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Lebanese authorities have said that the devices used in the attacks were Gold Apollo Rugged Pager AR-924 pagers and ICOM IC-V82 walkie-talkies. The logo of Taiwanese company Gold Apollo is seen outside its office in New Taipei City on September 18, 2024. Yan Zhao/AFP/Getty ImagesThe chairman and founder of Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, Hsu Ching-kuang, was questioned by Taiwanese prosecutors last Thursday before being released. On its YouTube channel and website, Apollo Systems HK said that it had acquired the “sole distribution rights” to Gold Apollo pager systems. Hsu Ching-kuang (L), head of Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, speaks to the media outside the company's office in New Taipei City on September 18, 2024.

Persons: Budapest CNN — Israel, Yoav Gallant, “, Shin, Israel, Sean Moorhouse, ” Moorhouse, Mohamed Azakir, –, Gold, ICOM, Yan Zhao, Hsu Ching, Hsu, Teresa, Teresa Wu, Wu, Jakub Porzycki, Cristiana, Arcidiacono, ’, DANS, Dimitar Glavchev, Rinson Jose, Jose, Hassan Nasrallah, ” Nasrallah, ”, Hassan Ammar, Volker Türk, Pallabi Munsi, Katie Polglase, Tara John, Eyad Kourdi, Avery Schmitz Organizations: Budapest CNN, Getty, Israel, CNN, British Army, American University of, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Reuters, United Nations, UN Security, UN, International, New York Times, Consulting, Budapest, Gold, Prosecutors, BAC Consulting, Apollo Systems Ltd, Taiwan’s International Trade Administration, Apollo Systems, Apollo Systems HK, YouTube, Apollo, AA, ”, NBC News, Norta Global, Norta, Norwegian Police Security Service, Security, “ Authorities Locations: Beirut, New Taipei City, Budapest, Lebanon, Beirut's, AFP, American University of Beirut, Taiwan, Hungary, Taipei, Taipei City, Hong Kong, United States, Australia, Europe, Bulgaria, Norway, Anadolu, pagers, Sofia, Norwegian, Gaza

☆ I studied in North Korea for a month. The isolation shocked me the most.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-19 | by ( Paige Bruton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

It's been over a decade since I sat in the water of a Pyongyang public bathhouse, fielding questions from several North Korean university students. Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are preserved for viewers to see inside. The show is the world's largest gymnastics display and one of the most important events in the North Korean calendar. What looked like tens of thousands of North Korean children and adults played music, gave traditional dance performances, and conducted intricate gymnastics routines. During my exchange, I spoke to young North Korean people, asking them about their ambitions.

Persons: —, Todor Merdjanov, Kim Il, Merdjanov, It's, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong, we'd, chatted Organizations: Service, University, Bulgarian, Business, North Korean, Korean Studies, North, Sun, Mass Locations: Bulgarian, Pyongyang, North Korea, Seoul, South Korea, North, Sofia, Bulgaria, Beijing, North Korean, East Asia, Kumsusan, Wonsan, Korean

☆ I took my girlfriend on a 10-day multi-city trip for our first vacation together. The risky choice paid off.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Adam England | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

After dating for a few months, I planned our first official couple trip: a 10-day multi-city vacation in Spain. Fortunately, our trip went better than I could've ever imagined. I planned the vacation as a birthday gift, though we were both apprehensiveMy girlfriend and I went on a lengthy trip for our first vacation together. Our Spain trip ended up being the first of multiple vacations togetherWe had a great time in Spain. Of course, a first vacation as long and intense as this one might not be the best choice for every new couple.

Persons: —, we'd, We'd, Adam England, There's, Pol Albarrán Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Spain, Paris, Venice, Spanish, Málaga, Barcelona, Sofia, Bulgarian

PARIS — Algerian Imane Khelif won welterweight gold Friday, dispatching China’s Yang Liu and overcoming a firestorm of questions from opponents wrongly questioning her gender. "Your victory today belongs to Algeria, and your gold is Algeria’s gold. Khelif held up her gold medal for the cameras and said this was a culmination of eight years of work. Khelif and Lin are veteran fighters and well-known in the women’s boxing community. She was the first Algerian boxer to participate in the Olympics and win the most beautiful medal,” the Algerian Olympic Committee wrote on Facebook.

