Day: November 25, 2022

International interest in halal products grows greater each day, Mahmut Sami Sahin, SMIIC vice president and also head of the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE), told Anadolu Agency during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Halal Expo and World Halal Summit, hosted in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul.

Halal refers to products and services that conform to Islamic guidelines, but Sahin argued the term should no longer be considered as purely religious, as actually it is an area with a very large trade volume worldwide.

The global halal market, including Islamic finance, food, tourism, cosmetics, medical products and textiles, totals $7 trillion, according to World Halal Summit Council.

Touching on the current expo and summit, he said there is high attendance from all around the world thanks to the rising interest in halal products.

Muslims are sensitive about halal due to religious necessity, he said, adding: "People want to consume halal products, so they need to access halal products."

Within the framework of this need, the SMIIC was established in Türkiye in 2010 with 13 countries, as a significant step, he said.

The standards were prepared within the framework of Islamic rules, he noted.

So far, approximately 50 standards were published by the SMIIC, and Türkiye adopted all of them, he stressed.

Ensuring uniformity in halal concepts among Islamic countries will make a great contribution to boosting trade, especially between Islamic countries, he said, adding that the umbrella group SMIIC is a good platform for this target.

He stressed that with 47 member states, SMIIC is a large intergovernmental institute, and one of the most important for Muslim-majority countries, adding: "The world is following SMIIC's standards very closely right now."

The Turkish Standards Institute aims to share its experience with other countries, especially Turkic republics and North African countries, he said.

"We have undertaken a mission to convey its experiences to countries within a three-hour flight distance, we’re working on this," he explained.

He said the institute hopes to remove hurdles to boosting trade ties between Türkiye and countries in its region.

The institute services Türkiye and Islamic countries in a wide geography with its 27 laboratories, he added.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The agency has helped hundreds of people through remarkable improvements and development projects in health and education, creating economic opportunities and contributing to poverty reduction. This year alone, 17 projects have been implemented in the central, northern and eastern regions of Uganda.

“Türkiye extends its hand in development and humanitarian assistance, especially in the areas of education, agriculture and health, and we continue to respond to competing humanitarian needs. Our country strives to share its knowledge, development and experience, this in line with our efforts to become an important player in helping other countries to develop,” Ömer Aykon, TIKA country coordinator for Uganda, told Anadolu Agency.

The state aid agency has enlarged its activity area in various development cooperation activities in 170 countries through its 62 Program Coordination Offices located in 60 countries across five continents, according to Aykon.

Soft power

“It is impressive that Türkiye has developed to a level where it is a giver rather than a receiver. But also, it is important to note, Africa in general has emerged as a multipolar destination, and emerging powers are vying to take up geopolitical influence previously occupied by colonialists. Türkiye has figured this out and developed multiple soft power tools, TIKA being one, and has secured a strong foothold on the continent,” said professor Adam Ssebyala, a university lecturer.

TIKA has 22 offices in Africa, and a total of 1,884 projects were implemented in the last five years aimed at supporting development, welfare and peace on the continent.

“We look forward to establishing more collaborative opportunities with Uganda to support priorities specific to the country, identified by the government,” said Nusura Tiperu, the ambassador of Uganda to Türkiye.

Projects completed this year in Uganda include supporting farmers in drought-prone areas with irrigation and water storage facilities, Shea nut farmers with hot oil pressing machines, nurses and midwives with health training equipment, people living with disabilities with media equipment and assistive devices and iftar programs and the training of imams in Konya.

“I haven’t encountered any challenges,” Aykon said.

“I always prepare myself for the worst. Because I know the dynamics in Uganda and Africa, I change my expectations in accordance with circumstances. Complaining never brings you anywhere where you want,” he added.

“If you cannot do what you like, like what you do,” he said, when asked about challenges he has encountered in pursuit of his duties in Uganda.

Source: Anadolu Agency

On a counterattack, Iranian forward Sardar Azmoun fired but his shot was off the post. Iran went on with their attack as Gholizadeh took a left-footed shot outside the box but he hit the bar. It was a lucky moment for Wales.

But Wales were down to 10 men in the 86th minute after their goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was shown a direct red card for fouling Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi.

The 35-year-old became the first player to be sent off in the 2022 World Cup. Danny Ward replaced Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Roozbeh Cheshmi scored from outside the box in the 98th minute to give Iran a 1-0 lead. Three minutes later Ramin Rezaeian added another on a quick counterattack to name the result 2-0 for Iran.

