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Companies are finding it’s not so simple to leave Russia. Others are quietly staying put

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:47 GMT

When Russia invaded Ukraine, global companies were quick to respond, some announcing they would get out of Russia immediately, others curtailing imports or new investment. Billions of dollars’ worth of factories, energy holdings and power plants were written off or put up for sale, accompanied by fierce condemnation of the war and expressions of solidarity with Ukraine.More than a year later, it’s clear: Leaving Russia was not as simple as the first announcements might have made it seem.Increasingly, Russia has put hurdles in the way of companies that want out, requiring approval by a government commission and in some cases from President Vladimir Putin himself, while imposing painful discounts and taxes on sale prices.Though companies’ stories vary, a common theme is having to thread an obstacle course between Western sanctions and outraged public opinion on one side and Russia’s efforts to discourage and penalize departures on the other. Some international brands such as Cok...

Germany’s GDP shrinks by 0.3% in first quarter to put Europe’s biggest economy into recession

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:47 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — New figures show the German economy suffered an unexpected dip in the first quarter of this year, putting the country formally into recession.Data released Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office shows Germany’s gross domestic product, or GDP, down by 0.3% in the period from January to March. This follows a drop of 0.5% in Europe’s biggest economy during the last quarter of 2022. Two consecutive quarters of decline constitute a technical recession.The figures are a blow to the German government, which last month boldly doubled its growth forecast for this year after a feared winter energy crunch failed to materialize. It said GDP will grow by 0.4% — up from a 0.2% expansion predicted in late January — a forecast that may now need to be revised downward.Economists said high inflation hit consumer spending, with prices in April 7.2% higher than a year ago.GDP reflects the total value of goods and services produced in a country. Some experts question whethe...

Damage to Russian-occupied dam submerges Ukrainian reservoir island community

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:47 GMT

LYSOHIRKA, Ukraine (AP) — The rising waters came as a relief at first, for both the tiny community living on the islands in the southern Kakhovka Reservoir and for everyone who had feared the low levels risked a meltdown at the nearby Russian-occupied nuclear power plant. Since mid-February, the water level in the reservoir has steadily increased, according to data from Theia, a French geospatial analytical organization. An Associated Press analysis of satellite imagery showed the water has now risen so high that it’s washing over the top of the damaged Russian-occupied dam downstream.The waves first covered the natural shoreline, then submerged the marsh grasses. Next they came for Lyudmila Kulachok’s garden, then Ihor Medyunov’s guest room. The wild boars fled for higher ground, replaced by water fowl. Medyunov’s four dogs have an ever-smaller patch of grass to roam, and Kulachok serves meals on a picnic table sloshing through the murk in waders. Ukraine controls...

Daily horoscope for May 25, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:47 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Leo.Happy Birthday for Thursday, May 25, 2023:You are attractive. You have charisma. You are also laid-back and easygoing, which means people like you. This year is the first year of a nine-year cycle for you, which means you can expect new opportunities, new beginnings, adventures and major changes in your life. Get ready!ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★This can be a playful day. It’s a good day to explore hobbies and creative projects. Sports events and playful activities with children are also excellent choices. Financial delays are diminishing, which means you can move forward with more confidence at work. Tonight: Protect children.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★With increased activity and chaos on the homefront (possibly due to visiting guests, residential moves, renovations or redecorating projects), whatever the case, it’s a small wonder that you need to focus on home and famil...

EU says it's sent 220,000 artillery shells to Ukraine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:47 GMT

European Union nations have supplied 220,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine as part of a groundbreaking scheme launched two month ago to increase ammunition supplies to Kyiv in order to fight off Russia's invaders, the EU Foreign Policy chief said on Monday (22 May).Josep Borrell said that EU states have also provided 1,300 missiles as part of the scheme. They are on track to reach a goal of providing 1 million pieces within a calendar year, despite some EU countries avoiding approving this goal.Borrell, who announced the figures after a meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Brussels, told reporters that "the next days will be strategic decisive for the war in Ukraine".The EU agreed to the ammunition scheme after Kyiv announced that it was in urgent need of artillery shells as Russia's invasion had descended into a war of attrition with thousands of shells being fired every day.Three elements of the EU plan, totaling at least 2 billion euro, are all linked to financial incentives. The fir...

