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Which companies are leaving Russia and which are staying? Here’s a look

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:11 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — More than 500 companies have suspended their business in Russia, and a similar number have withdrawn completely.An additional 151 are “scaling back,” 175 are “buying time” and 230 are “digging in,” according to database kept by Yale University. Chinese companies figure prominently in the last category.Here’s a look at some of the Western companies that have chosen to stay or exit Russia:LEAVE— Volkswagen on Friday closed a deal to sell its Russian business, including its plant in the western city of Kaluga with 4,000 employees, to an entity supported by Russian dealer Avilon. The agreement had been delayed for months by a lawsuit from Russian automaker GAZ. It made cars under contract for VW until the partnership was ended by what the Germany company calls a mutual agreement in May 2022. Though VW has disposed of its Russia business, it still must contend with the lawsuits.— KFC owner Yum! Brands withdrew from Russia in March 2022 and some of the rest...

Top-seeded Stanford powers way to 18-10 win over Cal in Pac-12 Tournament

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:11 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Carter Graham’s three-run double capped a six-run sixth inning and top-seeded Stanford flexed its muscles late in an 18-10 victory over California in the second round of pool play at the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday night.The Cardinal (38-14) trailed 5-2 before scoring 16 runs over the final four innings.Rodney Green Jr. had a sacrifice fly in the first inning and scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth to help the Golden Bears (24-28) build a 5-2 lead. Stanford opened the floodgates with a six-run eighth and then scored four more times in the ninth.Malcolm Moore had four hits with an RBI and three runs scored for the Cardinal. Alberto Rios collected three hits, scoring four times and driving in a pair. Braden Montgomery and Rios hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth. Montgomery’s was a two-run shot.Caleb Lomavita hit a three-run homer in the eighth for Cal.Brandt Pancer (2-0) came in and got the final two outs of the fifth inning a...

Iran unveils latest version of ballistic missile amid wider tensions over nuclear program

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:11 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran unveiled on Thursday what it dubbed the latest iteration of its liquid-fueled Khorramshahr ballistic missile amid wider tensions with the West over its nuclear program. Authorities showed off the Khorramshahr-4 to journalists at an event in Tehran, with the missile on a truck-mounted launcher. Defense Minister Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said the missile could be prepared for launch in a short period. Iranian officials described the missile as having a 2,000-kilometer (1,240-mile) range with a 1,500-kilogram (3,300-pound) warhead. They also released undated video footage purportedly showing a successful launch of the missile.The Khorramshahr-4 is named after an Iranian city that was the scene of heavy fighting during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. The missile also is called Kheibar, after a Jewish fortress conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century — in what is now Saudi Arabia. Regional tensions likely played a role in Iran’s missile display Thursda...

Companies are finding it’s not so simple to leave Russia. Others are quietly staying put

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:11 GMT

When Russia invaded Ukraine, global companies were quick to respond, some announcing they would get out of Russia immediately, others curtailing imports or new investment. Billions of dollars’ worth of factories, energy holdings and power plants were written off or put up for sale, accompanied by fierce condemnation of the war and expressions of solidarity with Ukraine.More than a year later, it’s clear: Leaving Russia was not as simple as the first announcements might have made it seem.Increasingly, Russia has put hurdles in the way of companies that want out, requiring approval by a government commission and in some cases from President Vladimir Putin himself, while imposing painful discounts and taxes on sale prices.Though companies’ stories vary, a common theme is having to thread an obstacle course between Western sanctions and outraged public opinion on one side and Russia’s efforts to discourage and penalize departures on the other. Some international brands such as Cok...

Germany’s GDP shrinks by 0.3% in first quarter to put Europe’s biggest economy into recession

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:11 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — New figures show the German economy suffered an unexpected dip in the first quarter of this year, putting the country formally into recession.Data released Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office shows Germany’s gross domestic product, or GDP, down by 0.3% in the period from January to March. This follows a drop of 0.5% in Europe’s biggest economy during the last quarter of 2022. Two consecutive quarters of decline constitute a technical recession.The figures are a blow to the German government, which last month boldly doubled its growth forecast for this year after a feared winter energy crunch failed to materialize. It said GDP will grow by 0.4% — up from a 0.2% expansion predicted in late January — a forecast that may now need to be revised downward.Economists said high inflation hit consumer spending, with prices in April 7.2% higher than a year ago.GDP reflects the total value of goods and services produced in a country. Some experts question whethe...

