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☆ Ilya Yashin: Moscow court sentences Kremlin critic to eight and a half years for spreading 'false information'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Anna Chernova Uliana Pavlova Sugam Pokharel Ivana Kottasová | Anna Chernova | Uliana Pavlova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A Moscow court on Friday sentenced Kremlin critic Ilya Yashin to eight years and six months imprisonment, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti, in a blow to what’s left of the country’s opposition. It is unclear if Yashin’s prison sentence for spreading “false information” about the Russian army includes the time he has already spent in jail during court hearings. Yashin, pictured in a Moscow courtroom Friday, has been sentenced to eight years and six months behind bars. In closing remarks to the court on Monday, ahead of the verdict, Yashin made a statement addressing the judge, President Vladimir Putin and the Russian public. Navalny concluded by saying that he is proud of Yashin and that he and Russia will be free.

☆ Migrants flee plane forced to land in Spain by fake childbirth emergency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Joan Faus | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Journalists gather after a commercial airplane flying from Morocco to Turkey made an emergency landing in Barcelona's El Prat airport in the early hours and 28 would-be migrants on board ran away across the tarmac in Barcelona, Spain December 7, 2022. After landing at El Prat airport, the woman was checked at a hospital and found she had not gone into labour, the government said. Police detained 14 people who were on the plane operated by Turkey's Pegasus Airlines, while 14 others were still missing, the government said. It said five were put back on the plane and eight others would be deported to Morocco. Reporting by Joan Faus, Inti Landauro; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ TAP cabin staff to strike on Dec. 8-9, plan more walkouts until end-Jan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Cabin staff at Portugal's flag carrier TAP will go on strike on Thursday and Friday to demand higher wages after pay cuts under the airline's recovery plan, the SNPVAC union said, adding it would schedule more walkouts later. The 25% salary cut we suffered due to the company's restructuring plan is unacceptable, especially given current inflation levels," SNPVAC head Ricardo Penarroias told Reuters on Tuesday. The union is also demanding the company unfreeze pay progression, and respect maternity leave and rest periods. TAP, which is under an EU-approved 3.2-billion euro bailout plan, has also advised passengers to reschedule their bookings. The plan involves downsizing its fleet, cutting more than 2,900 jobs and reducing wages of most workers by up to 25%.

☆ Spanish police find more 'bloody packages' sent to Ukraine missions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Spanish police intercepted three more envelopes containing animal eyes addressed to Ukraine's embassy in Madrid and its consulates in Barcelona and Malaga on Monday, police sources close to the investigation said. Last week, Ukraine said a series of "bloody packages" were sent to its missions across Europe, soon after a letter bomb detonated at Ukraine's embassy in Spain and police defused others sent to, among others, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The postal service's security staff detected the new envelopes during screening on Monday morning and alerted police, the sources said. Ukrainian embassy in Madrid had already received a package with animal eyes on Friday that the interior ministry said carried a foreign stamp. Evidence from that package shared with the postal service helped its staff detect the latest one, police sources added.

☆ NHL roundup: Kasperi Kapanen's hat trick sends Pens past Blues
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Oskar Sundqvist scored the only goal of the game for Detroit, which lost its third straight game. Toronto's Mitch Marner scored twice to set a club record with 19th straight games with a point. Bruins 5, Avalanche 1David Pastrnak and Trent Frederic each scored twice as the host Bruins cruised past the Avalanche. Tomas Hertl scored twice for the Sharks, who have lost five of six (1-4-1). Panthers 5, Kraken 1Carter Verhaeghe scored twice and Sam Bennett had three assists as Florida defeated host Seattle, ending the Kraken's franchise-record seven-game winning streak.

