Turkey Posts Second-highest export volume

By Dilara Zengin/ ANADOLU NEWS AGENCY

ANKARA: In 2017 Turkey saw the second-highest export volume in the republic’s history with $157.1 billion, according to provisional data released by the Customs and Trade Ministry on Tuesday.

Turkey's exports reached $157.1 billion in January-December 2017, up 10.22 percent, the ministry's data bulletin showed.

The yearly total was second only to 2014, when Turkey saw $157.6 billion in exports, according to official data.

The new export figure follows Turkey's sky-high growth during 2017.

The country’s growth beat forecasts in the first and second quarters of the year (5.3 and 5.4 percent, respectively), according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Turkey became the fastest-growing economy among G20 countries with its unexpectedly high 11.1 percent growth in the third quarter of 2017.

The report said Turkey’s imports also rose in the period 17.92 percent to $234.2 billion.

Turkey's foreign trade volume accounted for $391.3 billion, rising 14.70 percent in January-December 2017.

Its foreign trade deficit annually climbed by 37.5 percent in the same period to $77.06 billion.

In 2017, Turkey exported $15.1 billion worth of items to Germany, followed by Britain with $9.6 billion and Iraq with $9.1 billion.

The largest exporter to Turkey was China, with $23.4 billion, followed by Germany with $21.3 billion and Russia third with $19.6 billion.

Turkey also exceeded its export target of $156.5 billion, aimed under the Medium-Term Economic Program by year's end, according to the ministry data.  

December 2017 figures

In December 2017, Turkey's exports rose 8.59 percent to $13.9 billion, while imports climbed 27.7 percent to $23.5 billion, the official data showed. 

Turkey's foreign trade volume hit $37.3 billion, rising 19.85 percent over the month. 

The country's foreign trade deficit also jumped by 71.36 percent to $9.6 billion in December 2017. 

In December 2017, Turkey exported the most to Germany with $1.3 billion, the U.K came in second with $832 million and Italy was third with $775 million.

The country imported most from Germany in the month with $2.2 billion. China followed with $2.1 billion and Russia with $1.9 billion.  

Bitcoin Haram Dengan 10 Sebab – Dar Ifta’ Mesir

Terjemahan bebas oleh Muhammad Suhaimi

Dar al-Ifta’ Mesir hari ini mengeluarkan satu kenyataan sekitar hukum syara’  berkenaan transaksi yang melibatkan matawang Kripto iaitu Bitcoin. 

Ia dinyatakan sebagai haram berikutan risiko yang mampu menjejaskan kestabilan sosial dan ekonomi. 

Selain mewujudkan suatu atmosfera meragukan, ia juga turut tidak memenuhi syarat-syarat ketat yang digariskan syara’ bagi membolehkannya diterima untuk digunakan umum.

Ketahui 10 alasan berkenaan yang dinyatakan oleh Dar al-Ifta’ Mesir :

Risiko pencerobohan sistem keselamatan elektronik.

Merupakan bahaya kepada sistem kewangan sesebuah negara dan bank pusat.

Kemungkinan menjadi jalan meloloskan diri daripada sistem keselamatan bagi melakukan perkara di luar batasan undang-undang.

Ia menghalang penjenayah seperti kumpulan pengganas Daesh, sindiket dadah, pengubahan wang haram dari dihadapkan ke muka pengadilan.

Ia terdedah kepada unsur gharar (ketidakpastian), penipuan dan penyelewengan.

Ia merupakan matawang elektronik secara mutlak, yang hanya wujud di dunia maya sahaja.

Ia matawang digital yang tidak berpusat, dan tidak wujud secara fizikal dan tidak boleh dibida.

Terdapat sisi unknown atau tidak diketahui.

Tidak harus berjual beli atau membuat transaksi atau ‘aqd dengannya di sisi syara’.

Tiada pihak autoriti berpusat yang mengawalnya seperti bank negara.

Pautan asal di :http://bit.ly/aimarticle001

What Is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a new currency that was created in 2009 by an unknown person using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. 

Transactions are made with no middle men – meaning, no banks! Bitcoin can be used to book hotels on Expedia, shop for furniture on Overstock and buy Xbox games. But much of the hype is about getting rich by trading it. The price of bitcoin skyrocketed into the thousands in 2017.

Why Bitcoins?

Bitcoins can be used to buy merchandise anonymously. In addition, international payments are easy and cheap because bitcoins are not tied to any country or subject to regulation. 

Small businesses may like them because there are no credit card fees. Some people just buy bitcoins as an investment, hoping that they’ll go up in value.

Acquiring Bitcoins
Buy on an Exchange

Many marketplaces called “bitcoin exchanges” allow people to buy or sell bitcoins using different currencies. Coinbase is a leading exchange, along with Bitstamp and Bitfinex. But security can be a concern: bitcoins worth tens of millions of dollars were stolen from Bitfinex when it was hacked in 2016.

Transfers
People can send bitcoins to each other using mobile apps or their computers. It’s similar to sending cash digitally.

Mining
People compete to “mine” bitcoins using computers to solve complex math puzzles. This is how bitcoins are created. Currently, a winner is rewarded with 12.5 bitcoins roughly every 10 minutes.

Owning Bitcoins
Bitcoins are stored in a “digital wallet,” which exists either in the cloud or on a user’s computer. The wallet is a kind of virtual bank account that allows users to send or receive bitcoins, pay for goods or save their money. Unlike bank accounts, bitcoin wallets are not insured by the FDIC.

Anonymity

Though each bitcoin transaction is recorded in a public log, names of buyers and sellers are never revealed – only their wallet IDs. While that keeps bitcoin users’ transactions private, it also lets them buy or sell anything without easily tracing it back to them. That’s why it has become the currency of choice for people online buying drugs or other illicit activities.


Future in question
No one knows what will become of bitcoin. It is mostly unregulated, but some countries like Japan, China and Australia have begun weighing regulations. Governments are concerned about taxation and their lack of control over the currency.

BY: CNN

UFO hijau di langit Scotland?

MISTERI GLOBAL: Kisah mengenai Objek Tidak Dikenali (UFO) tidak pernah habis. Pelbagai teori dikeluarkan. Namun kemunculan misteri terbaharu menggemparkan.

EDINBURGH, Scotland – Satu objek hijau yang mengeluarkan cahaya terang dipercayai objek terbang tidak dikenali (UFO) berjaya dirakam di ruang udara di sini sebelum malam Tahun Baru, Sabtu lalu.

Kira-kira 300 orang mendakwa mereka melihat meteor besar bercahaya itu sebelum berkongsi gambar dan rakaman di laman sosial, lapor AGENSI.

Sebilangan individu pula menyangka ia percikan bunga api beberapa minit sebelum sambutan Tahun Baru 2018.

“Kami lihat meteor berwarna hijau terbang melepasi kedai Nord Bottleshop di Teluk Whitley ketika sedang menikmati minuman di situ,” kata seorang pengguna internet, Alyson Dodd.

Ahli fizik terkenal, Profesor Brian Cox menerusi Twitter turut meluahkan rasa kecewanya kerana terlepas untuk menyaksikan fenomena aneh itu.

SUMBER: AGENSI