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☆ The Pentagon is moving toward letting AI weapons autonomously decide to kill humans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US is among countries arguing against new laws to regulate AI-controlled killer drones. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe deployment of AI-controlled drones that can make autonomous decisions about whether to kill human targets is moving closer to reality, The New York Times reported. Lethal autonomous weapons, that can select targets using AI, are being developed by countries including the US, China, and Israel. AdvertisementFrank Kendall, the Air Force secretary, told The Times that AI drones will need to have the capability to make lethal decisions while under human supervision.

Persons: Critics, —, Israel —, Alexander Kmentt, Kathleen Hicks, Army's, We'll, Frank Kendall Organizations: Service, New York Times, UN, Times, Defense, PLA, Reuters, Air Force, Pentagon Locations: China, Israel, Russia, Australia, Ukraine

☆ Austria outclass Euro 2024 hosts Germany in 2-0 win
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Austria outplayed a toothless Germany to win 2-0 in their friendly on Tuesday, ending their year on a high while piling more pressure on the embattled Euro 2024 hosts who had Leroy Sane sent off early in the second half. Marcel Sabitzer's low drive in the 29th minute put the dominant hosts, who have qualified for the Euros, in front with Germany posing no threat in attack and needing 32 minutes for their first shot on goal. Austria shot out of the blocks and overwhelmed the error-prone Germans with a high-pressing game. While the hosts carved out several chances, including a golden opportunity for Michael Gregoritsch who failed to beat Trapp when one-on-one, Germany had to wait 32 minutes for their first effort towards goal. Germany's disappointing evening was complete when Baumgartner added a second goal, with Austria missing more chances late in the game.

Persons: Leroy Sane, Marcel Sabitzer's, Austria's Christoph Baumgartner, Kevin Trapp, Julian Nagelsmann, Nagelsmann, Michael Gregoritsch, Trapp, Thomas Mueller, Sane, Phillipp, Baumgartner, Karolos, Toby Davis Organizations: Thomson Locations: VIENNA, Austria, Germany, Turkey

☆ Austria's RBI: realized extra 150 mln euros of property sector risk provisions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) is seen at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, March 14, 2023. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVIENNA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) (RBIV.VI) has realized additional forward-looking risk provisions of around 150 million euros ($163 million) for the real estate sector, the Austrian bank's risk chief, Hannes Moesenbacher, said on Tuesday. Chief Executive Johann Strobl added that these provisions are "on top" and therefore go beyond what can be modelled. "In total, our top five commitments in the real estate sector amount to 2.2 billion euros," said Moesenbacher, who added that number one position amounted to 755 million euros. At its general meeting in March, RBI had decided not to distribute a dividend for the time being due to uncertainties.

Persons: Leonhard Foeger, Hannes Moesenbacher, Johann Strobl, Moesenbacher, Rene Benko, Strobl, Alexandra Schwarz, Miranda Murray, David Evans Organizations: Raiffeisen Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Signa Group, RBI, Thomson Locations: Vienna, Austria, Austrian, Russia

☆ Austrians can't agree on what to do with the apartment where Hitler was born
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Sebastian Cahill | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The apartment where Adolf Hitler was born is now the subject of fierce public debate. AdvertisementFor years now, Braunau am Inn, Austria, has been embroiled in a debate about how to deal with one of its most infamous buildings — the birthplace of dictator Adolf Hitler. Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn in 1889 and lived there for only a few months. When Hitler was in power during World War II, the apartment was used as an art gallery and library, per NPR. Residents say it's important for Austrians to accept the country's role in Hitler's abuses, despite some resistance at the time.