☆ Moldova Deputy PM announces deal to reduce risk of massive power outages
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu announced an energy deal on Saturday he said would reduce the risk of "massive electricity outages" in the former Soviet republic. Moldova has suffered from widespread power outages amid Russian air strikes on energy infrastructure in neighbouring Ukraine and a reduced flow of natural gas from Russian state energy giant Gazprom. Reporting by Alexander Tanas; Writing by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Heaviest Ukraine fighting rages in the east, NATO seeks to sustain support against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

This brutalization of Ukraine’s people is barbaric,” Blinken told a news conference in Bucharest following a two-day NATO meeting. At the NATO foreign ministers meeting, allies Wednesday pledged to help Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina as they face pressure from Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and ministers said. Russia invaded Ukraine in February in what it calls a “special military operation” to rid Ukraine of nationalists it considers dangerous. “We are analyzing the intentions of the occupiers and preparing countermeasures — tougher countermeasures than is now the case,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address Wednesday evening. “We haven’t seen these Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles for about two weeks ... the first batch has probably already run out,” he told Ukraine’s main television network.

After explosions - whose cause is under investigation - damaged the Nord Stream Russian gas pipeline system to Europe under the Baltic Sea, Putin in October proposed setting up a gas hub in Turkey, building on a southern route for exports. "Does Europe need the project, given the determination of the EU countries to forego Russian gas in the nearest future?" A source in Russia's pipeline gas exporting monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) said be believed the hub would facilitate sales. "That will not be Russian gas, but gas from the hub," said the source, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. Neither Gazprom, nor the Kremlin provided a cost estimate for the Turkish hub idea.

☆ Finance influencers who hyped up FTX and BlockFi are facing angry fans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In the case of finance influencers who hyped up FTX and BlockFi to their subscribers, the result is a lot of unhappy, skeptical former fans. As prominent crypto platforms topple, financial influencers face anger and skepticism. On YouTube, financial influencers have built loyal followings by sharing financial advice and actively promoting companies like FTX and BlockFi. As the companies crumble, those influencers are facing skepticism and backlash from fans. Apple's App store has become an imitation of its former self.Apple used to carefully curate its App store, helping developers gain visibility and customers find what they needed, writes Michael Gartenberg.

☆ Finance influencers on YouTube are facing anger and skepticism as crypto continues to reel with BlockFi's collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Finance influencers are facing skepticism and backlash from fans following the downfall of prominent crypto platforms, which some creators took an active role in promoting. Crypto lender BlockFi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday in the wake of FTX's implosion, which has rocked the sector. One notable YouTuber who has criticized influencers for peddling crypto and NFTs is Coffeezilla, who has 1.5 million subscribers. In a November 28 video, titled "My response to FTX," Stephan reflected on the mistakes he'd made. The response from his fans has been overwhelmingly negative, and the YouTube video has more dislikes than likes (it has over 8,000 dislikes).

[1/2] Chinese Yuan and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen behind illuminated stock graph in this illustration taken February 10, 2020. His contract manufacturing business with Russia has been small in the past, but now he's preparing to invest in warehousing there. He sees a win-win situation in Chinese exporters reducing their currency risks and payment becoming more convenient for Russian buyers. The U.S. Treasury declined to comment on the yuan's growing presence in Russia. ($1 = 7.2074 Chinese yuan renminbi)Editing by Vidya Ranganathan and Pravin CharOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Portugal's parliament passes 2023 budget bill on final reading
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Portugal's parliament on Friday passed the majority Socialist government's 2023 budget, which aims to further slash the deficit and debt even as economic growth is expected to slow down sharply. On its final reading, the bill was backed only by the 120 Socialist lawmakers in the 230-seat house. Two parties with one seat each abstained, and all other parties voted against. The government hopes to cut the budget deficit to 0.9% of GDP next year from 1.9% in 2022, while public debt should fall to 110.8% of GDP after a projected 115% in 2022. Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Zara workers in Spain start protests to demand higher pay
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Corina Pons | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Dozens of Zara shop assistants protested in Madrid on Thursday outside the global fashion giant's largest store to demand higher pay, and some workers in its home town in northwest Spain went on strike on the eve of its Black Friday sales campaign. In the town of A Coruna, where the first Zara store opened in 1975, Inditex now has 44 stores. Two of those, a Zara store and a Massimo Dutti shop were closed on Thursday, and some 1,000 shopworkers were preparing to go on a one-day strike the following day on Black Friday. Shop assistants' monthly wages at Inditex stores in Madrid and A Coruna are below 1,400 euros, according to the unions. "If we don't get better wages we will call for more protests in December and January," she said.

