Presentation of the Caspian Trans International transport route "China-Turkey-Europe" was held in Turkey

November 19, 2015, in Turkey, in Istanbul was a presentation of the prospects and opportunities of the Caspian Trans International transport route "China-Turkey-Europe". 

Slide under the name "International Trans-Caspian transport highway - New multi-modal solutions" was held within the annual international transport and logistics exhibition «Logitrans», with the support of the Board of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish-language countries, in a round table format. In the mentioned event was attended by representatives of large transport logistics operators in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Lithuania. 

The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data. 

The Internet of Things allows objects to be sensed and controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure, creating opportunities for more direct integration between the physical world and computer-based systems, and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit. Each thing is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to interoperate within the existing Internet infrastructure. Experts estimate that the IoT will consist of almost 50 billion objects by 2020.

British entrepreneur Kevin Ashton first coined the term in 1999 while working at the Auto-ID Labs (originally called Auto-ID centers - referring to a global network ofRadio-frequency identification (RFID) connected objects). 

Eastern Europe to confront Berlin over new Russian gas pipeline

Henry Foy in Brussels

Eastern Europe is girding for another clash with Berlin over a Russian gas pipeline that would circumvent Ukraine and the EU’s easternmost members.

Nine countries, led by Poland and Slovakia, are petitioning to block the pipeline in a campaign animated by their belief that the EU’s most powerful member state has put its own economic needs ahead of their energy security.

In a letter to Donald Tusk, the European Council president, seen by the Financial Times, they demand that the proposed pipeline between Russia and Germany be put on the agenda of next month’s summit of EU leaders, in an attempt to pressure Brussels to withhold its approval. 

Discord Between Turkey and Russia Is Fueled by Leaders’ Similarities

 By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

His name is Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of  Turkey, or as the TV news program hosted by the Kremlin’s main ideologue described him on Sunday night, “an unrestrained and deceitful man hooked on cheap oil from the barbaric caliphate” — referring to the Islamic State.

Not long ago, Mr. Erdogan earned about the warmest accolade possible from President Vladimir V. Putin. He described the Turkish president as “a strong man,” willing to stand up to the West. That was then.

Ever since the Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian warplane last week that Turkey accused of violating its airspace, Mr. Putin has been calling Mr. Erdogan a back stabber. Mr. Erdogan has not taken on Mr. Putin directly, but even as he has softened his tone, he has refused to apologize for the downing of the fighter jet. And a pro-government Turkish newspaper recently ran a headline saying “Putin tries to deceive the world with his lies,” a reference to Moscow’s actions in the war in Syria.

IMF gives China's currency prized reserve asset status

 BY KRISTA HUGHES

The International Monetary Fund admitted China's yuan into its benchmark currency basket on Monday, in a victory for Beijing's campaign for recognition as a global economic power.

The decision to add the yuan, also known as the renminbi, to the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket alongside the dollar, euro, pound sterling and yen, is an important milestone in China's integration into global finances and a nod to the progress it has made with reforms.

To meet the IMF’s criteria, Beijing has undertaken a flurry of reforms in recent months, including better access for foreigners to Chinese currency markets, more frequent debt issuance and expanded yuan trading hours.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde, who along with in-house experts had previously given her support for the inclusion, made it clear she did not expect Beijing to stop there.

Statement by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at the twenty first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Distinguished Mr. Chair,

Esteemed Mr. Secretary-General,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to express my deep solidarity with France, its people and President Hollande.

We admire the French for their courage, for their unbroken spirit and for the way they responded to the barbaric and coward terrorist attacks.

The terrible events that France experienced this tragic November are a daily reality for Ukraine for almost 21 months.

My country is suffering from terrorism sponsored and promoted by the Russian Federation. 

As a result, more than 8.000 Ukrainians, of whom about 6.000 civilians lost their lives.

Don’t take the Bait; Avoid Phishing and Malware to Protect Your Personal Data

 “Update your account now.” “You just won a cruise!” “The IRS has a refund waiting for you.”

In the cyber world of phishing, the sentences are “bait” – lures from emails, telephone calls and texts all designed to separate you from your cash, your passwords, your social security number or your very identity.

The IRS has teamed up with state revenue departments and the tax industry to make sure you understand the dangers to your personal and financial data. Taxes. Security. Together. Working in partnership with you, we can make a difference.