Persons: Adolf Hitler, it'd, —, Hitler, Florian Kotanko, Adolf Hitler's Birthplace, Annette Pommer, It's, Günter Schwaiger, didn't Organizations: Service, Locals, NPR, Guardian, Austrian, New York Times, Times Locations: Braunau, Austria, Austrian

☆ ECB hawks push back on early rate cut bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It would be unwise to start cutting interest rates too soon," Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said in a speech. Austria's Robert Holzmann was even more explicit, arguing that the second quarter was simply too soon for a rate cut. Asked if he ruled out an interest rate cut in the second quarter of next year, he said: "That would be a bit early." The ECB held rates unchanged in October, snapping a streak to ten straight rate hikes, fuelling market bets that its record-breaking tightening streak is now over and the next move is a cut. Instead of easing policy, the ECB should tighten further, Wunsch argued, by ending early its bond purchases in the 1.7 trillion euro Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme.

Persons: Joachim Nagel, Ann Saphir, Robert Holzmann, Holzmann, Pierre Wunsch, Wunsch, Nagel, Balazs Koranyi, Francois Murphy, Kirsten Donovan, Andrew Heavens Organizations: European Central Bank policymaker, Kansas City Fed, REUTERS, European Central Bank, ECB, Thomson Locations: Jackson, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, FRANKFURT, VIENNA, Belgian

☆ ATP roundup: Jack Draper pulls off massive upset at Sofia Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNovember 9 - Great Britain's Jack Draper pulled off a 7-5, 6-2 upset of No. 1 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy on Wednesday in the second round of the Sofia Open in Sofia, Bulgaria. Fognini, a wild card, rallied for a 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) victory against fifth-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, while No. 6 Sonego swept Jordanian qualifier Abdullah Shelbayh 6-3, 7-5. Other winners included Frenchmen Luca Van Assche and wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Russia's Alexander Shevchenko.

Persons: Jack Draper of, Andrey Rublev, USTA Billie Jean King, Danielle Parhizkaran, Jack Draper, Lorenzo Musetti, Draper, Russian Pavel Kotov, Cem Ilkel, Kotov, Sebastian Baez, Ilkel, Max Purcell, Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, Spain's Albert Ramos, Lennard Struff, Billy Harris, Austria's Sebastian Ofner, Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, Fabio Fognini, Lorenzo Sonego, Alexander Bublik, Sonego, Abdullah Shelbayh, Fognini, Luca Van Assche, Pierre, Hugues Herbert, Russia's Alexander Shevchenko Organizations: USTA Billie, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Sofia, Turkish, Argentine, British, Bublik, Thomson Locations: Flushing , NY, USA, Jack Draper of Great Britain, Italy, Sofia, Bulgaria, Russian, Hungarian, Moselle, Metz, France, Kazakhstan

☆ UniCredit, RBI among banks on hook for $2.4 bln in Signa loans -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

RBI, which the person said had sharply reduced its exposure to the Signa group in recent years, declined to comment on Thursday. The European Central Bank (ECB), which supervises the banks, declined to comment. Raiffeisen Landesbank Niederoesterreich-Wien, Raiffeisen Landesbank Oberoesterreich and Erste Group are also among the banks with exposures to Signa, the person said. The other two Austrian banks declined to comment. A spokesperson for Austria's central bank said it had no concerns about the country's financial stability, when asked about Signa's financial position.

Persons: UniCredit, Signa, Rene Benko, Fitch, Landesbank, Banks, Arndt Geiwitz, Francesco Canepa, Tom Sims, Elisa Martinuzzi, Alexander Smith Organizations: Signa Group, Chrysler, Raiffeisen Bank, Bank, European Central Bank, ECB, Reuters, Erste Group, Erste, Austria's National Bank, Market Authority, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, Banks, Austria, Bank Austria, Wien

☆ New routes, old coaches: Europe's night trains struggle to pick up speed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Rachel More | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

They travelled with European Sleeper, a Dutch-Belgian startup whose launch in May is part of a renaissance of night train travel. CHALLENGESYears of decline in Europe's night train network coincided with the rise of low-cost airlines. Supporters of night trains are pushing for more state help to compete against budget airlines, such as a value-added tax exemption on cross-border routes and lower track access charges. At night, trains compete with freight traffic and construction works, and during the busy morning hours they vie for arrival slots at stations with commuter services. Sarah and Sonia's train, European Sleeper's ES453 service, pulled in at 7.57 a.m., one hour and nine minutes late.

