DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

[1/6] Kennedy Center honorees U2 band member Bono greets Cuban-born American composer, conductor and educator Tania Leon during a reception for Kennedy Center honorees ahead of the official gala at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 3, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah SilbigerWASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Actor George Clooney, singer-songwriter Amy Grant, singer Gladys Knight, composer Tania León and rock group U2 were set to be celebrated on Sunday for their contributions to the arts with a White House reception and Kennedy Center Honors show. The Kennedy Center event, now in its 45th year, honors stars from music, stage and screen for their "contribution to American culture." Grant rose to prominence as a contemporary Christian music singer who later crossed over to pop stardom, amassing six Grammy Awards. Irish band U2, with members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., has won 22 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

The G7 and Australia said in a statement the price cap would take effect on Dec. 5 or very soon thereafter. "The Price Cap Coalition may also consider further action to ensure the effectiveness of the price cap," the statement read. The G7 price cap will allow non-EU countries to continue importing seaborne Russian crude oil, but it will prohibit shipping, insurance and re-insurance companies from handling cargoes of Russian crude around the globe, unless it is sold for less than the price cap. Because the most important shipping and insurance firms are based in G7 countries, the price cap would make it very difficult for Moscow to sell its oil for a higher price. The initial G7 proposal last week was for a price cap of $65-$70 per barrel with no adjustment mechanism.

WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday designated China, Iran and Russia, among others, as countries of particular concern under the Religious Freedom Act over severe violations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Blinken in a statement said those designated as countries of particular concern - which also include North Korea and Myanmar - engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom. The United States has expressed grave concerns about human rights in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, which is home to 10 million Uyghurs. The other countries designated as countries of particular concern were Cuba, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Religious Freedom Act of 1998 requires the president – who assigns the function to the secretary of State – to designate as countries of particular concern states that are deemed to violate religious freedom on a systematic and ongoing basis.

But satellite images and photos show the Chinese-owned ship had loaded the oil four months earlier in Venezuela, an OPEC nation in South America under U.S. oil sanctions. Two of those tankers, including the Young Yong, were designated this month by U.S. authorities for violating sanctions on Iran, one of Venezuela's closest allies. The U.S. Treasury declined to comment on the involvement of the Young Yong or the other vessels identified by Reuters in shipping Venezuela crude. Indonesian authorities said in early November that the Young Yong had run aground off the Riau Islands on Oct. 26. The United States imposed oil trading sanctions on Venezuela in 2019 after calling Maduro's re-election the previous year a sham.

POLITICAL TALKSFollowing oil sanctions on Venezuela in 2019, Chevron received an exemption to trade its Venezuelan crude to recoup pending debts. Chevron's four PDVSA joint ventures produced about 200,000 barrels per day of crude oil and exported the crude around the world prior to the sanctions. It also allows the U.S. company to import supplies to help process the country's crude oil into exportable grades. That limits any wider expansion of Venezuelan oil production. Chevron and other U.S. oil refiners could benefit from supplies of Venezuela's heavy crude flowing to their U.S. Gulf Coast processing plants.

The decision allows Chevron to revive existing oil projects in the U.S.-sanctioned country and bring new oil supplies to refiners in the United States. However, it restricts cash payments to Venezuela, which could reduce the amount of oil available to Chevron. License terms are designed to prevent Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA from receiving proceeds from Chevron's Venezuelan petroleum sales, U.S. officials said. A Chevron spokesperson said the company was reviewing the license terms and declined immediate comment. Proceeds due Venezuela from Chevron's oil sales would go into a humanitarian fund rather than to PDVSA.