Remarks by the High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini ahead of the Meeting of Heads of State or Government of the European Union with Turkey

We have difficult times. All of us know very well that apart from the meeting of today, both us, Turkey, but also the region, Turkish people, the European people are all living in very difficult times. And I believe it is important to frame the day - that many describe as an important day - to frame the day of today in the broader picture. And it is a broader picture that sees us working closely with Turkey on many difficult issues, and very important for all of us. 

From Syria, which is the most urgent one, also because we always say we have to tackle the root causes of the refugee crisis - that is number one, to the internal situation in Turkey. Turkey comes out of a long electoral transition, now we have a government that is there to stay for some years and it is important for us to have a full-fledged dialogue with them on all the relevant issues. Obviously migration and the refugee crisis is one, but also others, including the revitalisation of the accession talks - you know we have been working on opening Chapters. 

Shokin appoints Nazar Holodnitskogo as Anti-Corruption Prosecutor

BY NIKOLAI HOLMOV 

On 30th November, the untrusted (unless you are President Poroshenko), Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin finally appointed the long awaited Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, the appointment coming the day before President Poroshenko stated the office must finally begin work.  (Thus Mr Shokin could delay matters no longer.

The successful applicant, following a long, public and reasonably transparent process is Nazar Holodnitskogo.

Mr Holodonitskogo has a lot to do – but then he has a lot to go at.  He and his team are certainly not lacking work.

This appointment will naturally get all the headlines – and perhaps rightly so.  It will certainly bring about headlines in the weeks and months ahead.

Agreement on Bilateral Business Council signed in Netherlands

In the course of a visit of the Ukrainian delegation headed by the President of Ukraine, to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, an Agreement to establish a Bilateral Business Council between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine and the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers was signed.

The Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers is the largest and the most powerful association of Dutch companies, which represents the common interests of Dutch business in the country and abroad, including in Ukraine. The parties believe that the Business Council created jointly by the Confederation and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine would become a platform for direct cooperation of entrepreneurs of the two countries which would be presented in its composition. Its operations will aim at establishing business contacts, as well as addressing possible problematic issues or barriers for conducting bilateral trade, ensuring effective communication of businesses with relevant government agencies of both countries, and providing practical services to entrepreneurs.

Проект Державного бюджету України на 2016 рік

Закон України «Про Державний бюджет України на 2016 рік» (проект)

  Стаття 1. Визначити на 2016 рік:

доходи Державного бюджету України у сумі 598.210.426,2 тис. гривень, у тому числі доходи загального фонду Державного бюджету України — у сумі 564.559.502,0 тис. гривень та доходи спеціального фонду Державного бюджету України — у сумі 33.650.924,2 тис. гривень, згідно з додатком № 1 до цього Закону;

видатки Державного бюджету України у сумі 673.967.884,6 тис. гривень, у тому числі видатки загального фонду Державного бюджету України — у сумі 638.441.483,3 тис. гривень та видатки спеціального фонду Державного бюджету України — у сумі 35.526.401,3 тис. гривень;

Parliament's potential enough to adopt constitutional amendments touching decentralization of power

The Ukrainian Parliament has potential to finally adopt the amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine that touch the decentralization of power, Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Groysman told journalists at a press conference on results of the first year of the Verkhovna Rada of the eighth convocation.

"Potentially the Ukrainian Parliament can finally put a period to this wild, centralized, post-Soviet system of country government, and adopt the Constitution based on real European standards allowing the communities to live self-sufficiently," he said.

"There is a potential of 300 votes. However, there are so many issues for certain political forces we still have to settle. I am ready for the dialogue, I am ready to make this decision eventually taken," the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada said.

How to Avoid Problems at the Canada/US Border When You Return with Goods You Left With

By Cyndee Todgham Cherniak on November 27th, 2015Posted in Border Security, Canada's Federal Government, Customs Law, NEXUS

Many clients call me to inform me of a “disagreement” with a Canada Border Services Agency (“CBSA”) officer relating to goods from Canada that they took with them on a trip.  Often the problem relates to an expensive ladies purse or a piece of jewelry (sometimes a men’s watch).

On November 13, 2015, the CBSA issued D-Memorandum D-2-6-5 “Documentation of Goods for Temporary Exportation” in which it sets out the policy with respect to personal effects of Canadian residents temporarily exported for use on trips abroad.  the CBSA states

During Holocaust we were dying as we were Ukrainians. Today we are capable to survive as we remain and will always be Ukrainians

"During the Holodomor we died as we were Ukrainians. Today we are capable to survive as we remain and will always be Ukrainians. As one strong nation. Avoiding internal squabbles. Avoiding beating the air. Avoiding irresolution of mind," said Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk in his address on Sunday, November 29.

