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☆ Haiti crisis: Transitional government names new council president, proposes interim prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Hira Humayun | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A transitional council responsible for choosing Haiti’s next leadership has named one of its members as council president and proposed a new interim prime minister amid efforts to control the gang violence in the Caribbean nation. The council, which is responsible for paving the way for elections and addressing the country’s deteriorating security situation, on Tuesday named Edgard Leblanc Fils as its president and proposed former sports minister Fritz Bélizaire as new interim prime minister. It is tasked with the responsibility of naming a new prime minister and cabinet. The country’s former prime minister, Ariel Henry, resigned last week as the council was sworn in and the former finance minister, Michael Patrick Boisvert, has been filling the role on a temporary basis. One of the gangs’ leaders, Vitel’homme Innocent, told CNN recently that if the gangs do not get a seat, they would try other means.

Persons: Haiti’s, Edgard Leblanc Fils, Fritz Bélizaire, Ariel Henry, Michael Patrick Boisvert, Vitel’homme Innocent Organizations: CNN, Caribbean, UN Locations: Caribbean, Haiti

☆ Karen Read trial: Boston cop John O’ Keefe’s girlfriend goes on trial for murder
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

O’Keefe’s body was found in the snow on January 29, 2022, outside the home of a fellow Boston police officer in Canton, Massachusetts. Boston Police Department/AP“It’s fair to say a large number of people in Massachusetts know about this case,” Medwed told CNN. As the trial gets underway at the Norfolk County Superior Court building in Dedham, Massachusetts, here are the key highlights. The body of police officer John O'Keefe was found near the fire hydrant outside this home on Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts. Protesters gather outside the courthouse during a recent pretrial hearing for Karen Read at Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts.

Persons: John O’Keefe, Karen Read, Daniel Medwed, John O'Keefe, ” Medwed, haven’t, Read, Craig F, Walker, Alan Jackson, David Yannetti, Jackson, O’Keefe, ” Jackson, “, Kevin Reddington, Michael Morrissey, ” Morrissey, David L, Ryan, Adam Lally, “ It’s, ” Lally, Helena Rafferty, Karen Read ”, Beverly Cannone, Cannone, ” Cannone, Read’s Organizations: CNN, Boston Police, Boston, Lexus, Northeastern University . Boston Police, Boston Police Department, Court, Boston Globe, US, Office, District of, Massachusetts State Police, Protesters, Superior, WFXT, Canton Police Locations: Canton , Massachusetts, Canton, Norfolk County, Boston, Massachusetts, Norfolk, Dedham , Massachusetts, Fairview, …, Aruba, District of Massachusetts, Superior Court

☆ Former Bowlero exec says company threatened to report him to FBI in proposed extortion, retaliation suit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging they were fired based on their age or out of retaliation, according to company securities filings and the proposed countersuit. Bowlero says that Tanase resigned and then had a change of heart when he realized he wouldn't get severance pay. Now, Tanase is seeking the court's permission to countersue Bowlero and the company's executive vice chairman, Brett Parker. I've told you this before," said Tanase, according to the transcript. He also claims Bowlero sued him to deter him from filing a complaint with the EEOC or serving as a witness in its investigation into Bowlero.

Persons: Bowlero's, Thomas Tanase, Bowlero, Tanase, Thomas Shannon, countersue Bowlero, Brett Parker, Parker, Daniel Dowe, he'd, haven't, I've, Alex Spiro, Quinn Emanuel, Elon Musk, Alec Baldwin, Spiro, Scott Pickus, Pickus, Shannon Organizations: Bowlero, U.S, AMF, Lucky, Federal, CNBC, FBI, Elon Locations: Virginia, North America, Bowlero

☆ Jim Cramer sees Ford and Costco nearing buy levels. Here's the story behind each
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ford and Costco are approaching good levels to pick up additional shares, according to Jim Cramer. "Costco shares have given back some recent gains but business is strong," said Jeff Marks, the Club's director of portfolio analysis. Ford fundamentals Shares of Club name Ford rose 2.8% to $13.65 each Wednesday after vehicle sales in the first quarter grew 6.8%. "These numbers do not show the profitability of Ford," Jim said Wednesday, suggesting investors should value the company at higher levels. Ford shares need to catch up to crosstown rival General Motors , he argued.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Jeff Marks, Jim, Gordon Haskett, I'm, Craig Jelinek, Rich Galanti, Ron Vachris, Gary Millerchip, Jim Cramer's, Charly Triballeau Organizations: Ford, Costco, University of Michigan, Motors, GM, Wall, CNBC, AFP, Getty Locations: Inwood , New York