Persons: Imane Khelif, China’s Yang Liu, Khelif, Roland, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Lin Yu, Ting, Angela Carini, Yang, didn’t, Lin, “, Umar Kremlev, Khelif’s, sparred, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Toufik Koudri, ”, David K, Li, Sam Brock, Rima Abdelkader Organizations: Roland, Garros, Team Algeria, Algerian, Boxing, IBA, IOC, USA, Gazprom, United Nations, Olympics, Algerian Olympic, Facebook Locations: PARIS, Algerian, Algeria, USA, Europe, Chinese Taipei, France, Russian, New Delhi, Bulgarian, Paris, Russia, ”, Connecticut

☆ Protesters denounce Bulgaria's ban on LGBTQ ‘propaganda’ in schools
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Protesters rallied outside Bulgaria’s parliament on Thursday to denounce a controversial legal amendment adopted the day before that bans talk of LGBTQ and so-called nontraditional sexual choices in schools. The amendment bans the “promotion, popularization and support of ideas and opinions related to non-traditional sexual orientation or sexual identification other than biological” in schools. Protesters rally outside Bulgaria's parliament on Thursday in Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgaria has also declined to ratify the Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women, because of widespread belief it means to promote LGBTQ rights. European rights groups, like the Belgium-based Forbidden Colors, condemned the legislation as an assault on the fundamental rights of LGBTQ individuals, particularly children.

Persons: Michaela Vatcheva Organizations: European Union, Protesters, Bloomberg, Getty, Union Locations: Bulgaria’s, Bulgaria, Russia, Russian, Bulgaria's, Sofia, Istanbul, Belgium, Hungary, Bosnia, Moldova, Turkey

PARIS — The second boxer at the center of a global debate over gender eligibility and fairness at the Paris Olympics won her semifinal match Wednesday, ascending to the featherweight gold medal bout. Lin and another female Olympic boxer, Imane Khelif of Algeria, continue to face intense scrutiny and false accusations about their gender and eligibility to compete with women. The Bulgarian Olympic Committee later confirmed that Staneva was boasting about having XX chromosomes in an attempt to mock Lin. "The opponent is a respectable one.”Algeria's Imane Khelif reacts after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in a women's 66-kilogram semifinal boxing match at the Olympics on Tuesday. Some who initially criticized Khelif and Lin apologized as more information about them and the IBA’s legitimacy came to light.

Persons: Lin Yu, Esra Yildiz, Lin, Imane, Kahraman, Svetlana Staneva, Staneva, Turkey's, Peter Byrne, ” Lin, couldn't, Khelif, Thailand's Janjaem, Ariana Cubillos, Thailand’s Janjaem, Umar Kremlev —, Vladimir Putin —, Thomas Bach, ” Bach, Aijaz, ”, Mark Adams, “, Lin’s, Khelif’s, Kremlev, Imane Khelif, Vadim Ghirda, Elon Musk, Harry Potter ”, J.K, Rowling, Donald Trump, ” Trump, Logan Paul, ” Riley Gaines, Nikki Hiltz, “, ” Hiltz, it’s, ” Khelif, Yang Liu of, Julia Szeremeta, Garros, David K, Li, Matt Lavietes, Jiachuan Wu Organizations: PARIS, Paris Olympics, Bulgarian Olympic, Representatives, Turkish Olympic, Press, AP, Tokyo, Boxing Association, Olympic Committee, IOC, IBA, SNTV, USA, Olympics, X, Boston Globe, Roland Locations: Taipei, Turkey, Algeria, Paris, Russian, New Delhi, Russia, Hangzhou, China, Istanbul, “, Yang Liu of China, Taiwan, New York

One of the two female boxers at the center of an Olympic gender controversy pleaded with the public to “avoid bullying all athletes” Sunday night. The association alleged that the women failed to pass unspecified gender tests that found they had male chromosomes. The International Boxing Association, whose president is Umar Kremlev of Russia, reportedly an acquaintance of President Vladimir Putin, has had its legitimacy scrutinized in recent years. (In Olympic boxing, there are no third-place matches, so two bronze medals are awarded to the semifinal losers.) Khelif also clinched an Olympic medal Saturday after defeating Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori in a unanimous decision.