Single-family residence in San Jose sells for $1.6 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:47 GMT

783 Pescadero Drive – Google Street ViewThe property located in the 700 block of Pescadero Drive in San Jose was sold on May 4, 2023. The $1,610,000 purchase price works out to $851 per square foot. The house, built in 1964, has an interior space of 1,893 square feet. The property features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces. The backyard also has a pool. The unit sits on a 6,464-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:A 1,739-square-foot home on the 700 block of Vereda Court in San Jose sold in October 2022, for $1,500,000, a price per square foot of $863. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Montalvo Drive, San Jose, in May 2023, a 2,088-square-foot home was sold for $1,540,000, a price per square foot of $738. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In July 2022, a 2,074-square-foot home on Azule Avenue in San Jose sold for $1,500,000, a price per square foot of $723. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Stressed about Partygate? Let’s order a drone strike on Sue Gray, Boris aide quipped

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:47 GMT

LONDON — Well, that’s one way to deal with an annoying inquiry.A senior aide to Boris Johnson calmed him down by jokingly offering to order a drone strike against Sue Gray, the government official who was leading the “Partygate” probe into lockdown-busting gatherings in Johnson’s government.Speaking to a Global podcast about his brief spell in No. 10 as Johnson’s director of communications last year, Guto Harri said his boss was “literally hysterical” on the night before Gray published her damning report into the saga.As Johnson prepared a parliamentary speech responding to its findings, Harri recalled Johnson getting “more and more angry, uncharacteristically sweary and cross, the more he thought about the impact of this and what Sue Gray had done to his premiership.”Harri then floated an unconventional plan to soothe the frayed prime minister, saying to the then-PM: “Look at me. Here’s what we’re going to do. ...

‘It turned out to be a mistake’: Botched rollout puts DeSantis on his heels

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:47 GMT

You only get one chance to make a first impression. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ was a glitch.The Florida governor announced his presidential campaign on Twitter Spaces, in an appearance meant to be a veritable launch hosted by an actual rocket man.But within seconds, it was clear that Tallahassee had a problem.The feed broke, connections got cut off, the hosts seemed confused. It was inauspicious. It also was a black mark on the candidate’s supposed trademarks — expert organization and a comfort with the vanguard of modern media.“It was bold. It turned out to be a mistake,” radio host Erick Erickson emailed supporters about the mishap. “It is recoverable. But it is a reminder that some things should be under full control of the candidate, particularly the launch day.”The risk for DeSantis is the prospect of the botched rollout forming a narrative and cutting against the very argument he is making to Republican primary voters — that he is a competent alternative to the chaotic preside...

Tee Thursday: Take range time seriously

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:47 GMT

I’m not new to golf but I am new-ish to being a true golfer.I’d call myself a hack in the past: I played charity tourneys with friends and a social round here and there but despite growing up in a total golf family and living on a course (If you ever played Hatherly in Scituate, you may have sliced a ball right into our front yard on the second fairway), I never truly knew the game.A little over a year ago, I caught the bug, and as a staunch believer in respecting whatever sport I play, I wanted to do it right. And golf? Boy does golf require – and deserve – respect.So I dove into it full force: Good clubs, regular lessons, scheduled play and most of all, lots of time on the practice range.I’m coming along well, and I think a big part of why is that last step: My teaching pro Dean Hajedemos of Crosswinds Golf Club has shown me the right way to use a practice/driving range.The natural inclination for me before on the range was to grab a big bucket of balls and fire away, focusing on ...

Top Cambodian opposition party loses appeal over registration, barred from contesting July elections

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:47 GMT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s top opposition party was barred Thursday from participating in elections set for July after the Constitutional Council refused to overturn a decision not to register the party over a paperwork issue.The Candlelight Party, the sole credible challenger to the governing Cambodian People’s Party in the upcoming polls, lost its appeal because its complaint was deemed unlawful, the council said in a brief statement.The decision is final and cannot be appealed.Cambodian courts are widely considered to be under the influence of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government and his Cambodian People’s Party.The National Election Committee on May 16 had refused to register the Candlelight Party, saying it failed to provide necessary documents. A few days later the party officially filed an appeal with the Constitutional Council asking it to overturn the election commission’s ruling.Kimsour Phirith, a spokesperson for the Candlelight Party, said he “regretted” Thurs...