Latest news with #IRU
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
New land corridor slashes transit time from EU to Jordan to 5 days
AMMAN — Romanian international land transport company Simon Trucks has successfully completed its first truck journey from Romania to Jordan using the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) system, cutting transit time from eight weeks to just five days across a new overland trade corridor. The TIR system, administered by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) with support from the United Nations, is one of the world's most efficient tools for facilitating cross-border trade, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. By employing standardised customs procedures, sealed cargo compartments, and mutual recognition of inspections, the system allows goods to move from origin to destination without multiple customs checks, ensuring faster and more secure delivery. The company said that the truck travelled entirely overland through Bulgaria, Turkey, and Iraq before reaching Jordan, marking one of the 'fastest land-based' deliveries from the EU to the Middle East. The shipment was completed without relying on maritime or air transport, thanks to Iraq's full implementation of the TIR system in April 2025. Simon Abu Layl, founder of Simon Trucks, attributed the breakthrough to Iraq's recent accession to the TIR system, which enabled uninterrupted, secure passage through its territory. 'This development represents a paradigm shift in international land freight,' Abu Layl said. 'Reducing transit time from nearly two months to just five days allows importers to receive goods faster and more reliably, responding directly to the private sector's demand for efficiency and timely delivery,' he added. He added: 'We stand at the threshold of a new era in regional trade integration. Our goal is to expand our logistics network to more countries in the region in pursuit of free, fast, and fair trade.' Rami Karout, senior advisor for the Middle East and North Africa at the IRU, said that the journey highlights the practical efficiency of the TIR system, especially in light of Iraq's recent accession. 'This is a turning point in trade connectivity between Europe and the Middle East,' Karout said. 'The new corridor not only reduces time and costs, but also enhances predictability and reliability across borders.' © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Trigger Ending Explained: Does Kim Nam Gil's Netflix thriller have a happy ending and who survives the rampage of gunplay?
Trigger is a new Korean drama streaming on Netflix, spotlighting South Korea's escalating violence through a world where deadly guns suddenly start appearing across the country. The show is set in a fictional version of Korea, where strict gun laws are ignored and illegal firearms flood the streets. It follows the story of Lee Do and Moon Baek, two men whose lives were wrecked by gun-related crimes but who grew up in completely different circumstances. One is hell-bent on destroying the country, that failed to protect him; the other tries to stay on the right side of the system. Here's breaking down the ending of Trigger. Spoiler Alert The villain of the story is Moon Baek (Kim Young Kwang). With only six months to live, he facilitates the entry of a powerful black-market arms group called the International Rifle Union (IRU) into the country using his old connections. Baek was trafficked from Korea to the U.S. for his organs as a kid. He was later rescued by the IRU, who raised him as one of their own. Jake, one of the group's higher-ups, saw something valuable in the desperate, vengeful boy, and used it. As an adult, Baek returns to Korea, knowing he's dying of cancer, and starts laying the groundwork to unleash chaos. His plan is to hand over guns to people already pushed to the edge including bullied workers, struggling citizens, and let them crack. For Baek, the 'trigger' lives in their hearts. All it needs is a reason to be pulled. Also read: Wall to wall ending explained: Who's the real noise maker in Kang Ha Neul's Netflix psychological thriller? On the other side of the system is Lee Do (Kim Nam Gil), who is not a staunch supporter of gun culture, despite having served in South Korea's military. He carries a traumatic past, as his mother and brother were murdered during a robbery when he was a child. However, unlike Baek, he was rescued by Captain Jo, a father figure who raised him with the same love he gave his own daughter, and trained him to stay on the right path. But, as the situation starts getting worse with a record number of violence being recorded, Lee Do does everything he can to stop the spread of violence. He tries not to use a gun, but as shootings increase, he's forced to pick one up again. When Lee Do starts getting on Moon Baek's nerves, he grows intrigued by this cop, and to get closer to him, he acts as just another recipient of one of the illegal weapons and offers his help in trying to stop shootings. Do, however, recognises his ill intent. After escaping police, Baek goes after Captain Jo too. When Jo's daughter is driven to suicide by a scam, he takes matters into his own hands and chases the scammers with a gun. Lee Do stops him just in time, reminding him that revenge won't ease the pain. 