Persons: Algeria’s Imane, Lin Yu, ” Khelif, Lin, Khelif, Thomas Bach, SNTV, “, ” Lin, Mark Adams, ”, Umar Kremlev, Vladimir Putin, Khelif’s, Elon Musk, Harry Potter, J.K, Rowling, she’s, ” Rowling, Donald Trump, Giorgia Meloni, Sen, Marco Rubio, ” Trump, Nikki Hiltz, ” Hiltz, Bulgarian Svetlana Staneva, Turkey’s, Kahraman, Anna Luca Hamori, Janjaem Suwannapheng Organizations: Olympic Charter, SNTV, Olympic Committee, Paris Olympics, Boxing Association, International Boxing Association, Elon, Bulgarian Locations: Taiwan, Algerian, Tokyo, Russian, Russia, Istanbul, Paris, “, Donald Trump , Italian, Thailand

VILLEPINTE, France — Lin Yu-ting won her quarterfinal bout at the Paris Olympics against Bulgarian Svetlana Staneva in a unanimous decision on Sunday that assured a medal for the featherweight representing Chinese Taipei. Lin said she focused on preparing for the fight, apparently shrugging off baseless questions about her gender and eligibility to compete as a woman. Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting reacts after winning the women's 57kg quarter-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 4, 2024. But then all five judges scored it 10-9 for Lin in the next two rounds, securing a semifinal appearance. She'll fight Turkey's Esra Yıldız Kahraman on Wednesday night with that winner advancing to the gold medal round on Saturday night.

Persons: France — Lin Yu, Bulgarian Svetlana Staneva, Lin, Taiwan's Lin Yu, Mohd Rasfan, She'll, Kahraman Organizations: Paris Olympics, Bulgarian, Getty, Boxing Association, IOC, USA Boxing, Staneva Locations: VILLEPINTE, France, Taipei, Taiwan, AFP, Russian

☆ Rucking is a buzzy fitness trend so I tried it. I'm fit and loved how efficiently it turned my daily walk into a challenging workout.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Rachel Hosie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rucking appealed to me because it seemed like a simple way to make my daily lunchtime walks more efficient. That said, it doesn't look like a normal backpack, so I did get a few strange looks as I strolled around the rural village where I live on a weekday lunchtime. It felt very different from carrying a normal backpack, too, likely due to the weight and its positioning. AdvertisementI also learned that the ruck isn't something I will just always throw on when going for my daily walk. It ended up being a great workout, and definitely left me with aching muscles the next day.

Persons: —, Rucking, rucking, Tia, Clair Toomey, Orr, I've, rucker, it's, Rachel Hosie, I'd Organizations: Service, US Army, British Royal Marines, Business, Rucker, Wimbledon Locations: London, Bulgarian

☆ Archaeologists find marble god in ancient Roman sewer
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Rupite, Bulgaria Reuters —Bulgarian archaeologists stumbled upon unexpected treasure this week during a dig in an ancient Roman sewer — a well-preserved, marble statue depicting the Greek god Hermes. Archaeologists pictured with the statue, which was covered with soil in an ancient Roman sewer. There are a few fractures on the hands,” said Lyudmil Vagalinski, who led the team of archaeologists, adding that the statue was a Roman copy of an ancient Greek original. Heraclea Sintica was a sprawling city founded by the ancient Macedonian king Philip II of Macedon, between 356 B.C. After the earthquake, the Heraclea Sintica fell into a rapid decline and was abandoned by around A.D. 500.

