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☆ A single mother escaped Kyiv with her 5-year-old at the onset of the Russian invasion. She is one of 8 million refugees who can only dream of returning home.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Kseniya Kharchenko and her then 5-year-old son fled Kyiv a day after the start of the invasion. And yet, Before the war, her ex-husband had called her paranoid over her fears of an invasion — Kharchenko said she was waiting for the war to begin for months. "I was so frightened, I really was," Kharchenko told Insider, thinking about how she and her son would survive. The act of protecting her son's life, Kharchenko told Insider, brings her strength and gives her purpose when she feels overwhelmed by the events of the last year. I have a fantasy," Kharchenko told Insider.

☆ The secret to faster delivery is clear: overhauling the street address as we know it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Confused delivery drivers add time, cost, and frustration to deliveries. Tech companies are looking to close the data gap between an address and a completed delivery. The English tech company throws out traditional addresses and instead divides the world into a grid of 10-foot by 10-foot squares. In a delivery scenario, the drive receives the code, which identifies the grid square containing the entrance as opposed to the traditional address. Pooling local knowledgeBeans.ai is another company that's looking to cut down on wasted time and emissions with more precise address data — but this time built with shoe leather.

METALS AND MININGIn a significant widening of its Russia-related sanctions, Treasury announced a new determination by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that allows sanctions on any individual or entity operating in Russia's metals and mining sector. On Friday, it hit four mining and metals sector companies, including TPZ-Rondol, a unit of Russia's largest ammunition maker, for producing weapons for the Russian military, including the navy, the Treasury said. Among other entities hit on Friday were more than a dozen Russian banks. Another bank hit was MTS Bank, which is located in Moscow and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Brian Nelson, Treasury's top sanctions official raised concerns about UAE's decision to license the Russian bank during a visit to the country the week of Jan. 30.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, the West formed what looked like an overwhelming global coalition: 141 countries supported a United Nations measure demanding that Russia unconditionally withdraw. South Korea Indonesia Israel Thailand Japan Saudi Arabia Philippines Afghanistan CambodiaBy contrast, Russia seemed isolated. Eritrea “Russian actions are being distorted” North Korea Russia Belarus Syria Eritrea “Russian actions are being distorted” North Korea Russia Belarus SyriaBut the West never won over as much of the world as it initially seemed. But like many other African countries, South Africa appears careful to balance its growing ties with Russia against maintaining a relationship with the West. Others that provided Ukraine with military support have declined to impose economic sanctions on Russia.

☆ I'm a Medium blogger who makes up to $11,000 a month. Here are my top 3 tips for monetizing your content.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Sasha Weilbaker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sinem Günel is a writer who posts content on the online publishing platform Medium. Writers make money on Medium by earning a portion of the $5 monthly membership fee readers pay to access gated content. Of my projects at the time, writing on Medium was the task I enjoyed most. Use Medium as a lead-generation sourceAt the bottom of every Medium article, you're allowed to input a call to action, or a CTA. If readers like what you're writing, joining your email list will give them access to more of it.

☆ A record number of Americans applied for second citizenship in 2022. These are the 11 countries where you can buy a 'golden passport.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Austria: estimated $9.5 million investment requiredVienna, Austria. Sylvain Sonnet/Getty ImagesEven if you can afford the multi-million dollar price tag, Austria's citizenship by investment program is incredibly selective. Under Article 10, Section 6 of the Austrian Citizenship Act, the Austrian government is able to award citizenship to foreigners who show "extraordinary merit" and contribute significantly to the state's interests — either scientifically, culturally, or economically. This can include setting up a business, creating jobs, or introducing new technologies, according to Austrian law experts. The exact investment amount required for the award is not clear, but is estimated to be around $9.5 million, Forbes reports.