Persons: Bart Biesemans, Sarah, Sonia, Chris Engelsman, Engelsman, Alberto Mazzola, Sonia didn't, Victoria Klesty, Matthias Williams, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Berlin Central Station, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, OBB, Siemens Mobility, European Union, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Brussels, Belgium, Dutch, Belgian, Europe, Paris, Zurich, Norwegian, Oslo, Copenhagen, Prague, Amsterdam, Barcelona, France

☆ GoStudent, the $3 billion edtech darling, scaled fast and partied hard. The result was a mess.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

These people were employees of GoStudent, an Austria-based online-tutoring startup that had quickly become the darling of the European tech scene. But 28 current and former GoStudent employees and tutors said they experienced a poorly run organization with clumsy management. Edtech companies "rarely have any major competitive advantage other than scale," a European venture capitalist who's not affiliated with GoStudent said. A GoStudent employee threatened to track down the petition's author using tutors' IP addresses, according to the German publication Handelsblatt. According to public documents updated in December 2022, GoStudent had shrunk to 15 markets and 1,500 employees, including its acquisitions.

Persons: Felix Ohswald, Gregor Müller, GoStudent, who'd, I'm, Heinz, Peter Meidinger, cofounders, Ferdinand von Hagen, Prada, GoStudent's, Dave Benett, Müller, —, Ohswald, Anthony Canavan, Canavan, Brutkasten, Norbert Wess, Harry Murphy, Duncan McIntyre, McIntyre, Neel Gupta, Anna Tuchy, Patrick Nadler, Nadler, Sarah Heuberger, Ross Slater Organizations: German Teachers ' Association, Employees, GoStudent, Conseil, prud'hommes, DBS, Safety Officers, Web, Getty, JP Morgan, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, TechCrunch, Organisation for Economic Cooperation Locations: Vienna, Austria, Silicon Valley, North America, South America, Europe, London, France, Soho , London, Dock, DACH, Germany, Switzerland, Spanish, Sweden, Swedish, GoStudent, Ukraine, Ibiza, GoStudent's, Deliveroo

REUTERS/George Frey Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Several people were hospitalised in Austria after using suspected fake versions of the diabetes drug Ozempic, the country's health safety body said, the first report of harm to users in a widening European hunt for counterfeiters. Regional regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), last week warned about pre-filled injection pens falsely labelled as Ozempic, which has seen surging demand for its weight-loss benefits. The maker of the drug, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), has flagged a surge in online offers of fake versions of Ozempic as well as its weight-loss drug Wegovy, both based on semaglutide. The BASG did not provide an exact number of people harmed by the fake Ozempic, or say how long-lasting the adverse effects would be on their health. That person likely did not procure the fakes from an official pharmacy, it said, warning that fake injection pens may still be in circulation.

Persons: George Frey, Ozempic, BASG, Wegovy, Miranda Murray, Ludwig Burger, Alexandra Schwarz, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Rights, European Medicines Agency, EMA, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Austria, Danish, Germany, Britain, British, Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna

U.S. Skier and 2023 Women's FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Overall Champion Mikaela Shiffrin poses for a photograph during an interview with Reuters in Manhattan, in New York City, New York, U.S., April 26, 2023. The Vail, Colorado, native has exceeded even the most lofty expectations that were placed on her shoulders when she joined the World Cup circuit as a highly-touted 16-year-old. Now, having broken Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark's 34-year-old record of World Cup wins, she wants to put it beyond reach for the foreseeable future. Shiffrin, who has managed to avoid any serious injury setbacks in her career, said she saw complacency as the biggest threat to her health. Shiffrin will look to continue her dominance of the sport when she competes in the season-opening giant slalom at Austria's Soelden resort on Saturday.

