A Chinese native has been charged by the US Department of Justice with stealing trade secrets from Apple, including information on autonomous vehicle technology. Weibao Wang, a former software engineer accused of stealing thousands of documents, is one of five individuals to be pursued as part of a government task force created to combat the theft of critical technology by foreign countries. Wang, who told investigators he had no plans to travel to China, immediately flew to Guangzhou upon being questioned by law enforcement officers who discovered a large volume of Apple data at his California home in 2018.
The UN has confirmed that the last ship is due to depart a port in Ukraine en route to Turkey under a deal that allows the safe export of Ukraine grain, a day before Russia could quit the pact over obstacles to grain and fertiliser exports. Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN make up a Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which implements the Black Sea export deal. Given Russia's warning that it will not approve of any new vessels to take part in the deal after 18 May, it appears unlikely that any ship owners or insurance companies would be willing to continue transporting Ukrainian grain exports if Russia does not agree to an extension of the deal.
After Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, scored highly in Turkey's first round of election voting, opposition supporters and parties are struggling to understand the result, as it suggests that many voters do not share the same priorities as opposition groups and parties. There are suggestions that some of those voters may have hidden prejudices against Erdogan's challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, with one senior official who tracks elections having stepped down. Nationalist parties and a hard-right presidential candidate gained unexpected popularity, with critics suggesting that Erdogan had smeared the opposition, calling them “terrorists”, in order to increase his vote and damage his opponent's chances. In a run-up to the second round of voting on 28th May, Kilicdaroglu's Republican People’s Party is struggling in a seemingly “adrift” campaign, which is investigating “errors” in the vote tallies in several cities in the hope of overturning Erdogan’s victory.
Turkey summons German envoy over detention of Turkish journalists
Reuters
23-05-17 13:43
Turkey has summoned the German ambassador to Ankara to protest the arrest of two journalists. The pair, both from a pro-government Turkish newspaper, were arrested by German police on suspicion of dangerous dissemination of personal data. The Turkish Foreign Ministry claims the journalists’ reporting on the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen had prompted a complaint by one of its members, and demanded their immediate release. Turkish authorities say the Gulen network was responsible for a 2016 coup attempt, and label it a terrorist organisation.
The final vessel containing Ukrainian grain left a port last week, sent under a deal whereby UN mediators and Turkey brokered a 120-day agreement in July 2021 allowing four countries in the Black Sea region to export wheat again. The move followed Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused a global food crisis, seeking to halt a rapid economic downturn caused by the outbreak of COVID-19. This extension was due to expire on 21 March, when Russia imposed new restrictions on Black Sea grain shipments. The Kremlin granted a 60-day extension, due to expire on 18 May, threatening the renewal of Black Sea exports. UN officials met in Istanbul last week to discuss the Black Sea pact; Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu suggested the deal could be extended for two more months at least, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Pesko called for 'decisions to be made.' The Joint Coordination Centre, made up by representatives from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UN in Istanbul, typically authorizes and inspects each ship permitted to travel Black Sea waters.
Discussions are taking place to renew the Black Sea grain deal that allows wartime exports of Ukrainian grain. The deal ends on Thursday, and Russia is requesting more support for its own sales of fertilisers and food. However, a Turkish source claimed to see a high probability that the grain deal would be extended. Meanwhile, leaders of the Group of Seven nations intend to further tighten sanctions on Russia at their summit this week. In addition, fighting continues between Russian forces and Ukrainian rebels.
Stellantis has become the first carmaker to urge the UK to renegotiate the terms of its Brexit deal. The parent company of car brands including Alpha Romeo, Peugeot, Vauxhall and Chrysler has called for a delay to beefed-up European Union (EU) “rules of origin”, saying that these could lead to it having to close its Ellesmere Port factory. The factory could be forced into closure as electric vans produced there, which comprise over 70% imported components, face a 10% tariff when they are exported to the EU from next year. Stellantis warned rising costs of raw materials, supply chains and the conflict in Ukraine had prevented it from meeting its planned content standards when announcing the expansion of the Cheshire plant in 2021. Car manufacturers across the UK and continental Europe have echoed its concerns over the rules of origin, which they claim will raise costs for EV drivers and reduce uptake.
Turkey has complained to Germany over the detention of two Turkish journalists operating in the country. The two were detained briefly following a search operation, but were released without charge. Turkey accused the German police of harassment and intimidation against its media. Reports suggest the police operation was sparked in response to the Sabah newspaper's publication of information concerning an alleged supporter of President Erdoğan's opponent, Fethullah Gulen, living in Germany which may have violated Germany's privacy laws. Turkey has often complained about Gulen’s allies living in Europe or North America.
German police briefly detained two journalists from a pro-government Turkish newspaper and searched their homes on suspicion of posing a risk to data privacy. The action prompted a sharp response from Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which summoned the German ambassador the following day. Germany has the world's largest Turkish community and recent relations between the countries have suffered over Germany's rejection of Turkey's extradition requests for military officers allegedly involved in the country's 2016 coup attempt.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's six-party opposition alliance, has accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government of permitting 10 million "irregular" migrants into the country. The comment marks a shift in Kilicdaroglu's comments to an anti-migrant and nationalist stance ahead of a May 28 run-off vote. Erdogan's conservative AK Party and its nationalist allies won a comfortable majority in parliament but Erdogan fell just short of the 50% threshold needed to prevent a second-round presidential vote. The AK Party has caught almost 50,600 irregular migrants this year, according to the interior ministry.