☆ Israeli reforms would undermine judiciary, U.N. rights chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The United Nations' human rights chief on Tuesday voiced concern that a proposed overhaul of Israel's judicial system would "drastically undermine" the ability of the judiciary to uphold human rights and the rule of law. "Breaking from decades of settled practice, such a law would drastically undermine the ability of the judiciary to vindicate individual rights and to uphold the rule of law as an effective institutional check on executive and legislative power," said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Meirav Eilon Shahar, has said a previous statement from Turk showed prejudice. Austria's Turk, who became High Commissioner in October, earlier this month called on Israel to ensure respect of international rights law after his office documented a record 151 killings of Palestinians by security forces last year. Reporting by Emma Farge; additional reporting by James Mackenzie in Jerusalem Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) closed 0.1% higher ahead of a slew of economic data due later this week. Telecom Italia (TIM) (TLIT.MI) fell 2.7% as a government-sponsored offer rivalling KKR's bid for the former phone monopoly's prized grid failed to materialise over the weekend. The EURO STOXX index (.STOXXE), which houses major companies in the eurozone, inched down 0.1%. On the economic front, euro zone consumer confidence rose by 1.7 points in February from January, as expected, figures showed. Forvia, the European car parts maker born from Faurecia's (EPED.PA) takeover of Hella (HLE.DE), forecast stable 2023 sales, sending Faurecia nearly 2.3% higher.

☆ European shares flat as Telecom Italia drags eurozone stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) was flat after opening marginally higher. That also boosted oil prices, lifting European energy stocks (.SXEP) by 0.3%. The EURO STOXX index (.STOXXE), which houses major companies in the eurozone, dipped 0.1%. Telecom Italia (TIM)(TLIT.MI) shares dropped 3% as a government-sponsored offer rivalling KKR's bid for the former phone monopoly's prized grid failed to materialise over the weekend. The European autos and auto parts sector index (.SXAP) rose 0.6%.

☆ Kristoffersen wins slalom, historic silver for Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

France's 2022 Olympic slalom champion Clement Noel was fourth, missing a medal by 0.03 seconds. I’ve done both plenty of times, but the finish is worse because you’ve done your run, and you can’t change anything," said the 2019 giant slalom gold medallist. "I won most things in slalom except Olympic gold and world championship gold. He was also second in a World Cup slalom in Chamonix on Feb. 4, a first World Cup podium for his country. "He went to chase his dream for Greece after so many injuries and he never let go.

An Austrian official said that Austrian authorities were monitoring the situation at Raiffeisen and its business in Russia closely because of the bank's importance. Almost a year since Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine, Raiffeisen is among a handful of European banks that remain in Russia. Raiffeisen made a net profit of roughly 3.8 billion euros last year, thanks in large part to a 2 billion euro plus profit from its Russia business. Alternatively, OFAC can also resort to less stringent measures such as levying fines and sending warning letters over sanctions violations. OFAC has sanctioned five major Russian banks, including state-backed Sberbank (SBER.MM) part of a response to that country's invasion of Ukraine, as well as wealthy oligarchs.

☆ Shiffrin sets pace in world championships slalom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MERIBEL, France, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Mikaela Shiffrin put herself in pole position to reclaim her slalom title at the world championships with a rock-solid run to lead after the first leg on Saturday. Swiss Wendy Holdener was second, 0.19 seconds off Shiffrin's pace while Canada's Laurence St-Germain was third quickest just over half a second back. The dominant Shiffrin, 27, was unbeatable in world championships slalom as she won in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 but had to settle for bronze in Cortina in 2021. Her long-awaited giant slalom victory took her world championships medal haul to 13, level with Sweden's Anja Paerson with only Christl Cranz (15) having won more. Austria's Katharina Liensberger, who took slalom gold in 2021, could only manage 14th in the first run.

☆ Wealthy Americans are racing to get the EU's last remaining 'golden passport' before it's gone
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For the first time, Americans are applying for "golden passports" more than any other nationality. For the first time, Americans are applying for golden passports and visas more than any other nationality, according to Henley & Partners' 2023 USA Wealth Report, released Thursday. Henley & Partners' Head of North America Mehdi Kadiri said Malta's golden passport scheme was the second-most sought-after program among Americans, in part because Malta's program is accessible through real estate investment. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt reportedly applied for European citizenship in 2020 through Cyprus' now-defunct golden passport program. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, golden passports and visas faced global scrutiny for allowing sanctioned oligarchs access to the UK.