Persons: Mikaela, Mike Segar, Mikaela Shiffrin, I'm, Shiffrin, I've, we've, Novak, Djokovic, that's, Rory Carroll, Clare Fallon Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, World, Milano, Cortina, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, New York, Vail , Colorado, Beijing, Austria's, Los Angeles

☆ Austrian ex-chancellor Kurz goes on trial for perjury
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz speaks to media as he arrives at the Austrian People's Party (OeVP) conference in Graz, Austria May 14, 2022. REUTERS/Lisa Leutner/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVIENNA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Austria's conservative former chancellor Sebastian Kurz went on trial for perjury on Wednesday in a case separate from the corruption investigation that forced him from office but which could still influence his ruling party's electoral fate. Kurz, who denies all the allegations made against him, has quit politics yet the ruling coalition he formed with the left-wing Greens in 2020 remains in power. Kurz's People's Party (OVP) is currently neck-and-neck with the opposition Social Democrats in opinion polls, well behind the far-right Freedom Party on around 30%. As chancellor, Kurz was one of Europe's youngest leaders and a household name in German-speaking countries known for his hard line on immigration.

Persons: Sebastian Kurz, Lisa Leutner, Kurz, Kurz's, Gernot Bluemel, Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Francois Murphy, Alexandra Schwarz, Christina Fincher Organizations: Austrian, Austrian People's Party, REUTERS, Rights, Greens, Kurz's People's Party, Social, Party, OVP, Thomson Locations: Graz, Austria, Vienna

☆ ECB policymakers eye springtime push to cut payments on banks' deposits, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Balazs Koranyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MARRAKECH, Oct 13 (Reuters) - European Central Bank policymakers are planning a springtime push to cut interest payments made to commercial banks, in part to recoup some of the costs associated with a decade worth of stimulus, sources familiar with discussions said. That would mean overall interest payments to lenders - which still earn the ECB deposit rate, currently 4%, on other excess cash parked with the central bank - would be reduced further. But the ECB rejected the proposal in July, partly on resistance from its Executive Board, the sources said. The board's key argument is that excess liquidity is distributed unevenly across the euro zone and raising the ratio would put an excessive burden on smaller banks with a larger portion of deposits. Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing argued that the change would add to banks' financial burdens and restrict their lending options.

Persons: Bundesbank, Joachim Nagel, Robert Holzmann, Latvia's Martin Kazaks, Isabel Schnabel, Austria's Holzmann, France's Francois Villeroy de, Pierre Wunsch, We're, Schnabel, Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing, Tom Sims, John Stonestreet Organizations: Central Bank, ECB, Austrian, Barclays, Deutsche Bank CEO Christian, Thomson Locations: MARRAKECH

☆ 'From the River to the Sea' Prompts Vienna to Ban Pro-Palestinian Protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA (Reuters) - Vienna police on Wednesday banned a pro-Palestinian protest due to coincide with a pro-Israel event after Saturday's attack by Hamas, citing the fact the phrase "from the river to the sea" was mentioned in invitations and characterising it as a call to violence. The head of the city's police force, Gerhard Puerstl, held a news conference at short notice less than three hours before the protest was due to be held at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) on the square next to the cathedral in the centre of the city. The river is the Jordan and the sea is the Mediterranean, between which lie Israel and the Palestinian territories. The phrase is often chanted at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Austria's ruling conservatives have in recent years adopted one of the most pro-Israel stances in the European Union.

