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☆ Toblerone chocolate to cut iconic Matterhorn logo from packaging due to 'Swissness' laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Toblerone chocolate bars with a representation of the Matterhorn mountain (back) and of a generic mountain (front) in Geneva. The Swiss Matterhorn peak will be removed when some of the chocolate's production is moved from Switzerland to Slovakia and replaced by a more generic mountain under strict "Swissness" rules. Toblerone chocolate packaging will no longer feature Switzerland's iconic Matterhorn mountain, as its U.S. owner Mondelez moves some production to Slovakia later this year. The company will also remove a reference to Toblerone being "Swiss chocolate," instead declaring it, "Established in Switzerland in 1908." Mondelez confirmed it is changing its packaging due to Swiss legislation as it moves some production overseas.

☆ Toblerone chocolate could lose its iconic Swiss mountain logo because it won't be able to meet the country's standard of 'Swissness'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Toblerone is set to drop the iconic image of Switzerland's Matterhorn mountain from its packaging. Switzerland has laws regulating the use of national symbols and products claiming to be Swiss-made. Toblerone's new branding will feature a "modernized and streamlined" logo instead of the Matterhorn's jagged outline, per Aargauer Zeitung. The Matterhorn debuted on Toblerone's packaging in 1970, according to its brand page. "We'll relaunch the Toblerone packaging from this summer, saying the brand was 'established in Switzerland,'" Livia Kolmitz, a Mondelez spokeswoman, told Reuters.

☆ Ukraine, Neighbors Sign Pact on Prosecuting the Crime of Aggression
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Ian Lovett | Oksana Grytsenko | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

International prosecutors including U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, third from left center, met to discuss the international response to aggression against Ukraine. LVIV, Ukraine—Representatives from seven countries agreed Saturday to establish an international center for prosecuting the crime of aggression, which they hope will be a first step toward going after the top Russian officials responsible for invading Ukraine. At a summit in Lviv that brought together leaders from across the Western world, officials from Ukraine, the Baltic states, Poland, Romania and Slovakia signed the agreement to create the new center in The Hague.

[1/5] The logo of Nord Stream AG is seen at an office building in the town of Vyborg, Leningrad Region, Russia August 22, 2022. Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipes, were built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom to pump 110 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Three of the pipes were ruptured by unexplained blasts in September, and one of the Nord Stream 2 pipes remains intact. Engie (ENGIE.PA), Gasunie (GSUNI.UL) and Wintershall DEA (WINT.UL) (BASFn.DE) - stakeholders in Nord Stream AG, the operator of Nord Stream 1 - declined to comment. The similar-sized Nord Stream 2 had been completed in September 2021 as tensions with Russia were growing and ran in trouble as Germany's regulators refused to certify it.

☆ WTA roundup: Katie Volynets escapes 5-0, third-set hole
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 2 - Down 5-0 and a match point in the third set, the United States' Katie Volynets rallied to upset third-seeded Anastasia Potapova of Russia 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 on Wednesday in the second round of the ATX Open in Austin, Texas. Volynets heated up while winning the last seven games, as she lost just one point total in the final three games. Abierto GNP SegurosThird-seeded Donna Vekic of Croatia needed just 80 minutes to rout the United States' Emma Navarro 6-3, 6-2 in the second round at Monterrey, Mexico. Fifth-seeded Lin Zhu of China registered a 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3 win over Canada's Rebecca Marino, and Belgium's Ysaline Bonaventure topped Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova 7-6 (2), 1-6, 6-3. In the last match of the night, Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova was scheduled to oppose the United States' Caroline Dolehide.

[1/5] An employee prepares online grocery orders in the storage area of Czech online grocer Rohlik Group in Prague, Czech Republic February 1, 2023. HUGE GROWTH POTENTIAL Rohlik, founded in 2014, leads the Czech market by mainly targeting customers in big cities through its string of distribution warehouses. "Competition is still mainly driven by stationary retail but a small number of online grocery players are gearing up in each market to become leading e-grocery platforms." KOSIK TURNS EASTAs Rohlik bets on Germany, Kosik is looking eastward, entering the Slovak market and expanding in Bulgaria. CEO Ivan Utesil said the company would also seek to cut into Czech market share by capitalising on its tie-in with German wholesaler Metro (B4B.DE) in some regional areas.

☆ Ukraine's economy stabilizes after shock of war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

The economy shrank by a third last year, the largest fall since Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine's largest steel mill, said its production was currently at about 25% of pre-war levels amid electricity blackouts. Ukraine's central bank predicts GDP will grow by 0.3% this year, while the economy ministry forecasts 3.2% growth. The agreement saved Ukraine's agriculture, which accounted for about 12% of GDP and some 40% of overall exports before the war. The steel sector, a key pillar of the economy, is among the hardest hit.

