South-Carolina
Can seized Russian assets help pay for Ukraine aid?
Western leaders have agreed to the concept of using the interest from frozen Russian financial assets to help support Ukraine fight Russia and rebuild after the lengthy war.
But they’re still working out the details of exactly how and when to distribute the roughly $3 billion in annual interest. Those negotiations are at the top of the agenda for the G7 leaders’ summit in Puglia, Italy.
What are the frozen Russian assets and how much are they worth?
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Western governments froze about $300 billion in Russian assets — including money, securities, gold and bonds — held mainly in banks in Europe.
Leaders of the G7 economies have agreed to use the interest generated by the assets — about $3 billion per year — to help Ukraine buy weapons for its fight against Russia and rebuild after the war.
What are the sticking points?
The United States and European countries have different proposals for distributing the money.
Scheherazade Rehman, a professor of international finance at George Washington University, explained it in simple terms.
“The Europeans would like to transfer them to Ukraine yearly or every two years, so spread it out. The Americans, however, want to find a way to get this money very quickly to Ukraine all at once,” Rehman said.
The European proposal would see about $3 billion a year go to Ukraine, and only interest from a certain part of the frozen Russian assets — $190 billion held by a company called Euroclear in Belgium — would be shared.
The U.S., on the other hand, wants to give $60 billion to Ukraine up front, because Ukraine’s need on the battlefield is dire. Officials have said the interest generated from the frozen Russian assets would go toward paying back that money.
Rehman said Washington has the weaker hand in the debate because only about $5 billion of the $300 billion in Russian assets are held in the United States — and European nations are concerned about how they would be paid back for a big initial lump sum.
Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images / AFP
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AFP
Will the G7 reach an agreement by the end of the summit?
It’s hard to say what this agreement will look like in its final form — but officials familiar with the planning have told reporters that President Biden is going to make a final push to secure a deal.
The agreement will likely be some sort of compromise between the European and U.S. proposals. But Rehman said recent elections in countries like France and Germany may also affect discussions.
“Europeans really have to get their act together at this G7 meeting because they’re on shaky ground just because of the European parliamentary elections that just took place where the hard right has now got a historic toehold,” she said.
“The Europeans are coming into this with very different footing than if this was 10 days ago.”
Copyright 2024 NPR
South Carolina women’s basketball starting guard Tessa Johnson was not listed on the injury report Feb. 28 for the Gamecocks’ final regular-season game at Kentucky.
Johnson was practicing on Feb. 27 after missing the 112-71 win over Missouri, but coach Dawn Staley wouldn’t confirm her status for the next game.
No. 3 South Carolina (28-2, 14-1) travels to play No. 18 Kentucky (21-8, 8-7 SEC) on March 1 (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network) to close the regular season.
South Carolina called it an “upper body contusion” on social media not long after she was listed as out on the SEC injury report that published an hour before tipoff vs Missouri.
Staley joked that media would post on social media that Johnson was practicing with the starters, setting the tone that she isn’t hiding the latest on Johnson’s health.
Johnson is a junior guard averaging 13.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. She leads the SEC in 3-point shooting at 45.5%, which is also eighth in the nation.
Johnson struggled in her two most recent games. She went combined 2-of-13 for six points against Alabama and Ole Miss, just after going 8-of-13 for 21 points against LSU.
Staley said sophomore reserve post/center Adhel Tac is day to day dealing with a lower leg injury. Tac hasn’t played since Feb. 5. She’s still using a medical scooter to move around and has been sitting out practices. She was listed as out again vs Kentucky.
Tessa Johnson injury update, status for Kentucky
The Wildcats have talented guards who can score and defend, in addition to post players like 6-foot-5 center Clara Strack, who averages 16.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. Tonie Morgan scores 14.4 points and dishes a nation-high 8.3 assists a game.
Johnson is third in the nation in 3-point shooting at 45.5%. By posing a threat behind the arc, players like Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot get more action in the paint.
Raven Johnson hit a career-high four 3-pointers against Missouri and Maddy McDaniel drained two, but there’s no denying how much Johnson elevates the offense.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
BLUFFTON, S.C. – Kentucky men’s golf begins the month of March at the Colleton River Collegiate this Sunday and Monday at Colleton River Club (par 72, 7403 yards).
UK joins a 15-team field for the 54-hole event, which will consist of 36 holes of continuous play on Sunday, followed by 18 holes on Monday. An 8 a.m. shotgun start will kick things off on Sunday, while Monday’s final round will begin with another shotgun start, this time at 7:45 a.m.
UK is paired with Indiana, Kansas State and Ohio State for the first day of play.
The Wildcats will utilize the same starting five, albeit in a different order, as was featured at the Watersound Invitational just two weeks ago. There, the Cats finished seventh in a loaded field and found themselves as high as third place during the final nine holes.
Sophomore Jacob Settles had the best showing of his collegiate career, finishing tied for seventh at 5-under par, while senior captain Jack Schoenberger had his highest finish of the season, placing tied for 14th at 2-under.
Jacob Lang, Luke Coyle and Cole Stockard will complete UK’s starting five alongside Settles and Schoenberger, the fourth time in six events the Wildcats have featured this starting unit.
Freshman Cameron Phillips will tee it up as an individual once again after an impressive showing in the same role at the Watersound where he tied for 29th and had two rounds under par.
Fans can follow along with live scoring on the Scoreboard Powered by Clippd website.
Kentucky Lineup:
- Jack Schoenberger: Senior, Alpharetta, Ga
- Jacob Lang: Sophomore, Alvaton, Ky.
- Jacob Settles: Sophomore, Winchester, Ky
- Luke Coyle: Junior, Campbellsville, Ky.
- Cole Stockard: Freshman, Dalton, Ga.
Ind. Cameron Phillips: Freshman, Portsmouth, Ohio
Competing Schools (15): Chattanooga, Cincinnati, ETSU, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers
For the latest on UK Men’s Golf follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram @UKmensgolf, and online at ukathletics.com.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Former President Joe Biden spoke Friday at the Columbia Art Museum in downtown Columbia at an event hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party to honor his more than 50 years with the party and to mark his 2020 South Carolina Democratic primary victory.
Biden entered the South Carolina primary having lost Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. His win in the state gave his campaign momentum heading into the rest of the primary calendar.
“People in this room brought my campaign back from the brink — a lot of pundits, people in the press had given up on me,” Biden said.
Biden said South Carolina’s support was central to his path to the presidency.
“If I could just get to South Carolina I could win the nomination, and I knew if I won the nomination I’d win the presidency because I knew what Bill Clinton and Barack Obama knew before me — South Carolina picks presidents,” Biden said.
South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain said Biden’s performance in the state went beyond a primary win.
“Biden didn’t just win, he delivered,” Spain said.
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., whose endorsement of Biden ahead of the 2020 primary was a key moment in the campaign, attended the event. Clyburn praised Biden’s record of public service.
“There is no American ever who has demonstrated through his service more substance — and I might add sustenance — than Joseph Robinette Biden,” Clyburn said.
Biden also directed remarks at the current Trump administration and called on Democrats to turn out for November’s midterm elections to help flip the House or Senate.
“There’s no time to give up — it’s time to get up, get up, get up, continue to fight,” Biden said.
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