Persons: Hermes, Sergieva, Reuters “, ”, Lyudmil Vagalinski, Heraclea Sintica, Philip II of Macedon Organizations: Bulgaria Reuters —, Archaeologists, Reuters, CNN Locations: Rupite, Bulgaria, Heraclea Sintica, Heraclea, Bulgarian, Pirin Macedonia, Roman

☆ Diamond League: World records tumble at meeting in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —World records have fallen at the Diamond League meeting in Paris on Sunday – less than a month before the Olympic Games start in the French capital. The crowd at Stade Charléty enjoyed their first world record of the day when Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the women’s high jump record. “Finally, I signed Ukraine into the history of world athletics.”Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the world record in the women's high jump. Geoffroy Van der Hasselt/AFP/Getty ImagesIf fans thought they were lucky to see one world record broken, it wasn’t long before they saw a second tumble. “I knew the world record was possible because I recently ran very fast in Kenya,” said Kipyegon, per World Athletics.

Persons: Stade Charléty, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Mahuchikh, ” Mahuchikh, Geoffroy Van der, Faith Kipyegon, Kipyegon, Jessica Hull, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Diamond League, Olympic, Stade, Reuters, Getty, ” Locations: Paris, Bulgarian, Ukraine, Geoffroy Van der Hasselt, AFP, pacemakers, Hull, Kenya

☆ French Open quarterfinal recap: Sinner world No. 1, Roland Garros feels like clay again
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Matthew Futterman | Charlie Eccleshare | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Follow live coverage of Day 10 at the 2024 French OpenWelcome back to the French Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament. On Day 10 of Roland Garros 2024, the men’s tour got a new world No. Today’s headline was defending champion Novak Djokovic withdrawing from the French Open. 1 on Monday, regardless of who wins the French Open title. Ons Jabeur may have lost, but her French Open run has been a boost to her confidence.

Persons: Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Ash Barty, Aryna Sabalenka, Grigor Dimitrov, Djokovic, Sinner, “ It’s, ”, Dimitrov, Coco Gauff, what’s, Gauff, Jabeur, “, It’s, Carlos Alcaraz, Tsitsipas, Alcaraz, Swiatek, Rafael Nadal —, Marketa Vondrousova, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina, Mirra, Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur, Christian, Eamonn Dalton Organizations: U.S, Bulgarian, Wimbledon, French, Getty, The Athletic Locations: Paris, 3400RPM

☆ Novak Djokovic withdraws from the French Open with a knee injury
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the French Open due to a knee injury which had plagued his fourth-round victory against Francisco Cerúndolo on Monday. Defending champion Djokovic was aiming to win his 25th grand slam singles title at Roland Garros, but pain in his right knee flared up during a bruising, five-set contest against Cerúndolo. Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty ImagesAfter dominating the first set, Djokovic tweaked his knee at the start of the second and took a medical timeout. It was only near the end of the fourth set when Djokovic was able to seemingly move without pain and raise his game. “I slipped way too many times,” Djokovic told reporters.

Persons: CNN — Novak Djokovic, Francisco Cerúndolo, Djokovic, Roland Garros, “, ” Djokovic, Instagram, Cerúndolo, Lorenzo Musetti, Antonio Borga, I’ve, That’s, Norwegian Casper Ruud, Italy’s, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov Organizations: CNN, Cerúndolo, “, ” CNN, French, Bulgarian Locations: Serbian, Eurasia, Paris, Norwegian

☆ The Kremlin is accused of waging a 'shadow war' against the West with incidents of Russian sabotage on the rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Daniel Kochis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

If true, the loss of a Polish shopping center by means of Russian arson would be shocking on its own. As NATO advances toward the July summit, it's become clear that more comprehensive discussions on addressing the Russian sabotage campaign must take place. Some of the earliest identified acts of Russian sabotage occurred in 2014 at ammunition depots in the Czech Republic killing two and causing $42.5 million in damage. Bulgaria has played a crucial role in supplying ammunition and shells to Ukrainian forces, especially in the early stages of the war. Matthias Merz/picture alliance via Getty ImagesWeapons and training facilities aiding Ukrainian forces are frequent targets.