'How did you bear this pain at such a young age?' Jo asks Do. 'It was all thanks to you, Captain.' But Baek, who is the mastermind behind everything, is not a fan of what he's seeing, so he shoots both Jo and Do. Jo dies, and Do wakes up to a country already driven mad into chaos. Time takes a brief leap. Now, the public is terrified. People are buying guns for self-protection. The president is considering martial law. Baek organizes a 'Free Guns' rally, where he plans to turn the city into a warzone. He soon drives a truck full of guns into a crowd, throws smoke bombs. Baek's final goal is for Lee Do to shoot him, as the shooting sound would cause the crowd to go mad and eventually everyone would start pulling the trigger to save their lives. But, Do refuses. He instead asks him, 'Wouldn't pulling a 5-milimeter trigger in pursuit of revenge spread fear in the minds of many?' To which Baek replies, 'All I did was hand them a gun. It's up to them whether they pull the trigger.' Baek disappears in the smoke. Also read: 'Kim Taehyung makes me feel I can't afford…': BLACKPINK's choreographer reveals how working with BTS' V changed her Later in the crowd, Do finds a crying boy in the crowd holding a gun and drops his weapon to hug him. This moment gets captured live, and suddenly, people watching realise what's at stake. The violence stops. The image of Lee Do hugging the boy becomes a symbol of peace. People begin turning in their guns, including a nurse who was about to kill her bullies. In the end, Baek is found shot, possibly by himself, and left in a coma. His condition is critical. Meanwhile, foreign IRU members plan their next move, and a woman is seen walking into Baek's hospital room, likely sent to finish the job. Lee Do survives and adopts the boy he saved. He continues to live by the same values Captain Jo taught him – protect, not punish. He picks up the boy from school and walks him home, trying to pass on the peace he fought so hard for.
Time Magazine
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
Breaking Down the Ending of Netflix K-Drama 'Trigger'
If Trigger were a U.S. production, the action thriller that follows a police force as they deal with an influx of guns into their city wouldn't have a very novel premise. In the U.S., where gun violence was declared a public health crisis last year, there are more guns than there are people, with an estimated 120.5 guns per every 100 people. But in South Korea, where Trigger is set, there are only 0.2 guns per every 100 people. Korean gun control laws are strict, and the weapons are practically a non-issue when it comes to public safety. While gun violence does occur, as was the case last week when a father shot his adult son using a homemade gun, it is a rarity in Korea, where private gun ownership is uncommon. According to a 2022 article in the Korea Herald, private guns are intended for shooting athletes, manufacturers and sellers of firearms, and for those who need them for construction or as props in film or TV production. Licensed hunters may apply for gun ownership, but they must go through a rigorous qualification process and are only allowed to keep their guns at home during hunting season. Other times of the year, the firearms must be stored at the local police department. Otherwise, only authorized personnel in security-related fields can be in possession of firearms, and often, police officers choose not to carry them. Trigger envisions a world where gun control laws in Korea are ignored Trigger, a Netflix K-drama from writer-director Kwon Oh-seung (Midnight), imagines what would happen if all of these regulations were ignored, and unregistered, highly deadly firearms started streaming mysteriously and rapidly into the country. Across 10 anxiety-inducing episodes, we follow police protagonist Lee Do (Island's Kim Nam-gil) as he tries to keep Korean society from falling into a panic-induced frenzy, and succumbing to a status quo where gun violence is the norm. The thriller is simultaneously a parable for Korean viewers and a mirror for American viewers, who already live in a society where buying a gun can take as few as five clicks. Who is behind the gun plot in Trigger? The guns in Trigger are being funneled into the country by the fictional International Rifle Union (IRU), a black market arms dealer with immense political and economic power globally. The person behind the plan is Moon Baek (Evilive's Kim Young-kwang). Baek stumbles upon the IRU when as a kid, looking for revenge after being trafficked from Korea to the United States for his organs. Jake, one of the organization's higher-ups, sees something valuable in the desperate, vengeful kid. He raises Baek to be a part of the organization. The IRU's entrance into Korea is facilitated by Baek, who has been diagnosed with six months to live due to cancer. While Baek presumably presents the plan to Jake as a business opportunity, he is really looking for retribution against the country that failed him. Upon his arrival in Korea, Baek murders the man who made his childhood a living hell. He hides bullets in the ceiling of the man's apartment, a signal to officials that everything in Korea is about to change. Baek uses some local gangsters, posing as regular mail couriers, to distribute the guns. He targets individuals who are marginalized for some reason or another. Many of them are physically and mentally bullied by the people in their lives. 