From 1985 to 2002, he worked at Goldman Sachs, one of the most storied — and criticized — investment banks on Wall Street. He famously swooped in to turn around the struggling IndyMac bank after its failure in the financial crisis of 2008. Earlier this month, Mnuchin jumped back into the headlines when his PE firm led a roughly $1 billion investment in embattled New York Community Bancorp. In 2009, OneWest Bank Group, where Mnuchin was chairman and CEO, bought the troubled IndyMac after federal regulators took over the bank. Mnuchin was Treasury secretary in 2020, when the Trump administration brokered a deal where Oracle and Walmart would take a large stake in TikTok.

Persons: Steven Mnuchin, Donald Trump’s, Goldman Sachs, Mnuchin, Max, Mnuchin's dealmaking, Robert Weissman, ” Weissman, Robert Rubin, Clinton, Weissman, couldn’t, NYCB, George Soros, John Paulson, OneWest, Kevin Kaiser, “, ” Kaiser, Maxine Waters, ”, Trump, doesn't, Chris Caulfield, ” Caulfield, ” ___ Rugaber Organizations: Trump, Public Citizen, Treasury, Treasury Department, Liberty Strategic Capital, Citizens, New York Community Bancorp, OneWest Bank Group, Federal, of Insurance Corp, FDIC, Wharton School, Oracle, Walmart, CNBC Locations: Wall, TikTok, Saudi Arabia, East, Washington, Congress, U.S, China, West Monroe, “

☆ Blindsided Trump Fraud-Trial Judge Demands Intel on Perjury Plea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"Dear Counselors," the fraud-trial judge, state Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, begins an acidly-worded email he sent Monday. After all, he notes, he is the fraud trial's "presiding magistrate, the trier of fact, and the judge of credibility." AdvertisementIn describing the potential trial monkey wrench that a Weisselberg perjury admission would be, Engoron drops some Latin. Lawyers for his co-defendants in the lawsuit — the Trump Organization, eldest sons Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump, Weisselberg and another longtime Trump Org executive, Jeffrey McConney — have also denied wrongdoing. AdvertisementAttorneys for Trump and Weisselberg, and spokespersons for the AG's office and Manhattan district attorney's office, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Allen Weisselberg, Arthur Engoron, William K, Rashbaum, Jonah E, Ben Protesss, Alan, Weisselberg, Trump's, Manhattan, Forbes, Engoron, Letitia James, Trump, Donald Trump , Jr, Eric Trump, Jeffrey McConney — Organizations: Service, New York Times, Trump Org, Business, Trump, Former Finance, Manhattan, Times, Penthouse, New York, Lawyers, Trump Organization, Weisselberg Locations: York, Bromwich, Manhattan, trier

☆ Colombia's Petro Denies Calling for Cabinet Resignations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Colombian presidents frequently request mass, 'protocol' cabinet resignations in order to make changes to the government, though these are not guaranteed. The three government sources said had Petro asked for the resignations of his ministers during a meeting on Wednesday evening. Rather than the president demanding their resignations, ministers offered to resign, Agriculture Minister Jhenifer Mojica said during a presentation near capital Bogota. Petro last called for ministers' resignations in April after a debate on a health reform was abandoned by the lower house of congress. (Reporting by Oliver Griffin and Luis Jaime Acosta; Additional reporting by Carlos Vargas; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Persons: Oliver Griffin, Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA, Gustavo Petro, Petro, Jhenifer Mojica, Jorge Ivan Gonzalez, Ricardo Bonilla, Jose Antonio Ocampo, Luis Jaime Acosta, Carlos Vargas, Sandra Maler Organizations: Finance Locations: Bogota

In a head-spinning day of court action on Monday, a lawyer for the National Rifle Association grilled its longtime chief, Wayne LaPierre, about his lavish spending. But the legal fireworks appeared to be part of a strategy to the bolster the contention of Mr. LaPierre and the N.R.A. Mr. LaPierre, 74, is a defendant in the lawsuit brought in 2020 by the New York attorney general, Letitia James. There were also trips where Mr. LaPierre and his family were hosted by N.R.A. And there was prodigious spending on charter flights; Mr. LaPierre didn’t dispute that some of the flights were solely for relatives.

