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☆ Hungary central-bank chief sees chance for euro adoption only after 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, June 2 (Reuters) - Hungary should not consider adopting the euro before 2030 as joining the single currency zone before its economy is duly prepared would backfire, central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy said on Friday. Matolcsy said once Hungary reaches about 90% of the EU's average level in terms of economic development, then the adoption of the single currency could be put on the agenda. "It is dangerous to enter the club of the rich while the economy is unprepared for it," Matolcsy told state radio. "Perhaps around 2030 or a bit later we could reach ... 90% of the EU's average in terms of development, then it's worth entering (the euro zone) as the euro has many advantages," Matolcsy said. The National Bank of Hungary is currently fighting the EU's highest inflation rate, running at an annual 24% in April, while the economy is slowing sharply.

Persons: Gyorgy Matolcsy, Matolcsy, Mihaly Varga, Krisztina, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: National Bank of, EU, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, Hungarian, National Bank of Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia

☆ We're a millennial couple in Singapore, where real-estate prices are skyrocketing. House hunting was surprisingly easy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For about a year, he lived with me and my family in our five-room Housing Development Board flat in Holland Village. Housing Development Board flats are public housing, and they're home to about 80% of the country's resident population. The seller's agent told us the Housing Development Board valuation was SG$430,000, and we ended up making an offer of SG$445,000, which was accepted. After the down payment, most people either take a Housing Development Board loan or a bank loan to finance their homes. The Housing Development Board interest rate is fairly stable and has stayed at 2.6% a year for a few years now, though the Housing Development Board acknowledges that it may be adjusted over the year.

Persons: Vanessa Tai, —, They're, hadn't, It's, we're, it's, We're Organizations: Service, Board, Housing, Google, Central Provident Fund Locations: Europe, Singapore, Croatia, Holland Village, Holland, Sengkang, we're

☆ A filmmaker used AI to create an IKEA-like catalog full of bomb shelter furnishings. It's mesmerizing — and dystopian.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He used AI platform Midjourney to create a catalog of bomb shelter furnishings in the style of an Ikea catalog. He's generated more than 24,000 images using Midjourney; Ikea, of course, wasn't involved. He prompted the tool to create images of bomb shelter furnishings and the results look like they're straight out of an Ikea catalog. For creatives like Filkovic, AI tools could ultimately serve as a breakthrough for bringing abstract concepts to fruition. Take a closer look at the images that AI-powered Midjourney generated for Filkovic's bomb shelter series:

Persons: Filip, Philatz, wasn't, Filkovic, Pope Francis, Donald Trump, He's, Wes Anderson, Midjourney, it's Organizations: Ikea, Facebook Locations: Croatia

☆ U.N. judges expand conviction of Milosevic aides in final Yugoslav tribunal case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Stephanie Van Den Berg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Former head of Serbia's state security service Jovica Stanisic appears in court at the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) in The Hague, Netherlands May 31, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/PoolTHE HAGUE, May 31 (Reuters) - U.N. judges on Wednesday expanded the convictions of two former Serbian spymasters who worked for Yugoslav ex-president Slobodan Milosevic and sentenced them to 15 years in the final case before the tribunal in The Hague dating from the Balkan wars of the 1990s. The former head of Serbia's state security service, Jovica Stanisic, and his subordinate Franko "Frenki" Simatovic could be held responsible for crimes in several Bosnian municipalities and one Croatian one due to their role in financing and training Serb militias during the break-up of Yugoslavia, appeals judges said. The Appeal chamber found Stanisic and Simatovic "shared the intent to further the common criminal plan to forcibly and permanently remove the majority of non-Serbs from large areas of Croatia and Bosnia", presiding judge Judge Graciela Gatti Santana said, reading a summary of the verdict expanding their convictions. Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Toby Chopra and Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stanisic, de, Serbian spymasters, Slobodan Milosevic, Jovica Stanisic, Franko, Frenki, Graciela Gatti Santana, Stephanie van den Berg, Toby Chopra, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: UN, REUTERS, HAGUE, Yugoslav, Thomson Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, Serbian, Bosnian, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Bosnia

☆ Factbox: Key facts on Kosovo, independent for 15 years from Serbia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here are key facts about the small western Balkan republic:POPULATION: Around 1.8 million, according to the most recent census in 2011, which local Serbs boycotted. HISTORY & PEOPLE: Kosovo became part of the Kingdom of Serbia in the early 13th century, with a mixed population of ethnic Albanians, Serbs and Vlachs. Mutual expulsions and migrations to and from neighbouring Albania in the early 20th century changed Kosovo's ethnic makeup. He accused Kosovo Albanians of persecuting local Serbs and restricted their rights in education and local government. It backs nationalist minority Serbs in north Kosovo boycotting the state, creating a de facto partition.

