Business, finances, forex

Tens of thousands protested in Paris against a new law on in vitro fertilization. It will give women under the age of 43 access to state-funded procedures, regardless of their marital status and sexual orientation. Currently, only heterosexual couples have access to the procedures.

The number of participants in the protest caused controversy, with figures ranging from 45,000 to 600,000.

There is also dissatisfaction with the envisaged changes that allow children conceived with donated sperm to find out the donor’s identity when they turn 18, a change from the country’s strict donor anonymity protections.

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Obesity is undoubtedly the plague of our generation. While one-third of the world is struggling with hunger, the other one-third is overweight.

The increasing number of obese patients puts the world at great risk, but the childhood obesity is even more troubling. Currently, it is estimated that there are more than 150 million overweight children worldwide, and if we don’t take the necessary precautions, that number will increase to 250 million by 2030.

Recent studies in 191 countries, conducted by the World Obesity Federation, show that children which are growing in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America are particularly at risk. This is due to the rapidly changing lifestyle along with the growing popularity and aggressive marketing of junk food.

The report also reveals that the Pacific Islands, such as Cook Islands and Palau, rank among the most endangered countries in the next decade. In addition to less active lifestyles, island countries are more dependent on imports of foods that are often ready-to-cook and rich in sugar and fat.

No country included in the study will be able to reach the goal agreed at the 2013 World Health Organization (WHO) Summit, which requires that childhood obesity levels in 2025 should not be higher than in 2010 and 2012.

According to WHO data, 32% of Turkish children between the ages of 2 and 18 are on the brink of obesity, BGNES reported, quoting Turkey’s Sabah newspaper.

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A 5.9 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale shook northeastern Chile near the border with Bolivia, according to data from the US Geological Survey.

The quake was registered at 10:40 GMT. The epicentre is 73 kilometres northeast of the city of Calama, home to more than 150,000 people. The depth was 112.4 kilometres.

There is no information about casualties and damage.

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The average gross teacher salary is expected to become about BGN 1750 in 2021, Milena Damyanova, chairman of the Education Committee said. The growth of salaries in the field of education is unprecedented for the state budget and at the moment the average gross teacher salary is higher than the average for the country as there are regions in which it reaches BGN 1500, she added.

“However, remuneration is just one of the measures we are taking to support teachers in Bulgaria. Since 2009, we have invested over BGN 65 million for qualifications. From 2019, a new national program “Motivated Teachers” has been launched with a total budget of BGN 1 million and 700 thousand”, Damyanova said in a statement on behalf of the GERB parliamentary group on the eve of International Teacher’s Day.

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Denmark and 10 other EU countries have called for the creation of a European strategy for the gradual decommissioning of diesel and petrol cars, including allowing the ban of sales at member state-level by 2030 to combat climate change, Reuters reported. .

Denmark made the proposal on Friday at an European meeting of environment ministers held in Luxembourg, BTA reported.

One of the goals of the new President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050. The EU aims to cut carbon emissions in the bloc by 40 percent by 2030 while its executive, the Commission, plans to reduce them to zero by 2050 to help stop global warming, Reuters reported. According to the Danish delegation, the achievement of this objective necessarily entails a significant reduction in the carbon footprint of the transport sector.

In 2018, the Danish government announced that it would ban the sale of new fossil-fueled cars. However, Denmark abandoned the idea a bit later, because it would conflict with European rules.

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The main demand is for a decent salaries. They demand a minimum wage of BGN 900 for healthcare professionals in municipal hospitals; BGN 950  for the employees in the university hospitals and respectively BGN 1100 and BGN 1200  starting salary for the doctors.

Organizers of the protest are CITUB and the Bulgarian Association of Healthcare Professionals. And the Bulgarian Medical Association, the Association of Municipal Hospitals, as well as the nurses, who have been protesting since March and demanding a starting salary equal to two minimum salaries, will not support today’s protest.

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US will not support Turkish operation in northern Syria, the White House said. US troops will not participate in Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria, according to a White House press release after a telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Erdogan.

“Turkey will soon launch a long-planned operation in northern Syria. The US military will not support or participate in that operation. The US forces that defeated the local ISIL caliphate will no longer be in close proximity,” the statement said. 

It says Turkey will now be held responsible for all ISIL ammunition captured in the last two years.

On Sunday, it was revealed that Turkish President Recep Erdogan and US President Donald Trump have agreed to meet in Washington next month to discuss a security zone in northern Syria, the Turkish presidency said.

Earlier, Erdogan said the decision to launch a Turkish military operation in northern Syria, east of the Euphrates River, could be made in the coming days. He added that the aim of the operation would be to clear the border area in the territories bordering Turkey of the Kurdish Self-Defense Forces and to create a security zone there to house Syrian refugees in Turkey.

“Our president had a phone call today with Donald Trump. Alongside bilateral issues, the two sides exchanged views on a planned security zone in northern Syria, east of Euphrates. Erdogan stressed the need to create this zone to eradicate the terrorist threat. the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Syrian Kurdish Self-Defense Forces and the creation of conditions for the return of Syrian refugees”, said in a statement.

Erdogan has raised concerns with Trump over “the US military bureaucracy and the security industry that has failed to implement the August agreement.” Under the agreement, a buffer zone at the Turkish border had to be created.

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Authorities believe the country’s image needs to be renewed, as the Netherlands associates tourists mainly with drugs and Amsterdam’s “Red Light District”.

The rebranding process has started and the promotion of the Netherlands name will be enforced at upcoming international events and will be recognized by the national football team.

The national rebranding, which has been signed up to by business leaders, the tourist board and central government, will be rolled out later this year.

North and South Holland are provinces on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th century, Holland was one political unified entity and ruled by the counts of Holland.

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Considerable cloudiness is expected today, later into the day and overnight, rain is likely in some places, mainly in southern Bulgaria, meteorologist Georgi Tsekov of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) told Focus News Agency.

Frost will form in the morning in some high fields and lowlands. Moderate northeast wind, maximum temperatures of 13C to 18C. Atmospheric pressure is slightly lower than the monthly average, it will slightly rise later in the day.

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Public support for EVs has to be won before carbon reduction targets can be met