The Head of Government stressed that the contrivance, the scheme and scale of the Ukrainian Holodomor"were devilish": "And even more diabolic thing happened later. The killers just turned the page. The status of "the turned page" haunts us during our entire history".

ПРАВО КРОВНОЇ ПОМСТИ В КИЇВСЬКІЙ РУСІ

В. Мачуський

Постановка проблеми. Ідея і практика кровної помсти існували в стародавніх суспільствах по всьому світу. Через свою високу поширеність і значущість кровна помста як соціальне явище протягом тривалого часу була предметом вивчення різних вчених різних наук з багатьох країн і з різних точок зору. Існуюче різноманіття підходів до дослідження кровної помсти призвело до появи  досить великого масиву, в основному зарубіжної, наукової літератури з широким спектром визначень таких суміжних понять як кровна ворожнеча, кровна помста, ритуальне вбивство, міжплемінні набіги та інші. 

В залежності від обраних критеріїв кровна помста розглядається вченими як наслідки індивідуальних конфліктів за матеріальні і репродуктивні ресурси, вбивство з релігійних міркувань або культурна особливість первісних народів.

What does branded look like?

by Seth Godin

The vast majority of products that are sold are treated as generic by just about everyone except the naive producer, who believes he has a brand of value.

A branded object or service has two components, one required, one desired:

1. Someone who isn't even using it can tell, from a distance, who made it. It appears that it could only be made by that producer (or it's an illegal knock off). 

Ralph Lauren certainly got our attention when he started making his logo bigger and bigger, but we also see this in the shape of a Paloma Picasso pin, or the label on a pair of Tom's shoes, or the red soles of Louboutin or the sound of a Harley or the cadence of Sarah Kay or ...

Ukraine ready to replace Russia in Turkish grain market

The Ukrainian agricultural sector is ready to act as a guarantor of food security in Turkey.

The Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Oleksiy Pavlenko has written on his Facebook page.

"If Turkey's traditional partners impose sanctions that is they will suspend to supply their grain, Ukraine is ready to  at least double its exports of grain, corn and sunflower oil. Turkey is our long-lasting and reliable partner, we are ready to act as a guarantor of food security for Turkey," a statement said.

Pavlenko noted that whatever the decision of the Russian side would be, it should not affect the food security of Turkey. "Ukraine has plenty of suitable quality products to meet the needs of Turkish customers in case the Russian Federation imposes exports restrictions,"  said the minister.

Memo to Putin: Syria Is Turkey's Ukraine

By Marc Champion

Russian leaders have evidently been shocked by Turkey's deliberate decision to shoot down one of their planes, which they say was motivated by Turkey's alleged support for Islamic State and greed for the proceeds of smuggled terrorist oil. A simpler explanation is that Russia would have done the same.

Here is the hypothetical: What would President Vladimir Putin do if civil war broke out in a neighboring country, which had been part of the Russian empire for centuries before breaking away under circumstances, and with borders, that Russians still found difficult to accept? What would he do if, in that war, some of the rebels were ethnic Russians at risk of being brutally crushed by the armed forces of the neighboring state?

Actually, that's not so hypothetical; it pretty much describes eastern Ukraine. And we know what Russia did -- it became heavily involved in a poorly concealed invasion.

President of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Canada discussed prospects of enhnancing special partnership between states

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko met with Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau in Paris.

In the course of the first meeting with new Prime Minister of Canada, the Head of State told about the developments in Donbas and emphasized the importance of enhancing transatlantic unity in the issue of preserving sanctions against Russia until full restoration of territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Justin Trudeau assured of full support for the people of Ukraine in the struggle for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. He underlined that Canada was ready to further put pressure on Moscow and comprehensively assist Ukraine, in particular through the reinforcement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Local elections in Mariupol, Krasnoarmiysk 'almost ideal', says Ukrainian Central Elections Commission

The turnout at the local elections in Mariupol amounted to 36.49%, in Krasnoarmiysk – 37.58%, according to the Ukrainian Central Elections Commission data.

In turn, the commission's chairman, Mykhailo Okhendovsky, said also said that the local elections in Mariupol and Krasnoarmiysk "were being held almost ideally," as no complaint has been lodged either on the voting day or the election day in the Central Elections Commission.