Persons: —, Donald Tusk, MAXIM SHEMETOV, Kaja Kallas, it's, Hannah Beier, Ozempic, Abrams, Matthias Merz, Russia, John MacDougall, Daniel Kochis Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters Estonia's, West, NATO, Scranton Army, BAE Systems, Denmark's Novo Nordisk, BAE, US Army, Getty Images, Energy, NATO Pipeline System, Deutsche Bahn, Investigators, DB, Getty, Kremlin, Ukraine, Center, Hudson Institute, United Locations: Polish, Poland, Wroclaw, Lithuania, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Estonia, Czech Republic, Vrbětice, Bulgaria, Scranton, Pennsylvania, United Kingdom, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Norwegian, Baltic, Bellheim, Germany, Czech, Europe, Berlin, France, Washington, Eurasia, United States, NATO

☆ Britain summons Russian ambassador, targets Moscow-owned homes and charges five alleged spies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Russia has faced waves of sanctions from the UK and other Western nations since launching its full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, though President Vladimir Putin has sought to downplay their significance. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron described the new measures as an “unequivocal message to the Russian state” that “their actions will not go unanswered.”“Since the illegal invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s attempts to undermine UK and European security have become increasingly brazen,” Cameron said. Moscow has in the past sought to sanction Western individuals in tit-for-tat moves, barring dozens of British figures from entering the country after a previous wave of measures from London last year. “In the coming days, we should expect accusations of Russophobia, conspiracy theories and hysteria from the Russian government,” Cleverly said as he detailed the measures in Parliament on Wednesday. “This is not new, and the British people and the British government will not fall for it and will not be taken for fools by Putin’s bots, trolls and lackeys.”

Persons: James, attaché, “, Seacox Heath, ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin, David Cameron, Russia’s, ” Cameron Organizations: London CNN, Moscow, Russian, Foreign Office, National Security, British, “ Locations: United Kingdom, Russian, Highgate, London, Sussex, England, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, British

☆ For Bulgarian Voters, It’s Groundhog Day, Again
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For citizens of the United States, Britain, India and dozens of other countries around the world, 2024 is a big, high-stakes election year. For Dimitar Naydenov, a Bulgarian member of Parliament and restaurant owner, it offers only yet another Groundhog Day: Bulgaria in June holds its sixth general election in three years with a vote for a new Parliament. The total number of elections in those years is even higher — eight — if those for president and European Parliament are included. “I’ve done this so many times people have started to feel pity for me,” he said. But pity Bulgarian voters, too.

Persons: Dimitar Naydenov, “, Mr, Naydenov, shuddering, ” Locations: United States, Britain, India, Bulgarian, Bulgaria, Burgas

☆ Bulgarian Distrust of Russia Simmers Over a Black Sea Oil Terminal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The oil terminal’s piers stretch just a few score yards into the Black Sea from the Bulgarian coast. For 25 years, the Russian crude they received fed a sprawling network of economic and political influence that helped keep Bulgaria tethered tightly to the Kremlin. In recent months, however, Russia has steadily lost its grip on the Rosenets Oil Terminal, near the Black Sea port city of Burgas. Bulgaria has taken back control of the piers and has laid plans to take over management of the refinery from its Russian owner, Lukoil, if it balks at processing non-Russian oil. In January, Bulgaria halted shipments of Russian crude.

Locations: Bulgarian, Bulgaria, Russian, Russia, Burgas

☆ Tunde Onakoya: Nigerian chess champion breaks world record for longest chess marathon
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Ifeanyi Abraham | For Cnn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate Tunde Onakoya has broken the record for the longest chess marathon after playing for an extraordinary 60 hours nonstop under the bright lights of New York City’s Times Square. The Guinness World Record organization has not yet confirmed Onakoya’s attempt, which can sometimes take weeks, but for many Nigerians, the 29-year-old is already considered something of a national hero. Onakoya played against Shawn Martinez, a US chess champion, in accordance with the Guinness World Record guidelines that any attempt to break the record must be made by two players who play continuously for the duration. Onakoya founded Chess in Slums Africa, which seeks to empower children in underprivileged communities by using chess to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills, in Lagos. People celebrate as Tunde Onakoya marks 46 hours for consecutively playing a chess game in Times Square, Friday, April 19, 2024, in New York.