☆ U.S. issues expanded license to allow Chevron to import Venezuelan petroleum
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Chevron Corp FollowWASHINGTON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The United States on Saturday issued an expanded license allowing Chevron Corp to import petroleum or petroleum products produced by its ventures in Venezuela, after the Venezuelan government and its opposition said they would resume political talks. "This action reflects longstanding U.S. policy to provide targeted sanctions relief based on concrete steps that alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people and support the restoration of democracy," the U.S. Treasury Department statement said in a statement. A Chevron spokesperson said the company was reviewing the license terms. Reporting by Gary McWilliams; Writing by Daphne Psaledakis and Gram Slattery Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Utah man charged after razor blade held to another passenger's throat on flight
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Dennis-Romero-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Dennis Romero | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A Utah man accused of holding a straight-edge razor near another passenger's throat on a New York City-to-Salt Lake City flight has been charged with assault, authorities said. He was charged Tuesday with assault with a dangerous weapon on or near aircraft and carrying a weapon on a flight, prosecutors with the U.S. Justice Department’s District of Utah office said. Officials say he boarded a flight at John F. Kennedy International Airport with a concealed straight-edge razor marketed to barbers. The woman said he held the razor near her throat as he told her to pause the movie, according to prosecutors. "He was going to get help because he knew something was really off," the woman told NBC affiliate KSL, who withheld her name.

☆ Zelenskiy appeals to UN Security Council over Russian strikes on infrastructure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Juan Medina/File PhotoNov 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to take action to stop Russian air strikes targeting vital infrastructure that have once again plunged Ukrainian cities into darkness and cold as winter sets in. That's the Russian formula of terror," Zelenskiy said via video link to the council chamber in New York, adding that hospitals, schools, transport infrastructure and residential areas had all been hit. Ukraine is waiting to see "a very firm reaction" to Wednesday's air strikes from the world, he added. The council is unlikely to take any action in response to the appeal since Russia is a member with veto power. The Russian president "will try to freeze the country into submission," she added.

A cap on exports of Russian oil products is slated to begin on Feb. 5. The Treasury official told reporters the European Union is consulting with members on the price cap. The G7 price cap would allow companies to provide services including insurance, shipping and financing on Russian oil imports to coalition members, so long as the purchase of that petroleum is under the price cap. The coalition has agreed to set a fixed price on Russian oil rather than a floating rate, discounted to an oil price index, sources said this month. Such a move could send global oil prices higher, but risks damaging Russian oil fields.

☆ U.S. calls for U.N. Security Council president's statement on North Korea missiles
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield said it was vital the 15-member Security Council respond with one voice and reiterated U.S. charges that China and Russia were "emboldening" Pyongyang by blocking council action. The United States will be proposing a Presidential Statement to this end," she said, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He said Washington should take the initiative and put forward realistic proposals to respond to North Korea's "legitimate concerns." A spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations said a draft president's statement would be shared with the Security Council soon and negotiations would follow. It said the Council must act to limit the advancement of North Korea's weapons programs.

☆ U.S. imposes new sanctions over Iran sanctions evasion, targets Chinese firms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Washington has increasingly targeted Chinese companies over the export of Iran's petrochemicals as the prospects of reviving the nuclear pact have dimmed. "The United States will continue to implement sanctions against those actors facilitating these sales." Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Those that engage in certain transactions with the companies also risk being hit with sanctions. Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Jon BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ West criticizes Russia at U.N. for Ukraine war after missile crash in Poland
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The United States and its allies on Wednesday criticized Russia in the United Nations Security Council over missile attacks on Ukraine in a meeting a day after a missile that NATO said was a stray fired by Ukraine's air defenses crashed inside Poland. Military alliance NATO and member Poland said the missile was probably a stray fired by Ukraine's air defenses and not a Russian strike, easing international fears that the war could widen. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy demurred, saying there was no doubt the missile was not Ukrainian. Two people were killed by the missile in a Polish village near the Ukraine-Poland border on Tuesday, the same day Russia fired scores of missiles at cities across Ukraine, targeting its energy grid and worsening power blackouts for millions. The British and Polish ambassadors to the U.N. echoed the statement that Russia's invasion was ultimately to blame for the explosion in Poland.