'Everyone carries a trigger in their heart,' a psychologist says early in the show's run. Trigger implies that everyone is capable of violence, and it is the job of a functional society not to give its citizens access to a weapon that can so easily lead to violent self-destruction. Lee Do's backstory explained Lee Do serves as a counterpoint to Baek's nihilistic ruthlessness. While Do's childhood may not have been quite as horrific, he didn't have it easy. His parents and brother were killed during a home robbery when he was just a child. Immediately following the incident, Do takes a gun off of Captain Jo's (Kim Won-hae) desk and aims it at the man who killed his family, intending to pull the trigger. The captain talks him out of it, but the moment is a formative one for Do. Jo raises Do as his own, alongside his daughter. Decades later, Lee Do is the Platonic ideal of a policeman, protecting the vulnerable and preferring de-escalation to violence. Until guns start appearing amongst the civilian population, Do chooses not to use a gun himself, still haunted by the lives he took during his years as a soldier. When gun violence starts ramping up, he decides to pick up a gun once again—but only when it is necessary to take someone down. Moon Baek kills Captain Jo While Trigger has a complex cast of characters, Lee Do and Moon Baek are the protagonist and antagonist at its center. Both suffered tragedy as children. One was given the support they needed to become a happy, healthy adult. The other was not, and has grown into a ruthless killer as a result. While Lee Do wants to protect the innocent (and even the guilty) around him, Moon Baek wants to see people suffer like he has. Gun violence is his method. When Lee Do starts getting in Moon Baek's way, the criminal mastermind becomes intrigued by the stalwart cop. To get closer to him, he poses as just another recipient of one of the illegal weapons, and offers his 'help' in trying to stop various shootings. Do almost immediately identifies Baek as one of the people behind the organized influx of guns. However, when the police go to arrest Baek, he uses his immense resources to slip between their fingers and continue to wreak havoc. Captain Jo, Do's surrogate dad, becomes one of Baek's desperate targets when a jeonse fraud drives his daughter to suicide. Jo finds the men who scammed his daughter, confronting them at a karaoke room. When they show no remorse, he starts firing. Lee Do arrives on the scene once Captain Jo has followed one of the men outside. He convinces Jo to put the gun down, asking him not to let the feeling that killing the man will help fool him in this moment. 'How did you bear this pain at such a young age?' Jo asks Do. 'It was all thanks to you, Captain,' Do tells him, embracing his distraught father figure. Baek, who has orchestrated the entire scenario to drive up public anxiety around shootings and to break Do's resolve, doesn't like how the scenario ends. He comes out of the shadows to shoot both Captain Jo and Lee Do. 'Just wait and see,' Baek tells Do as he loses consciousness. 'You'll wake up to a whole new world.' The ending of Trigger explained As intended by Baek, Do is out of the action for at least a few days following the incident. When he wakes back up, he is devastated to learn that Captain Jo has died. He grieves Jo and her daughter, acting as the chief mourner at their funeral. Meanwhile, Baek has announced to the public that anyone who wants a gun in Korea can get one. Public fear is at an all-time high as thousands of weapons are delivered to the populace, and incidents of gun violence become more common as a result. On the news, political pundits begin to debate whether gun ownership should be legalized in Korea. The president is considering martial law. A 'Free Guns' rally is organized by Baek to pit the two sides of the argument against one another. Lee Do leaves the funeral in order to attend. Baek has a truck filled with boxes of weapons driven into the middle of the rally. Chaos breaks out as people frantically grab the weapons, thinking they need them to protect themselves. Baek sets off smoke bombs to further confuse the crowd. As Lee Do makes his way to Baek, he remembers a philosophical argument they had over dinner, before Do realized Baek's villainy. 'Wouldn't pulling a 5-milimeter trigger in pursuit of revenge spread fear in the minds of many?' Do told Baek. 'Out of fear that they might die without a gun, everyone will rush to get one. And a society like that will soon be destroyed.' Baek wants to create that society, and he is well on his way. 'It was this world that made the people angry,' he tells Do, making the bad faith argument. 'All I did was hand them a gun. It's up to them whether they pull the trigger.' In the smoky plaza, as scared people point guns at one another, Baek taunts Do. 'What I want is a single gun shot … that will make these people start shooting at each other' He wants Lee Do to be the one to pull the trigger. Baek disappears into the smoke and Do follows, gun drawn. Before he can find the man, a gun shot rings out. Baek has been shot, perhaps by his own hand. The plaza erupts into gunfire. In the chaos, Do sees a boy alone, crying for his mother, a gun in his hands. It is an echo of the boy he once was. Rather than defend himself, Do drops his gun and rushes to him. He embraces the child as the gunfire continues. 