☆ Where to go this summer: A dozen destination ideas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Marnie Hunter | Jane Levere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Peru"Peruvians are welcoming travelers back with open arms," says travel one travel expert. And perhaps most importantly, the city offers excellent value, in part because it will be the winter/low season there during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer. It’s home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including megalithic temples that date to the 4th millennium BC. Although summer is the rainy season, Gellis says showers are often brief and intermittent. AlbaniaAlbania is a Mediterranean gem that’s likely to be less crowded this summer than Greece and Croatia, says Joao Donadel, another EMBARK Beyond travel advisor.

☆ Plane crashes in Croatia, rescuers search for crew
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SARAJEVO, May 20 (Reuters) - Rescuers found the remains of a light aircraft that crashed on Saturday in the mountainous region of the northwestern Croatia but could not confirm if any crew members were found, the HINA state news agency reported. The search for the "Cirrus 20" aircraft that went off radar after noon during a flight from the Slovenian town of Maribor to the Adriatic city of Pula was conducted by a 120-strong rescue team in the forests of Lika-Senj. Army helicopters and drones were sent to search the area suspected of being mined during the war of the 1990s, local media reported. Rescuers said they did not know how many persons were on board of the Dutch-registered aircraft. Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Alcaraz stunned by Hungarian qualifier Marozsan in Rome
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Alcaraz raced to a 4-1 lead but Marozsan hit back in superb style to reel off six points and hand the world number two only his second defeat on clay in 22 matches this season. "It's not easy to say something," Marozsan said immediately after the biggest win of his career. World number three Daniil Medvedev earned a hard-fought 3-6 6-1 6-3 win over Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles to reach the last 16 in Rome for the first time. In the women's draw, Elena Rybakina saw off Marketa Vondrousova 6-3 6-3 to reach her first claycourt WTA 1000 quarter-final, where she will face either top-ranked Iga Swiatek, the twice defending champion, or Croatia's Donna Vekic. Tsitsipas had taken the first set 6-3 against Sonego while Zverev leads 6-4 3-3 against Wolf.

☆ Swedish singer Loreen wins Eurovision Song Contest for 2nd time at event feting Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Swedish singer Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with her power ballad "Tattoo," at a colorful, eclectic music competition clouded for a second year running by the war in Ukraine. Loreen, 39, previously won Eurovision in 2012 and is only the second performer to take the prize twice, after Ireland's Johnny Logan in the 1980s. Under the slogan "united by music," Eurovision final fused the soul of the English port city that birthed The Beatles with the spirit of war-battered Ukraine. Now in its 67th year, Eurovision bills itself as the world's biggest music contest — an Olympiad of party-friendly pop. "Now, the music industry, the world, knows that if you appear at Eurovision, you could be in for a great thing," said Steve Holden, host of the official Eurovision Song Contest podcast.

☆ Eurovision 2023: Seven to look out for in the Grand Final
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Teya & Salena from Austria perform during the second semi-final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, Britain, May 11, 2023. REUTERS/Phil NobleLIVERPOOL, England, May 13 (Reuters) - The Grand Final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Liverpool, northern England, on Saturday, with acts representing 26 countries competing. The song's lyrics address originality in music, while the line "Zero dot zero zero three" refers to the royalty rate of $0.003 per stream which Spotify is said to pay. FRANCEFrance - one of the "Big Five" that has automatic entry to the Grand Final - has not won the contest since 1977. FINLANDKäärijä, a rapper and singer sporting bright green bolero-sleeves and a bare chest, was a huge hit in the arena in Tuesday's semi-final with "Cha Cha Cha", a celebration of cutting loose after a week of hard work.

☆ Fact Check-Fireworks video does not show Naples, predates Napoli’s Serie A win
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video likely from Split, Croatia and dating to at least 2020 has been falsely linked to recent celebrations in the Italian city of Naples after local team Napoli secured their first Serie A football title in 33 years. "Scenes in Naples tonight after Napoli win their first league title for 33 years," read posts on Twitter and Facebook sharing the video (here), (here) and (here). Torcida and the Instagram user who shared the video in 2020 did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. The claim surfaced online after fireworks lit up the Neapolitan sky on May 4 as Napoli won its first Series A football title since 1990, Reuters reported (here). The video of fireworks can be traced to 2020 and is unrelated to Napoli’s 2023 Serie A win.