☆ U.S. sanctions senior employees of Iranian state-run media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday sanctioned senior employees of an Iranian state-run media corporation it accused of being a "critical tool" in Iran's suppression and censorship of its people, stepping up pressure on Tehran over its crackdown on protests. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on six senior employees of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), which was designated by Washington in 2013. "The United States remains committed to supporting the Iranian people as they continue their peaceful protests," he said, adding that Washington would continue to hold the Iranian government accountable for human rights violations and censorship. Those that engage in certain transactions with the targeted employees also risk being hit with sanctions. Iran, which said Amini's death was due to pre-existing conditions, has accused its enemies, including the United States, of fomenting the unrest to destabilise the country.

☆ Dominican Republic steps up Haitian deportations, raising tensions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - The Dominican Republic is stepping up deportations of Haitians and is creating a police unit focused on foreigners, fueling tensions between the two Caribbean nations whose relations have for decades been marred by migration disputes. "Prime Minister Ariel Henry is very concerned about the mass deportations that are taking place in the Dominican Republic," said Jean-Junior Joseph, a spokesperson for the prime minister's office, in a statement on Wednesday. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Nov. 10 called on the Dominican Republic to halt deportations of Haitians, citing violence and systematic human rights violations in their home country. Abinader in comments broadcast by Dominican media described Turk's comments as "unacceptable and irresponsible," saying that the Dominican Republic did not have resources to help more Haitians and adding that authorities would boost deportations. Jean Bonheur Delva, head of the National Migration Office, told local media on Tuesday the figure was around 50,000 in the last three months.

☆ U.S. targets supply of Iranian drones to Russia in new sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The United States is seeking to increase pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, which has reduced cities to rubble and killed or wounded thousands. Russia has procured drones from Iran that have been used to attack cities and power infrastructure in Ukraine. Iranian military entities and industries are already under heavy U.S. sanctions over Tehran's nuclear development program. Iran has acknowledged that it had supplied Moscow with drones but said they were sent before the war in Ukraine. Treasury also targeted Abbas Djuma and Tigran Khristoforovich Srabionov, accusing the two of being involved in the Wagner group's acquisition of Iranian drones to support combat operations in Ukraine.

☆ Reports coming out of Poland 'incredibly concerning' - U.S. State Dept
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Marek Strzelecki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Reports that Russian missiles have crossed into Poland near the Ukrainian border are "incredibly concerning," State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Tuesday, adding that Washington is working to determine what happened and appropriate next steps. The State Department is talking to a range of partners about the reports and is working with the Polish government, Patel told reporters at a regular news briefing. Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Daphne Psaledakis and Costas Pitas; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ RSV hospitalization rate for seniors is 10 times higher than usual for this point in the season
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In the years before the Covid-19 pandemic, hospitalization rates for seniors were about 10 times lower at this point in the season. Based on best estimates, there are between 10,000 and 15,000 adult deaths in the United States from RSV each year and around 150,000 hospitalizations for RSV, Falsey said. Adults with weakened immune systems need to be careful in RSV season. Doctors’ offices have swab tests that can determine whether an illness is flu, RSV or Covid. Protective measures for this busy RSV season will sound familiar: Wash your hands frequently, disinfect surfaces, and wear a mask in crowded spaces.

☆ U.N. General Assembly calls for Russia to make reparations in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 14 (Reuters) - The United Nations General Assembly on Monday called for Russia to be held accountable for its conduct in Ukraine, voting to approve a resolution recognizing that Russia must be responsible for making reparations to the country. General Assembly resolutions are nonbinding, but they carry political weight. Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.N. Sergiy Kyslytsya told the General Assembly before the vote that Russia has targeted everything from factories to residential buildings and hospitals. Fourteen countries voted against the resolution on Monday, including Russia, China and Iran, while 73 abstained, including Brazil, India and South Africa. In March, 141 members of the General Assembly voted to denounce Russia's invasion, and 143 in October voted to condemn Moscow's attempted annexation of parts of Ukraine.

