World

State of the Union: Credit Suisse lifeline and Putin hosts Xi

Published

2 years ago

March 24, 2023

State of the Union: Credit Suisse lifeline and Putin hosts Xi

The week began with a give attention to the Swiss banking sector, the world’s main wealth administration centre, after the federal government compelled by means of the takeover of failing funding large Credit score Suisse by its rival UBS.

This was after stripping shareholders of their voting rights to get the deal over the road, leaving the tiny nation with one mega-bank that has €1.6 trillion of mixed property, roughly twice the scale of the Swiss financial system.

EU authorities had been fast to level out the wholesome distinction between their banks and our banks.

“We’re very assured that our banking sector is strong, is well-capitalised, has sturdy liquidity ratios and that the principles that apply in Europe should not the principles which have been utilized by different establishments, notably by the Swiss authorities,” Christine Lagarde, European Central Financial institution President, stated on Monday.

“Switzerland doesn’t set requirements in Europe.”

Xi goes to Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin additionally hosted his Chinese language counterpart, Xi Jinping, this week and the Kremlin pulled out all of the stops, with the journey lasting for 3 days.

His go to was a strong political increase for Putin, during which the 2 nations pledged to strengthen their strategic ties and fight the West. When it got here to supplying Moscow with weapons although, there was no point out of it.

Xi additionally promoted his peace plan for Ukraine whereas in Moscow, which Putin warily endorsed on Tuesday, saying it might present the idea for future negotiations.

Politically, each leaders hailed a “new period” of their relationship, placing on a united entrance towards the West. Xi noticed himself as being on a peace mission with proposals to finish the battle in Ukraine – though the phrase “battle” was by no means talked about.

NATO Secretary Normal Jens Stoltenberg was skeptical in his response.

“China, due to this fact, must begin to perceive Ukraine’s perspective and to interact with President Zelenskyy immediately if it desires to be critical about peace,” he stated.

It appears clear what Russia desires from China, however what does China need from Russia? What position does China need to play in Ukraine diplomacy and past?

Reinhard Bütikofer, a Inexperienced member of the European Parliament stated in an interview that the Chinese language need to current themselves as makers of a brand new world order.

“Xi Jinping is pushed by an obsession with making China the globally dominating energy by no less than 2049, 100 years after the founding of the Folks’s Republic,” the German MEP instructed Euronews.

“He stated so in lots of speeches and I believe we right here in Europe and, in fact, america and all our companions and allies ought to take that ambition very significantly.”

Bütikofer added that the EU should cope with Beijing as successfully as doable.

“We should always deal with China because the systemic drawback that the nation is, as we’ve got understood over quite a lot of years now. China isn’t sharing our worldview. China isn’t sharing our rules.

“We are able to, in fact, cooperate with a systemic drawback, we are able to compete in the event that they persist with the principles of the competitors, however we must always not idiot ourselves that China, in a method or one other, may be seen as a backyard number of some totally different understanding of multilateralism or rule of legislation or democracy. They’re simply the alternative of all of that.”

EU summit flies below the radar

European leaders gathered in Brussels Thursday and Friday for what turned out to be an underwhelming occasion in comparison with latest ones.

The summit was purported to give attention to the continent’s financial scenario, in addition to its competitiveness, and assist for the battle in Ukraine, however quarrels between member states not formally on the agenda boiled over into it.

A standoff is ongoing between Berlin and Brussels over the problem of combustion engines and e-fuels, after Germany reneged on an already settled legislative settlement on the matter.

The proposed legislation targets emissions detected on the exhaust pipeline, which suggests it should successfully ban new gross sales of diesel and petrol vehicles by 2035.

Thought-about one of many key items of the European Inexperienced Deal, the legislation has been divisive since its inception however managed to outlive negotiations between the EU Council and the European Parliament, a course of often called “trilogues” in Brussels parlay as a result of in addition they contain the European Fee, the institute that initiates and drafts laws.

Throughout a press convention on Thursday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola – who attended the leaders’ summit partially – stated that rowing again on selections mustn’t occur.

“We can’t return on offers as a result of that is finally about belief between co-legislators and the credibility of the legislative course of.”

Nuclear energy and its position within the decarbonisation of the European Union is proving divisive among the many bloc’s member states and has change into one more level of rivalry chipping away on the Franco-German alliance.

The problem was not meant to be debated by leaders as they met in Brussels on Thursday and Friday but loomed massive over competitiveness and financial talks with France squaring off towards Germany and allies Austria and Luxembourg.

Paris desires nuclear to be recognised as a low-carbon power supply to ensure that it to profit from a loosening of guidelines the EU is pushing by means of to ramp up the deployment of unpolluted tech so it will possibly wean itself off imported fossil fuels, decrease power costs for shoppers and companies and attain its ambition of changing into the primary carbon-neutral continent by 2050.

