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How to tell a top manager from an oligarch

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:00 GMT

Russian executives who never had an influence over Putin may be removed from sanctions list.Alexander Shulgin, a young, Western-style Russian executive, has been out of work for nearly a year and a half because of EU sanctions. He came under sanctions in April 2022 because of his role as the CEO of the online marketplace Ozon, known as “the Amazon of Russia”. Shulgin stepped down from Ozon immediately after the EU decision and has been appealing the personal sanctions against him ever since.On 6 September, the European Court of Justice agreed to remove him from the sanctions list. The Court stated that the European Council “[had] not provided any probative evidence” to explain the reasons why Shulgin “should still be considered an influential businessman” after his resignation from Ozon.The personal sanctions imposed by Europe and the United States against Russian businesspeople have mostly targeted oligarchs, who indeed have ties with Vladimir Putin. As the Financial Times once put...

Wine, waves and coastal fun converge in Pismo this fall

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:00 GMT

Sponsored ContentBy VISIT PISMO BEACH (experiencepismobeach.com)Classic California Pismo BeachPismo Beach is the true Classic California beach town and is famous for its world-famous pier, miles of beautiful white sand beaches, outstanding accommodations and a rich wine region only minutes away.Many visitors who come to Pismo Beach are now calling it their Wine & Waves destination.  With the wine region of Edna Valley only minutes away from downtown Pismo Beach it’s easy to enjoy the beach and wine tasting all in one fun filled day.It’s the perfect pairing — wine and waves. Three of the local winemaking regions — Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande and Avila Valley — are only 15 to 30 minutes from downtown Pismo Beach. And many of these regions’ vineyards and wineries have received international acclaim.The wine country experience here maintains a laid-back and refreshing mix of independent boutique wineries and artisanal wineries. Among them are vineyards and artisanal wineries operatin...

Three-bedroom home in San Jose sells for $1.6 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:00 GMT

339 Gordon Avenue – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 300 block of Gordon Avenue in San Jose has new owners. The 2,318-square-foot property, built in 1952, was sold on Aug. 18, 2023, for $1,560,000, or $673 per square foot. The layout of this two-story home consists of three bedrooms and two baths. On the exterior, the house is characterized by the use of wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, there is a fireplace. The property is equipped with a heating system and a wall unit cooling system. Additionally, the house is equipped with a one-car garage, offering a dedicated parking spot and storage area. The property’s backyard is further enhanced by both a spa and a pool.Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include:On Crest Drive, San Jose, in August 2023, a 2,979-square-foot home was sold for $1,740,000, a price per square foot of $584. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.In February 2023, a 2,173-square-foot home on Valley View Avenue in S...

EU ethics watchdog questions Commission over Tunisia migrant deal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:00 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Ombudsman is probing the European Commission over its controversial migration deal with Tunisia.In a letter from the EU ethics watchdog to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Ombudsman is seeking answers regarding the protection of human rights in the deal, which was agreed in July with Tunisian President Kais Saied’s authoritarian government. The Tunisian strongman has come under fire from the U.N. for his “racist” treatment of sub-Saharan Africans and his violent clampdown on domestic opposition.“Where fundamental rights are not respected, there cannot be good administration,” European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly wrote in a letter addressed to von der Leyen on Wednesday evening, which was made public Friday morning.The inquiry comes amid mounting criticism of the agreement, which promises EU cash to Tunisia in exchange for help stopping migrants from crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.Members of the European Parliament, nongovernmental o...

Hanover football star Ben Scalzi making most of opportunity

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:00 GMT

HANOVER – Hanover senior quarterback Ben Scalzi has taken the adage “In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity” to another level.The calm, cool former Hawks wideout is back under center for a second season after being forced into action when former starting quarterback Michael Landolfi left Hanover for Lawrence Academy after the 2021 season.Scalzi had never played quarterback at the varsity level until last season, yet went on to throw for just under 2,800 yards with 27 touchdowns and then added another 535 yards on the ground with five rushing touchdowns.Scalzi led the Hawks to a 9-3 record in his first season and was roughly three minutes away from a trip to Gillette Stadium before Milton rallied to a 32-30 victory in the Div. 3 semifinals.“Last year was a huge opportunity for me with it being my first year starting at quarterback, but I learned a lot,” said Scalzi. “There’s always room for improvement. Every day we are just getting better, and we just have to stay...