☆ U.S. imposes sanctions on military procurement network aiding Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Treasury also designated family members of Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, as well as individuals that it said worked as financial facilitators in Suleiman's network. The U.S. Treasury blacklisted Milandr, a Russian microelectronics company that Washington says is part of Moscow's military research and development structure. The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned major military industrial firms in Russia and the Commerce Department has cut off exports of American-made components and U.S. technologies that have been used in some of Russia's military hardware. Russia has managed to procure drones from Iran that have been used to attack cities and power infrastructure in Ukraine. Iranian military entities and industries are already under heavy U.S. sanctions over Tehran's nuclear development program.

☆ Dave Chappelle on 'SNL': A timeline of the controversy around his transgender jokes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

He made explicit jokes about trans people’s bodies and referred to trans people as “transgenders,” among other comments, Vulture said. These weren’t the first jokes Chappelle had made at trans people’s expense. 2021October 5: Netflix released Chappelle’s special “The Closer.” In it, he goes on an extended tangent about transgender people and makes several jokes at their expense. October 13: Amid calls from LGBTQ advocates, fellow comedians, Netflix employees and social justice organizations to pull the special, Netflix stood by Chappelle. Dave Chappelle attends the UK premiere of "Dave Chappelle: Untitled" at Cineworld Leicester Square on October 17, 2021, in London.

☆ U.S. to allow some Russian energy-related transactions until next May
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Simon Jessop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The United States will allow some energy-related transactions with several Russian entities including Sberbank (SBER.MM), VTB Bank (VTBR.MM) and Alfa-Bank to continue through May 14, the Treasury Department said on Thursday. Treasury said in a notice on its website that it was extending a general license that was set to expire next month. Russia's central bank is also on the list of entities. The move comes weeks before the Group of Seven's Dec. 5 price cap on Russian oil is set to take effect. Reporting by Costas Pitas and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Eric BeechOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The increased output could also cool prices for other oil products, especially for gasoline, and dampen overall refining margins. Half of the increase, though, will still come from Asia's biggest refiner Sinopec (600028.SS), one of them said, as it raises output to produce more diesel and raise fuel exports. So the mandate from the headquarters is to boost diesel production to supply the domestic market and also to raise exports," one of the Sinopec sources said. Further boosting supply, China's largest private refiner Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical Co (ZPC) is raising diesel output by cutting petrochemical production. Lockdowns have become more frequent and China's borders remain mostly shut, hurting domestic gasoline and aviation fuel sales.

☆ U.S. citizen killed in central Baghdad -police sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BAGHDAD, Nov 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. citizen was killed on Monday in central Baghdad after a failed attempt to kidnap him, Iraqi police sources said. Another police source said armed men in a vehicle opened fire at an SUV carrying the victim and shot him dead. "Our initial investigation and eyewitnesses showed that armed men were trying to kidnap the American citizen," an Iraqi police major said. The U.S. State Department was aware of reports of an American killed in Iraq and was looking into them, department spokesperson Ned Price said. Reporting by Baghdad newsroom; additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington Editing by Andrew Heavens and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

If approved, its gas could restart an idled liquefaction train with a 500 million cubic feet per day (cf/d) capacity at Trinidad's flagship Atlantic LNG project. The facility is a venture mainly including Shell (SHEL.L), BP and state-owned National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC). YEARS OF WORK AHEADTrinidad is Latin America's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, with installed capacity to process 4.2 billion cf/d into LNG, petrochemicals and power. Even if Washington granted Trinidad's request, it could take years of investment and development to bring Venezuelan gas to Trinidad and boost LNG to Europe. That project follows an amended production sharing contract for the Manatee gas field in Trinidad, which extends to Venezuela's Loran field.

Search resuls for: "Daphne"

25 mentions found