Persons: Gerhard Puerstl, Puerstl, Jordan, Chancellor Karl Nehammer's, Francois Murphy, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Vienna police, PLO, Palestine, Organisation, European Union Locations: VIENNA, Vienna, Israel, Palestine, Palestinian

☆ European Central Bank member says more rate hikes still possible if new shocks emerge
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Robert Holzmann, governor of Austria's central bank, speaks during an event in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAustrian central bank Governor Robert Holzmann said the European Central Bank could implement one or two further interest rate increases, if there are "additional shocks" to the economy. watch nowThe European Central Bank opted to hike interest rates to a record in September, continuing a cycle that has lasted almost two years. In a market-moving statement in mid-September, the ECB also indicated that further hikes may be off the table for now. He added that there was a "clear downward trend" in prices, in an interview with franceinfo, as translated by CNBC.

Persons: Robert Holzmann, Holzmann, Holzmann's, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, franceinfo Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, European Central Bank, CNBC, International Monetary, Bank, ECB Locations: Austria's, Vienna, Austria, Marrakech

DUBAI, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates is refashioning state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in the image of an international oil major by stepping up its global expansion and finding new revenue streams to maximise earnings for the Gulf state. The state-owned company also told Reuters it was investing in energy trading, without giving further details. ADNOC has two trading arms, both set up in 2020: ADNOC Trading, which is focused on crude oil, and ADNOC Global Trading, a joint venture with Italy's Eni (ENI.MI) and OMV which is more focused on refined products. Other recent hires include Bart Cornelissen, who left Deloitte to become ADNOC's senior vice president for group strategy and portfolio last month, according to LinkedIn. Recent senior hires for ADNOC's trading arms include alumni of Gunvor, Litasco, Shell and TotalEnergies, the employment network showed.

Persons: ADNOC, Galp, Austria's, Mohammed bin Zayed, headcount, Michele Fiorentino, Baker Hughes, Musabbeh Al Kaabi, Al Kaabi, Bart Cornelissen, Michael Hafner, Hafner, Morgan Stanley, Neil Quilliam, Sultan al, Jaber, John Kerry, Abu, Maha El Dahan, Yousef Saba, Ron Bousso, David Clarke Organizations: United, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Reuters, BP, NewMed Energy, Italy's Eni, UAE, IOC, Aramco, LinkedIn, Mubadala Energy, Deloitte, Greenhill &, Deutsche Bank, UBS, HSBC, Shell, Eni, Gunvor, The, Chatham House, United Nations, Masdar, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Africa, Mozambique, ADNOC, Geneva, London, The UAE, Europe, Sultan, Dubai

Germany and Austria earlier on Monday said they were suspending bilateral development aid to Palestinians, while others such as Italy had said suspending aid was not up for discussion. It is unclear whether the suspensions in development aid will also apply to such assistance. Varhelyi said all new budget proposals for Palestinian aid were also postponed until further notice. The Israeli flag has been hoisted above the chancellor's office and the Foreign Ministry after the shock Hamas assault. Asked if Italy would follow Germany and Austria in suspending development aid, the foreign ministry spokesperson said this was not under discussion.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Oliver Varhelyi, Varhelyi, Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah, Alexander Schallenberg, Svenja Schulze, Rishi Sunak, Andrew Gray, Francois Murphy, Sarah Marsh, Markus Wacket, Angela Amante, Kate Holton, Mark Heinrich, Alison Williams, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, BRUSSELS, European, United Nations, Union, EU, EU Commission, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Austrian, European Union, Foreign Ministry, Social Democrats, Greens, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Ashkelon, Israel, Germany, Austria, Italy, BERLIN, Europe, West, Berlin, Palestinian, Berlin's, Brandenburg, United Nations, Britain, Brussels, Vienna, Rome, London

☆ ATP roundup: Sebastian Korda reaches Astana final
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

5 seed Sebastian Korda rallied to reach the Astana Open final and will battle No. Korda outlasted Serbia's Hamad Medjedovic 6-7 (8), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) in 2 hours and 49 minutes during Monday's first semifinal. Korda (18 aces) and Medjedovic (16) both held serve throughout the match, with the American finishing with a 122-112 edge in total points won. Standing in the way of Korda's second ATP title is Mannarino, a three-time tour winner who converted all four of his break points and breezed to a 6-4, 6-2 win against Austria's Sebastian Ofner on Monday. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain advanced to the semifinals in Beijing with a 6-4, 6-2 win against seventh-seeded Casper Ruud of Denmark.