☆ Spanish windfall tax on banks, energy firms clears first hurdle
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Nov 24 (Reuters) - An amended windfall tax proposal for Spanish banks and large energy companies cleared its first hurdle in parliament in the early hours of Friday with the backing of the leftist ruling coalition and several regional parties. Some parties in Spain's northern regions, where energy companies and banks have a significant presence, had already secured before the vote an exemption of large energy firms' domestic regulated activities and foreign operations. Several energy companies had threatened to take the government to court if the 1.2% levy on power utilities' sales was approved in its original form. Initially, taxes were aimed to raise a combined 7 billion euros in 2023 and 2024 to help households cope with cost-of-living pressures. If parties in the Senate introduce additional changes, the lower house, or Congress, would need to debate it again.

☆ Most Moldovan power supplies restored after Russian strikes on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CHISINAU, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Power was restored to most parts of Moldova on Wednesday, hours after Russian missile strikes on neighbouring Ukraine caused blackouts across half of the small impoverished country, officials said. Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu, who had earlier reported a "massive blackout", said in a statement that all power had been restored to the north of Moldova. Premier Energy, a Moldovan company that serves the centre and the south, said 90% of the electricity supply was back on line. It shares a border with Ukraine, a fellow ex-Soviet state, and is connected to its power grid. Spinu said the situation was a repeat of Nov. 15, when Moldova also suffered blackouts after Russian missile strikes.

LISBON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Further consolidation of Portugal's banking sector is inevitable, European Central Bank member Mario Centeno told Reuters on Wednesday, calling "remarkable" the recent progress the country's banks have made on strengthening capital and reducing risk. Analysts have said that Portuguese banks should bet on M&A operations to achieve better competitive conditions, despite the five largest players' owning 80% to 85% of banking assets. Portugal's banks are still scarred from a debt crisis and a spike in NPLs after the 2010-13 recession. The NPL ratio for Portugal's lenders was 3.4% of total credit in June, versus 17.9% in mid-2016. "Although I am very satisfied with the evolution...there is no point in resting, we have to challenge ourselves," Centeno said.

Blackouts forced the shutdown of reactors at Ukraine's Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant in the south and the Rivne and Khmelnitskyi plants in the west, all in government-held territory, the state-run nuclear energy firm Energoatom said. "Currently, they (power units) work in project mode, without generation into the domestic energy system," Energoatom said. Explosions reverberated throughout Kyiv on Wednesday afternoon as Russian missiles bore down and Ukrainian air defence rockets were fired in efforts to intercept them. Most thermal and hydro-electric power plants were forced to shut down as well, Ukraine's energy ministry said earlier. [1/15] Rescuers work at a site of a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile attack, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the town of Vyshhorod, near Kyiv, Ukraine, November 23, 2022.

☆ 100-hour workweeks and a bit of luck: How a 25-year-old CEO raised $50 million for his new drug discovery startup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Andrew Dunn | Sarah Braner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In June, Charm said it raised $50 million, valuing the firm at $100 million to $150 million. Charm has raised $50 million from top investorsDemis Hassabis, the CEO and a cofounder of DeepMind Technologies. In the spring, Aithani raised the $37 million million round that was announced in June, with investors like Khosla Ventures and General Catalyst joining OrbiMed and F-Prime Capital. The raise values Charm at between $100 million and $150 million, Aithani said, and brings the company's total funding to $50 million. This article was corrected on August 19 to show that Charm has raised two rounds of funding totaling $50 million.

☆ APEC pledges to boost trade as geopolitical rifts hijack regional summits
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Apec 2022 summit will take place at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok from November 18-19,2022. At the G20 meeting in Indonesia, members unanimously adopted a declaration that said most members condemned the Ukraine war but also acknowledged some countries saw the conflict differently. The APEC leaders echoed the G20 declaration as they referred to U.N. resolutions that deplore Russia's aggression and demand its complete and unconditional withdrawal from Ukraine, but also noted a variety of opinions. Recognising that APEC is not the forum to resolve security issues, we acknowledge that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy," the bloc said. Russia is a member of both G20 and APEC but President Vladimir Putin has stayed away from the summits.