Persons: Wayne LaPierre, LaPierre, Letitia James, John Frazer, Wilson Phillips Organizations: National Rifle Association, New, Beverly Hills, N.R.A Locations: New York, Beverly, Bahamas

On the eve of the trial, LaPierre, 74, announced he would resign from his position by the end of the month. While North has faced allegations of a conflict of interest from some within the NRA, he maintained that the arrangement was approved at the highest levels. “Wayne LaPierre helped me draft that agreement,” North said. “Wayne LaPierre is the one who told me: ‘I’ll take care of it.’"During the cross-examination, North emphatically denied trying to remove LaPierre from power for his own personal gain. He has agreed to testify at the trial, pay the NRA $100,000 and forgo further nonprofit involvement.

Persons: — Oliver North, Wayne LaPierre, LaPierre, I’m, North, Letitia James, scribbling, “, ”, “ We’re, Ackerman McQueen, “ Wayne LaPierre, Wayne, ” James, Wilson Phillips, John Frazer, Frazer, Phillips, Joshua Powell, James ’ Organizations: National Rifle Association, NRA, New York, North Locations: York, Manhattan, Iran

☆ The state of Wall Street's drug culture
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In today's big story, we're looking at the state of Wall Street's drug culture. What's on deck:AdvertisementBut first, does Wall Street have a drug problem? The big storyHigh on Wall StreetVartika Sharma for BIOf the many stereotypes about Wall Street, one of the most prevalent is the industry's rampant drug use. From Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" to HBO's "Industry," extreme drug use and working in finance are often portrayed as being hand-in-hand. Business Insider's finance team spoke to more than a dozen current and former finance professionals, along with several health professionals, to get a sense of Wall Street's drug culture these days.

Persons: —, Jennifer Lopez's, Vartika Sharma, Martin Scorsese's, JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE, Marty Chavez, Goldman Sachs, Chavez, that's, It's, Ted Shaffrey, Justin Sullivan, MGM Studios Jen Salke, Rachel Weisz, Alice Birch, MGM Studios Sue Kroll, Kevin Mazur, they'll, Josephine Maida, I've Organizations: Service, Business, BI, Sixth, Apple, Netflix, Big Tech, Tech, Amazon, MGM Studios, Apple Vision, Schlumberger Locations: Wall

Britain's Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer attends television interviews on the final day of the party's annual conference in Liverpool, Britain, October 11, 2023. It is not unusual for opposition leaders to receive summit invitations, but COP28 is particularly resonant. Ireland's climate minister, Eamon Ryan, hailed Britain's climate leadership, but also said Sunak's reset of some measures had not gone down well when the news was reported while he was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly. Britain's development minister Andrew Mitchell, at COP28, told Reuters what Sunak did "was very good government". But the Conservatives' former finance minister George Osborne questioned whether Sunak had been angered that Kitsotakis had met Starmer before him.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Phil Noble, Starmer, King, Jordan, John Kerry, General Antonio Guterres, Rishi Sunak, COP28, Sunak, Espen Barth Eide, Eamon Ryan, Andrew Mitchell, we're, Kyriakos, Sunak's, George Osborne, Kitsotakis, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Abnett, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Britain's Labour, REUTERS, Labour Party, UN, Labour, General, Reuters, Greek, Elgin, British, Conservatives, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, DUBAI, Dubai, Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Brazil, London, COP28, Norwegian, New York

The documents showed that the government also labeled as part of its climate change efforts items as disparate as Navy security operations and distributing fortified milk among the rural poor. Of this, Pemex spent 5.6 billion pesos on climate change and 1.3 billion pesos on the energy transition in the same period, the public accounts show. "Mexico started really strong," said Maria Jose de Villafranca, the lead researcher for Mexico at Climate Action Tracker. The government did not make officials available to discuss its climate change plans. Mexico has not released information about its strategy, which has been criticized by climate change experts as non-compliant with the Paris Agreement.

Persons: Gustavo Graf, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador's, Pemex, Victor Gomez, Gomez, Maria Jose de Villafranca, There's, Jason DeVito, Stefanie Eschenbacher, Simon Jessop, Dave Graham, Claudia Parsons Organizations: REUTERS, MEXICO CITY, Reuters, United, CFE, United Nations, Navy, Federated Hermes, Thomson Locations: El Bosque, Mexico, MEXICO, DUBAI, United States, Paris, United Nations, Dubai, CFE, Mexico City

[1/2] Former governor of Argentina's central bank, Luis Caputo, speaks during a news conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina May 4, 2018. In the meeting, however, Caputo declined to confirm that he would be the new economy minister, two of the sources said. The roadmap is orthodox and without crazy things," Caputo told the assembled bank representatives, according to a senior banking source who attended the meeting. Earlier on Friday, though, he said shutting the central bank was "non-negotiable". The second bank source said Caputo had discussed the need to fully attack inflation and lower the Leliq pile, though did not have details on how this would be done.