☆ Russia halts pipeline oil supplies to Poland, PKN Orlen CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Russia has halted supplies of oil to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline, Daniel Obajtek, chief executive officer of Polish refiner PKN Orlen (PKN.WA), said on Saturday. PKN Orlen said it could fully supply its refineries via sea and that the halt in pipeline supplies would not impact deliveries of gasoline and diesel to clients. The pipeline, which supplies oil to Poland and Germany, as well as to Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, was excluded from sanctions to help countries with limited options for alternative deliveries. Following the invasion of Ukraine and before the EU embargoed seaborne supplies from Russia, Orlen stopped buying Russian oil and fuels via the sea. Its capacity tops volumes that can be processed by Polish refineries and is in part used to supply oil to refineries in eastern Germany that are linked to Druzhba.

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.

WHO IS INVESTIGATING WAR CRIMES IN UKRAINE? Ukrainian war crimes prosecutors are working with mobile justice teams supported by international legal experts and forensic teams. A total of 296 individuals have been charged with war crimes. War crimes can be defined under customary international law or national law. A number of mostly European states have universal jurisdiction laws that allow them to prosecute Ukrainian war crimes.

☆ Biden, Putin display their alliances with Ukraine war backdrop
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Washington is concerned Beijing could provide material support for Moscow's war in Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24 last year and has become the biggest land conflict in Europe since World War Two. Not just for Ukraine, but for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and around the world," Biden said. In two speeches last September Putin indicated that he would, if needed, use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. "We have heard implicit threats to use nuclear weapons. The so-called tactical use of nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptable.

☆ Hundreds of foreign soldiers to help train Ukrainian troops in Germany, general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Marlow's Special Training Command (STC) is part of a European Union military mission set up in November to train up to 30,000 Ukrainian troops in various skills to help Kyiv fight off Russia's year-old invasion. Courses in various European countries range from basic training to the operation of modern battle tanks such as the Leopard 2, air defence systems, rocket launchers and howitzers. Poland is another major training hub while Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Italy are also running courses. Beyond the EU mission, U.S. and British troops are training Ukrainian troops in Europe as well. Marlow said he was impressed by the quick wits, skills and commitment of the Ukrainian troops.

"One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv," Biden said at the Warsaw Royal Castle Gardens as the crowd waved Polish flags. "Well I've just come from a visit to Kyiv and I can report Kyiv stands strong, Kyiv stands proud, it stands tall and most important, it stands free." "One year into this war, Putin no longer doubts the strength of our coalition, but he still doubts our conviction. U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in Kyiv, Ukraine on February 20, 2023. "Tonight I speak once more again to the people of Russia: The United States and the people of Europe do not seek to control or destroy Russia," Biden said.

☆ Eleven EU countries urge 'great caution' in loosening state aid rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Eleven European Union countries urged "great caution" in relaxing the bloc's state aid rules in a bid to support Europe's green industry in a global race, saying that risked damaging competition inside the bloc, a document showed. The Commission proposed easing EU restrictions on state aid for investments in renewable energy or decarbonising industry, partly in response to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. "EU state aid rules should be designed taking into account the value added at the level of EU as a whole. EU state aid rules should protect the level playing field on the EU internal market," it said. The European Commission initially also proposed creating a special fund meant to help poorer EU countries dole out more state aid.

☆ Factbox: Will Ukraine get Western fighter jets and what are the challenges?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday several Western countries were ready to provide Kyiv with aircraft to defeat Russia's invasion. Ukraine has been asking allies to provide modern fighter jets - dubbed "wings for freedom" in Zelenskiy's speech to British lawmakers this week - to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet MiG and Sukhoi planes. WILL UKRAINE GET THE FIGHTER JETS? Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson did not rule out sending fighter jets but played down expectations, saying the issue was not on Stockholm's agenda at the moment. The Kremlin has said that Western countries would be moving towards direct conflict with Russia if they send jets.

LONDON/WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A global ransomware outbreak has scrambled servers belonging to Florida's Supreme Court and several universities in the United States and Central Europe, according to a Reuters analysis of ransom notes posted online to stricken servers. Florida Supreme Court spokesman Paul Flemming told Reuters that the affected infrastructure had been used to administer other elements of the Florida state court system, and that it was segregated from the Supreme Court's main network. "Florida Supreme Court's network and data are secure," he said, adding that the rest of the state court system's integrity also was not affected. Because internet-facing servers were affected, researchers and tracking services like Ransomwhere or Onyphe could easily follow the criminals' trail. Digital safety officials in Italy said on Monday that there was no evidence pointing to "aggression by a state or hostile state-like entity."

