Hard Numbers: Slovak far-right conviction, Japan's to go carbon-neutral, Turkish lira falls, al-Shabaab taxes Somalis

October 27, 2020

Marian Kotleba, leader of the far-right People's Party Our Slovakia (LSNS), attends an election campaign rally in Topolcany, Slovakia. Reuters

52: Slovak far-right lawmaker Marian Kotleba has been sentenced to 52 months in jail for handing out checks with Nazi references to mark the founding of Slokavia's client state under the Third Reich. Kotleba belongs to the neo-Nazi People's Party Our Slovakia, which has an openly racist agenda and wants to pull the country out of the EU and NATO.

2050: Japan has pledged to cut greenhouse gases to zero and become carbon-neutral by 2050, a decade before China aims to reach the same goal. The announcement by Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga represents a major shift in climate change policy for the world's fifth-largest emitter of carbon dioxide.

8.15: The Turkish lira has plummeted to a historic low of 8.15 against the US dollar. Turkey's economy is in a deep crisis due to sky-high inflation and the central bank's refusal to raise interest rates, while analysts worry that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’ recent tirade against NATO allies France and the US, and Turkey's involvement in multiple regional conflicts — are deterring investment.

15 million: The al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia currently collects about $15 million in taxes each month, almost as much as the Somali government. Most of the revenue comes from dues on shipping containers and a 2.5 percent zakat religious levy that al-Shabaab enforces in the parts of the country it controls.

Serbian president name-checks Assad, vows not to flee amid protests

FREIBERG, GERMANY - DECEMBER 10: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not pictured) speak to the media following talks over lithium mining on December 10, 2024 in Freiberg, Germany. Germany and Serbia will be cooperating in the sustainable mining of lithium, a critical substance for the production of batteries for electric cars. A company called Zinnwald Lithium GmbH intends to mine up to 15,000 tons of lithium annually in the region of Saxony near Freiberg, enough to build one million electric car batteries. Serbia also has extensive lithium deposits.

(Photo by Sean Gallup - Pool/Getty Images) via Reuters

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on Tuesday said he would not flee in the face of demonstrations against his administration.

Israel strikes Syria, Netanyahu goes to court

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu smiles as he prepares to testify in his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv on Dec. 10, 2024.

Menahem Kahana/Pool via Reuters

Israel has launched over 350 airstrikes this week targeting naval bases, ships, ammunition depots, and weapon facilities across Syria, devastating the Syrian Army’s remaining capabilities, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Walmart associates are finding new ways to grow in their careers

Walmart

Walmart provides opportunities for associates to unlock their potential and grow their careers. With a $1 billion investment in career-driven training and development programs, Walmart provides associates with opportunities to grow from hourly roles to salaried management positions. In the past two years, over 300,000 associates have earned promotions into positions with higher pay and greater responsibility. Whether it’s a first job, next step, or second career, there is a path for anyone at Walmart. Learn how Walmart is supporting careers.

How AI can help advance the Sustainable Development Goals in Latin America and the Caribbean

Microsoft

In October 2023, 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean signed the "Declaración de Santiago," a commitment to responsible AI development tailored to the region's cultural context and needs. Microsoft’s Global Perspectives: Responsible AI Fellows and CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean recently released a report exploring how AI can help achieve the UN SDGs. From health and wellness to gender equality and sustainable tourism, AI is unlocking solutions to longstanding challenges. Learn more.

Macron works to end France’s political deadlock

Marine Tondelier, of Les Ecologistes party, talks to journalists next to colleagues as they leave a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Dec. 10. They had met with the French president as part of consultations aimed at appointing a new prime minister.

REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

On Tuesday, France’s President Emmanuel Macron hosted a meeting with the leaders of center, center-right, and center-left political parties at the Elysee Palace in a bid to end France’s political crisis by building support for a new prime minister and a 2025 budget.

Can Trump's tariff plan boost the US economy?

- YouTube

youtu.be

President-elect Donald Trump has made no secret of his love of tariffs, vowing steep import taxes on China, Mexico, Canada, and almost every product that crosses the US border on his first day in office. Will they boost US jobs and manufacturing, as Trump promises, or lead to rising inflation, as many economists warn? On GZERO World, Oren Cass, founder and chief economist at conservative think tank American Compass, joins Ian Bremmer for an in-depth discussion about Trump’s tariff plan and the future of US-China trade policy.

Hard Numbers: Slovak far-right conviction, Japan's to go carbon-neutral, Turkish lira falls, al-Shabaab taxes Somalis

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Hard Numbers: Slovak far-right conviction, Japan's to go carbon-neutral, Turkish lira falls, al-Shabaab taxes Somalis

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Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has wanted this for years -- but what could go wrong?

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on Tuesday said he would not flee in the face of demonstrations against his administration.

On Tuesday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva underwent a successful craniotomy in Sao Paolo after complaining of a severe headache.

Israel has launched over 350 airstrikes this week targeting naval bases, ships, ammunition depots, and weapon facilities across Syria, devastating the Syrian Army’s remaining capabilities, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

On Tuesday, France’s President Emmanuel Macron hosted a meeting with the leaders of center, center-right, and center-left political parties at the Elysee Palace in a bid to end France’s political crisis by building support for a new prime minister and a 2025 budget.