Persons: Luis Caputo, Marcos Brindicci, Javier Milei, Caputo, Milei, Mauricio Macri's, Javier Bolzico, ADEBA, Milei's, " Caputo, Jorgelina, Jorge Otaola, Adam Jourdan, Alistair Bell Organizations: REUTERS, La, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Argentina's, Buenos Aires, Argentina, BUENOS AIRES, Argentine, Rosario

☆ Montenegro court approves extradition of 'cryptocurrency king' Do Kwon
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Do Kwon, the cryptocurrency entrepreneur, who created the failed Terra (UST) stablecoin, is taken to court in Podgorica, Montenegro, March 24, 2023. The decision will be made after Do Kwon completes serving his prison sentence for document forgery, the court said. A South Korean national, Kwon is the former CEO of South Korea-based Terraform Labs, the company behind the stablecoin TerraUSD that collapsed in May 2022, roiling cryptocurrency markets. Following Kwon's arrest, the U.S. District Court in Manhattan made public an eight-count indictment against him for securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy. In late May, a Montenegrin court scrapped a bail of 800,000 euros for the pair, saying it could not be taken as a solid guarantee, nor their promise they would not run away once released from detention.

Persons: Kwon, Stevo, Do Kwon, Kwon ´, Han Chang, joon, Daria Sito, Mark Potter Organizations: UST, REUTERS, Rights, Police, Terraform Labs, Court, Korean, Labs, U.S, Thomson Locations: Podgorica, Montenegro, Rights SARAJEVO, South Korea, United States, U.S, Rican, Montenegrin, Dubai, Manhattan

☆ Greek Lawmakers Quit Leftist Syriza Party in Protest Against New Leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ATHENS (Reuters) - Nine Greek lawmakers quit the leftist Syriza party on Thursday after breaking ranks with its new leader, formalising a split in the country's main opposition party which they said could now disintegrate. They resigned in protest over the leadership of 35-year old Stefanos Kasselakis, a former banker who was picked as party leader in September after Syriza's heavy defeat in June's national election. "SYRIZA is experiencing a dissolution crisis," the lawmakers said in a letter, accusing Kasselakis of contradictory positions and an ideological shift from leftist principles. The lawmakers who quit Syriza have the numbers to form a separate parliamentary group and could launch a new party ahead of European Parliament elections next year. "It is very uncertain how Syriza can succeed under these circumstances," head of ALCO pollsters Costas Panagopoulos told Reuters.

Persons: formalising, Kasselakis, Syriza, Euclid Tsakalotos, Goldman Sachs, Alexis Tsipras, ALCO pollsters Costas Panagopoulos, Renee Maltezou, Gareth Jones Organizations: New Democracy, Socialist PASOK, ALCO, Reuters Locations: ATHENS, United States

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s main left-wing opposition party, Syriza, suffered a damaging setback Thursday when nine lawmakers quit the party in protest against its newly elected leadership. But he has failed so far to halt the party’s decline in popularity in the wake of a crushing general election defeat in June. Syriza has since dropped to third place behind Socialist opponents in opinion polls, boosting the dominance of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ conservative government. On Thursday, Effie Achtsioglou, a former Syriza labor minister, led the walkout as nine lawmakers declared themselves independent. He resigned following his third successive general election defeat.

Persons: Stefanos Kasselakis, Syriza, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Effie Achtsioglou, Euclid Tsakalotos, Alexis Tsipras, Syriza’s, Tsipras Organizations: Miami, Socialist, Syriza Locations: ATHENS, Greece

☆ Centeno says outgoing Portugal PM only invited him to ponder on premiership
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Sergio Goncalves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Bank of Portugal Governor Mario Centeno, who is under fire from the opposition over an invitation by the outgoing prime minister to replace him as premier, said on Monday he never accepted the offer but was just asked to ponder on the matter. Portuguese opposition parties on Friday argued that such an invitation compromised the political independence of a central bank governor. The Bank of Portugal's ethics committee is expected to meet on Monday to evaluate his conduct. Prime Minister Antonio Costa stepped down on Tuesday over an investigation into alleged illegalities in his government's handling of lithium and hydrogen projects and a large-scale data centre. Centeno announced his departure from the finance ministry in June 2020, during Costa's second term, and was nominated to head the bank a month later.

