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NextGenerationEU: Germany sends first payment request for €3.97 billion in grants and submits request to modify its recovery and resilience plan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:00 GMT

Germany has sent its first payment request under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and submitted a request to modify its recovery and resilience plan.Germany's first payment request for €3.97 billion (net of pre-financing) relates to 28 milestones and 8 targets. They cover investments in areas such as electro-mobility and charging infrastructure, research in hydrogen and the rollout of hydrogen-related projects, support for microelectronics, the digitalisation of railways, the development of vaccines as well as support for childcare and apprenticeships. The payment request also covers reforms to promote the digitalisation and the efficiency of public administration as well as the acceleration of the planning and approval procedures in the transport sector.Payments under the RRF are performance-based and contingent on Germany implementing the investments and reforms outlined in its recovery and resilience plan.Germany's proposed revised plan includes additional funding to sc...

Single-family residence sells for $2.3 million in San Jose

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:00 GMT

1480 Glenwood Avenue – Google Street ViewA 3,213-square-foot house built in 2005 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 1400 block of Glenwood Avenue in San Jose was sold on Aug. 15, 2023, for $2,300,000, or $716 per square foot. The layout of this single-story home includes two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. The property is equipped with a heating system and a cooling system. In addition, the house includes an attached two-car garage, ensuring ample room for parking and storage. The property’s backyard is further enhanced by both a spa and a pool.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:A 1,283-square-foot home on the 1400 block of Mercer Avenue in San Jose sold in September 2022, for $1,750,000, a price per square foot of $1,364. The home has 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom.On Mercer Avenue, San Jose, in February 2023, a 2,334-square-foot home was sold for $2,220,000, a price per square fo...

Restaurant review: Better Than Hungry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:00 GMT

Rue du Congrès 50What’s good: Whatever you want as the noodle base — bami, udon, glass or even rice — for your Asian-themed meal, you will not be disappointed here. Each of the the meals can be served with tofu or shitake for vegetarians, while meat-lovers can indulge in crispy duck, juicy beef, shrimp or chicken as their topping of choice.What’s not: With only two vegetarian starters — fried tofu and gyoza — your palate may be a little bored if your main also features tofu. The staff might seem unfriendly at first, but that’s not true, they are just so busy running the place.Vibe: The dark walls and golden stucco elements give the small restaurant a cozy vibe, and you can watch the chef preparing your sizzling dish in the tiny open kitchen. If Brussels’ weather is treating you kindly, try to catch some rays on their sidewalk-terrace.Who’s picking up the check? You can grab a starter from between €8 and €12, while your main will cost between €13 and €17. The biggest ...

India suspends visa services in Canada and rift widens over killing of Canadian citizen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:00 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s visa processing center in Canada suspended services Thursday as a rift widened between the countries after Canada’s leader said India may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament on Monday that there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the assassination of Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had been wanted by India for years and was gunned down in June outside the temple he led. Canada also expelled an Indian diplomat, and India followed by expelling a Canadian diplomat on Tuesday. It called the allegations being investigated in Canada absurd and an attempt to shift attention from the presence of Nijjar and other wanted suspects in Canada. “Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 Sept. Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice,” the BLS Indian Visa Application Center in Canada said....

India suspends visa services in Canada and rift widens between countries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:00 GMT

NEW DELHI — India’s visa processing centre in Canada suspended services Thursday as a rift widened between the countries after Canada’s leader said India may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament on Monday that there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the assassination of Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had been wanted by India for years and was gunned down in June outside the temple he led.Canada also expelled an Indian diplomat, and India followed by expelling a Canadian diplomat on Tuesday. It called the allegations being investigated in Canada absurd and an attempt to shift attention from the presence of Nijjar and other wanted suspects in Canada.“Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 Sept. Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice,” the BLS Indian Visa Application Center in Canada said. It gav...

