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June 16 (Reuters) - German bus services firm Flix, owner of the Greyhound brand in North America and FlixBus in Europe, has stepped up preparations for a possible stock-market listing, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Flix has invited investment banks to pitch to manage its share sale in recent weeks, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. U.S. corporate finance house Evercore (EVR.N) is advising Flix on the process, the sources said. Flix, set up in 2011 by three entrepreneurs in Munich to try to make bus travel cheap, runs bus and train services across 40 countries. So far this year, only one stock market listing has taken place in Germany, raising $479 million, according to Refinitiv data.

Persons: Flix, Evercore, IONOS, WE, Hidroelectrica, Emma, Victoria Farr, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, John O'Donnell, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Greyhound, Reuters, Atlantic, Thomson Locations: North America, Europe, Germany, Ukraine, Munich, Permira, BlackRock, London

☆ Romanian prosecutors change human trafficking charge against Andrew Tate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUCHAREST, June 13(Reuters) - Romanian prosecutors said on Tuesday that social media influencer Andrew Tate, his brother Tristan and two other suspects were being investigated for human trafficking in continued form, saying it was a more serious crime than separate counts of trafficking. The Tate brothers and two Romanian female suspects are under house arrest pending a criminal investigation for suspected human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, accusations they have denied. Under Romanian legislation, prosecutors have filed charges against the four suspects, but the case is under investigation and has not yet gone to trial. On Tuesday, Romania's DIICOT anti-organised crime prosecuting unit notified the Tate brothers that the human trafficking charge had changed to trafficking in continued form, a DIICOT spokesperson said. Also on Tuesday, DIICOT prosecutors said they had opened a separate criminal investigation against a Romanian man close to the Tate brothers on allegations of human trafficking and forming a criminal crime group to sexually exploit seven women.

Persons: Andrew Tate, Tristan, Tate, Romania's, DIICOT, Vlad Obuzic, Luiza Ilie, Ed Osmond Organizations: Prosecutors, Tate, Thomson Locations: BUCHAREST, Bucharest, Romanian

☆ OMV Petrom makes largest crude oil discovery in decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUCHAREST, June 13 (Reuters) - Romanian oil and gas group OMV Petrom (ROSNP.BX), majority-controlled by Austria's OMV (OMVV.VI), said on Tuesday it discovered new crude oil and natural gas deposits equal to about three quarters of its overall 2022 production. The deposits are the largest crude oil discovery OMV Petrom has made in decades, it said, and were found in southern Romania holding over 30 million barrerls of oil equivalent (boe) of recoverable resources. OMV Petrom has said it expected a decision around the middle of this year for the Neptun Deep gas project, estimated to cost around 4 billion euros ($4.32 billion). In May, Romanian lawmakers changed the law to enforce an additional tax on refined crude oil which applies to OMV Petrom. OMV Petrom shares were up 0.65% on the day on the Bucharest Stock Exchange by 1135 GMT.

Persons: Austria's OMV, Petrom, Cristian Hubati, Romgaz, OMV Petrom, Luiza Ilie, Jason Hovet, Alan Charlish Organizations: Bucharest Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: BUCHAREST, Romania

CNN —Romania is recalling its ambassador to Kenya back to Bucharest and has apologized after its envoy in Nairobi allegedly compared a monkey to African diplomats. Documents obtained by CNN showed African diplomats formally condemning Dragos Tigau’s comments during a meeting of eastern European envoys held in April at the UN’s office in the Kenyan capital. “The African Group has joined us,” Ambassador Tigau allegedly said when a monkey appeared at a window in the conference room, according to the letter which demanded an apology. “The African Group would like to condemn in strongest terms possible the insulting, racist and degrading utterances,” wrote Chol Ajong’o, South Sudan’s ambassador to Kenya who leads African diplomats in Nairobi. CNN obtained two apology letters sent by Tigau to African diplomats four days apart.