Persons: Sebastian Korda, Adrian Mannarino of, Korda, Serbia's Hamad, Monday's, Austria's Sebastian Ofner, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud of Denmark, Alcaraz, Italy, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Zverev, Chile's Nicolas Jarry Organizations: Astana, ., Russia, Thomson Locations: Adrian Mannarino of France, Kazakhstan, Spain, Beijing, Germany

BRAUNAU AM INN, Austria (AP) — Work started Monday on turning the house in Austria where Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 into a police station, a project meant to make it unattractive as a site of pilgrimage for people who glorify the Nazi dictator. The decision on the future of the building in Braunau am Inn, a town on Austria's border with Germany, was made in late 2019. Plans call for a police station, the district police headquarters and a security academy branch where police officers will get human rights training. On Monday, workers put up fencing and started taking measurements for the construction work.The police are expected to occupy the premises in early 2026. The building had been rented by Austria’s Interior Ministry since 1972 to prevent its misuse, and was sublet to various charitable organizations.

Persons: —, Adolf Hitler, Austrian, Florian Kotanko, ”, ” “ Organizations: Austria’s Interior Ministry Locations: Austria, Nazi, Braunau, Austria's, Germany

☆ Putin signs decree permitting Italy's Intesa to sell Russian assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a concert dedicated to the 100th birth anniversary of Soviet and Russian poet Rasul Gamzatov at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, September 28, 2023. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree giving Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI) permission to sell or dispose of its assets in Russia, a document posted on a Russian government website showed on Friday. The latest decree said Moscow was permitting transactions that would lead to the direct or indirect disposal of 100% of Intesa's shares. It stopped new financing to Russian clients and fresh investments in Russian assets when the conflict broke out. The green light for Intesa could pave the way for similar approvals for other lenders still entangled in Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Rasul Gamzatov, Aleksey Nikolskyi, Putin, Intesa, UniCredit, Maxim Rodionov, Alexander Marrow, Susan Fenton, Mark Potter Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Raiffeisen Bank, Thomson Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine

☆ Q+A What is known about the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Nerijus Adomaitis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

This is what we know so far:WHAT ARE NORD STREAM PIPELINES? The multibillion-dollar infrastructure project was built by Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) in two stages - Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. Gazprom owns 51% of Nord Stream 1, while Germany's E.ON (EONGn.DE) and Wintershall Dea (WINT.UL) have 15.5% each, while French Engie (ENGIE.PA) and Dutch Gasunie (GSUNI.UL) hold 9% each in Nord Stream 1. Nord Stream 2, fully owned by Gazprom and operated by Nord Stream 2 AG, was completed in September 2021 at a cost of $11 billion, but was never put into operation because Germany had cancelled Nord Stream 2's certification days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The Nord Stream pipelines have been a flashpoint in an energy dispute between Europe and Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Pipes, Fabian Bimmer, Wintershall, OMV, Peter Frank, Die, Seymour Hersh, Mats Ljungqvist, Der Spiegel, Der Siegel, BfV, Nerijus Adomaitis, Christoph Steitz, Nina Chestney, Ros Russell Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Gazprom, Nord, E.ON, Shell, . Security, WHO, Washington Post, Die Welt, . Security Council, Reuters, Street, ZDF, Kyiv, CIA, NDR, WDR, German Federal Intelligence Service, Thomson Locations: Baltic, Mukran, Germany, Rights OSLO, Russia, Swedish, Bornholm, Sweden, Denmark, Nord, Ukraine, Uniper, Washington, NATO, Moscow, Kaliningrad, Russian, Britain ., U.S, Norway, China, Brazil, Rostock, Wiek, Rugen, Danish, Christianso, Kolobrzeg, Poland, Europe, United States, Oslo, Frankfurt