The Fee has put ahead a number of texts below its newly-released Inexperienced Deal Industrial Plan to permit member states to offer extra state support and slash pink tape for tasks involving inexperienced applied sciences together with renewables, hydrogen infrastructure, warmth pumps, geothermal power and carbon seize and storage.

Underneath the proposals, “innovative nuclear” has entry to some simplified guidelines and incentives, Fee chief Ursula von der Leyen stated on Thursday, “however solely, solely the web zero applied sciences that we deem strategic for the longer term, like photo voltaic panels, batteries and electrolysers, for instance, have entry to the complete benefits and advantages.”

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World

Consejos para disfrutar de las celebraciones de fin de año, sin estrés

Published

10 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Consejos para disfrutar de las celebraciones de fin de año, sin estrés

NUEVA YORK (AP) — Todos conocemos los factores de estrés: obligaciones sociales, rencillas familiares, divisiones políticas, estrés financiero y el deseo de mantenerse alegre y generoso todo el tiempo.

Así que aquí va un recordatorio sobre cómo desterrar a tu perfeccionista interior y disfrutar verdaderamente de la temporada festiva:

“Realmente ayuda dejar de lado algunos de los ‘deberías’”, dice Lynn F. Bufka, jefa de práctica de la Asociación Estadounidense de Psicología. “Decide cuál es la cosa que más importa, y las cosas que te brindan más alegría, y suelta las demás”.

Las tradiciones pueden cambiar y evolucionar, y cuanto más flexibles sean las cosas, más fácil será para todos, dice Bufka.

“Concentra tu energía en crear un espacio cálido para que las personas que amas se reúnan y relajen, se pongan al día y celebren unos a otros. Eso es literalmente todo lo que importa”, concuerda Lauren Iannotti, editora en jefe de Real Simple.

Algunos consejos:

Concéntrate en lo que te hace feliz

Podrías decidir que la conversación es tu objetivo principal y no preocuparte en absoluto por la decoración, dice Bufka. O si la decoración de la mesa es lo que amas, invierte tu energía allí y no te preocupes tanto por otros aspectos.

“Idealmente, debería tratarse de enfocarse en el amor, y eso no significa lo mismo para todos”, dice Bufka.

Permite que otros hagan las cosas por ti.

“La gente quiere ayudar, ¡déjalos!”, dice Iannotti. “Si no te ENCANTA cocinar todas esas guarniciones, o tienes poco tiempo, no hay ninguna vergüenza en aceptar que tu hermana haga el relleno. O busca ayuda de los profesionales: apoya a un restaurante local haciendo un pedido de catering”.

Otra opción es que “cada uno traiga un plato distintivo”, dice Ianotti. “Ahorrarás tiempo y dinero en la preparación y la cocina y tus invitados podrán mostrar sus habilidades”.

Darte permiso para tomar atajos

“Está bien si la casa está un poco desordenada o si la cena se sirve unos minutos tarde”, dice Iannotti. “Si las personas que has invitado están más interesadas en evaluar tu desempeño que en pasar un buen rato, pueden discutirlo con su terapeuta”. (Por cierto, no lo están, añade ella).

Y no dudes en dejar que la gente se sirva por sí misma, cuando sea posible. “Si no tienes tiempo para jugar a ser el barman, crea una bebida insignia con anticipación que puedas servir a todos tus invitados. También puedes simplemente dejar algunos mezcladores para que los invitados se sirvan y hagan sus propias creaciones”, sugiere Caroline Utz, directora editorial y de estrategia en The Spruce.

Está bien tener tiempo a solas

Las cosas funcionarán lo suficientemente bien si no lo supervisas todo, así que cuídate. Tómate pausas o caminatas si eso te ayuda a mantenerte centrado.

“Aunque el mindfulness se está convirtiendo en un término demasiado utilizado en la sociedad actual, hay algo valioso que podemos tomar de esto y aplicar a la temporada de fin de año”, dice Brook Choulet, psiquiatra deportiva y de rendimiento de concierge y fundadora de Choulet Performance Psychiatry.

Ella recomienda “programar microdescansos intencionales” para hacer algo que disfrutes.

“Por ejemplo, podrías programar una llamada telefónica con un amigo de otro estado, tomar un paseo de 15 minutos al aire libre, o incluso ajustar el temporizador y tomar un baño de 15 minutos sin interrupciones”, dijo.

Espera algo de discordia y no te alarmes por ello

“Si te preocupa la polarización y entrar en conversaciones incómodas, intenta pensar en maneras en que puedas terminar una conversación o cambiarla de dirección”, dice Bufka.

Ella recomienda preparar algunas frases de antemano para ayudar a terminar la conversación o cambiarla de dirección.

En resumen, tener la intención de una temporada festiva menos perfecta puede ser justo lo que necesitas.