Persons: Dragos Tigau’s, Tigau, “, ” Organizations: CNN —, CNN, Kenyan, African Group, ” Locations: CNN — Romania, Kenya, Bucharest, Nairobi, “, South, Romanian

There are plans to open the Olari Cultural Center, a new institution on Olari Street, in September. It will showcase Horezu ceramics, host conferences and present demonstrations by potters. The cultural center was paid for by the town of Horezu and the Romanian government. Olari Street is about a 10-minute drive from the entrance to town, which is crowded with souvenir shops. Many hawk ceramics from Bulgaria that tourists mistake for local pottery, said Laurentiu Pietraru, 52, a potter and shop owner in Horezu who sells ceramics made in the town for about $2 to $54.

Persons: Constantin Popa, Georgeta Popa, ” Tim Curtis, Daniela Ogrezeanu, Nicolae Sardarescu, Laurentiu Pietraru Locations: Horezu, Romanian, Bulgaria

☆ Andrew Tate claims he’s a force for good. Others say he spreads a ‘misogynistic rape culture’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Emory Andrew Tate III is a 36-year-old professional fighter-turned media personality from Chicago who has racked up billions of views online for his rants about male dominance, female submission and wealth. In the years since, he has become a divisive online content creator with the self-proclaimed “misogynist” suspended from all major social media platforms. ‘Daily diet of misogyny’Tate has been accused of pedaling hateful views online and making his controversial lifestyle appealing to young and vulnerable audiences. Introduce the topic by saying you have read about Andrew Tate and ask if they have heard of him,” she suggested. According to Drummond, schools are being proactive in starting conversations that allow adolescent males to explore issues surrounding Tate and his ideology.

Persons: Andrew Tate, Lucy Williamson, Tate, “, ”, Williamson, I’ve, I’m, ” Tate, Jayne Butler, Tristan, Emory Andrew Tate, “ misogynist ”, Elon Musk, Vadim Ghirda, Greta Thunberg, ’ Tate, Hope, Georgie Laming, Tate’s misogynist, ” Laming, Alicia Drummond, ” Drummond, Drummond, Laming, Tommy Robinson, YouTuber Paul Joseph Watson, Alex Jones, “ Tate, Andreea Alexandru, can’t Organizations: London CNN, Wales, American, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Media, Elon, AP Tate, Romania’s, CNN, Tate, Management Agency, Hate Locations: Romania, England, British, Chicago, Bucharest, Britain, United States, Australia, “

NATO Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) surveillance aircraft will watch the skies over the summit venue through Friday, the alliance said in a statement. Missile debris from the war in Ukraine has been found in Moldova several times since Russia invaded 15 months ago. "NATO AWACS can detect aircraft, missiles and drones hundreds of kilometres away, making them an important early warning capability," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. The summit will also touch on a range of strategic issues, ranging from energy to cybersecurity and migration. Reporting by John Irish, Andrew Gray and Alexander Tanas; writing by John Irish; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Nicu Popescu, Ana Revenco, Oana Lungescu, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Maia Sandu, Ursula von der, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, ” Borrell, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Alexander Tanas, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: High Representative, European Union for Foreign Affairs, Moldova's, Russia, NATO, Kyiv, Control Systems, European, Kosovo, EU, Thomson Locations: Chisinau, Moldova, Ukraine, Kosovo, Moldovan, Romania, Russia, Ursula von der Leyen, KOSOVO, Slovakia, defusing, Serbian, Europe, Azerbaijan, Armenia

☆ A secretive SEAL-like unit is leading Ukraine's shadowy battle against Russia in a vital corner of the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations appears to be leading the effort for Ukraine. For Ukraine, the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, a secretive SEAL-like unit, is leading the shadowy battle against Russia. Therese PratsThe 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations was based on the Soviet-era 17th Naval Special Purpose Brigade. The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations could play a significant role in future large-scale fighting. Roxana DavidovitsLike the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, most of the Ukrainian military emerged from the Soviet military.