Persons: Mario Centeno, Antonio Costa, illegalities, Costa, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Centeno, Rebelo de Sousa, Olli Rehn, Balazs Koranyi, Francesco Canepa, Andrei Khalip, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Bank of Portugal, Socialist, European Central Bank policymaker, Bank of, ECB, Thomson Locations: LISBON, Portuguese, Bank of Portugal, ECB's, Finland, Frankfurt

☆ Portuguese Central Bank to Assess Governor's Conduct - Local Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON (Reuters) - The Bank of Portugal's ethics committee will meet on Monday to evaluate the conduct of governor Mario Centeno, whose independence came into question after the departing prime minister proposed him as a potential replacement, local media said. Local media reported that Centeno had agreed to let his name go forward, raising concerns that his links to the PS remained strong and calling into question his independence if he remained central bank governor. Rebelo de Sousa rejected Costa's proposal and called the election instead. Centeno's quick move from the finance ministry to the central bank in July 2020, during Costa's second term, had previously raised eyebrows. A central bank spokesperson said it was up to the committee to comment on the matter.

Persons: Mario Centeno, Antonio Costa, illegalities, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Costa, Rebelo de Sousa, Centeno, Costa's, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Negocios, Catarina Demony, Sergio Goncalves, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Bank, Socialist, European Central Bank policymaker, Local, Social Democrats, Eco, Jornal Locations: LISBON

Amid the economic turmoil of the pandemic, his government racked up Canada's highest ever deficit. Failing to curb spending now risks "the market dictating to you what you have to do with fiscal policy," said Doug Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets. "I do think they have to trim the sails a bit," he added. "It's going to be easier to get inflation down if monetary and fiscal policy are rowing in the same direction," Macklem said. Fitch Ratings stripped Canada of its triple-A credit rating in June 2020, citing pandemic spending.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Doug Porter, Chrystia Freeland, Katherine Cuplinskas, Trudeau, Macklem, Desjardins, Randall Bartlett, Simon Deeley, Robert Asselin, DBRS Morningstar, Julia Smith, Steve Scherer, Fergal Smith, Denny Thomas, Josie Kao Organizations: OTTAWA, Trudeau's Liberal, BMO Capital Markets, Finance, International Monetary Fund, of Canada's, BoC, UK, RBC Dominion Securities Inc, New, Business Council of Canada, Fitch, Moody's Investors, Canada, Thomson Locations: Canada, FES, Germany, High, Ottawa, Toronto

View of the Cobre Panama mine, of Canadian First Quantum Minerals, in Donoso, Panama, December 6, 2022. First Quantum on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law with the objective of benefiting Panama. First Quantum and its local unit Minera Panama declined to comment further. A decision to cancel the Cobre Panama mine's contract could slow Panama's GDP growth from an anticipated 6% in 2023 to just 1% without the mine in operation on an annualized basis. The odds of Panama losing its investment-grade rating would rise significantly if the contract is revoked, J.P Morgan warned on Tuesday.

Persons: Laurentino, J.P Morgan, Adriana Linares, Jackie Przybylowski, Michael Camacho, Frank De Lima, Juan Diego Vasquez, Edison Broce, Divya Rajagopal, Valentine Hilaire, Elida Moreno, Steve Scherer, Denny Thomas, Rod Nickel Organizations: Minerals, REUTERS, Aris, Quantum Minerals, Panama, Canada's Global Affairs, Reuters, Bank of Montreal, Finance, Economy, Independent, Thomson Locations: Panama, Donoso, Vancouver, Canada, Toronto

☆ Mexico President's Former Finance Minister Backs Opposition Rival
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's former finance minister is backing the main opposition alliance in next year's presidential election, the opposition's candidate said on Tuesday. "Welcome to this team," Galvez wrote on X, sharing a picture of herself and Urzua, who was finance minister from 2018 to 2019 at the start of Lopez Obrador's presidency. A respected economist, Urzua from 2000 to 2003 was Lopez Obrador's top finance official when he was Mexico City mayor. However, he remains a popular president, and MORENA's candidate to succeed him, former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, has a commanding lead over Galvez in opinion polls. Galvez heads the main opposition alliance comprising three parties ranging from the center-right to the center-left.