Japan TV network will acquire Totoro creator Studio Ghibli as animation studio prepares for future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:00 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio of Hayao Miyazaki, will become a subsidiary of Nippon Television Network Corp., both sides said Thursday.Succession worries had been a priority at Ghibli, as Miyazaki has turned 82, and producer Toshio Suzuki is 75, the companies said in a joint statement. The boards of both companies agreed at meetings Thursday that the major commercial broadcast network will become Studio Ghibli’s top shareholder, with a 42.3% stake. Financial details were not given. Nippon TV said it will send executives to support Ghibli’s management, while honoring its creative independence so it can focus on animation and other artistic projects. The deal was first discussed last year at an “onsen” hot springs, the companies said, when Suzuki asked Nippon TV executive Yoshikuni Sugiyama for help in managing Ghibli. Sugiyama promised to give support. Miyazaki’s son Goro is also an animation director and has been mentioned as a possible succes...

Stock market today: World shares track Wall Street’s slump after Fed says rates may stay high in ’24

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:00 GMT

World shares have declined, echoing a slump on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve said it may not cut interest rates next year by as much as it earlier thought. Benchmarks fell by 1% or more in Paris, Tokyo, Sydney and Hong Kong. U.S. futures slipped and oil prices also were lower. On Wednesday, the Fed held its main interest rate steady at its highest level in more than two decades, as was expected. Officials also indicated they may raise the federal funds rate once more this year, as they try to get inflation down to a 2% target. High rates hurt prices for all kinds of investments, and the news cast a pall on trading Thursday. “Moving forward, traders will scrutinize every piece of data from the US, with a particular emphasis on inflationary indicators, to gauge the potential for prolonged high rates,” Anderson Alves of ActivTrades said in a commentary. Germany’s DAX declined 0.7% to 15,673.52 and the CAC 40 in Paris retreated 1% to 7,262.44. Britain’s FTSE 100 gave...

Talks have opened on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijan claims full control of the region

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:00 GMT

Representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azerbaijan government are meeting for talks Thursday to discuss the future of the breakaway region Azerbaijan claims to fully control following a military offensive this week.Nagorno-Karabakh authorities and the Azerbaijan State News Agency say the talks Thursday between regional leaders and the Baku government will focus on Nagorno-Karabakh’s “reintegration” into Azerbaijan. The talks come after local Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to lay down their weapons following the latest outbreak of fighting in the decades-long separatist conflict.According to the Azerbaijan State News Agency, a delegation from Nagorno-Karabakh, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, arrived for talks in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh which is about 100 km (62 miles) north of Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s regional capital.Authorities in the ethnic Armenian region that has run its affairs without international recognition since fighting broke ou...

3 South Africa navy personnel die after they are swept off a submarine deck during supply operation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:00 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Three South African navy personnel died and a senior officer was in a critical condition after seven crew members of a submarine were swept off its deck by big sea waves as a helicopter attempted a “vertical transfer” of supplies, the Department of Defence said Thursday.Wednesday’s accident happened as an Air Force Lynx helicopter was attempting what’s known as a “vertrep” – or vertical replenishment – of supplies to the SAS Manthatisi submarine on the ocean surface off the coast of Cape Town, the department said.The operation was immediately called off and a rescue effort was launched.All seven submariners were recovered, but three were pronounced dead. A crew member from the helicopter who was dispatched as a “surface swimmer” to assist in the rescue operation was also recovered and is in the hospital alongside the four surviving submariners.The National Sea Rescue Institute and other emergency services were called...

Singapore police uncover more gold bars, watches and other assets from money laundering scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:00 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Singapore police uncovered more luxury watches, gold bars and other assets from a massive money laundering scheme that was busted last month, they said, bringing the total amount of assets seized or frozen to 2.4 billion Singapore dollars ($1.75 billion).The police had launched further operations related to a group of foreign nationals suspected to be involved in laundering the proceeds of their organized criminal activities, including scams and online gambling, police said in a statement on Wednesday.The latest action followed multiple other raids across the city-state last month that saw properties, vehicles, luxury goods and gold bars worth SG$1 billion ($731 million) seized or frozen. Nine men and a woman from Cyprus, Turkey, China, Cambodia and Vanuatu have been charged in court.The case has cast a shadow on Singapore’s status as a financial hub known for its low crime and clean image.The latest operations saw additional assets seized or froz...