SummarySummary Companies OpenAI CEO reverses earlier threat to leave EuropeSays had productive week of conversations about regulating AIEU lawmakers were critical about OpenAI's threat regionMay 26 (Reuters) - OpenAI has no plans to leave Europe, CEO Sam Altman said on Friday, reversing a threat made earlier this week to leave the region if it becomes too hard to comply with upcoming laws on artificial intelligence. "We are excited to continue to operate here and of course have no plans to leave," Altman said in a tweet on Friday. His threat of quitting Europe had drawn criticism from EU industry chief Thierry Breton and a host of other lawmakers. He called his tour a "very productive week of conversations in Europe about how to best regulate AI!" OpenAI first clashed with regulators in March, when Italian data regulator Garante shut the app down domestically, accusing OpenAI of flouting European privacy rules.

☆ OpenAI's Sam Altman reverses threat to cease European operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Altman, president of Y Combinator, pauses during the New Work Summit in Half Moon Bay, California, U.S., on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019. In just two days, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seemed to do a 180 on his public views of European artificial intelligence regulation – first threatening to cease operations in Europe if regulation crossed a line, then reversing his claims and now saying the firm has "no plans to leave." On Wednesday, Altman spoke to reporters in London and detailed his concerns about the European Union's AI Act, which is set to be finalized in 2024, the Financial Times reported. "The current draft of the EU AI Act would be over-regulating, but we have heard it's going to get pulled back," Altman said Wednesday in London, according to Reuters. The more recent proposal for the EU's AI Act will be negotiated among the European Commission and member states over the coming year, the FT reported.

☆ Andrew Tate Thought He Was Above the Law. Romania Proved Him Wrong.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Andrew Tate, a pugilistic online influencer and self-crowned “king of toxic masculinity,” never made any secret of why he had chosen Romania as his home and business base. “I like living in a society where my money, my influence and my power mean that I’m not below or beholden” to any laws, Mr. Tate told his fans. But, like much of what the former kickboxer has told his millions of mostly young male followers on social media — including claims that he is a trillionaire and has 19 passports — Mr. Tate’s proclamation of faith in Romania as a risk-free haven for antisocial behavior reflected more fantasy than reality. The Romanian authorities arrested Mr. Tate, a citizen of both the United States and Britain, and his younger brother, Tristan, in December on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming an organized criminal group. Held for three months in a jail in Bucharest, the capital, both men, who deny any wrongdoing, are now under house arrest, awaiting trial.

☆ Ukrainian firms venture abroad for growth as war hits home
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The ongoing conflict has prompted several Ukrainian firms to focus abroad to reduce their reliance on a shrinking home market and to tap into the millions of people who have left. Ukraine, which had a pre-war population of about 40 million, has seen its domestic economy turned upside down, with corporate investments and growth now rare. "Our choice was to go to Poland, mainly because Poland hosts now the highest number of Ukrainians who fled from the war." In September, 8.5% of all companies opened in Poland had Ukrainian capital, compared with 0.8% in January 2022. "The main goal is to grow abroad much faster than we planned for ourselves in the pre-war period," Vovk said.

☆ Romania's Halep handed additional doping charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 19 (Reuters) - Former world number one Simona Halep has been charged with a second breach of doping rules, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Friday. The additional charge relates to irregularities in Romanian Halep's Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), based on an assessment of her profile by an independent ABP Expert Panel. Halep has denied knowingly taking the banned substance and said she has evidence which proves low quantities of the anti-anaemia drug entered her body because of an authorised supplement that was contaminated. Last month Halep called on tennis's anti-doping body to allow her to clear her name, questioning the long delay in her doping hearing after being denied the right to be heard by an independent court. Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Farmers in Poland and other eastern European countries who held out for higher prices have been hit by a perfect storm. A jump in exports from Brazil and Russia helped to drive global grain prices lower while the EU opened its borders to tariff-free Ukrainian grain imports in a show of solidarity after Russia blocked the country's Black Sea ports. After opening its borders to Ukrainian grain, Poland imported 2.08 million tonnes of maize and 579,315 tonnes of wheat last year, up from just 6,269 tonnes of maize and 3,033 tonnes of wheat in 2021. If the grain corridor due to expire this month were to collapse, Ukrainian farmers would have little option but to send all their grain exports through eastern Europe. European wheat prices hit post-harvest highs in October 2022 of more than 350 euros a tonne but since then prices have dropped to pre-invasion levels of about 235 euros.