'It's okay. You're safe,' he tells him. The image is captured by a livestreamer on the scene. It stops nurse So-hyeon, whom we have been following throughout the series, from using a gun to kill the co-workers who bully her. Once the dust has settled, and scores of people are dead, the image of Lee Do embracing the scared child becomes a symbol of choosing empathy over violence. Later, we see the image at a memorial for the victims of the shooting. Another message at the memorial states: 'We will remember the innocent lives lost and work to create a safer world.' Does Moon Baek die at the end of Trigger? Baek is in a coma following the events of the firefight. The doctor tells Do, who visits Baek in the hospital, that he is unlikely to recover, due to his cancer and the blood loss sustained from the gunshot wound. Later, we see an English-speaking cabal of IRU members, including Jake, vaguely discussing their next business move. A woman walks into the wards where Baek is unconscious, presumably to kill him. Does Trigger have a happy ending? The ending of Trigger isn't happy, but it is hopeful. Across the country, the police hold illegal firearm drop-off drives to collect as many of the weapons as possible. One of the people who drops off a fun is nurse So-hyeon. "It took too long," she tells Officer Jang, who collects her signature. "You did the right thing,' he tells her. Lee Do survives to de-escalate another day. In an echo of what Captain Jo did for him, Do adopts the child he saved in the firefight. He picks the boy up from school, and holds his hand as he walks him home. Do is doing what he can.
Iraq Business
27-06-2025
- Business
- Iraq Business
New Iraqi TIR Route "a Game-Changer" for Europe-GCC Logistics
By John Lee. The opening of new Iraqi TIR corridors has enabled a dramatic reduction in transit times between Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with journey durations cut from 24 days to just 10, according to a press release from the International Road Transport Union (IRU). Polish logistics company Milton Group recently completed a round-trip from Poland to the UAE using Iraq's overland TIR transit system. Carrying yacht engines and spare parts, the truck travelled through Poland, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia before reaching the UAE. The return leg to Poland was also completed overland, maintaining the 10-day timeframe for each direction. The route passed into Iraq through the Ibrahim Al-Khalil border and exited via Traibeel [Terbil], highlighting Iraq's emergence as a strategic land bridge for trade between Europe and the GCC. The corridor was made fully operational three months ago, with support from IRU members General Company for Land Transportation (GCLT) and Transforat. It forms part of Iraq's wider ambition to become a regional logistics and trade hub. Milton Group COO Waleed Kassem called the development " a game changer, " noting substantial time savings and enhanced logistics resilience by avoiding congested seaports. IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto praised Iraq's efforts, saying this new connectivity offers " faster and more secure journey times " and greater resilience amid regional uncertainties. See our Comprehensive Guide to Logistics in Iraq here. Full statement from the International Road Transport Union (IRU): From Europe to the GCC: New resilient Iraqi TIR routes slash journey times With Iraq now fully operational in the TIR system, new faster and more flexible transport routes are opening between Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. One example: from Poland to the United Arab Emirates in 10 days, more than halving the traditional 24-day journey. Polish transport operator the Milton Group has successfully completed a roundtrip journey linking Poland to the GCC entirely by road, via Iraq's newly operational TIR corridors, with a journey time of 10 days compared to 24 days for traditional maritime-based multimodal routes. The truck, with two drivers, transported yacht engines and spare parts from a Polish factory through the EU to Bulgaria, then through Türkiye, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia before arriving at the customer's facility in the UAE. With the support of IRU members GCLT and Transforat and other partners, TIR corridors in Iraq became fully operational three months ago, reinforcing the country's aim to become a strategic regional logistics and trade hub. Milton, already experienced in multimodal routes between Europe and the Middle East, has been among the first companies to test the new road links. In this case, the trucks entered Iraq from Türkiye via the Ibrahim Al-Khalil border crossing and exited to Jordan via Traibeel. The results were striking: the full road journey took just 10 days, compared to the 24 days typically required for a multimodal route. To further enhance the economic viability of the trip, Milton organised a return load from the UAE back to Poland, completing the roundtrip within the same timeframe. Milton