☆ Factbox: Who qualified in the first Eurovision semi-final?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LIVERPOOL, England, May 9 (Reuters) - The first semi-final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Liverpool, northern England, on Tuesday. Ten of the 15 countries performing went through to Saturday's Grand Final. They will join 10 qualifiers from Thursday's second semi-final, last year's winner Ukraine, and the "big five" - Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain - in the Grand Final. WHICH COUNTRIES QUALIFIED? Malta, Latvia, Ireland, Azerbaijan and the NetherlandsReporting by Paul Sandle, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: When are the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals and final?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LIVERPOOL, England, May 9 (Reuters) - Eurovision 2023 has kicked off in Liverpool, northern England, where acts from 37 countries are competing to win the 67th edition of the song contest. There are 37 countries taking part with 31 competing in two semi-finals and 10 going through to the Grand Final. Ukraine, as the previous winner, automatically progresses to the Grand Final, along with the "big five", comprising the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. Semi-final 1: viewers in the 15 countries taking part are eligible to vote, alongside France, Germany, and Italy. Semi-final 2: Viewers in the 16 countries taking part are eligible to vote, alongside Spain, Ukraine, and the UK.

☆ Serbian man confesses to killing eight in shooting rampage, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a statement seen by Reuters, the prosecutors said a man identified only as U.B. A girl shot in the head in a school shooting in Serbia in which eight pupils and a guard were killed is still in critical condition, RTS state TV reported on Saturday. Burials were being held on Saturday for four of the pupils and the guard killed in the school shooting and five young men killed in the second rampage. Following the shootings, the government introduced a set of measures aimed at preventing violence in schools and reducing the number of weapons held by civilians. The suspect in the school shooting is a 13-year-old boy who police said surrendered on Wednesday after taking two of his father's handguns to carry out the shooting.

☆ Birthday boy Alcaraz beats Coric to reach Madrid final
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - May 5, 2023 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his semi final match against Croatia's Borna Coric REUTERS/Juan MedinaMADRID, May 5 (Reuters) - Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz celebrated his 20th birthday by storming into the Madrid Open final with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Borna Coric on Friday to stay on track for his fourth title of the season. "It means a lot to me, playing a final again here in Madrid. I have great memories since I came here to play Under-12s," Alcaraz said. After wrapping up the first set on serve, Alcaraz grabbed an early break and raced to a 4-2 lead in the next, dictating terms against a fading Coric. Russia's Karatsev later plays German Struff 10 days after easing past him in the final round of qualifying.

☆ Paris Saint-Germain strongly condemns 'intolerable and insulting' chants from fans outside Neymar Jr.'s house calling for Brazilian to leave club
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Paris Saint-Germain has built a squad of star-studded players – notably Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé – but amid recent discord at the Parisian club, two of that attacking triumvirate have found themselves being targeted by a section of fans. “Paris Saint-Germain most strongly condemns the intolerable and insulting actions of a small group of individuals that took place on Wednesday,” the Parisian club said in a statement after videos emerged on social media showing a group of fans gathered outside the Brazilian international’s house chanting: “Neymar, get out! Neymar, get out!”Videos on social media also showed fans gathered outside the PSG headquarters directing less than flattering chants towards World Cup winner Messi. On Wednesday, PSG suspended Messi for two weeks after the Argentinian’s unauthorized trip away from the team to conduct personal business, according to a club source. Meanwhile Messi, would go on and beat his other teammate, Mbappé, in the final as Argentina overcame France.

☆ The President, the Soccer Hooligans and an Underworld ‘House of Horrors’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Robert F. Worth | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

direction, and he chose not to.” Serwer speculated that Vucic has concluded the reforms required to join the E.U. The notion that Serbia can “balance” the West against Russia is largely a mirage, Bassuener said. One afternoon in Belgrade, I spent an hour talking to Boris Tadic, who served as Serbia’s president from 2004 until 2012, when he lost to Vucic’s party. Vucic, he said, had “helped put criminals in power” with the belief that he could control them. “What is the final outcome of your power if you’re going to destroy the foundations of society with hooligans and criminals?” he asked.

BELGRADE, May 3 (Reuters) - Serbia, where a schoolboy opened fire on his classmates on Wednesday, has an entrenched gun culture, especially in rural areas, but also strict gun control laws. Tens of thousands of illegal firearms have since been handed over or registered in amnesties. People over the age 18 may own firearms only with a permit issued after a thorough background check with police. Gun owners are also required to pass a training course and a questionnaire about gun legislation. In the deadliest shooting in Serbia since the 1990s, Ljubisa Bogdanovic killed 14 people in the central village of Velika Ivanca in 2013 before committing suicide.