Damage to Russian-occupied dam submerges Ukrainian reservoir island community

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:11 GMT

LYSOHIRKA, Ukraine (AP) — The rising waters came as a relief at first, for both the tiny community living on the islands in the southern Kakhovka Reservoir and for everyone who had feared the low levels risked a meltdown at the nearby Russian-occupied nuclear power plant. Since mid-February, the water level in the reservoir has steadily increased, according to data from Theia, a French geospatial analytical organization. An Associated Press analysis of satellite imagery showed the water has now risen so high that it’s washing over the top of the damaged Russian-occupied dam downstream.The waves first covered the natural shoreline, then submerged the marsh grasses. Next they came for Lyudmila Kulachok’s garden, then Ihor Medyunov’s guest room. The wild boars fled for higher ground, replaced by water fowl. Medyunov’s four dogs have an ever-smaller patch of grass to roam, and Kulachok serves meals on a picnic table sloshing through the murk in waders. Ukraine controls...

Daily horoscope for May 25, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:11 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Leo.Happy Birthday for Thursday, May 25, 2023:You are attractive. You have charisma. You are also laid-back and easygoing, which means people like you. This year is the first year of a nine-year cycle for you, which means you can expect new opportunities, new beginnings, adventures and major changes in your life. Get ready!ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★This can be a playful day. It’s a good day to explore hobbies and creative projects. Sports events and playful activities with children are also excellent choices. Financial delays are diminishing, which means you can move forward with more confidence at work. Tonight: Protect children.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★With increased activity and chaos on the homefront (possibly due to visiting guests, residential moves, renovations or redecorating projects), whatever the case, it’s a small wonder that you need to focus on home and famil...

EU says it's sent 220,000 artillery shells to Ukraine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:11 GMT

European Union nations have supplied 220,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine as part of a groundbreaking scheme launched two month ago to increase ammunition supplies to Kyiv in order to fight off Russia's invaders, the EU Foreign Policy chief said on Monday (22 May).Josep Borrell said that EU states have also provided 1,300 missiles as part of the scheme. They are on track to reach a goal of providing 1 million pieces within a calendar year, despite some EU countries avoiding approving this goal.Borrell, who announced the figures after a meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Brussels, told reporters that "the next days will be strategic decisive for the war in Ukraine".The EU agreed to the ammunition scheme after Kyiv announced that it was in urgent need of artillery shells as Russia's invasion had descended into a war of attrition with thousands of shells being fired every day.Three elements of the EU plan, totaling at least 2 billion euro, are all linked to financial incentives. The fir...

Single-family residence in San Jose sells for $1.6 million

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:11 GMT

783 Pescadero Drive – Google Street ViewThe property located in the 700 block of Pescadero Drive in San Jose was sold on May 4, 2023. The $1,610,000 purchase price works out to $851 per square foot. The house, built in 1964, has an interior space of 1,893 square feet. The property features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces. The backyard also has a pool. The unit sits on a 6,464-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:A 1,739-square-foot home on the 700 block of Vereda Court in San Jose sold in October 2022, for $1,500,000, a price per square foot of $863. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Montalvo Drive, San Jose, in May 2023, a 2,088-square-foot home was sold for $1,540,000, a price per square foot of $738. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In July 2022, a 2,074-square-foot home on Azule Avenue in San Jose sold for $1,500,000, a price per square foot of $723. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Stressed about Partygate? Let’s order a drone strike on Sue Gray, Boris aide quipped

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:11 GMT

LONDON — Well, that’s one way to deal with an annoying inquiry.A senior aide to Boris Johnson calmed him down by jokingly offering to order a drone strike against Sue Gray, the government official who was leading the “Partygate” probe into lockdown-busting gatherings in Johnson’s government.Speaking to a Global podcast about his brief spell in No. 10 as Johnson’s director of communications last year, Guto Harri said his boss was “literally hysterical” on the night before Gray published her damning report into the saga.As Johnson prepared a parliamentary speech responding to its findings, Harri recalled Johnson getting “more and more angry, uncharacteristically sweary and cross, the more he thought about the impact of this and what Sue Gray had done to his premiership.”Harri then floated an unconventional plan to soothe the frayed prime minister, saying to the then-PM: “Look at me. Here’s what we’re going to do. ...