Day: May 13, 2023

A few short years since being promoted to the Bundesliga, Union Berlin’s next major milestone has just moved into view. The thought of this club, the first from the former East Berlin to play in the Bundesliga, reaching the Champions League was too outlandish to mention even a couple of years ago. But this is Urs Fischer’s world, we’re all just living in it.

“That was a bit of a rollercoaster ride,” said an ecstatic Fischer. “The 4-2 came at absolutely the right time. Otherwise, the game could have tipped. We qualified for the group stage of the Europa League for the second time today. Madness. This is surreal.”

But of course it will probably get a lot more surreal for Fischer and this club. Union met a Freiburg team that had themselves been on course for a first ever appearance in the Champions League until they lost momentum with back-to-back defeats by RB Leipzig, first in the Cup then the league. As Leipzig look increasingly likely to take third, Freiburg arrived in the capital locked level on points with Union and in need of all the points.

With Union needing the same from the game and ahead of their visitors by virtue of better goal difference, this was effectively a Champions League playoff, with all the rewards that brings. With status, perception, and huge financial rewards at stake, this was a game of huge magnitude to both clubs.

Becker a symbol of Union’s ascent

Any notion that this game would be anxious and cagey was blown out of the water inside five minutes, when Kevin Behrens raised the roof with the opener.

Freiburg looked tired, their small squad fatigued from a long season, domestic and continental, and Dutchman Becker took full advantage of Freiburg’s lethargy, entering the fray with a first half double that ultimately decided this contest. His first inspired him to reach to his sock to unfold a pre-packed Spiderman mask, at the cost of a yellow card. His second was a low drive under Freiburg keeper and Becker’s compatriot Mark Flekken, who was slow to get down.

Three goals to the good and cruising at the break, Union seemed to be coasting through this high stakes contest in the only pocket of Germany that seems to have welcomed summer. But not so fast; an unlikely comeback was stirring deep within Christian Streich’s side. First Manuel Gulde pulled one back, then on 70 minutes, Vincenzo Grifo paneka’d his penalty beyond Frederik Rønnow. Grifo almost messed it up, not quite putting enough on it, with the ball brushing Rønnow’s fingertips on the way through.

But that’s as close as Freiburg got. Union steadied the ship and with 10 minutes to go, sealed the deal through Tunisian international Aissa Laidouni, who capped a swift Union counterattack by stroking the ball into the net from Becker’s pass. It was Laidouni’s first goal for Union, since signing from Ferencvaros in January, and couldn’t have been timed much better.

And it was fitting that Becker should be involved too, he ended the game with two goals and two assists and has seven assists and 11 goals in the Bundesliga this season – his best season in a Union shirt. Having joined the club in 2019 and been there through their Bundesliga odyssey, he symbolizes this club’s growth.

It’s only seven years since Union versus Freiburg was a Bundesliga 2. fixture. Back then, Freiburg were champions elect, bouncing back under Streich after being relegated from the top flight, and Union were dreaming of reaching the Bundesliga and becoming Berlin’s biggest club. Union’s ambitions have moved well beyond that but it feels like their romantic journey is only just getting started.