Climate protesters around the world are calling for an end to fossils fuels as Earth heats up

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:00 GMT

Tens of thousands of climate activists around the world are set to march, chant and protest Friday to call for an end to the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels as the globe suffers dramatic weather extremes and record-breaking heat. The strike — driven by several mostly youth-led, local and global climate groups and organizations, including Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future movement — will take place in dozens of countries and in hundreds of cities worldwide and continue through the weekend. In one strike in Quezon City in the Philippines, activists lay in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in protest, and held signs demanding fossil fuels — from coal to natural gas — be phased out.A week before the planned protest, the United Nations warned that countries are way off track to curb warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, as agreed in Paris in 2015. The world has warmed at least 1.1 degrees (2 degrees F...

Nobel Foundation raises the amount for this year’s Nobel Prize awards to 11 million kronor

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:00 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Nobel Foundation said Friday that it will raise the award amount for this year’s Nobel Prizes by 1 million kronor ($90,000) to 11 million kronor ($986,270) as the Swedish currency has plummeted recently.“The Foundation has chosen to increase the prize amount because it is financially viable to do so,” it said in a brief statement. The rapid depreciation of the Swedish currency has pushed it to its lowest level ever against the euro and the U.S. dollar. Sweden has been struggling with high inflation — it was 7.5% in August, down from 9.3% in July, far from the 2% target set by the Riksbank, Sweden’s central bank. When the first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901, the prize amount was 150,782 kronor per category, the foundation said.Over the past 15 years, the amount has been adjusted several times, it said. In 2012, it was reduced from 10 million kronor to 8 million kronor as a broad-based program to strengthen the Nobel Foundation’s finances was initi...

Thailand’s opposition Move Forward party to pick new leader as its embattled chief steps down

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:00 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The embattled head of the Move Forward party, which finished first in Thailand’s general election in May but was denied power by Parliament, announced his resignation on Friday as its chief so the party can appoint a new member to serve as Parliament’s opposition leader.The constitution requires the leader of the opposition to be an elected lawmaker and a leader of a political party. Pita Limjaroenrat, Move Forward’s 43-year-old leader, is currently suspended from his duties as a member of Parliament pending a court ruling on whether he violated election law.Pita wrote on social media that he decided to resign as Move Forward’s leader because he has to comply with the court’s order of suspension, so he cannot perform his duties as a lawmaker and cannot be an opposition leader “in the foreseeable future.”He did not say when the new party leader would be selected but noted Move Forward will hold its next assembly on Sep. 24.“The role of opposition leader is greatl...

Laos deports human rights lawyer who was fleeing state pressure back to China

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:00 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A human rights lawyer who was arrested in neighboring Laos has been deported back to China, his attorney said, despite pleas from rights groups and United Nations experts for his release.Lu Siwei was stripped of his legal license for taking on sensitive cases and was fleeing China when he was arrested in the Southeast Asian country earlier in the summer. According to Lithnarong Pholsena, Lu’s attorney, officials at the prison where Lu was held said Thursday that Chinese police took Lu and two busloads of other Chinese citizens detained in Laos back to China earlier this week.Bob Fu, a Texas-based Christian activist who was assisting Lu, said Laos had violated international law by deporting Lu to China, where family members and activists fear he may be at risk of imprisonment and torture.“We failed,” Fu said. “It’s a shame for the international human rights community.”Lu had a history of taking on sensitive cases, and of navigating the fraught and murky waters of...

Barry Steenkamp, the father of the woman Oscar Pistorius fatally shot, has died at age 80

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:38:00 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Barry Steenkamp, the father of Reeva Steenkamp, the woman who was fatally shot by Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius, has died, a family spokesperson said Friday. He was 80.Family lawyer and spokesperson Tania Koen confirmed Barry Steenkamp’s death.A foundation set up by the Steenkamp family in memory of Reeva said Barry Steenkamp died in his sleep on Thursday evening.“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden and peaceful passing of Barry Steenkamp,” the foundation said in a statement on its Facebook page. “Barry was a blessing to many, and he will be remembered with love and great fondness.”“We find solace in the knowledge that he is now with his beloved Reeva.”Barry Steenkamp cut a grieving and sometimes angry figure during Pistorius’ murder trial for the killing of 29-year-old Reeva, who was a model and law graduate. Pistorius was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison after ...