The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday ruled against Greece in a landmark case concerning the 2014 sinking of a migrant boat in the Aegean Sea.

The case – Safi and Others v. Greece – was filed with the ECHR in January 2015, a year after 11 out of 27 migrants were killed when their boat sank in Aegean waters off the island of Farmakonisi.

The case was filed by a group of 16 applicants – 13 Afghans, two Syrians and a Palestinian national.

The ECHR ruled that there was “a violation of Article 2 (right to life) of the European Convention on Human Rights under its procedural head.”

“The Court found that there had been shortcomings in the proceedings and concluded that the national authorities had not carried out a thorough and effective investigation capable of shedding light on the circumstances in which the boat had sunk,” the court said.

There was also “a violation of Article 2 (right to life) on account of the failure to comply with the positive obligation under this Article,” it added.

“The Court found that the Greek authorities had not done all that could reasonably be expected of them to provide the applicants and their relatives with the level of protection required by Article 2 of the Convention,” read a statement.

Lastly, the court said there was “a violation of Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment), concerning 12 of the applicants who had been on board the boat and who, after it had sunk, had been subjected to degrading treatment on account of the body searches they had undergone on arriving in Farmakonisi.”

Human rights groups and leading media outlets have frequently reported on illegal pushbacks and other human rights breaches by Greek authorities.

Türkiye and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.

Citing the applicants, the court said a Greek coastguard vessel “was travelling at very high speed in order to push the refugees back towards Turkish waters, and this caused the fishing boat to capsize.”

The ECHR has ordered Greece to pay a total of €330,000 ($335,280) “in respect of the nonpecuniary damage sustained by the applicants.”​​​​​​​/aa

Türkiye's Automobile Initiative Group (TOGG) on Thursday said it is launching a mobility acceleration program with Plug and Play, the world’s largest innovation platform.

According to a statement, within the scope of the cooperation international start-ups will be supported in many areas, from mentoring to financial consultancy.

"Collaborating with Plug and Play, an innovation platform with 400 corporate partners in the heart of the Silicon Valley as well as in 4 continents, 20 countries, and 39 offices, TOGG will guide start-ups with its international Mobility Acceleration Program," it said.

Global entrepreneurs will be supported in all areas of need such as mentoring, financial consultancy, and project support.

TOGG CEO Gurcan Karakas, who attended the Startup Autobahn EXPO 2022 in Stuttgart, Germany, said start-ups are an important part of new technology solutions in the mobility ecosystem. "Companies relied heavily on their own R&D units 5-10 years ago, but with start-ups, technological innovation has reached an unprecedented speed," he said.

"The Mobility Acceleration Program is an important step we have taken to support start-ups, a very important element of the ecosystem."

Karakas said in June the company participated in Vivatech, Europe’s largest technology, and start-up event. "We will continue to be involved in all kinds of efforts that will improve the mobility ecosystem," he added.

Plug and Play Turkey Director Lale Gozubuyuk said the innovation platform "will be happy and proud" to share with TOGG experience, which encompasses not only global automotive companies but many other sectors, mainly mobility, as well as the opportunities it has developed."

TOGG is the consortium developing the country’s first fully electric car./aa

Governments in the Middle East must implement modern and fair tax systems to meet challenges such as hiking spending to protect the poor from issues including soaring food and fuel inflation, according to a study by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Tax revenue as a share of gross domestic product remains relatively low in the region, although tax bases in many countries have expanded, the paper said.

“There is scope, in other words, for governments to raise more revenue by bringing tax ratios closer to the levels that they could achieve given their economic structures,” it said.

The researchers contended that removing widespread exemptions and inefficient incentives will “broaden tax bases and make tax systems more transparent.”

“The difference between actual and potential tax collection equals about 14% of GDP (excluding oil and gas), on average,” the study said.

It cited examples of countries that have made progress in broadening their respective tax bases or are making efforts to this end.

Egypt, according to the study, “aims to reform its income tax law to simplify the legal framework and streamline exemptions.”

On the push toward electronic tax filing in countries such as Algeria, Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Iran, the IMF research said modernizing processes makes systems more efficient and improves enforcement and compliance.

“Still, further efforts are needed including to streamline organizational structures, improve business processes and leverage digital technologies,” the study said.

Closer cooperation to boost global exchange of information across tax jurisdictions will also be beneficial, it added.

The research cited anti-corruption efforts in Georgia and Tajikistan as a success story, saying the two countries doubled their tax to GDP ratios in the past 20 years by simplifying tax systems and procedures.

“Countries in the Middle East and Central Asia can use tax policy to promote economic development, increase social inclusion and alleviate food insecurity,” read the paper.​​​​​​​/aa

Turkish and Russian foreign ministers held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting in Bali, Indonesia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Mevlut Cavusoglu and Sergey Lavrov had a thorough exchange on international and regional affairs with particular emphasis on the situation in Ukraine, the ministry's statement said.