The gathering of the 27 national EU leaders was called after Austria and the Netherlands led a growing choir of complaints about increasing arrivals. In a call ahead of the summit with his Polish, Belgian, Finnish, Maltese and Bulgarian counterparts, Orban called for EU financing for such projects, saying that "fences protect all of Europe", according to his press chief quoted by state news agency MTI. In a joint letter ahead of the summit, the leaders of Malta, Denmark, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Austria and Slovakia said the EU's "current asylum system is broken." "Irregular migration has once again become one of the most pressing issues in the EU," they said. "Without renewed and successful efforts ... irregular migration to Europe can only be expected to continue and increase in the coming years."

LONDON/WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A global ransomware outbreak has scrambled servers belonging to Florida's Supreme Court and several universities in the U.S. and Central Europe, according to a Reuters analysis of ransom notes posted online to stricken servers. The Florida Supreme Court didn't respond to messages. Reuters contacted the hackers via an account advertised on their ransom notes but only received a payment demand in return. Because internet-facing servers were affected, researchers and tracking services like Ransomwhere or Onyphe could easily follow the criminals' trail. Reporting by James Pearson in London and Raphael Satter in Washington; Editing by Anna DriverOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ A Swedish-made fighter jet could tip the scales against Russia in Ukraine, but it might not get there any time soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ukraine's air force remains in the fight almost a year after Russia's shambolic invasion. Sooner or later, Ukraine must induct new jet fighters into service — and they sure aren't buying them from Russia. JAS-39 Gripen: background and capabilitiesA Swedish JAS 39 Gripen at Bobo, Norway in October 2018. A Hungarian Air Force JAS-39 Gripen in August 2010. JAS-39 Gripen vs. F-16A US Air Force F-16 takes off from Aviano Air Base in Italy in June 2020.

☆ U.S. grabs 2-0 lead in Davis Cup at Uzbekistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

February 4 - The United States moved to the brink of advancing out of its Davis Cup qualifying series by winning both singles matches against host Uzbekistan on Friday in Tashkent. Mackenzie McDonald beat Sergey Fomin 6-4, 6-1 before Tommy Paul, fresh off reaching the Australian Open semifinals, defeated Khumoyun Sultanov 6-1, 7-6 (6). In other Friday action, Germany and Switzerland split their first two singles matches in Trier, Germany. Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler rallied past Oscar Otte 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 before Germany's Alexander Zverev downed Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-1. Serbia holds a 2-0 lead on host Norway in Oslo, and host Sweden is up 2-0 on Bosnia and Herzegovina in Stockholm.

☆ Czechs and Slovaks see storms disrupt traffic and cut power
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 4 (Reuters) - Gale-force winds and snow storms cut power supplies to thousands of Czech households on Saturday and closed the main east-west highway in Slovakia, officials and local media said. In Slovakia's Zilina region, authorities called on people to stay indoors and avoid non-essential travel, especially to the north of the country, as winds reached more than 120 km per hour in the Tatra mountains. A section of the D1 highway near the Tatra mountains was closed for several hours after around 30 cars were caught in an accident due to heavy snowfall, local media reported. In the Czech Republic, 15,000 households were still without electricity in the afternoon - down from around 90,000 in the morning - after strong winds brought down trees and disrupted the grid, while dozens of train services were canceled, CTK news agency reported. Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB set to raise rates again in May, policymakers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

While neither would specify where rate hikes could end, Simkus said the ECB could be approaching a peak. "I think that we are already moving towards that terminal rate." Indeed, analysts polled by the ECB expect the euro zone central bank to eventually conquer inflation - but not for another two years. Markets currently price the terminal rate at 3.35%, suggesting that some investors see just a 25-bp move after the already signalled March move, while others see 50. Companies surveyed by the central bank were planning to raise prices at a slower pace and with less conviction.

☆ 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.

☆ Four of six accused get lengthy sentences over Vienna jihadist attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A Vienna court on Thursday handed lengthy sentences, including life in prison, to four of six men accused of helping a jihadist prepare a deadly shooting rampage in 2020. While police said the gunman, Kujtim Fejzulai, who held Austrian and North Macedonian nationality, carried out the attack alone, the six defendants were accused of providing help beforehand. Two others received sentences of 20 and 19 years, the court said in a statement. The second defendant sentenced to life was Heydayatollah Z, 28, who lived with the attacker for weeks before the attack. The two defendants with the mildest sentences accepted the ruling, the court said, Of the remaining four, three plan to appeal and the other is considering it, added.

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