Separately, police fired rubber bullets to disperse anti-government protesters in Bangkok as the host of the Asia-Paciﬁc Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, opened the conference. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called an emergency gathering of leaders from Australia, Japan, South Korea, Canada and New Zealand on the sidelines of the summit after North Korea carried out the missile test. "This conduct by North Korea most recently is a brazen violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," she said. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is in Bangkok for the APEC meeting, told reporters North Korea had "repeated its provocations with unprecedented frequency". First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov is representing him at APEC.

☆ Spain to announce details on mortgage relief measures next Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The Spanish government expects to unveil details of mortgage relief measures to help vulnerable households and middle-class clients cope with rising borrowing costs on such loans at the next cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the economy minister said. Nadia Calvino told reporters on Friday the government and banks were finalising work on expanding and improving an existing industry-wide code of good practice for that purpose. "I hope that in the next few hours we will reach an agreement so that we can present it on Tuesday," Calvino said during a joint news conference with European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager. Calvino said the government and lenders were also working on measures to support middle-class families that may be at risk as a result of an accelerated rise in interest rates by the European Central Bank translating into higher mortgage rates. Reporting by Jesús Aguado, Emma Pinedo and Inti Landauro; editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: What is APEC and which leaders are attending Bangkok summit?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] A general view outside of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center venue during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, at Asoke Junction, in Bangkok, Thailand November 17, 2022. The United States will be the APEC host in 2023. CHINA PRESIDENT XI JINPINGXi met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Bangkok on Thursday for talks. RUSSIA FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ANDREI BELOUSOVBelousov will represent President Valadmir Putin at APEC. PAPUA NEW GUINEA PRIME MINISTER JAMES MARAPEMarape will hold meetings with U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken.

☆ APEC summit host Thailand urges leaders to put aside differences
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Juarawee Kittisilpa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, wife Naraporn Chao-ocha, China's President Xi Jinping and wife Peng Liyuan attend the Gala dinner of the APEC Summit 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand, November 17, 2022. Thailand Government House/Handout via REUTERSBANGKOK, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Thailand, the host of the APEC summit, urged leaders of the group meeting in Bangkok on Friday and Saturday to "rise above differences" and focus on resolving pressing global economic issues in areas such as trade and inflation. China's President Xi Jinping is attending the summit, while the United States is being represented by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Security was tight at the APEC summit with around 100 anti-government protesters gathered and planning to march on the meeting venue on Friday morning. First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov will represent him at APEC.

LISBON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Portugal expects economic growth of at least 6.7% this year, beating its 6.5% forecast on the back of domestic demand and tourism, helping the country further slash one of Europe's heaviest public debt burdens, its finance minister told Reuters. "Even if (quarter-on-quarter) growth is zero in the fourth quarter, we're going to have a growth rate of 6.7% in 2022, one of the highest in Europe," Medina said. Growth accelerated to 0.4% in the third quarter from the previous quarter's 0.1% as private consumption unexpectedly rose despite inflation at three-decade highs. Despite a worrying fast rise in rates, Medina expects Portugal to avoid a spike in bad loans of households thanks to measures such as a recent decree ordering banks to renegotiate mortgages of up to 300,000 euros for vulnerable families. ($1 = 0.9626 euros)Reporting by Sergio Goncalves and Aislinn Laing, editing by Andrei Khalip and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spain expects to agree with banks mortgage relief measures by end of week
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A general view shows houses, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in the old town in Ronda, southern Spain, April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Jon NazcaMADRID, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Spain's government expects to reach by the end of this week an agreement with banks on mortgage relief measures to help vulnerable households and middle-class clients cope with rising borrowing costs on such loans, the economy minister said. She said the government and banks were working on expanding and improving an existing industry-wide code of good practice to support vulnerable groups. In Spain around three-quarters of the population are homeowners, with most opting for floating-rate mortgages. Reporting by Jesús Aguado, editing by Andrei Khalip and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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