Russia launched in February what it calls a "special military operation" to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine. The West in reaction imposed tough sanctions on Moscow and is providing Kyiv with both economic and military support.

The war has also created a global food crisis as the blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports is choking global food supply chains.

"The importance was emphasized of further coordination ... to ensure the safety of civilians and economic operators in Ukraine, including foreign ones," it said, adding that issues including interaction in the Black Sea, were also touched upon.

"The ministers expressed satisfaction with the dynamics of the political dialogue between our countries at the highest and high level in 2022. They confirmed their readiness to continue close contacts between the leadership of Russia and Türkiye, including in the face-to-face format," the statement said.

Cavusoglu in a tweet said he discussed with Lavrov "war in Ukraine, food security & Syria."

Meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi

In a separate statement, the ministry said Lavrov also met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and the two "praised the current state of the cooperation between the two countries, expressed mutual interest in further deepening ties."

"Lavrov informed his Chinese counterpart about the implementation of the main tasks of the special military operation," the statement said, adding that the ministers stressed on the inadmissibility of the imposing the "illegitimate" and "unilateral" sanctions.

"A confidential exchange of views was held on topical regional and international issues with an emphasis on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, including in the light of ongoing attempts to create narrow-block structures in the region," the statement said.

The two ministers also pointed out the importance to the development of cooperation in the BRICS, SCO, and RIC formats.

"The ministers stated that in the conditions of a difficult geopolitical situation, Russia and China continue to increase strategic cooperation, speak from common or very close positions on the absolute majority of the issues discussed," the statement read.

China has called for an end to the war, but has not condemned Russia. It has also decried one-sided Western sanctions on Moscow.​​​​​/aa

The remains of a Bosnian father will be buried next to his two sons in a commemorative ceremony on Monday.

Salcin Sinanovic's remains were found in two separate mass graves -- 27 years after the Srebrenica genocide, Europe’s worst massacre since World War II.

The sons, Senad and Sadik Sinanovic, were also victims of the genocide in which more than 8,000 Bosniak civilians were killed by the Serbs on July 11, 1995.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Mirsad Sinanovic, one of the surviving sons, said his brothers were 26 and 19 years old when they were killed in the genocide.

The brothers were buried in 2012 after their remains were found in mass graves, said Mirsad Sinanovic

Recounting the events of the fateful day, he said they used to live in the village of Urisi, 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Srebrenica, a UN safe zone.

To escape attacks by the Serbs, he set out with his father and two brothers to the safe zone.

"We were moving in an unknown direction in the forest. There were thousands of people and everyone was trying to escape from the area. All of a sudden, we heard a voice saying 'armed forward, unarmed back'. So I went to the front lines. My father and brothers were left behind. I heard they were captured.”

He said he has kept safe his father's belongings which were recovered from the grave.

"He had a great sense of humor, calm and well-intentioned person," Mirsad Sinanovic said, adding that he only has a picture of his father to hang on to his memory.

"My father's bones, his lighter, shaving tools and clothes, were also removed from the mass grave. Now when I look at those belongings, it gives me some peace."

Fifty more genocide victims will be buried at the commemoration and funeral ceremony to be held on July 11.

Srebrenica genocide

In July 1995, Srebrenica was besieged by Serb forces who were trying to wrest territory from Bosnian Muslims and Croats to form a state.

The UN Security Council declared Srebrenica a “safe area” in the spring of 1993. However, Serb troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic -- who was later found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide -- overran the UN zone.

Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing 2,000 men and boys in a single day on July 11.

About 15,000 Bosnian people fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serb troops hunted down and killed 6,000 more people.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.

On June 8, 2021, UN tribunal judges upheld in a second-instance trial a verdict sentencing Mladic to life in prison./aa

Oil prices dropped to their lowest in almost three months on Wednesday over growing global economic recession fears, which will result in an eventual demand slump.

Posting their largest daily percentage loss since March, both benchmarks have seen the lowest level since April.

International benchmark Brent crude was trading at $99.78 per barrel at 17.48 a.m. local time (0705 GMT) at a 2.90% decrease after the previous session closed at $102.77 a barrel.

American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was at $96.37 per barrel at the same time with a 3.14% loss, after the previous session closed at $99.50 a barrel.

Experts say the recent volatility in the oil market is due mostly to recession fears.

Citigroup Inc. on Tuesday said crude oil could collapse to $65 a barrel by the end of the year and slump to $45 by end-2023 if a demand-crippling recession hits.

The group said that historically, oil demand goes negative only in the worst global recessions.

Prices also came under the pressure of the US dollar index climbing to its highest level in almost 20 years, adding to the global economic recession fears.

Another supporting factor for downward price movements has been the ending of the strike in the energy sector, as reported by the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association (NOG).

The NOG 'proposed compulsory arbitration of the pay dispute', following an announcement on Monday that the unions, which represent the majority of energy workers in the country, called on workers to go on strike due to wage disputes./aa