☆ Austria taps Embraer's C-390 aircraft to replace retiring C-130 fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVIENNA/SAO PAULO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Austria plans to replace its retiring C-130 Hercules fleet with Embraer's (EMBR3.SA) C-390 Millenium military transport aircraft, the country's Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner said on Wednesday. Austria is aiming to buy about four aircrafts and is negotiating with the Netherlands on a potential joint order, Tanner told a news conference. Aside from an order for 19 C-390 aircrafts from the Brazilian Air Force, Portugal has ordered five and Hungary has requested two. Analysts at JPMorgan calculated that including the prospective orders from Austria and The Netherlands, the aircraft's potential lifetime sales stand at 35 units, 28 of which are still to be delivered. Shares in Embraer rose 2.85% in early trading on the Brazilian stock exchange, outperforming the Bovespa stock index (.BVSP), which rose 0.8%.

Persons: Klaudia Tanner, Johanna Geron, Tanner, JPMorgan, Francois Murphy, Peter Frontini, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Austria's Defence, Foreign Affairs, Defence, REUTERS, Rights, SAO PAULO, country's Defence, Embraer, Brazilian Air Force, KC, JPMorgan, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Belgium, Rights VIENNA, Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Czech Republic, South Korea, India, Sweden, The Netherlands, Vienna, Sao

☆ An Austrian former minister who controversially danced with Putin at her wedding flew to Russia with her ponies on a military plane, says report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Austria's former foreign minister Karin Kneissl has moved to St. Petersburg to manage a think tank. A Russian military plane flew her and her ponies to Russia. She said she had decided to move to Russia to run a think tank at St. Petersburg University, reported Russia's state-owned Tass news agency. I decided to move to St. Petersburg for this work." AdvertisementAdvertisementKneissl said on social media that she took a Russian military plane to St. Petersburg along with her possessions — and ponies — as due to sanctions against Syria there were no commercial flights or DHL.

Persons: Karin Kneissl, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Kneissl Organizations: Service, Russian, Petersburg University, Tass, Gorki, Austrian Freedom Party, BBC, DHL, Guardian, Kneissl Locations: St, Petersburg, Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Austrian, St . Petersburg, Syria, Austria, France, Lebanon

☆ Austria's Former Foreign Minister to Move to St. Petersburg - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl will move to St. Petersburg to work at an academic centre there which she heads, the Russian TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday. "I co-founded the G.O.R.K.I. center and manage it," TASS quoted Kneissl as saying. "Since there is a lot of work there and it requires a lot of attention, I cannot do this in passing, I decided to move to St. Petersburg for this work."

Persons: Karin Kneissl, Kneissl Organizations: Reuters, Austrian, Russian TASS, TASS Locations: St, Petersburg

☆ Strabag maps out next step to decrease Russian investor's stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Logo of the construction company Strabag is seen at a construction site in front of the Supreme Court in Warsaw, Poland September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 11 (Reuters) - Austrian construction group Strabag (STRV.VI) set out details on Monday of a planned capital reduction in its latest step aimed at decreasing the stake held by a company belonging to sanctioned Russian shareholder Oleg Deripaska. The move will decrease MKAO Rasperia Trading Limited's stake in Strabag from a current 27.8% to below 25%, ridding the company of its blocking minority, the Austrian firm said. Free reserves will be distributed to existing shareholders, who have the choice between a share option at a ratio of one new share per four already held or a cash option of 9.05 euros per share. Reporting by Tristan Veyet in Gdansk Editing by Miranda Murray and Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kacper, Oleg Deripaska, Strabag, Vladimir Putin, Tristan Veyet, Miranda Murray, Rachel More Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Strabag, Austrian, Ukraine, Gdansk

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