☆ A downed US jet, a bombed embassy, and 25 years of rumors about how China built its first stealth fighter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

China continues to expand its fleet of J-20 stealth jets and to operate them farther from home. On March 24, 1999, NATO began airstrikes against Serbian military targets in response to Serbian atrocities in Kosovo. On May 7, 1999, US B-2 stealth bombers hit the Chinese embassy in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, killing three Chinese citizens. ReutersUnder the circumstances, there would seem to be little connection between the destruction of an American warplane and the bombing of the Chinese embassy. The US detected signals from the debris and bombed the embassy but failed to destroy the F-117 wreckage there, the articles claimed.

☆ GC Agenda: May 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Practical Law The Journal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Clawback Listing StandardsPublic companies should be aware that proposed NYSE and Nasdaq clawback listing standards may be in place earlier than expected. Organizations may use biometric data in a variety of ways, including when:tracking employee time; restricting access to physical and digital assets; monitoring consumer shopping behavior; and integrating biometric data into consumer products and services. Consider whether the organization’s current policies and procedures meet applicable biometric data handling requirements, including notice, consent, retention, storage, and security obligations. Review applicable laws and obligations when contracting with service providers that handle biometric data and continuously monitor their performance. In February 2023, the NYSE and Nasdaq filed proposed new listing standards, which contemplated that they could become effective as early as April 27, 2023.

[1/2] Zsolt Hernadi, Executive Chairman of Hungarian oil and gas group MOL poses during an interview with Reuters in Budapest, Hungary, April 27, 2023. Hernadi said MOL was fighting to prevent a hike in oil transit fees in Ukraine and also in Croatia. The BTC pipeline transports crude oil from offshore oil fields in the Caspian Sea to the Turkish coast. He said MOL would pay Ukraine's pipeline operator Ukrtransnafta directly for the transit of Russian oil but there was still a dispute over a Ukrainian hike in fees. "There are still disputes, discussions ongoing about the transit fee, as a multi-fold increase has been flagged (by Ukraine)."

☆ Croatia clears mystery clumps of oil from beaches before tourists arrive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Antonio Bronic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

No official explanation has been given for the pollution, which has stuck, in small patches, to the rocks and wild limestone beaches near the town of Pula. This is not the first time oil had drifted ashore in the area, she said, and people deserve to know the cause. "We cannot just wait and fear each year that wind will bring us a new oil spill," Buttignoni told Reuters. "There will be a problem because this (oil) constantly keeps coming though in smaller quantities," said villager Giuliano. "There will be a problem with tourism, when guests arrive and probably step on it.

☆ Iga Świątek returns from injury and wins in Stuttgart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

1 Iga Świątek enjoyed a winning return from injury as she defeated China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-1 6-4 at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Świątek, who is defending her title in Stuttgart in preparation for the French Open next month, broke Zheng’s serve four times over the course of the match. “I’m pretty happy that I’m not rusty and I could perform good tennis, even though I had a break,” Świątek said after the win. Świątek will be looking to win her third French Open title and fourth grand slam overall when the tournament gets underway in Paris on May 28. She was forced to withdraw from the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers in recent weeks but announced before competing in Stuttgart that she is now injury free.

☆ Saudi Arabia's TAWAL to buy European towers from United Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, April 20 (Reuters) - TAWAL, a unit of Saudi Telecom Company (stc) (7010.SE), agreed to buy tower infrastructure worth 1.22 billion-euros ($1.34 billion) from United Group in its first foray into Europe's telecoms market, the southeast European firm said on Thursday. TAWAL, a tower infrastructure unit that STC carved out in 2018, will buy the mobile infrastructure unit of United Group in Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia, which has more than 4,800 towers, United Group said in a statement. United Group, backed by private equity firm BC Partners, said it was TAWAL's first investment in Europe's telecoms sector. "Upon completion, TAWAL's operations in the European market will be rebranded as "TAWAL Europe" and will serve as TAWAL's platform for any future expansion in Europe," stc said. ($1 = 0.9119 euros)Reporting by Yousef Saba; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Breen died after fence post penetrated car window, Hyundai say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] FIA World Rally Championship - Rally Sweden - Stage 3 of Second Round - Torsby, Sweden - February 14, 2020 Craig Breen of Ireland reacts. TT News Agency/Micke Fransson via REUTERS/File PhotoApril 19 (Reuters) - Irish rally driver Craig Breen was killed instantly in a crash in Croatia last week after a fence post penetrated the car's side window, his Hyundai team revealed on Wednesday. Hyundai are competing in Croatia this weekend with a reduced two car entry and a special livery as a tribute to Breen. The 33-year-old would have been competing in his second rally of the season after finishing runner-up in Sweden in February. The world rally championship has retired Breen's competition number 42 for the remainder of the season.

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