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☆ Finland to close last operating checkpoint on Russian border
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Eve Brennan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Finland will close the last operating checkpoint on its Russian border on Thursday, entirely shutting off the NATO country’s eastern border with Russia for two weeks. In Tuesday’s press release, Finland’s interior ministry said entry into Finland at the eastern border has continued despite restrictions. “Since the beginning of August, almost 1,000 third-country nationals have arrived in Finland without a visa via the border crossing points at the eastern border. He welcomed the move by the European Union’s border agency, Frontex, to deploy 50 guards along the Finnish border. Earlier this year, the Finnish Border Guard also began the pilot phase of constructing an eastern border barrier fence along some key parts of the border.

Persons: Petteri Orpo, Mari Rantanen, Alexander Grushko, ”, Grushko, “, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Vladimir Putin’s “ Organizations: CNN, NATO, Finland’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, Finland’s, Finnish Border Guard, Government Locations: Finland, Russia, Helsinki, Ukraine, ”, Russian, Moscow, “, Finnish, Brussels, European

But 18-24 months later, the acute phase of the adjustment is complete, with energy inventories comfortable and prices reverting towards long-term inflation-adjusted averages. Chartbook: Europe's energy supplies and pricesThere will undoubtedly be more shocks in future, but the disruption associated with the end of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is over. Europe’s residual issue is that it has swapped relatively cheap Russian pipeline gas for relatively expensive LNG, putting its industrial competitiveness at risk, but that is a chronic problem rather than a crisis. OILIn the oil market, U.S. domestic crude and condensates production has continued to increase and surpassed its pre-pandemic peak in August 2023. Related columns:- China braces for record winter electricity demand (November 24, 2023)- Europe’s gas crisis is over, but not the painful adjustment (November 21, 2023)- Oil prices slump as fundamentals reassert themselves (November 9, 2023)- Europe's record gas stocks start to pressure prices (November 7, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

Persons: John Kemp, Jan Harvey Organizations: U.S, Brent, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Europe, Asia, Ukraine, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Northwest Europe, China, Russia, South, East Asia, Brazil

☆ U.S. Whiskey Is ‘Collateral Damage’ in Trans-Atlantic Trade Fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Kristina Peterson | Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

U.S. whiskey makers are bracing for an EU tariff that would retaliate for U.S. tariffs on European steel. Photo: Luke Sharrett for The Wall Street JournalBrooke Glover wants to ship her award-winning, West Virginia-made whiskey to Europe, where fans have been clamoring for a taste. But she has no plans to expand across the Atlantic just yet. Swilled Dog distillery is one of many American whiskey makers falling victim to a fight that has nothing to do with bourbon or rye. The threatened tariff is the European Union’s retaliation for U.S. tariffs on European steel and aluminum, which themselves were part of tougher trade measures designed to boost U.S. manufacturers.

Persons: Luke Sharrett, Brooke Glover Organizations: Wall Street, West Locations: West Virginia, Europe

European regulators said Monday that Amazon’s proposed acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot may harm competition. The European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, said it has informed Amazon of its “preliminary view” regarding the deal following an investigation that began in July. The news raised investors' concerns about the acquisition, sending shares in Bedford, Massachusetts-based iRobot Corp., most famous for the circular-shaped Roomba vacuum, down more than 17% Monday. “IRobot, which faces intense competition from other vacuum cleaner suppliers, offers practical and inventive products,” Miller said. But British antitrust regulators cleared Amazon’s purchase of iRobot back in June.

Persons: Alexandra Miller, “, ” Miller, iRobot Organizations: European Commission, iRobot Corp, Amazon, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Bedford , Massachusetts, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Seattle, U.S

☆ Snowfall is changing across the globe, new maps show
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Eric Zerkel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Snowfall is declining globally as temperatures warm because of human-caused climate change, a new analysis and maps from a NOAA climate scientist show. There has already been a 2.7% decline in annual global snowfall since 1973, according to Brettschneider’s analysis of data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The increase in snowfall in the Northeast seen on the maps illustrates the complicated nature of changing precipitation patterns with climate change, scientists told CNN. “Even though the total snowfall trend was positive, the days per year with snowfall trend is negative,” Brettschneider told CNN. Managing water with less snowUnderstanding the implications of less snowfall on the global water supply is far more complicated than simply saying less snow falling means less available water, Mankin said.

Persons: ”, Brian Brettschneider, ” Snow, Justin Mankin, haven’t, ” Mankin, Jessica Lundquist, Lundquist, ” Lundquist, ” Brettschneider, Brettschneider, Mankin, “ Organizations: CNN, NOAA, Northeast, National Weather Service, Dartmouth College, University of Washington Locations: Alaska, Northern, California, American, “ California, snowpack, South Asia, Spain, Italy, Greece, North Africa, Morocco

☆ Fact Check: Map featuring Antarctica ‘ice wall’ is an art forum creation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video of a map depicting Earth’s continents surrounded by an Antarctic “ice wall” is a creative interpretation from an online art forum. The image shows a map of Earth where the planet’s continents are labelled but structured differently, centered in the middle of a flat Earth, with Antarctica forming an ice ring around them. The map depicts unknown lands sandwiched between the first ice wall and a second, further ice wall. Reuters has previously addressed false claims that misinterpret maps to further the flat Earth conspiracy theory. It is not evidence of a flat Earth.

Persons: “ worldbuilding, Read Organizations: Antarctic, Facebook, YouTube, NASA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Antarctica

☆ EU fiscal pact ignores green elephant in the room
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The European Union’s troubled fiscal pact, once branded as "stupid" by former European Commission President Romano Prodi, has reached its sell-by date. Average EU debt has been consistently above the 60% target. NEW COURSEThe proposed revamp of the fiscal pact, now under discussion, is an improvement. BRAVE NEW DEBT WORLDFor all of Brussels’ reforming zeal, Europe’s future debt rules ignore a giant elephant in the room: climate change. Another option is to remove green investments from the fiscal rules’ deficit calculations.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, Romano Prodi, Christian Lindner, Giorgia Meloni, Breakingviews, Bruno Le Maire, Olaf Scholz’s, Mario Draghi, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: Trust, REUTERS, Reuters, European, Reuters Graphics Reuters, European Commission, French Finance, EU, Intel, European Central Bank, Italian, Union, Thomson Locations: Green Park, London, Britain, Maastricht Treaty, Germany, it's, Italy, Greece, Brussels, EU, United States, Spain, Europe

☆ How Electricity Is Changing Around the World
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nadja Popovich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Fossil Clean Fossil CleanWorld electricity generationHow Electricity Is Changing Around the WorldCarbon-free electricity has never been more plentiful. Where Fossil-Fueled Power Is Still Growing Today trend Over Last Decade Declining fossil power Mostly clean already Plateau or other trend Rising fossil power Circles are sized by the amount of total power generated by each country in 2021-22. trend Over Last Decade Mostly clean already Declining fossil power Plateau or other trend Rising fossil power Circles are sized by the amount of total power generated by each country in 2021-22. Note: Total generation data is shown through 2022 for the countries that have power generation data available through that year. (The country’s per person electricity generation is still much lower than America’s.) “But the upfront cost is a barrier.”Millions of people around the world also continue to go without access to any form of electricity.

Persons: It’s, ”, Dave Jones, —, Faran Rana, Nancy Haegel Organizations: Nuclear, Wind, Oil Gas Coal United States European Union United, United, Oil Gas Coal, Energy, International Renewable Energy Agency, United States, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oil Gas Coal Argentina Australia Austria Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Czechia Denmark Ecuador Egypt Finland France Germany Greece Hungary India Indonesia Iran Ireland Italy Japan Kazakhstan Kuwait Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russian Federation Saudi, Oil Gas Coal Argentina Australia Austria Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Czechia Denmark Ecuador Egypt Finland France Germany Greece Hungary India Indonesia Iran Ireland Italy Japan Kazakhstan Kuwait Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russian Federation Saudi Arabia Serbia Singapore Slovakia South Africa South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United Locations: China, India, United States, Europe, London, Oil Gas Coal United States European Union United Kingdom Australia, Australia, Oil Gas Coal China India Indonesia Malaysia, Asia, Indonesia, Oil Gas Coal Argentina Australia Austria Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Czechia Denmark Ecuador Egypt Finland France Germany Greece Hungary India Indonesia Iran Ireland Italy Japan Kazakhstan Kuwait Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Peru Philippines Poland Portugal, Oil Gas Coal Argentina Australia Austria Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Czechia Denmark Ecuador Egypt Finland France Germany Greece Hungary India Indonesia Iran Ireland Italy Japan Kazakhstan Kuwait Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russian Federation Saudi Arabia Serbia Singapore Slovakia South Africa South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey Ukraine, Oil Gas Coal Argentina Australia Austria Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Czechia Denmark Ecuador Egypt Finland France Germany Greece Hungary India Indonesia Iran Ireland Italy Japan Kazakhstan Kuwait Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russian Federation Saudi Arabia Serbia Singapore Slovakia South Africa South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Vietnam

Ukrainian forces say they have have “gained a foothold” on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine. In March, EU member states agreed to provide Ukraine with 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition for Ukraine to be delivered within 12 months. Both Ukraine and Russia need to replenish extraordinary amounts of ammunition as a grinding war of attrition continues in Ukraine’s east and south. Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, pictured in court in 2014, has received a presidential pardon after doing a stint fighting in Ukraine. The visit was previously unannounced and comes amid concerns that the Israel-Gaza conflict will divert international attention from the war in Ukraine.

Persons: “, Vladimir Saldo, Pilipey, Saldo, ” Boris Pistorius, Pistorius, Josep Borrell, Dimitar Dilkoff, Anna Politkovskaya, Vladimir Putin, Sergey Khadzhikurbanov, Politkovskaya, Khadzhikurbanov’s, Alexey Mikhalchik, Putin, ” Mikhalchik, Khadzhikurbanov, ”, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, Pavel Golovkin, David Cameron, Zelensky, ” Cameron, Cameron, ” Cameron –, Alexandra Skochilenko, Skochilenko “ Organizations: CNN —, Defense Forces, CNN, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, Getty, Novaya Gazeta, Russian Ministry of Defense, Khadzhikurbanov, AP, Armed Forces, Russian Federation Locations: CNN — Ukraine, Dnipro, Kyiv, Germany, Ukraine, Kherson, Russia, Russian, AFP, Krynky, Crimea, Brussels, EU, Ukraine’s, South, North Korea, Moscow, British, Israel, Gaza, St, Petersburg, St . Petersburg, Skochilenko

☆ Apple will make a big change to iPhone messages next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The change – first reported by tech site 9to5Mac – will add features, such as read receipt, typing indicators, better support for group chats and higher quality media sharing of images and videos, across platforms. Apple told CNN in a statement it will add support for the standard, called RCS (Rich Communication Services), later next year. Meanwhile, Google, which already has support for RCS within its messaging app, has been vocal about wanting Apple to adopt the standard. The move, however, doesn’t necessarily mean the green bubbles (Android or other users) and blue bubbles (Apple users) that are displayed when messaging someone on the other platform will go away anytime soon. “Instead, RCS support will enable a smoother and better customer experience of iPhone users communicating across platforms.

Persons: iMessage, Apple, Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, Cook, ”, Dipanjan Chatterjee, Michael Inouye, ” Inouye, Chatterjee, ” Chatterjee, that’s Organizations: CNN, Apple, Communication Services, Universal, Google, Commission, European Union, “, Forrester Research, ABI Research, GSM Association Locations: Europe

“It can be assumed that the 1 million rounds will not be reached,” Boris Pistorius said ahead of an EU defense ministers meeting in Brussels. In March, EU member states agreed to provide Ukraine with 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition for Ukraine to be delivered within 12 months. The US has also been ramping up ammunition production to supply Ukraine. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv urgently needed the EU to ramp up its ability to supply ammunition for the Ukrainian military. Ukraine is “ringing the bells a lot and loudly” over EU ammunition supply, he said on national television on Monday night.

Persons: ” Boris Pistorius, Pistorius, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Boris Pistorius, Omar Havana, Dmytro Kuleba, “, ”, ” Nick Witney, Tom Waldwyn, Waldwyn Organizations: CNN, EU, German, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, Ukraine’s, European Council, Foreign Relations, International Institute for Strategic Studies Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Brussels, EU, Ukraine’s, South, North Korea, Europe

☆ EU says roughly 100 civilians reportedly killed during massacre on village in Burkina Faso
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Nimi Princewill | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Roughly 100 civilians were reportedly killed during a massacre on a village in the West African country of Burkina Faso, the European Union’s diplomatic service said Monday. “Nearly a hundred civilians, including women and children, are reported to have been killed in a massacre in the village of Zaongo, in the north-central region of Burkina Faso,” the EU External Action (EEAS) said in a statement. In early April, authorities blamed terrorists for the killing of at least 44 people in separate attacks on villages in northern Burkina Faso. Later that month, 136 others, including babies were killed in a similar onslaught on a village in the same region by armed men in military uniform. Burkina Faso has been the epicenter of violence that has spread across the vast Sahel region by Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Persons: d’état, ” Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Islamic, Amnesty International, Burkina Faso ” Locations: West, Burkina Faso, Zaongo, al Qaeda

☆ Opinion: In the French language, ‘inclusive’ becomes a loaded word
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Last month, the French Senate voted 221 to 82 in favor of the proposal banning gender-inclusive language from official French documents. Now it seems, another legitimate arm of state power — the French Senate — has taken matters into its own hands. As Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing populist France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party said on X: “The French language belongs to those who speak it.”But the right embraces it. And he is someone who has embraced all efforts to cement French as a central language for the world. It’s all part of the French president’s ongoing campaign to boost the use of French everywhere.

Persons: David A, David Andelman, sommation, ”, “, maitresse ”, Pascale Gruny, Le, it’s, they’re, Senate —, ” There’s, Gruny, Jean, Luc Mélenchon, Emmanuel Macron, centrism, Macron, King François Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, Paris CNN —, French Academy, Senate, National Assembly, International City Locations: Europe, ASIA, Paris, France, French, Republic, Luxembourg, Cotterêts, Spain

Meanwhile, a blast in Russian-occupied territory in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, killed a pro-Moscow official, with a Ukrainian intelligence agency taking credit for the assassination. The Black Sea frontUkrainian Defense Intelligence (GUR) claimed it hit two small Russian naval vessels in the Black Sea on Friday, its latest display of Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian targets in occupied Crimea. “Two Russian landing craft have been hit with Ukrainian sea drones near Chernomorske, Crimea,” Andriy Yusov, a representative of GUR, said in comments to CNN. Ukraine Defence Intelligence released grainy, grayscale video showing what it claims is the moment of its srikes on Russian navy vessels in the Black sea. Kyiv has also focused on breaking Russia’s dominance in Ukraine’s territorial Black Sea waters.

Persons: GUR, ” Andriy Yusov, Vlada, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Mikhail Filiponenko, Igor Kornet, Ursula von der Leyen, John Thys, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Ursula von der, “ Organizations: CNN, Moscow, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, CNN . Defence Intelligence, Ukraine Defence Intelligence, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense CNN, Liberian, Operational Command, UN, Police, Getty, Tavria, Forces, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, People’s Militia, Luhansk People’s, Defense Intelligence, Russian, European Union, EU, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine’s, Crimea, Luhansk, Ukrainian, “, Chernomorske, ”, Russian, Kyiv, Moscow, Odesa, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Luhansk People’s Republic, AFP, Europe

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s president on Friday backpedaled after siding with a top appeals court that defied a Constitutional Court ruling calling for the release of an imprisoned opposition lawmaker. The court of appeals also took the unprecedented step of filing a criminal complaint against Constitutional Court justices, accusing them of violating the constitution. In remarks published Friday, Erdogan accused the Constitutional Court - Turkey’s highest court - of making “many mistakes one after the other” and reproached members of his own party who criticized the appeals court. On Friday, hundreds of members of the Turkish Bar Association marched to the Constitutional Court to protest the appeals court’s decision not to implement its ruling. The Constitutional Court, which reviewed his case last month, had ruled for Atalay’s release, saying his freedoms and rights to hold office were being violated.