___

Katherine Roth cubre temas de vida y estilo y otros temas para The Associated Press desde Nueva York.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

World

Azerbaijan Airlines plane headed to Russia crashes hundreds of miles off course, dozens feared dead

Published

10 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Azerbaijan Airlines plane headed to Russia crashes hundreds of miles off course, dozens feared dead

Dozens of passengers are feared dead after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, reports say.

The Embraer 190 passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia had 62 passengers and five crew on board, Kazakh authorities announced, saying 32 survivors had been rescued.

Flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea. Officials did not immediately explain why it had crossed the sea, but the crash came shortly after drone strikes hit southern Russia. Drone activity has shut airports in the area in the past and the nearest Russian airport on the plane’s flight path was closed on Wednesday morning.

Russia’s aviation watchdog, meanwhile, said it was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike.

MORE THAN 30 DEAD IN BRAZIL BUS AND TRUCK COLLISION

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region/AP Photo)

Those aboard the plane included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhstani and three Kyrgyzstani citizens, according to Kazakhstani officials.

Russian news agency Interfax reported that both pilots died in the crash, citing a preliminary assessment by emergency workers at the scene. The news agency also quoted medical workers who stated that four bodies had been recovered from the crash so far.

A total of 29 survivors, including two children, have been hospitalized, the ministry told Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti, the Associated Press reported. Many passengers have yet to be accounted for.

MALAYSIA AGREES TO RESUME ‘NO FIND, NO FEE’ HUNT FOR FLIGHT MH370, 10 YEARS AFTER PLANE DISAPPEARED

More than 30 are feared dead following the crash near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau. (Azamat Sarsenbayev/AP Photo)

Video of the crash showed the plane descending rapidly before bursting into flames as it hit the seashore, and thick black smoke then rising, Reuters reported. Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who had been traveling to Russia, returned to Azerbaijan upon hearing news of the crash, the president’s press service said. Aliyev was due to attend an informal meeting of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a bloc of former Soviet countries founded after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in St. Petersburg.

Emergency crews at the site of the Azerbaijani airliner crash on Dec. 25, 2024. (Azamat Sarsenbayev/AP Photo)

Aliyev expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in a statement on social media.

“It is with deep sadness that I express my condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured,” he wrote.

He also signed a decree declaring Dec. 26 a day of mourning in Azerbaijan.

The plane was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus, the Associated Press reports. (The Administration of Mangystau Region/AP Photo)

In a statement, Azerbaijan Airlines said it would keep members of the public updated and changed its social media banners to solid black.

“We ask God for mercy on the passengers and crew members who lost their lives,” a translated statement on X said. “Their pain is our pain. We wish a speedy recovery to those injured.”

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

World

Who is Europe's top investor in space in 2023?

Published

11 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Who is Europe's top investor in space in 2023?

Luxembourg remains Europe’s top investor in space in a year when defence spending on space exceeded civil space budgets for the first time since the 1990s.

Global public investment in space hit a record high of €106 billion in 2023, an 11% increase compared to 2022.

In Europe, the total funding was €11.9 billion, showing a modest 1% rise in its share of global space investment.

According to the European Space Agency, defence spending on space exceeded civil space budgets last year for the first time since the 1990s. Defence expenditures in space are projected to grow faster than civil spending, making up 53% of the budget in 2024.

The US continues to dominate global space investment, accounting for 64% of the total budget, while China holds a strong second place, growing its share from an estimated 2% in 2000 to 12% in 2023 through long-term programmes in both civil and defence.

Europe ranks third, contributing 11% of the global space budget in 2023.

What share of their GDP do EU countries spend on public space budgets?

Luxembourg remains Europe’s leading investor in space, dedicating 0.135% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the sector.

Globally, the country ranks third behind the US (0.262%) and Russia (0.169%).

In Europe, Luxembourg is followed by France, which invests 0.167% of its GDP, Italy at 0.103%, and Belgium at 0.095%.

On the other hand, private investment in space has continued to decline in 2023, dropping by 32% compared to 2022.

Europe also saw a 14% decrease in 2023 compared to the year before, with private space ventures receiving just below €980 million.

Although the US accounts for most of the global decline in 2023, its space sector continues to attract the largest share of investments at 60%, followed by Europe with 16% and China with 9%.

What was the state of space activity in 2023?

There were 221 orbital launches in 2023, an 18% increase compared to 2022.

Yet, a total of 212 launches were successful.

The US carried out more than half of the launches, with 96 of them conducted by SpaceX.

China accounted for 30% with 67 launches, a 5% increase from 2022, and Russia completed 19 launches.

The European launch service provider conducted three launches in 2023, including Europe’s first mission to Jupiter, which aimed to explore whether the planet’s three moons — Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede — could support life in their oceans.

Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz