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☆ Netflix hiked US prices in the past year, but it's cutting them in more than 36 other countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Netflix lowered its subscription prices in more than 36 countries over the past few weeks, per The Wall Street Journal. It comes after Netflix hiked its subscription prices in the US. The steaming service's prices cuts will affect various tiers of Netflix plans and are specific to each country, per the report. Some countries will be see their subscription prices drop to half of the original price. The reduction in subscription prices is part of Netflix's plans to grow its customer base outside of the US, the Journal reported.

☆ ATP roundup: Jiri Lehecka upsets Doha top seed Andrey Rublev
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

1 seed Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday in Doha. Lehecka will face Great Britain's Andy Murray in the semifinals after Murray rallied past French qualifier Alexandre Muller 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. 7 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Thursday while Medvedev battled past Christopher O'Connell of Australia 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. 1 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland dropped his first set before rallying past Switzerland's Leandro Riedi 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in second-round action at Marseille, France. Third seed Alex de Minaur of Australia beat Swiss qualifier Alexander Ritschard 6-3, 6-3, while fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria was a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Dutch qualifier Gijs Brouwer.

☆ Netflix Cuts Subscription Prices in Over 30 Countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Sarah Krouse | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Netflix has cut prices for customers in several countries including Yemen, Kenya and Croatia in recent weeks. Netflix Inc. has reduced the cost of its service in more than three dozen countries in recent weeks, as it tries to appeal to customers around the world who have an ever-growing list of streaming options. The streaming company’s recent price cuts span Middle Eastern countries including Yemen, Jordan, Libya and Iran; sub-Saharan African markets including Kenya; and European countries such as Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, the West formed what looked like an overwhelming global coalition: 141 countries supported a United Nations measure demanding that Russia unconditionally withdraw. South Korea Indonesia Israel Thailand Japan Saudi Arabia Philippines Afghanistan CambodiaBy contrast, Russia seemed isolated. Eritrea “Russian actions are being distorted” North Korea Russia Belarus Syria Eritrea “Russian actions are being distorted” North Korea Russia Belarus SyriaBut the West never won over as much of the world as it initially seemed. But like many other African countries, South Africa appears careful to balance its growing ties with Russia against maintaining a relationship with the West. Others that provided Ukraine with military support have declined to impose economic sanctions on Russia.

Biden said the West was never plotting to attack Russia and the invasion was Putin's choice. "It is a big mistake," Biden said of Putin's decision before his session with eastern European allies known as the Bucharest Nine. We will defend literally every inch of NATO, every inch of NATO," he said. The Kremlin says it regards NATO, which could soon expand to include Sweden and Finland, as an existential threat to Russia. It said the leaders looked forward to further strengthening unity and collective defense at a NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

☆ WTA roundup: Top seeds roll in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

February 22 - The top two seeds in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships lost a combined three games while cruising to second-round wins on Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, the reigning French Open and U.S. Open champion, routed Canada's Leylah Fernandez 6-1, 6-1, and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the reigning Australian Open champion, demolished the United States' Lauren Davis 6-0, 6-1. Third-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States, who lost to Swiatek in the Doha final, got past Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 in the second round at Dubai. Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, had lost her first-round matches at Auckland, New Zealand; Hobart, Australia; and the Australian Open to begin the year.

☆ EU still has not agreed on anniversary Russia sanctions, more talks Thurs - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It would also bar more EU exports to Russia of tech equipment and spare parts Moscow might use on the battlefield. "There are several issues outstanding, including on rubber and reporting obligations," said one of the sources, who all spoke under condition of anonymity due to the confidentiality of the negotiations between EU countries. More talks among Brussels representatives of EU members were due on Thursday afternoon, said the sources. NO NUCLEAR, DIAMONDSTaken all together, the sanctions against Russia would be the toughest the bloc has ever imposed. So that's why we hope that we will see these sanctions in the tenth package, otherwise, maybe in the next packages."

☆ 'Digital nomads' can now live in Spain with their families — if they earn enough
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Chris Dwyer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The so-called "digital nomad" visa is open to a wide variety of remote workers and has already attracted considerable interest. U.S. Google searches for "digital nomad visa Spain" spiked by 66% in late January, according to digital marketing specialists Semrush. Fernando Angulo (pictured here in Colombia) said he's lived in many countries as a "digital nomad," including Russia, Argentina and India. Source: Zach BoyetteZach Boyette, co-founder of the digital marketing agency Galactic Fed, called Spain's digital nomad visa a "game changer." Boyette, a longtime digital nomad, said the visa allows digital nomads to "spend a longer time in Europe," he said.

☆ Six charged after 18 migrants found dead in truck in Bulgaria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SOFIA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Bulgarian prosecutors have charged 6 people with human trafficking after 18 Afghan migrants were found dead inside a truck dumped on an dirt road near the capital Sofia on Friday. The truck driver and his companion were also charged over the deaths of the migrants, prosecutors said. The 18 victims died of a combination of lack of oxygen in an enclosed space and difficulty breathing as they had been crammed into the truck "like in a tin can", Sarafov said. The other 34 migrants, who were rushed to hospitals on Friday, remain in stable condition, officials said. Prosecutors said the ring had trafficked migrants from the border with Turkey across Bulgaria to Serbia, from where they continued their journey mainly to Britain, Germany and France.

☆ Wealthy Americans are racing to get the EU's last remaining 'golden passport' before it's gone
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For the first time, Americans are applying for "golden passports" more than any other nationality. For the first time, Americans are applying for golden passports and visas more than any other nationality, according to Henley & Partners' 2023 USA Wealth Report, released Thursday. Henley & Partners' Head of North America Mehdi Kadiri said Malta's golden passport scheme was the second-most sought-after program among Americans, in part because Malta's program is accessible through real estate investment. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt reportedly applied for European citizenship in 2020 through Cyprus' now-defunct golden passport program. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, golden passports and visas faced global scrutiny for allowing sanctioned oligarchs access to the UK.

☆ Sanctions on Russian oil are having the 'intended effect,' IEA says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Russia announced that it would cut oil production by 500,000 barrels per day in March after the West slapped price caps on Russian oil and oil products. The European Union's embargo on Russian oil products came into effect on Feb. 5, building on the $60 oil price cap implemented by the G-7 (Group of Seven) major economies on Dec. 5. Bosoni, who's head of the oil industry and markets division at the IEA, told CNBC on Wednesday that Russian oil production and exports had held up "much better than expected" in recent months. Some Russian oil is also still making its way to Europe through the Druzhba pipeline and Bulgaria, both of which are exempt from EU embargo. watch now"The price cap was put in place to allow for Russian oil to continue to flow to market, but at the same time reducing Russian revenues.

☆ Russian banks and invasion leaders in focus as EU debates new sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Russia's President Vladimir Putin and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet on sideline of the Libya summit in Berlin, Germany January 19, 2020. "We will impose sanctions on a number of politicians and military leaders," the head of EU executive European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said last week after a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "We will target (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's propagandists because their lies are poisoning the public space in Russia and abroad." This will further starve Russia's military machine and continue to shake the foundation of its economy," she said. The Commission also put forward further restrictions on European joint ventures with Russia and Russian nationals sitting on boards in Europe, they added.

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Adobe Inc (ADBE.O) will need to secure European Union antitrust approval for its $20 billion bid for cloud-based designer platform Figma even though the deal falls short of the EU turnover threshold for a review, EU regulators said on Wednesday. The move by the European Commission underlines regulators' worries on Big Tech acquiring smaller innovative rivals and the impact on competition. Photoshop maker Adobe had originally sought approval from antitrust agencies in Austria and Germany for the deal. Austria subsequently referred the case to the Commission, prompting the other EU countries to join in. "We look forward to working constructively with the European Commission to address its questions and bring the review to a timely close," a spokesperson for San Francisco, California-based Figma said.

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☆ EU looks to tighten borders to keep unwanted migrants away
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"European countries are experiencing a big increase in the number of people who are coming from outside Europe on an irregular basis," said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Still, with global mobility restarting since the COVID-19 pandemic, irregular arrivals into the EU rose last year to their highest level since 2016, reviving harsher anti-immigration rhetoric. WALLS AND FENCES"We need to 'pull the brake' on illegal migration in the EU," said Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The EU's executive, which holds the bloc's shared budget, has long refused to finance border walls, though it does pay for surveillance equipment and other infrastructure. Catholic charity group Caritas said EU leaders should look into improving the bloc's asylum procedures and reception centres to "put human rights and dignity front and centre".

☆ Former Bulgaria energy minister charged with mismanagement of gas deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SOFIA, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Bulgarian investigators charged former energy minister Alexander Nikolov on Wednesday with mismanagement that led to losses of more than 88 million levs ($48.36 million) at state gas firm Bulgargaz, related to Russia cutting off gas supplies to the country. Russia cut the gas supplies on which Bulgaria was almost fully reliant at the end of April 2022 after the European Union country refused to pay for deliveries in roubles. Former deputy energy minister Danail Nikolov has been charged with malfeasance as part of the same probe. The centre-right GERB party has accused the former government of reformist Kiril Petkov of paying higher prices to secure alternative gas supplies after it refused to pay for Russian gas in roubles. Petkov's coalition government, where Nikolov was energy minister, was toppled in a no-confidence vote six months after taking office in December 2021.

☆ EU says over 10 search and rescue teams mobilised to Turkey after earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 6 (Reuters) - More than 10 search and rescue teams from the EU have been mobilised in the wake of the major earthquake that has hit Turkey, a spokesperson for the European Commission told reporters on Monday. "Urban Search and Rescue teams have been quickly mobilised from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, France, Greece, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania to support the first responders on the ground," the European Commission said in a statement. Italy, Spain and Slovakia have offered their rescue teams to Turkey as well. The EU said it was also ready to support those affected in Syria, but said it had not yet received a request from the country to activate the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism, which coordinates assistance from EU and other European countries. Reporting by Bart H. Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy wants more money for Africa to curb arrivals in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It also sought a new "Pact for Africa" to help investment, education, training, business and jobs around the world's poorest continent. The summit has been convened after Austria and the Netherlands led complaints about increasing irregular arrivals. The bloc's border agency Frontex reported 330,000 irregular border crossings last year, the highest since 2016 as global mobility restarted following the COVID pandemic. When they meet in Brussels, EU leaders will also discuss NGO search-and-rescue operations in the sea after Meloni already sought to limit such activity through a national decree. EU countries remain bitterly divided over how to provide for those who win asylum.

Turkey’s two main fault zones — the East Anatolian and the North Anatolian — make it one of the most seismically active regions in the world. Magnitudes of major earthquakes since 1900 Map showing the East Anatolian and North Anatolian fault zones in Turkey. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake at 4:17 a.m. local time, and the unusually large 7.5-magnitude aftershock nine hours later, both were in the East Anatolian Fault Zone. The East Anatolian zone encompasses the area where there is movement of the Anatolian Plate relative to the Arabian Plate to the southeast. The North Anatolian zone is where there is movement of the Anatolian Plate and the Eurasian Plate to the north.

☆ I'm one of 2 honey sommeliers in the US — here's how I ended up tasting this sweet but surprisingly complex substance for a career
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marina Marchese is one of two certified honey sommeliers in the US. Marchese said the work often involves tasting honey to identify its botanical sources. My origin storyI came into the world of honey tasting by way of beekeeping. Since then there has been a second, which only underscores the point that there are very few honey sommeliers in the country. Unlike wine sommeliers who swirl their glasses before they taste to release a wine's aromas and compounds, we honey sommeliers smear our glasses.

☆ France leads push for EU to boost nuclear-produced hydrogen
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ministers from France, Poland, the Czech Republic and six other EU countries wrote to the European Commission this week urging it to open up EU renewable energy targets to include hydrogen produced from nuclear energy. EU countries and lawmakers have been preparing for negotiations next week on the law, which will guide the pace of Europe's renewable energy expansion this decade. Hydrogen can also be produced from electricity, so the EU wants to set sectoral targets for hydrogen made from renewable electricity. The nine countries' letter, seen by Reuters, said the EU should include nuclear energy - which is low-carbon, but not renewable. At least nine EU countries oppose the idea, among them Germany, Denmark, Austria and Luxembourg, officials said.

☆ Western tankers ramp up Russian oil shipments under price cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Group of Seven nations (G7), Australia and the 27 European Union countries placed a price limit on Russian crude oil of $60 per barrel on Dec. 5. The cap allows non-EU countries to import seaborne Russian crude oil, but prohibits Western shipping and insurance companies from handling cargoes of the crude unless it is sold at or below that price. Russia has said it will not accept an oil price cap. GREEK RELIEFGreek-owned ships run by Greek management firms handled at least 21 voyages of Russian crude in January to a range of destinations. NGM said its tanker, the Ace, had discharged crude oil in Bulgaria.

☆ U.S. targets global sanctions evasion network supporting Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on 22 individuals and entities in multiple countries that it accused of being tied to a global sanctions evasion network supporting Russia's military-industrial complex. The action targeted a sanctions evasion network that the Treasury said is led by Russia and Cyprus-based arms dealer Igor Zimenkov, who, along with his son, Jonatan, were hit with sanctions on Wednesday. The network has engaged in projects connected to Russian defense capabilities, including supplying high-technology devices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Treasury said. Washington also accused certain members of the network of supporting state-owned Russian defense entities under sanctions. GBD Limited, another company in the network targeted in the sanctions, has attempted to supply weapons systems to an African government, Treasury said.

☆ Asia absorbs big rise in Russian Urals crude exports - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

At least 5.1 million tonnes of Urals are being shipped from Russia's European ports of Primorsk, Ust-Luga and Novorossiysk to Asia in January, the data show. As a result, Urals crude loadings bound for Asia in January could reach some 7 million tonnes, up by some 2 million tonnes from December, according to Reuters calculations. The rise in Urals shipments to Asia comes amid a general increase in Russia's seaborne oil supplies. Crude loadings from Primorsk and Ust-Luga this month are set to rise 50% from December to above 7 million tonnes - the highest in four years. Urals supplies for ship-to-ship transfers for further deliveries to Asia in January are expected to reach at least 1.4 million tonnes.

☆ India's sunoil imports rise to record as Russia-Ukraine fight for market share
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 27 (Reuters) - India's January sunflower oil imports are set to surge to a record 473,000 tonnes, nearly triple average monthly imports as top exporters Russia and Ukraine seek to reduce stockpiles, industry officials told Reuters. The import surge will help key Black Sea producing countries in reducing their stocks, but could dampen India's palm oil imports and weigh on Malaysian palm oil prices . The deal allowed exporters to move stuck stockpiles and sign new contracts as well, said Sandeep Bajoria, president of the International Sunflower Oil Association. India's monthly sunoil imports averaged around 161,000 tonnes in 2021/22 marketing year ended on Oct. 31. "Sunflower imports would reduce palm oil purchases this quarter.

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