Persons: —, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, ”, ” Erdogan, ” Atalay, Atalay Organizations: Constitutional, Turkish Bar Association, Republican People’s Party, EU Locations: ANKARA, Turkey

☆ Apple’s fight against a $14 billion EU tax bill suffers a setback
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But Advocate General Giovanni Pitruzzella at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) — the EU’s highest court — disagreed, saying judges should set aside the General Court ruling and refer the case back to the lower tribunal. “The judgment of the General Court on ‘tax rulings’ adopted by Ireland in relation to Apple should be set aside,” he said in a non-binding opinion. He said the General Court had committed a series of errors in law. “It is therefore necessary for the General Court to carry out a new assessment,” Pitruzzella said. Her biggest legal victory to date came in September when the General Court upheld her decision against a €700 million ($749 million) Belgian tax scheme for 55 multinationals.

Persons: Margrethe Vestager, Apple, Giovanni Pitruzzella, —, ”, ” Pitruzzella, Michael McGrath, Court’s, Vestager Organizations: Apple, European Commission, European Court of Justice, Justice, Court, Ireland, Dublin, Stellantis, Starbucks, Belgian Locations: Luxembourg, Ireland

☆ Global warming: Humanity just lived through the hottest 12 months in at least 125,000 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A temperature display reading 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2 degrees Celsius) in Houston, Texas, on June 21, 2023. “October 2023 has seen exceptional temperature anomalies, following on from four months of global temperature records being obliterated,” Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus, said in a statement. Every month since June has smashed monthly heat records and every month since July has been at least 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The year to-date is averaging 1.43 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to Copernicus — perilously close to the internationally agreed ambition to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. China saw more than 12 monthly temperature records broken on Monday, with temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) in some places.

Persons: ” David Reay, Niño, ” Andrew Pershing, “, Chen Chen, Samantha Burgess, Copernicus, ” Hannah Cloke, Hurricane Otis, ” Reay, it’s what’s, Friederike Otto, ”, “ El Niño, ” Pershing, ” CNN’s Robert Shackelford, Sara Tonks, Brandon Miller Organizations: CNN, University of Edinburgh, Climate, University of Reading, Hurricane, Southern, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, UN Locations: Edinburgh, India, United States, South, Southwest, Houston, Iceland, Lesotho, Houston , Texas, Xinhua, Southern Mexico, China, Texas, Dubai, Paris

☆ Ukraine Gets an Encouraging Sign in Its Bid to Join the E.U.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Monika Pronczuk | More About Monika Pronczuk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The European Union’s executive arm recommended on Wednesday that the bloc open membership talks with Ukraine, an encouraging step for the government in Kyiv in what remains a long and arduous joining process. The recommendation from the executive, the European Commission, comes with the caveat that Ukraine must take steps to address corruption, protect minorities and limit the power of oligarchs. The final decision on opening the talks rests with the leaders of the 27 E.U. member nations, and they are expected to discuss the question at a summit meeting next month, potentially clearing the way for the start of detailed negotiations. Such a move would represent a strong political signal about the European Union’s support for Ukraine, which is battling to maintain backing from its allies in the face of a stagnating counteroffensive against Russia while much of the world’s attention turns to Israel’s war with Hamas.

Organizations: European Commission, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia

☆ EU report says Ukraine is ready to start process of joining
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The same report suggests that accession talks with Moldova should also begin. Ukraine has held ambitions to join the EU for more than a decade. The aim of joining the bloc – along with NATO - has formally been part of Ukraine’s constitution since 2019. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky applied for EU membership in February 2022, shortly before Russia invaded his country. With Ukraine currently at war, it is unclear and unlikely that those conditions will be met any time soon.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, ” Von der Leyen, Viktor Yanukovych’s, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, EU, European Union, NATO, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Crimea

☆ Ryanair’s soaring profit means regular payouts to shareholders for first time in 40 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ryanair has returned money to investors in the past, but never on a regular basis. Between 2008 and 2020, the group paid out €6.74 billion ($7.2 billion) to shareholders via buybacks and ad hoc dividend payments, according to a spokesperson. Less competition has allowed the airline to increase ticket prices, which soared 24% on average, offsetting significantly higher fuel costs. That would be up from its previous record of €1.45 billion ($1.6 billion) earned in 2018, before the Covid-19 pandemic. Ryanair agreed to buy up to 300 Boeing 737-10 planes earlier this year in a deal worth $40 billion.