Persons: Tunde, Onakoya, Hallvard Haug Flatebø, Let’s, Shawn Martinez, Martinez, Davido, Adekunle, Bola Tinubu, Ajuri Ngelale, “, Tinubu, Yuki Iwamura, Solomon Passy, Russell Makofsky Organizations: CNN, New York City’s, Guinness, Nigeria’s, Champion, People, Times Locations: Nigerian, New York, Africa, Norway, Manhattan, Nigeria, Lagos, Berlin, Bulgarian, US

☆ River Danube cruise ship crashed after it was 'suddenly no longer able to maneuver,' 17 passengers injured
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA Bulgarian cruise ship carrying over 140 passengers crashed into a concrete wall along the River Danube in Austria. AdvertisementThe second-in-command of the ship, who had been at the helm during the crash, "pressed the emergency switch, whereupon the electronics started up again." An Austrian police statement indicated the collision was linked to a failure of the ship's electronics. It added: "After checking the ship it turned out that the electronics worked again after the emergency switch was reset, which is why the ship could continue its journey." Jim Watson/AFP/Getty ImagesEarlier this week, a container ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, collapsing a section of the 1.6-mile-long structure and killing six construction workers.

Persons: —, Dali, Francis Scott Key, Jim Watson Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, Sky News, South Locations: Bulgarian, Austria, Austrian, Aschach, Donau, Passau, Linz, Baltimore, AFP, Hungary, Europe, Central, Southeastern Europe, Black

☆ China faces ‘fork in the road,’ IMF chief says, urging Beijing to embark on pro-market reforms
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Kristalina Georgieva, Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), speaks during the China Development Forum 2024 at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on March 24, 2024 in Beijing, China. China has two choices right now: return to its old economic policies, or choose reforms to spur growth, according to the International Monetary Fund's Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. "China is poised to face a fork in the road — rely on the policies that have worked in the past, or update its policies for a new era of high-quality growth," Georgieva said Sunday at the China Development Forum in Beijing. "With a comprehensive package of pro-market reforms, China could grow considerably faster than a status quo scenario," she said, according to prepared remarks by the IMF. The measures coincide with other moves Beijing has made in recent weeks to boost confidence among foreign investors and businesses as it pursues a growth target of about 5% this year.

Persons: Kristalina Georgieva, Georgieva, Li Qiang Organizations: International Monetary Fund, International Monetary Fund's, China Development Forum, IMF, World Bank Locations: China, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Bulgarian

☆ China faces 'fork in the road,' IMF Managing Director Georgieva says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Kristalina Georgieva, Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), speaks during the China Development Forum 2024 at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on March 24, 2024 in Beijing, China. China needs to "reinvent itself" with economic policies to speed resolution of its property market crisis and boost domestic consumption and productivity, the International Monetary Fund's Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Sunday. Georgieva said an analysis by the IMF showed a more consumer-centered policy mix could add $3.5 trillion to China's economy over the next 15 years. "A key feature of high quality growth will need to be higher reliance on domestic consumption," Georgieva, a Bulgarian economist, said. But the IMF remarks were significant in coming at the outset of a two-day meeting where Beijing is looking to push the message China is open for business.

Persons: Kristalina Georgieva, Georgieva, Xi Jinping Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Monetary Fund's, China Development, IMF Locations: China, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Bulgarian

☆ Frank Popoff, Who Sought to Lead a Friendlier Dow Chemical, Dies at 88
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Richard Sandomir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Frank Popoff, a chief executive and chairman who tried to make Dow Chemical more conciliatory toward regulators and environmentalists in the late 1980s and ’90s, and who prodded the chemical industry to adopt safer practices, died on Feb. 25 at his home in Midland, Mich., where Dow is based. A spokesman for the company said the cause was cancer. “I think we have a fair amount of work to do in terms of the way we are viewed,” Mr. Popoff told The New York Times in 1987, shortly before succeeding Paul F. Oreffice as chief executive. “We know we’ll never change Ralph Nader’s mind. But Dow is at peace with itself, and we want our people to feel good about the company, too.”

