some almost unscathed, from the rubble, four days after a catastrophic earthquake killed more than 21,000. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the border region between Turkey and Syria, an area home to more than 13.5 million people, early Monday morning. Mustafa Turan rushed to his hometown of Adiyaman from Istanbul hours after the quake struck to check on his relatives. Aerial footage from over the earthquake zone in Turkey revealed entire neighborhoods of high-rises reduced to twisted metal, pulverized concrete and exposed wires. A woman sits next to the body of her nephew in Kahramanmaras, on February 9, 2023, three days after a 7,8-magnitude earthquake struck southeast Turkey.

☆ Crews find survivors, many dead after Turkey, Syria earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Search and rescue operations continue in Sanliurfa, one of 10 provinces hard-hit by a 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude quakes in Turkey on Feb. 7, 2023. A few hours later, rescuers pulled 10-year-old Betul Edis from the rubble of her home in the city of Adiyaman. In Syria, the shaking toppled thousands of buildings and heaped more misery on a region wracked by the country's 12-year civil war and refugee crisis. The affected area in Syria is divided between government-controlled territory and the country's last opposition-held enclave, where millions rely on humanitarian aid. Earthquakes hit Turkey on Monday, flattening buildings and killing thousands.

☆ LG, Whirlpool Target Customers Disconnected From ‘Smart’ Appliances
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Isabelle Bousquette | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Whirlpool Corp. said that more than half of its smart appliances remain connected, but the company declined to be more specific. Development of these smart devices is a core priority for Whirlpool and LG, the companies said. The smart-home trend began gaining traction around 2014, according to Mr. Kim, and has grown since then. Whirlpool declined to comment on the percentage of its sales represented by smart appliances. According to Murat Genc, Whirlpool’s global data, experiences & transformation officer, smart appliances are generating data from consumers and are producing new revenue opportunities.

☆ International ETFs are surging to start 2023, but investors should brace for volatility
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"'We believe Asian markets are well positioned vs. developed markets as we expect China re-opening to be a key driver, which would benefit even Asia ex China markets," McCarthy wrote. Broadening that out even further, emerging markets in general are a favorite of many investment strategists. But emerging markets can be tricky for investors, and volatile. Another way for investors to play a recovery in emerging markets, with more dispersed currency and political risk, could be sector funds tied to commodities. "I can buy ETFs that have exposure to say BHP, Rio Tinto, Anglo American, Glencore," Sohn said.

☆ Investors eye Portuguese golden visas as authorities ponder programme's end
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Catarina Demony | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LISBON (Reuters) - Investments through Portugal’s “golden visa”, which gives wealthy foreigners residence rights, jumped nearly 50% last month, data showed on Sunday, as the government considers whether to scrap the controversial scheme. REUTERS/Rafael MarchanteThe golden visa has been heavily criticised at home for sending house prices and rents up, and the European Commission has called for the end of such national programmes. Murat Coskun, Get Golden Visa CEO, said Costa’s comments had had a “significant impact on the appetite” for the measure, with his company seeing a five-fold increase in inquiries. Data from border agency SEF on Sunday showed investment through golden visas increased 48% in November from October to 65 million euros, and was up 41% from a year earlier. Portugal suspended golden visas for Russians, but 431 had already benefited from the scheme since the time of its launch, according to SEF.

☆ Big Tech CEOs are asking employees to step up — or step aside
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Across the industry, tech CEOs are asking their employees to step up — or step aside. It's not just Elon Musk: Major tech CEOs are asking employees to step up or risk getting fired. After taking over at Twitter, Musk notoriously asked staffers to work "long hours at high intensity" or quit. But other tech CEOs from firms like Meta and Amazon have also been turning up the heat on employees. Here's what more tech CEOs are expecting.

☆ Fired startup CEO says he was tarnished as the 'LSD CEO' for accusing investors of anti-Asian bias, and now he's suing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Iterable's former CEO Justin Zhu said he was removed due to racial bias, not his use of LSD in 2019. "The 'LSD CEO' label is deliberate, but it's a wrong characterization," Zhu told Insider. "While Andrew is half Asian American, I don't think his experiences — better, worse and similar — change what I went through," Zhu told Insider. One particularly tense encounter with investors took place in June 2020, Zhu told Insider, during an unusual meeting in person during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Zhu's attorney, Charles Jung, told Insider that the goal of the lawsuit was to shed light on legal protections that allow workers to report their experiences of bias.

☆ Analysis: No hiding for flying Swiss as they reach knockout phase again
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

They have now reached the knockout phase in every World Cup or European championship since 2014 and even if they have never gone past the last eight, they cannot be regarded as a surprise package anymore. "It's the best Swiss national team that ever existed," coach Murat Yakin said before their opening game, a clinical 1-0 win against Cameroon. He was also in the build-up of the third as he clipped the decisive ball into the box after Breel Embolo had levelled with his second World Cup goal. "The dual nationals have brought an extra touch of soul," former Swiss international Stephane Grichting said. Adding to the Swiss confidence is their U-17 World Cup campaign in 2009, when they beat Brazil on they way to the title.

☆ Swiss coach already turning attention to decisive Serbia clash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Mitch Phillips | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The game plan seemed to be working for a long time and we had control of the game," Yakin told reporters. I can't really blame the team, they did a good job today, and had good control over a very good Brazil team for some time." "It was a good performance in many ways and I feel this is the right path for Serbia, which will be completely different. "I think we can be the dominant team and think we’ve proven that in the past." "We need to try to win this game and we have the skills and quality to do so."

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