Persons: ”, Adina Vălean, we’ve, Michael O’Leary, “ I’m Organizations: London CNN, Ryanair, Lauda, Interactive Investor, Financial Times, International Air Transport Association, Boeing Locations: Austrian, Dublin, Europe, Albania

☆ Middle East War Becomes a European Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Dominic Green | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Images: AFP/Getty Images/Zuma Press Composite: Mark KellyLondonA war in the Middle East is a foreign-policy crisis for the U.S., but it is a domestic crisis for Europe. The streets of London, Paris and Berlin are blocked by marchers calling for jihad. In Brussels, the European Union’s capital, an international soccer match was halted after a Tunisian asylum seeker shot two Swedish fans on their way to the game. Synagogues and Jewish schools are vandalized, and Jews physically assaulted. Police are outnumbered in the streets, undermined by legal activists, and supported only equivocally by politicians.

Persons: Mark Kelly London Organizations: Getty, Police Locations: Europe, London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels

☆ Wind Power Write-Downs Cast Shadow Over Industry Outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Giulia Petroni | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Wind-power developer Orsted scrapped projects in New Jersey citing supply-chain problems and high interest rates. Orsted , BP and Equinor have collectively written off $4.8 billion against U.S. offshore wind projects in recent days. Equinor, BP’s partner on the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects, booked an impairment of around $300 million on its U.S. portfolio. Utility Dominion Energy on Tuesday received a key federal approval for its 2.6-gigawatt offshore wind project in Virginia. And Orsted confirmed its final investment decision into Revolution Wind, an offshore 704-megawatt project in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Persons: Wayne Parry, Orsted, Mads Nipper, henning bagger, ”, Phil Murphy ’, Martin Tessier, Stifel ’, —, Engie, Vattenfall, Russ Mould, AJ Bell, Dominic, Giulia Petroni Organizations: Associated, U.S, Agence France, Republicans, Democratic Gov, ”, BP, Iberdrola, Shell, Business, Siemens Energy, Dominion Energy, giulia.petroni@wsj.com Locations: New Jersey, U.S, Danish, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Swedish, Norfolk, Virginia, Rhode Island, Asia Pacific, Europe

☆ The U.S. and European Economies Are Diverging
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Paul Hannon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A slump in international trade has hit large manufacturers and exporters such as Germany particularly hard. Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg NewsThe gap between the U.S. and European economies is widening, with growth and inflation on different trajectories as the fallout from the war in Ukraine weighs on Europe’s prospects. The European Union’s statistics agency Tuesday said the combined gross domestic product of the eurozone’s 20 members fell by an annualized 0.4% in the three months through September, having increased by 0.6% in the previous quarter.

Persons: Krisztian Bocsi Organizations: Bloomberg, U.S Locations: Germany, Ukraine

☆ With Executive Order, White House Tries to Balance A.I.’s Potential and Peril
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Kevin Roose | More About Kevin Roose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

too slowly and you might miss out on the chance to prevent potential hazards and dangerous misuses of the technology. React too quickly and you risk writing bad or harmful rules, stifling innovation or ending up in a position like the European Union’s. Act in 2021, just before a wave of new generative A.I. On Monday, the White House announced its own attempt to govern the fast-moving world of A.I. with a sweeping executive order that imposes new rules on companies and directs a host of federal agencies to begin putting guardrails around the technology.

Persons: it’s Organizations: White House

☆ Europe’s economy risks a recession after output falls in the third quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

London CNN —The euro area economy risks falling into recession later this year after official data Tuesday showed that output shrank in the third quarter. The dip follows a rise of only 0.2% in the April-to-June quarter and highlights the fine line between contraction and growth in the eurozone. GDP was stagnant in the final three months of 2022 and the first quarter of this year. The economy, he added, will “remain sluggish” whether or not the eurozone suffers a technical recession, defined as two consecutive quarters of falling GDP. In a more positive development, separate data showed that inflation continued to ease this month.

Persons: ” Jack Allen, Reynolds Organizations: London CNN, Gross, Eurostat, Capital Economics

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