☆ Ukraine's special operators have been 'taking it to the Russians,' the head of US Special Operations Command says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special operators have been putting their US-provided training to use against Russia. Ukrainian special-operations forces will also have a key role in the outcome of those battles. Ukrainian commandos on the jobRomanian, Ukrainian, and US Army Green Berets train in Romania in May 2021. Roxana DavidovitsAs Russian forces poured into the country at the start of the war, Ukrainian special operators went hunting. SOCOM had also incorporated a focus on unconventional warfare, a specialty of US Army Special Forces, into its training.

☆ Polish EU border patrol plane avoids collision with Russian jet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, May 7 (Reuters) - A Polish border guard aircraft on patrol for the European Union's border agency Frontex over the Black Sea near Romania narrowly avoided a collision with a Russian fighter jet on Friday, Romania and Poland said. A Russian SU-35 jet carried out "aggressive and dangerous manoeuvres" approaching the Polish aircraft without keeping a secure distance, leading to turbulence, loss of altitude and a temporary loss of control of the plane by the Polish crew, Anna Michalska, a border guard spokesperson, wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "The Russian jet flew just in front of the nose of the Polish plane, crossing its trajectory at a dangerous distance, estimated by the crew at about five metres," Michalska said. After three approaches the Russian jet flew away, Michalska added. "This incident is a further proof of the provocative approach of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea," the ministry said.

☆ In Transylvania, Anyone With $200 Can Live Like a King. (Well, One Specific King.)
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( David Segal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Kalnoky, who is tall, urbane and fluent in five languages, was raised in exile in Paris, where his family resided after Communists took over Romania. As a count from Transylvania, he would like to cordially invite everyone to spare him the Dracula jokes. The story of how King Charles came to own a guesthouse in Romania starts with one of Mr. Kalnoky’s ancestors. That factory has long since vanished from what is today the right-next-door village of Zalánpatak, population 94. “As he was describing his dream house, I realized that I might know that very house,” he recalled.

☆ ‘R.M.N.’ Review: A Bleak Diagnosis for Romania
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Manohla Dargis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Deep into “R.M.N.,” an anatomy of the human condition, this powerhouse of a movie gets deeper, creepier and unnervingly familiar. At that point, dozens of residents in a Romanian village have gathered for an impromptu town hall. I’ve called the movie an anatomy, but this scene is more of an autopsy. “R.M.N.” is set in motion by Matthias (Marin Grigore), a hulking brute who stalks the movie like a threat. He moves back in with his wary wife and young son, and pursues and beds a former lover.

☆ Halep questions long delay in doping hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Aug 29, 2022; Flushing, NY, USA; Simona Halep of Romania hits to Daria Snigur of Ukraine on day one of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. In an interview with Tennis Majors, her first since learning of her failed drugs test, Halep said she has so far been denied her right to be heard by an independent court. Halep says she has undertaken 10 tests since her positive result, with all of them coming back negative. She now hopes to have a hearing in May but fears that may also be cancelled. I really want to play again because I love this sport and I want to play for the big titles again."