Meanwhile, "anti-Ukrainian forces" were planning to foil the elections in Mariupol on November 29, he said. In particular, it was planned that the Mariupol Krasnoarmiysk city election committee will take several illegal decisions, particularly to replace the leadership of four district election committees, at night it was considering the possibility of putting the stamp "dropped" in the ballot papers on the surname of a mayoral candidate.

Ukrenergo head: Power supply to Crimea won't resume until final decision

"There will be no power supply at the moment. A cable wire of an anchor pylon's pillar is inoperative and will remain in this condition until the final decision has been made. Other work will be completed in full," he wrote on Facebook.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine's Energy Ministry Volodymyr Demchyshyn reported on Sunday that activists of the Crimea blockade had agreed to unblock access for power engineers to the destroyed 220 kV Kakhovska-Titan power line in Ukraine's Kherson region, which was used to supply the power to Russian-annexed Crimea.

Original

Financial Indebtedness as a Political Strategy

by Andreas Rahmatian 

Money in law is a form of debt

Lawyers are not much concerned about, and economists have never really known, what money actually is. In microeconomics the issue of money does not appear at all: indeed, mainstream microeconomics has eliminated money entirely from the supply-​demand market model, with the argument that money is just a neutral means of exchange without any effects on the market. In this way one can avoid addressing economically and politically relevant points.

Money is a form of legally recognised and legally enforced debt; in fact, it is the nature of being a debt and its the enforceability by the law which creates the money. Money is a debt represented by socially recognised refiers (coin, banknote, accounting entries, …) which the law orders to be accepted as payment and extinction of another debt, for example arising from a contract of sale. Thus money is entirely a creature of the law.

Klimkin to attend DCFTA trilateral talks 1 December

BY NIKOLAI HOLMOV

It’s been a month since the last entry was made regarding the trilateral talks between Ukraine, the EU and Russia surrounding the bilateral Association Agreement and DCFTA between Ukraine and the EU.

On 1st December another round of talks occurs some 30 days prior to the full implementation of the agreement between the EU and Ukraine – this time Ukrainian Foreign Minister Klimkin will be attending – for reasons as yet unknown (as the lest few rounds of talks have been at “expert/technical level).

Perhaps he is expecting one last Kremlin onslaught, one last high-stakes attempt at blackmail (of either bilateral party), or maybe some details of where The Kremlin sanctions against Ukraine will manifest – or it is probably better stated, what will actually be exempted The Kremlin sanctions so Ukraine can prepare the reciprocal actions.  Ukraine is after all, far beyond caring about the sensitivities of the Kremlin.

БЛОКАДА КРЫМА: ЧТО СЕЙЧАС И ЧТО ДАЛЬШЕ?

Попробую коротко описать ситуацию с энергетической блокадой Крыма — какой она мне представляется на данный момент.

1. Активисты гражданской блокады разблокировать линию, даже одну из четырёх, где они дали энергетикам установить опору (но не провести по ней провод), — не собираются. До тех пор, пока, как минимум, не начнётся процесс освобождения украинских граждан, находящихся в тюрьмах РФ по делам, связанным с политикой: от Надежды Савченко и Олега Сенцова — до Ахтема Чийгоза и Али Асанова (всего 13 человек). Их аргументы: за полтора года власть ничего не смогла сделать для их освобождения и для зашиты крымских татар от расширяющихся репрессий, — значит, будем делать мы, точка.

(В подтверждение п.1 можете посмотреть интервью координатора блокады Ленура Ислямова украинскому телеаналу 112:http://1vib.co.ua/index.php/…/podiia/item/islyamov-okkupanty.)

Declaring a new start, EU and Turkey set to sign migration deal

BY FRANCESCO GUARASCIO

Leaders of the European Union and Turkey were set to sign an agreement on Sunday offering Ankara cash and closer ties in return for help in stemming the flow of migrants to Europe, draft conclusions of their summit showed.

Aware of a sense of desperation in Europe for a solution to a crisis that has called into question the future of its passport-free travel zone, Ankara has been driving a hard bargain.

Diplomats said the 28 EU governments had struggled through Saturday to agree a final offer.

The draft deal seen by Reuters made clear the nature of the trade-off, involving Turkish help in handling the flow of migrants to the EU, expected to reach 1.5 million people this year alone, and the EU offering cash and restarting talks on EU accession.