Fashion retailer Asos’ shares hit their lowest since 2010 as brokerages predicted a cash call for the firm, which revealed interim results last week. Betaville, a fashion M&A gossip site run by high paywall, revealed that the international mooted as a suitor for Asos is a Turkish company believed to be talking with Bestseller, the company's largest shareholder. On Monday, Mike Ashley raised his already high stake in the company. Meanwhile, the FT's Alphaville blog paints an anonymously written picture of the highs and lows of City life, offering insight into whispered conversations outside coffee shops and in lifts.
Opposition parties in Turkey are reporting thousands of discrepancies and voter irregularities in the recent elections. The Cumhuriyet Halk and the Yeşil Sol Party have voiced concerns and lodged official complaints over discrepancies in the results of the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, which were held this Sunday. Turkey’s presidential elections are set for a run-off on 28 May between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People's Party.
Crimea official says rail traffic suspended after derailment
Reuters
23-05-18 06:59
Railway transport has been halted between Simferopol and Sevastopol after a freight train carrying grain was derailed on the Crimean peninsula. The incident is believed to have been caused by "interference by outsiders", according to a statement issued by Crimean railways. There were no reports of injuries. An explosion on a railway line in the area had been earlier reported by the Russian security services-affiliated Baza Telegram channel. The Black Sea grain deal, which enables agricultural exports from Russia and Ukraine on the Black Sea, was renewed by Russia on Wednesday.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was invited to attend an Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia last week, reflecting a trend of belated reconciliation in the Middle East between adversaries following years of conflict and rivalry. The shift has accelerated since the region's main Sunni and Shiite Arab powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran respectively, agreed to restore diplomatic ties in March this year in a deal brokered by China. This new dynamic is being driven by the interests of US allies, which want to minimise polarisation, boost economic growth and counter the influence of Iran and Turkey.
Global wheat prices fall as Russia-Ukraine grain deal extended
CNN
23-05-18 12:09
Wheat futures fell 2% on Thursday after Russia and Ukraine extended their deal which allows the export of grain from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. Wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade fell to $6.12 a bushel, taking the total fall in prices to 23% since the start of the year and 57% since record highs of $14.30 a bushel in March last year. Russia had threatened to pull out of the agreement, which was signed in July, complaining about a related UN agreement made to facilitate shipments of Russian grain and fertilizers.
Turkey is voting in a presidential election on May 28, weighing whether to give incumbent President Tayyip Erdogan another five-year term. Erdogan won 49.5% of the first-round vote on May 14, falling just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff. The vote is viewed as a referendum on his autocratic rule. Erdogan's challenger is Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The May 14 parliamentary election saw Erdogan's AK Party emerge as the largest party and his alliance with nationalists and Islamists win a majority in parliament.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the main challenger in Turkey's presidential race, has taken a more hard-line stance against migrants and Kurdish militants, ahead of his upcoming run-off election with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The candidate has vowed to send back millions of refugees if elected, and has rejected the possibility of peace talks with Kurdish militants, amid rising anti-migrant sentiment and criticism of the government's response to natural disasters. Erdogan won 49.5% of the vote in the first round, while Kilicdaroglu won 44.9%.
Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu has promised to send "10 million refugees" home if he wins the May 28 run-off by adopting an anti-migrant tone, in a bid to win nationalist votes and defeat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This significant shift comes after Kilicdaroglu accused the government of allowing an exaggerated 10 million "irregular" migrants into the country, warning that the number of migrants in Turkey, which has a population of 85 million, could rise to 30 million. About 3.6 million Syrian refugees are registered in the country, though migrants and refugees living in Turkey have faced an increasingly hostile climate in recent years, which has led to calls for their departure from the country and violence.
Opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who faces incumbent President Recep Erdogan in a second round of voting on 24 June, has pledged to deport all refugees from Turkey. In addition, the left-wing politician has attempted to reject the support of pro-Kurdish groups. Experts have suggested that Kilicdaroglu will need to broaden his support from moderate Islamists and right-wingers in order to oust Erdogan from power after his two-decade presidency.
The US Supreme Court has rejected the opportunity to review a case against Google that pitted the family of a student killed in an Islamic State (IS) attack against the internet giant company. The complainants alleged that Google's YouTube had played a role in radicalising individuals who then went on to join the terrorist group. Google has claimed protection against court action under a 1996 law that usually prevents social media companies from being held responsible for user-generated content. The case will be passed back to the lower courts for further consideration.
It is seen as a victory for the technology industry, which had argued that a ruling against Google could have far-reaching implications, with opponents suggesting it could stifle free speech online, and lead to more frivolous lawsuits against social media firms.
The court also ruled on a similar case involving Google, Twitter, and Facebook that argued the three companies should be held liable for a terrorist attack at a Turkish nightclub that claimed 39 lives. The court unanimously ruled against the case continuing under a law that forbids aid to terrorists.