☆ Romanian prosecutors add charge against online personality Tristan Tate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUCHAREST, April 25(Reuters) - Romanian prosecutors said on Tuesday they are investigating online personality Tristan Tate on an additional charge of inciting others to violence in a case in which he and his more famous brother Andrew are accused of sexually exploiting women. On Monday, Romania's DIICOT anti-organised crime prosecuting unit notified Tristan Tate that an additional charge of inciting others to violence was added to his name, DIICOT spokesperson Ramona Bolla told Reuters. On Twitter, Tristan Tate said prosecutors were making up new charges without evidence. Under Romanian legislation, prosecutors have filed charges against the four suspects, but the case is under investigation and has not gone to trial. The spokesperson said the prosecutors were also looking into accusations of money laundering, but had not issued any related charges.

☆ TikTok is looking more and more like a record label. It’s annoyed many in the music industry.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Allbirds is one of the brands I'm looking at. TikTok is looking more and more like a record label. When TikTok launched SoundOn, a song-distribution and artist-services platform, some in the industry wondered whether it was trying to muscle its way into record labels' territory. TikTok is now looking to hire people who will "identify, sign, and develop new artists" as well as "design live show and merchandise strategies for artists globally." Get a front-row seat to TikTok's transformation into a record label here.

☆ The Man Who Settled the Fox-Dominion Defamation Case From a Romanian Tour Bus
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lawyers representing Dominion Voting Systems leave the Leonard Williams Justice Center following a settlement with Fox News. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesJerry Roscoe was enjoying a cruise with his wife on the Danube River in Romania last Sunday when the dispute mediator saw an email asking for his help on a sensitive matter: the high-stakes defamation suit against Fox News. Voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems had sued Fox, accusing the company of airing false claims that its technology helped rig the 2020 presidential election in favor of Joe Biden. Fox argued that it was covering newsworthy election-fraud claims. It was a bruising legal battle that, after two years of hostilities, would soon be aired in front of a Delaware jury.

☆ The F-35 is becoming the most popular fighter jet among NATO militaries — with one 'baffling' exception
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Romania is the latest NATO member to say it will buy the F-35 stealth fighter jet. To some in the West, Turkey's decision to choose the S-400 over the F-35 just does not compute. As one of the original partners in the US-led F-35 program, Turkey should have been among the first to get the cutting-edge stealth fighter. The F-35/S-400 controversy illustrates Turkey's position as the odd man in NATO since it joined in 1952. Putin and Erdogan inspect a Russian Su-57 fighter jet at the MAKS air show in Russia in August 2019.

☆ A 1960s-era cannon is 'kicking ass' against Russia's drones, but the country that makes ammo for it won't send more to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But Switzerland, where Gepard ammo is made, is not allowing more of that ammo to be sent to Ukraine. The Gepard SPAAGA German Gepard anti-aircraft tank during an exercise near Munster in June 2007. German defense company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann built 570 Gepards between 1963 and 1980 — 420 for the German Bundeswehr, 95 for the Dutch army, and 55 for the Belgian army. Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty ImagesAfter being criticized for its reluctance to send heavy weaponry to Ukraine, the German government promised some 50 Gepards to Ukraine in April 2022. In February, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that German firm Rheinmetall would restart ammo production for the Gepard.

☆ Ukraine's cheap grain exports are causing an awkward rift with its European neighbors and staunch allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The move to ban Ukraine's agricultural imports has angered the European Union given that the bloc has sought to help Kyiv maintain its exports as an economic lifeline for the war-torn country. Slovakia's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development told CNBC that despite its temporary ban on Ukrainian imports, the country continued to be open for "solidarity transit," meaning that Ukrainian grain could still pass through its territory to other countries. The ministry added that "we would appreciate the whole-European solution [to] the Ukrainian grain because the topic is relating to the protection of the whole internal European market." It also said it recognized the impact of the "oversupply" of Ukrainian imports on EU farmers, particularly those in bordering nations. Ships, including those carrying grain from Ukraine and awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the Istanbul coastline on November 02, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.

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