☆ See the photos that won National Geographic’s ‘Pictures of the Year’ contest
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Audrey Wan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

National Geographic announced the winning photographs from its first "Pictures of the Year" photo competition. The photo will be featured in an upcoming issue of National Geographic's U.S. magazine. Their photos will be published on National Geographic's Your Shot Instagram page, which has some 6.5 million followers. Salt wells on a hillside in the Salt Mines of Maras in Peru. An LiThe mines comprise around 4,500 salt wells, each of which produces some 400 pounds of salt per month.

☆ Factbox: Chipmakers' plans for factories in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Under the European Chips Act, the European Commission earmarked early last year a total of 15 billion euros ($16 billion) for public and private semiconductor projects by 2030. Below are some of the chipmakers' plans for factories in Europe, in alphabetical order:Infineon (IFXGn.DE):The maker of chips used in cars and data won approval to begin work on a 5 billion euro semiconductor plant in the German city of Dresden, it said on Feb. 16. Intel (INTC.O):In March 2022, Intel picked the German city of Magdeburg as the site for its new mega chip manufacturing complex, a key part of its $88 billion investment drive across Europe. STMicroelectronics (STM.BN):The Franco-Italian company said in October it plans to build a 730 million euro silicon carbide wafer plant in Italy. It also announced plans in July to build a semiconductor factory in France in partnership with GlobalFoundries (GFS.O).

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Adobe Inc (ADBE.O) will need to secure European Union antitrust approval for its $20 billion bid for cloud-based designer platform Figma even though the deal falls short of the EU turnover threshold for a review, EU regulators said on Wednesday. The move by the European Commission underlines regulators' worries on Big Tech acquiring smaller innovative rivals and the impact on competition. Photoshop maker Adobe had originally sought approval from antitrust agencies in Austria and Germany for the deal. Austria subsequently referred the case to the Commission, prompting the other EU countries to join in. "We look forward to working constructively with the European Commission to address its questions and bring the review to a timely close," a spokesperson for San Francisco, California-based Figma said.

☆ McDonald's to launch McPlant nuggets made with Beyond Meat in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The fast-food giant announced Wednesday that customers in Germany will be able to order plant-based McPlant Nuggets starting Feb. 22. McDonald's, which has more than 1,400 locations in Germany, is also adding the McPlant burger to the country's menu. The launch comes just days before the two-year anniversary of the companies announcing their three-year deal for Beyond to become the preferred patty supplier for McDonald's McPlant burger. But it looks unlikely at this point that U.S. customers will get the chance to try the new McPlant Nuggets for themselves at the company's roughly 14,000 domestic locations. McDonald's and Beyond ended their U.S. test of the McPlant burger in 2022 and haven't announced any plans for additional testing or a nationwide launch.

☆ United States win gold in team parallel at world championships
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Team Parallel - Meribel, France - February 14, 2023 Gold medallist team United States celebrate on the podium after winning the Team Parallel final REUTERS/Denis BalibouseMERIBEL, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The United States beat Norway to claim gold in the team parallel event at the Alpine skiing world championships on Tuesday. "It was really special," said Radamus, who was part of the U.S. team that finished fourth in the event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. "I love these team events because it's something we don't get to do all the time; compete as a team. American Mikaela Shiffrin, who took her 12th career world championship medal with silver in the super-G last week, did not compete in the event. Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge and Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Carolina Herrera blooms opulence for fall at New York Fashion Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] A model walks toward the runway during rehearsals at the Carolina Herrera Fall/Winter 2023 collection show during the New York Fashion Week in New York City, U.S., February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Andrew KellyNEW YORK, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Carolina Herrera's signature ball gowns, elegant evening dresses and classic day looks filled the designer's sumptuous fall/winter collection at New York Fashion Week on Monday. Bright jewel tones, bold black and white stripes, and floral prints helped to tell creative director Wes Gordon's story of opulence at a Plaza Hotel ballroom. Tulle was used for complete looks as well as embellishment, along with lace, silks and hand embroidery. New York Fashion Week will feature over 70 shows through Wednesday.