Persons: Frank Popoff, Dow, Popoff, Orange, “ Dow, Mr, Paul F, Oreffice, “, Ralph Nader’s, ” Organizations: Dow, U.S, Environmental Protection Agency, New York Times Locations: Midland, Mich, Bulgarian, Vietnam

Greece has become the first majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage under civil law. Public opinion in majority Orthodox countries has mostly been opposed, too. Civil unions may become more common among Orthodox countries gravitating toward the European Union. Greek Orthodox showed relative tolerance, with half of Orthodox saying homosexuality should be accepted and a quarter favoring same-sex marriage. As head of the Russian Orthodox Church, he oversees the world's largest Orthodox flock.

Persons: ”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, “, George Demacopoulos, ” Demacopoulos, —, Vladimir Putin, “ perversions, Putin, Kirill, Moscow, Tiny Montenegro, Aleksandar Vucic, ″, ___ Smith, Yuras, Stephen McGrath, Illia Novikov, Veselin Toshkov Organizations: European Union, Pew Research Center, Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University, Ukrainian, of, of Human, Russian Orthodox Church, Kremlin, Russia’s, Levada, MONTENEGRO Serbia, Balkan, Serbian Orthodox Church, of Human Rights, Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Associated Press, Gec, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Greece, Montenegro, Cyprus, Russia, Eastern Europe, Washington, New York, European, UKRAINE, Ukraine, RUSSIA, Russian, BELARUS, Belarus, SERBIA, MONTENEGRO, Serbia, ROMANIA, MOLDOVA Romania, Romania, Bucharest, Moldova, BULGARIA, Bulgaria, Pittsburgh, Tallin, Estonia, Belgrade, Kyiv, Sofia

☆ Yaroslava Mahuchikh: ‘When I see Russian athletes …. I see every city destroyed,’ says Ukrainian high jumper
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Mahuchikh won her first world championship title in August, then successfully defended her Diamond League Final victory in September. That’s often a source of anxiety for Mahuchikh, especially when Russian attacks target the eastern city. This year’s Olympics, Mahuchikh believes, will enable Ukrainian athletes to promote a message of peace, though perhaps inevitably, the Games have also become entwined in geopolitics. However, international federations have the first say on whether Russian and Belarusian athletes can qualify for the Olympics. “When I see Russian athletes … I see every city destroyed, every life that was destroyed by Russian people, by the Russian Federation,” she says, adding that she would find it “difficult” to compete against athletes from Russia and Belarus.

Persons: Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Mahuchikh, “, ” Mahuchikh, –, Ben Stansall, itinerancy, ”, ‘, it’s, ’ ”, General’s, Kirby Lee, Vadim Guttsait, Greg Baker, shouldn’t, …, Emmanuel Macron, Dean Mouhtaropoulos, Guttsait, Karsten Warholm, Duplantis, Puma – Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, Diamond League, Paris Olympics, Getty, Department, USA, Reuters, Olympic Committee, International Olympic Committee, Games, Olympics, Athletics, Ukrainian, Russian Federation, IOC, Millrose, Puma Locations: Ukraine, New York, Glasgow, Budapest, AFP, Europe, Dnipro, That’s, “, ’, ’ ” Dnipro, Russia, Belarus, Xiamen, China, Paris, Belarusian, Russian, Silesia, Poland, Tokyo, Cottbus, Germany

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Hundreds of angry farmers took to the streets in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, on Monday to complain of what they called “the total failure” of the government to meet the mounting challenges of the agricultural sector. They called on Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev to step down for not keeping his promises to ease the administrative burden on the farming sector, to seek state compensation for high costs and falling incomes. Ventsislav Varbanov, who chairs the Association of Agricultural Producers, complained that the government is adding more undue burdens, instead of seeking some relief for the farmers. The association expressed discontent with a statement made by Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov in response to their demands for compensation that only grain producers who can prove a loss for 2023 will receive financial support. The association wants some form of compensation for all grain producers.

Persons: Kiril Vatev, Ventsislav Varbanov, Varbanov, Nikolay Denkov Organizations: Agriculture, of Agricultural Producers Locations: SOFIA, Bulgaria, Bulgaria’s, Sofia, Europe, Ukraine

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