Source: Deutsche Welle

Paris police on Friday prohibited five far-right demonstrations planned for the weekend. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Tuesday ordered local authorities to not grant permission to those groups across the country. Paris police on Monday in a statement explained that it did not prohibit the neo-Nazi supporters’ rally on May 6 in Paris since they were not a risk to public order. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez nevertheless transferred the matter to the prosecutor since some supporters were wearing face masks during the march, which is illegal. The court is yet to give its verdict on whether those groups can continue holding demonstrations, which is why the planned rallies were prohibited for the weekend. Neo-Nazi rally in Paris Hundreds of neo-Nazi supporters rallied in the capital on May 6, drawing widespread criticism. More than 500 members of the May-9 Committee (Comite du 9-Mai) wore black face masks, and waved black Celtic cross banners to commemorate Sebastien Deyzieu, a prominent figure of the far-right in France, who fell from a tall building and died while he was escaping police in 1994. Paris police explained that it did not ban the rally on the pretext that it posed no threat to public order. The statement explained that a planned demonstration can be prohibited if authorities believe it can disrupt public order. The rally is held every year, the statement said, adding that “this demonstration in the past years caused no trouble or disruption in public order, and police had no grounds to prohibit it.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group saw the signing of 77 financing agreements worth $5.4 billion for 24 member countries during its annual meeting in the Saudi port city Jeddah, its chairman said on Saturday. The four-day event, starting on Wednesday, hosted dozens of agreements, panels, summits, and business-to-business meetings with the high-level participation of its member countries. The agreements aim to develop or cover operations and projects in various sectors such as health, agriculture, food security, transport, energy, small- and-mediums-sized enterprises, education, and humanitarian relief, Muhammed Al-Jasser told the event’s closing news conference. Seven different agreements were signed on Friday to improve Afghanistan’s health, childcare, education, water, sanitation, and food security infrastructure, he said. “We explored member countries and the partners in the last four days for a number of developmental issues, and we deliberated on very important issues related to the future of the IsDB group,” he stressed. He added that the bank’s Board of Governors took a number of important decision to allow the bank to pave the way for more success. “The governors discussed the influence on the impact of economic crisis on our member countries,” he said. “They gave direction and important proposals to the IsDB group to utilize partnerships to fend off crises and work on innovative new mechanisms.” The board also discussed ways to maximize ordinary as well as concessional financing utilizing the increasing liquidity of Islamic finance, he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday visited Rome and met Italy’s president and prime minister.? “An important visit for approaching victory of Ukraine!” he said on Twitter as he arrived in the Italian capital. According to information obtained from the Italian presidency sources, both Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed Italy’s full support for Ukraine during their meeting with Zelenskyy in Rome. This is Zelensky’s first visit to the Italian capital since Russia’s war against Ukraine began on Feb. 24, 2022. He first met with Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace, where they discussed the effectiveness of economic sanctions against Russia, the situation of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, combating fake news across Europe, bombings of civilian structures, the abduction of Ukrainian children, Ukraine’s reconstruction, and its EU integration prospects. The Ukrainian president later met with Meloni at the Chigi Palace, where Meloni reaffirmed Italy’s comprehensive support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. Following their bilateral and delegation-level meetings, the two leaders are expected to hold a joint press statement. Zelenskyy will also visit the Vatican City to meet with Pope Francis, the spiritual leader and head of state of the Catholic Church. Tight security measures have been implemented in Rome with 1,000 police officers deployed and the closure of Rome’s airspace. Dozens of Ukrainians gathered at Barberini Square to show their support for the Zelenskyy along his route. After concluding his visit to Italy, Zelenskyy is expected to travel to Germany’s capital Berlin.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A Russian Su-34 fighter jet crashed on Saturday in the southern Bryansk region near the border with Ukraine, according to media reports. “The Su-34 crashed near the Ukrainian border. The fate of those on board is being found out,” the state-run TASS news agency said with a link to the emergency services. It added that the circumstances of the crash are being investigated. Earlier today a Mi-8 military helicopter also crashed in the Bryansk region, killing two pilots aboard.