Iran took their first points in Group B. They have three points in two matches.

Wales bottomed the group with one point.

England are the leaders with three points. The US are third with one point before their second match.

On Friday evening, England will take on the US at Al Bayt Stadium.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed that the UN Security Council adopt a resolution condemning all forms of "energy terror" as Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine decapacitate the country's energy infrastructure.

• France will mobilize international support for Ukraine in December, President Emmanuel Macron announced early Thursday, after Russian missiles struck multiple regions including the capital, Kyiv.

• Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was given the title of an honorary citizen of Kyiv by the Ukrainian capital’s city council.

• Foreign affairs ministers from 42 member states unanimously endorsed the accession of North Macedonia to the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

• More than 70,000 university staff in the UK went on their biggest strike Thursday over pay and pensions.

• The number of victims of domestic violence in Germany rose 3.4% in the last five years and the vast majority of them were women, according to a government report released Thursday.

• The UN Human Rights Council voted Thursday to establish an independent international fact-finding mission to investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran related to protests that began on Sept. 16.

• Hungary will ratify the NATO membership of Finland and Sweden in early 2023, the country's prime minister said Thursday.

• The Greek surveillance scandal is bigger than the US Watergate scandal, according to the rapporteur for the European Parliament's Inquiry Committee into Pegasus and other spyware, local media reported Thursday.

• Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as the country’s 10th prime minister Thursday following a days-long post-elections deadlock.

• A search and rescue operation for the recovery of 39 missing people continued for a fourth consecutive day Thursday following a devastating earthquake that struck the town of Cianjur in Indonesia’s West Java province.

Source: Anadolu Agency

On Thursday, Borsa Istanbul's BIST 100 index rose 0.08% to close at a new all-time high of 4,858.21 points with a daily trading volume of 133 billion Turkish liras ($7.12 billion).

The US dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate was 18.6270 as of 10.00 a.m. local time (0700GMT), the euro/lira rate stood at 19.4179, while a British pound traded for 22.5600 liras.

Brent crude oil was selling for around $85.46 per barrel, while the price of an ounce of gold was $1,756.83.

Source: Anadolu Agency

"We must do everything to prevent a nuclear accident at any of these nuclear facilities, which would only add to the terrible suffering we are already witnessing in Ukraine," Rafael Grossi said in a video posted on his official Twitter account.

Touching on the importance of the safety of the nuclear facilities, Grossi said their security is "of central and vital concern to the IAEA."

He noted that the IAEA has been making progress in establishing a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the Zaporizhzhya site for which Ukraine has been receiving the agency’s assistance since the beginning of September.

"While the world has been focused on the dangerous situation at Zaporizhzhya, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, we must not forget the country’s other nuclear facilities," Grossi said.

Grossi highlighted that “yesterday, for the first time ever, all of Ukraine’s four operational nuclear power plants -- Zaporizhzhya, Rivne, South Ukraine and Khmelnytskyi -- lost external power and were disconnected from the grid."

These nuclear power plants had to use emergency diesel generators for electricity, he noted.

Describing the incident as "deeply worrying," he said it would have been "unimaginable just months ago."

Ukraine's state nuclear energy company Energoatom announced Wednesday that all power units in four nuclear power plants in the country had automatically disconnected due to a decrease in frequency amid Russian strikes in multiple regions.

Grossi said Ukrainian authorities also requested the agency’s assistance and support for five nuclear power facilities in the country, namely Zaporizhzhya, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, South Ukraine and Chornobyl.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Playing at the Al Thumama Stadium, Senegal broke the deadlock with a close-range finish from Boulaye Dia in the 41st minute.

Senegal doubled the lead when Famara Diedhiou rose to put a firm header back across the goal — assisted by Ismail Jakobs in the 48th minute.

In the 63rd minute, Almoez Ali attempted to score a goal with a close-range kick, but was denied by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Qatar narrowed the gap to one with 78th minute thumping header from Mohammed Muntari.

But Bamba Dieng doubled the lead again just six minutes later, knocking the ball into the net with his right foot. It was the first victory for an African team in the tournament.

With this defeat, Qatar are on the verge of World Cup exit. The hosts will be eliminated if the Netherlands win or draw against Ecuador in the other Group A match later on Friday.

Source: Anadolu Agency