Group Chief Operating Officer Waleed Kassem said, "This new inland TIR transit corridor through Iraq is a game changer for trade between Europe and the Middle East. "By bypassing congested seaports and offering a fully overland route, we've already reduced our door-to-door transit time from 24 days to just 10, a tremendous improvement. "We see a huge opportunity in the development of this corridor and are proud to have taken part. At Milton, we look forward to scaling this route into a core pillar of efficient, secure, and time-sensitive logistics to the GCC region." IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto said, "It is truly inspiring to witness the successful launch of this new TIR route through Iraq, seeing the fruits of years of preparations and planning by the Iraqi authorities come to life. "This marks only the beginning of what promises to be a landmark development for resilient regional connectivity across the Middle East via Iraq, not only providing faster and more secure journey times, but offering significantly more route flexibility and resilience to transport and logistics operators to better manage regional uncertainty." TIR is the only globally recognised trade facilitation tool, backed by the UN TIR convention and managed by IRU, ensuring the seamless, secure and cost-effective transit of goods across international borders. (Source: IRU)
Iraq Business
06-06-2025
- Business
- Iraq Business
Iraq celebrates launch of TIR System
By John Lee. With the TIR system now live in Iraq since April 2025, the Minister of Transport and industry leaders officially marked this milestone this week in Baghdad, signalling a new era for international logistics and trade. The official launch of the global TIR transit system in Baghdad brought together the public and private sectors to celebrate this momentous achievement. The event was organised under the patronage of H.E. Razzaq Muhaibes Al-Saadawi, Iraq's Minister of Transport, and IRU members General Company for Land Transportation (GCLT) and Transforat. Managed by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) under a UN mandate, TIR was created in 1949 in post-war Europe to rebuild devastated economies. Its mission then - making cross-border trade efficient and secure - is just as relevant today. IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto, who delivered the keynote speech, said: " Today, we celebrate the full implementation of the global TIR transit system in the Republic of Iraq. This is a hugely important step taken by the Iraqi government and supported by different stakeholders across the Iraqi administration. "This new chapter for Iraq will revive and revamp the country's ancient role as a key crossroads in regional and international trade. " "What TIR did 75 years ago for Europe, it has continued to do ever since for Türkiye, the Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and now, Iraq." According to a statement from IRU, demand for TIR has soared in the Middle East, growing over 400 percent between 2023 and 2024. It adds that, alongside robust security, the system's phenomenal success in the region stems from its efficiency and speed - cutting transport times by up to 92% across GCC borders, for example. " The success of the first shipments that have already transited your borders under TIR is a noteworthy milestone in this journey and a precursor of future success, " said Umberto de Pretto. Logistics and transport companies are starting TIR operations from departure points such as Mersin, Türkiye, to the GCC via the Iraqi seaport of Umm Qasr. With TIR, this journey is being completed securely in less than a week, compared to a minimum of 14 days via the Red Sea, or up to 26 days if the ship needs to reroute around Africa. In a fully inland operation, a shipment from Poland to the UAE via Türkiye and Iraq was completed in a record 12 days. According to the operator, a multimodal operation via the Red Sea would have taken at least 21 days. TIR's electronic pre-declaration system (TIR-EPD) has also been integrated with Iraq's URUK platform, enabling the submission of advance cargo information. Trucks can be closely monitored using GPS tracking throughout their journey, while regular checkpoints ensure cargo and transport security. " Today, we are not merely launching a transit system. We are celebrating a new chapter in Iraq's journey towards prosperity, connectivity and global relevance. The best chapters of Iraq's history are still to be written, " concluded Umberto de Pretto. In high-level talks, IRU and the Minister of Transport discussed next steps to build on this momentum and support Iraq's Development Road Project. They also explored the opening of new inland customs offices for the clearance of goods transported under TIR. Umberto de Pretto also held bilateral meetings with Lieutenant General Sami Radi (Advisor to the Prime Minister on ports, customs and transport affairs), Lieutenant General Dr Omar Adnan Al-Waeli (President of Iraq's Border Ports Authority), Thamer Qasim Daoud (Director General of the Iraqi General Customs Authority) and Murtada Karim Al-Shahmani (General Manager and Chairman of the Board of Directors of GCLT). See our Comprehensive Guide to Logistics in Iraq here. (Sources: IRU, Ministry of Transport)