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Bangladesh and India decided to trade in their currencies, taka and rupee, respectively, to bypass the rising dollar, its dominance in trading, and to promote regional businesses, a Bangladesh Bank (BB) official told Anadolu. The two neighbors made the decision, as many countries, including in the region, face a dollar crisis due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the pressure on dollar reserves in central banks. The import process is being disrupted in Bangladesh due to the availability of dollars at commercial banks, according to media reports. Transactions in takas and rupees, apart from the dollar, are fueling hopes of reducing pressure on dollar reserves and cutting the cost of trade, according to officials in both countries. The two countries can directly exchange import and export prices using the taka and rupee. Decision to boost regional trade, reduce business cost Many countries started moving to this payment system convergence, allowing transactions in local currencies. Countries are doing this to promote bilateral or regional trade, reduce the cost of business and increase the speed of transactions, said the executive director and spokesperson for BB, Md. Mezbaul Haque, who shared details of the decision with Anadolu. ‘India is a major trade partner of Bangladesh. Bangladesh imports a huge quantity of goods from India. Thus, such a decision will cut the cost of business, speed up transactions, and boost regional trading,’ he said. Haque cited Singapore-India, Singapore-Malaysia, and Australia-South Africa as examples of conducting trade and transactions in local currencies. ‘We have scrutinized the proposal of introducing payments in rupees offered by India and will allow the opening of a LC (Letter of Credit) in banks,’ he added. Haque also said that in traditional trading, the currency has to be converted several times at different stages, and that direct taka-to-rupee transactions are contemplated to minimize fluctuations. Sonali Bank and Eastern Bank in Bangladesh have started the process of opening transaction accounts at the State Bank of India and ICICI Bank to implement the decision. Similarly, the two Indian banks are opening accounts in the two banks in Bangladesh, according to Haque, who noted that he hopes the process will begin in June. BB said earlier that if the banks want to open a LC in rupees, it would be allowed, and any trader in Bangladesh who wants to open a LC for import or export can do it. Recently, a delegation from India went to Dhaka and spoke with Sonali Bank and Eastern Bank. The central banks from the two countries have taken policy decisions. Earlier, the Reserve Bank of India issued guidelines regarding the use of rupees in international trade. Trade deficit, engaging trader challenge to reap big benefits According to BB, the central bank, exports from Bangladesh to India amount to $2 billion, while Bangladesh’s imported goods from India worth $13.69 billion. Bangladesh’s exports — if the amount of trade is done in rupees — will reduce the pressure on the dollar, said the bank. But the country will have to pay the rest of the import price in dollars as is currently the case. Bangladesh’s trade deficit with India is high. It can trade only as many rupees as it exports to India. In terms of currency availability, Bangladesh will not be able to reap the benefits of the new system very quickly because of the lag. With Bangladeshi exports to India increasing gradually, the possibility of trading in takas and rupees will increase, said BB. Haque admitted that the trade deficit with India may delay an immediate benefit. ‘We are always aware of how to cut the trade gap. In reality, Bangladesh is an import-based country and India is one of the major countries we import. So, the decision will help in the long-term for both countries,’ he said. Engaging traders in the process will be a major challenge. If raw materials are imported from other countries and exported to India, transaction costs will increase and would not inspire businessmen to trade in rupees, said economists. ‘If we can reduce the cost of transaction and avoid dual conversion of currency, traders will normally be inspired to do business in local currency as cost is the major driving factor. Once businessmen experience benefits, they will move for it,’ said Haque. He said the decision will inspire more trade and business in South Asia.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Trkiye on Saturday welcomed an agreement between Sudan’s warring generals to allow the safe flow of humanitarian assistance in the conflict-torn country. “We hope that the declaration will lead to the establishment of a lasting cease-fire and inclusive dialogue in Sudan. ‘It is our greatest wish that the humanitarian situation in Sudan will improve and that all our Sudanese brothers and sisters will have uninterrupted access to basic needs,’ a Foreign Ministry statement said. Trkiye is ready to give all kinds of support to efforts to establish peace and stability in Sudan, it added. After a week of talks in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah, the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Friday signed a “Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.” On April 15, fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the RSF in the capital Khartoum and its surroundings. More than 600 people have been killed and thousands injured. A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the Sudanese army and the RSF over the latter’s integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan’s transition agreement with political groups. Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.” Sudan’s transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Mexico’s industrial output contracted 0.9% in March, compared to the previous month, the country’s statistical authority announced Friday. The figure came in worse than market estimate of a 0.2% contraction, while industrial production increased 0.5% in February. Industrial output in mining decreased 3.5%, but construction rose 1.3%, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). On an annual basis, industrial activity was up 1.6% in March, compared to the same month of last year. That figure also came lower than the market expectation of a 2.7% gain, while it showed an increase of 3.3% in February. While industrial output in mining increased 2.5% year-on-year, construction rose 2%, according to the figures. At an annual rate and with seasonally adjusted series, the monthly industrial activity indicator grew 1.5% in real terms during March, INEGI said in a statement.

Source: Anadolu Agency