[1/4] A Russian police officer stands in front of a branch of the Raiffeisen Bank in Moscow, Russia, February 27, 2016. It made a net profit of roughly 3.8 billion euros last year, thanks in large part to a 2 billion euro plus profit from its Russia business. Of UniCredit's more than 20 billion euro total revenue last year, Russia accounted for more than 1 billion euros. Meanwhile, Russian savers lodged more than 20 billion euros with the bank, which offers a place to deposit funds with fewer sanctions risks. It banned investors from so-called unfriendly countries from selling shares in banks, unless the Russian President grants an exemption.

☆ Austrian army suspends Turkey quake rescue over security
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN/ZURICH, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The Austrian army has suspended rescue operations in quake-hit Turkey due to "an increasingly difficult security situation", its spokesperson said in a tweet on Saturday. Ministry spokesperson Michael Bauer tweeted that the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit (AFDRU) was available for further rescue operations when the working environment became safe. "There is increasing aggression between groups in Turkey," he said. Turkish authorities have not commented on any unrest in the area, but President Tayyip Erdogan commented on the general security situation on Saturday, noting that a state of emergency had been declared and that there had been some looting. Some 82 rescue workers from Austria's armed forces have been in Antakya, Turkey, since Feb. 7 and their specialists have freed nine people from the rubble.

☆ Austrian army suspends Turkey quake rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The Austrian army has suspended rescue operations in quake-hit Turkey due to "an increasingly difficult security situation", its spokesperson said in a tweet on Saturday. Ministry spokesperson Michael Bauer tweeted that the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit (AFDRU) was available for further rescue operations when the working environment became safe. News agency AFP reported clashes between unidentified groups, and that Austrian troops were sheltering in a base camp with other international organizations and were awaiting instructions. Some 80 rescue workers from Austria's armed forces have been in Antakya, Turkey, since Feb. 7 and their specialists have freed nine people from the rubble. Reporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bengaluru and Riham Alkousaa in Berlin Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU looks to tighten borders to keep unwanted migrants away
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"European countries are experiencing a big increase in the number of people who are coming from outside Europe on an irregular basis," said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Still, with global mobility restarting since the COVID-19 pandemic, irregular arrivals into the EU rose last year to their highest level since 2016, reviving harsher anti-immigration rhetoric. WALLS AND FENCES"We need to 'pull the brake' on illegal migration in the EU," said Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The EU's executive, which holds the bloc's shared budget, has long refused to finance border walls, though it does pay for surveillance equipment and other infrastructure. Catholic charity group Caritas said EU leaders should look into improving the bloc's asylum procedures and reception centres to "put human rights and dignity front and centre".

☆ Canada's Crawford wins super-G gold by slimmest of margins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COURCHEVEL, France, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Canada's James Crawford won the men's super-G by the slimmest of margins in a stunning upset at the Alpine skiing world championships on Thursday. Switzerland's World Cup overall leader Marco Odermatt was fourth and surprisingly out of the medals on a course set by the Swiss coach. The 25-year-old is the first Canadian super-G world champion since Erik Guay in St Moritz in 2017. Austria's 2021 super-G champion Vincent Kriechmayr finished 12th. Italy's Dominik Paris, the 2019 super-G world champion, crashed heavily at speed after pushing too aggressively and catching a ski edge on a gate.

☆ Bassino pips Shiffrin to win Super-G gold
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 8 (Reuters) - Italy's Marta Bassino edged out American Mikaela Shiffrin to win the women's Super-G gold at the World Ski Championships in Courchevel, France, on Wednesday, winning the title by 0.11 seconds. Bassino has six World Cup gold medals to her name in the giant slalom but had never topped the podium in any other World Cup event. However, she did win gold in the parallel giant slalom at the 2021 World Ski Championships. Bassino is the second Italian to win a gold medal at this year's championships after Federica Brignone won the women's combined event on Monday. Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami, the defending champion and one of the pre-race favourites with 18 Super-G World Cup victories, could only manage sixth placed.

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