Persons: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's, Xochitl Galvez, Carlos Urzua, Lopez, Galvez, Urzua, Lopez Obrador's, Lopez Obrador, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Stefanie Eschenbacher, Dave Graham, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Regeneration, Lopez Obrador's, Mexico City, Mexico City Mayor, ' Movement Locations: MEXICO, Mexico

☆ Austrian ex-chancellor Kurz goes on trial for perjury
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz speaks to media as he arrives at the Austrian People's Party (OeVP) conference in Graz, Austria May 14, 2022. REUTERS/Lisa Leutner/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVIENNA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Austria's conservative former chancellor Sebastian Kurz went on trial for perjury on Wednesday in a case separate from the corruption investigation that forced him from office but which could still influence his ruling party's electoral fate. Kurz, who denies all the allegations made against him, has quit politics yet the ruling coalition he formed with the left-wing Greens in 2020 remains in power. Kurz's People's Party (OVP) is currently neck-and-neck with the opposition Social Democrats in opinion polls, well behind the far-right Freedom Party on around 30%. As chancellor, Kurz was one of Europe's youngest leaders and a household name in German-speaking countries known for his hard line on immigration.

Persons: Sebastian Kurz, Lisa Leutner, Kurz, Kurz's, Gernot Bluemel, Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Francois Murphy, Alexandra Schwarz, Christina Fincher Organizations: Austrian, Austrian People's Party, REUTERS, Rights, Greens, Kurz's People's Party, Social, Party, OVP, Thomson Locations: Graz, Austria, Vienna

☆ Mozambique seeks $3 billion from Privinvest in 'tuna bonds' scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Traditional fishing boats sail as Mozambique's tuna fleet sits in dock beneath Maputo's skyline, in this picture taken August 15, 2015. REUTERS/Grant Lee Neuenburg/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Mozambique is seeking more than $3 billion in damages from Emirati-Lebanese shipbuilder Privinvest over the decade-old "tuna bond" scandal, London's High Court heard on Tuesday. The case centres on deals struck by state-owned companies with Privinvest for loans and bonds from banks including Credit Suisse in 2013 and 2014 for fishing boats and maritime security. Mozambique alleged Privinvest paid bribes on an "industrial scale", involving the "grand corruption" of officials including Mozambique's former Finance Minister Manuel Chang, court filings showed. Chang was extradited to the U.S., where in July he pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering charges related to the tuna bonds scandal.

Persons: Grant Lee Neuenburg, Privinvest, Jonathan Adkin, Iskandar Safa, Safa, Manuel Chang, Chang, Adkin, Sam Tobin, Kirstin Ridley, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Privinvest, UBS, Credit Suisse, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Maputo's, Mozambique, Safa, U.S, London's

☆ Would-Be EU Climate Policy Chief Seeks Green Light From Lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

But lawmakers want to test him - particularly those from left-leaning groups that have recently clashed with centre-right lawmakers seeking to weaken some green policies. "We must ensure that the Commission sticks to its commitments on the Green Deal and avoids backsliding as right-wing politicians up their attacks on climate policies," Green lawmaker Philippe Lamberts said. Some lawmakers have questioned whether his previous roles equip him to lead climate policy. It is not uncommon, however, for EU commissioners to take on new portfolios and work with the EU civil service to master them. "I've met with him on the areas that I work on, and I've been very impressed," one EU official said.

Persons: Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, Wopke Hoekstra, Hoekstra, Ursula von der, Philippe Lamberts, I've, Kate Abnett, Kevin Liffey Organizations: European Commission, Green, Shell, EU Locations: Dutch, Europe, China, United States, Netherlands

For his manager, Barrie Chapman, the overtime he now gets is a huge boost once unheard of in the hospitality sector. At its "Alcampo Lounge" venue in Brighton, staff can get a free meal per shift, flexible hours, bonuses, and overtime for salaried employees. "There's been a trend in hospitality to work staff hard, to not treat them very well, because there was always another person that would come in," said head chef Chris Lloyd-Rogers. "That's why people leave work, and it's what brings people back," Wilson said. Recruitment website Indeed said its regular survey of job seekers showed that the most highly valued benefits were flexible working and sick pay.

Persons: Josh Hughes, Davies, Barrie Chapman, Jen Eaton, Nick Collins, Eaton, Chapman, Hughes, Spencer, Britain's, Loungers, There's, Chris Lloyd, Rogers, Tony Wilson, Wilson, Sarah Findlater, Fiona Walters, Amit Puntambekar, Puntambekar, James Davey, Kate Holton, David Milliken, David Clarke 私 Organizations: Reuters, Amazon, Tesco, Global, Office, National Statistics, Britain, EU, Institute for Employment Studies, Organisation for Economic Co, IES Locations: BRIGHTON, England, Brighton, Britain, Cambridge, London

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