Московско-Сирийская война

Полковник Андреев

Баннер в Дамаске: «Они встают на колени только перед Богом»

слева направо: глава Хезболлы Хасан Насралла, президент Ирана Хассан Роухани, президент Сирии Башар аль Асад и президент России Владимир Путин.

Кто создал ИГИЛ и как Барак Обама обвел Владимира Путина вокруг пальца на раз и два.
Временный союз Ирана и России в Сирии, направленный на противодействие суннитским газопроводам, перерастает в соперничество между Тегераном и Москвой за контроль над новыми газовыми и нефтяными месторождениями в Сирии.

Предыстория Московско-Сирийской войны

Из года в год Россия на Ближнем Востоке проводит политику исключительно в интересах российского ГАЗА и российской НЕФТИ.

В чем же заключается ближневосточная политика Москвы?

About to be

Seth Godin

The only way to become the writer who has written a book is to write one.

The only way to become the runner who has just finished a run it to go running.

You might dread the writing or the running or the leading, but it's the key step on the road to becoming.

If it's easier, remind yourself what you're about to be.

Original

Cherry picking from the global insolvency tree, the road to harmonisation

By Jennifer Moore

Complex multi-jurisdictional insolvencies are an inevitable consequence of the increasingly global nature of big business. The collapse of the likes of Barings, Enron and most recently Lehmans (the latter involving insolvency proceedings in some 16 jurisdictions) have highlighted the growing need for legislative action to promote cross-border co-operation and protect the interests of international creditors. Comprehensive reform is needed, not least to curtail the inequitable practice of forum shopping.

In an ideal world, a global harmonised insolvency system is the logical next step in insolvency policy evolution. However, for the moment it is Europe that is leading the charge. Reform at a European level has been a long term goal since the 60’s but the European Commission’s 2014 recommendations placed harmonisation firmly at the top of the agenda. 

With international policy powerhouses such as Insol International, The Capital Markets Union and the UN Commission on International Trade also turning their attention to the issue, it seems that a European wide insolvency regime could at last become a reality.

1 грудня у Києві пройде конференція «Бізнес, який змінює країну»

Запрошуємо Вас на конференцію "Бізнес, який змінює країну", яка пройде 1 грудня 2015 з 09.30 до 19.30 в Києво-Могилянській Бізнес Школі (вул. Волоська, 8/5, м. Київ). Конференція є результатом Конкурсу кейсів з Корпоративної соціальної відповідальності. В цьому році було зібрано 45 кейсів компаній. 

Здебільшого компанії допомагають громадам, переселенцям та своїм співробітникам. Окрема номінація – Pro Bono Awards 2015, коли компанії своїми знаннями безкоштовно допомагають країні.

Партнер Конкурсу - компанія EY.

В рамках конференції відбудеться церемонія нагородження юридичних компаній - переможців премії Pro Bono Awards 2015, співорганізатором якої є "Юридична газета".

Justice Ministry to discuss Commercial Code abolishment

The presentation under joint initiative of the Justice Ministry and the civil society organizations on abolishment of the Commercial Code of Ukraine will be held on November 30.

"Representatives of the Justice Ministry of Ukraine, headed by Deputy Justice Minister for European Integration Serhiy Petukhov, representatives of business, expert circles and public will discuss the need to abolish the Commercial Code and further plan of action," the statement said.

Original

Russia vs Turkey

By Luo Jie

Original

Gift for Erdogan

Roman Rukomeda

Vladimir Putin presented the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a generous gift - a powerful external enemy. In the confrontation with Putin's Russia the Turkish leader might make his dream come true – to become a par with Atatürk, exactly by 2023, the centennial anniversary of the Turkish Republic. By teasing the Turkish Air Force stubbornly and repeatedly, and provoking NATO’s second largest army with the regular violations of airspace, Putin has launched a game Erdogan couldn’t resist playing.

Having won the first ever direct presidential elections in Turkey in August last year, as well as retaining the monopoly on power of his AKP party in the parliamentary elections on Nov. 1 elections, Erdogan received carte blanche to fulfill his historic mission. The only thing he was missing was internal consolidation amid intensified activity of the president's political opponents, as well as a long-lasting struggle with the Kurds. Turkey’s transformation from the status of friends of Putin’s Russia into adversaries following the incident with the Russian Su-24 taken down for airspace violation has opened the doors for Erdogan to play a variety of political combinations, both within the country, and abroad.