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Alisher Usmanov: The billionaire-turned-philanthropist who is essential to Uzbekistan’s global future

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:14 GMT

Uzbek tycoon Alisher Usmanov once quipped to a Western journalist that his life story would require more than a couple of vodka bottles to tell in full. A quick look at his biography, one that begins with his humble origins in Chust, a medium-sized city in Uzbekistan's Fergana Valley, to being ranked among the 100 wealthiest people in the world.Usmanov is unique amongst those from the former Soviet Union who made their fortunes in the wild 1990s following the collapse of the Communist comman... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Tokayev’s national address launches a new political era for Kazakhstan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:14 GMT

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s most recent address to the nation is a new political milestone in the history of the country by setting qualitatively different standards for the system of power through the highest forms of transparency for the most important political decisions, and his sense of constant renewal and the need for open competition..Tokayev’s decision to make the entire electoral schedule public is an unprecedented step for Kazakhstan’s political culture.The launch of the entire election cycle is conditioned by the need for a radical reboot of our political system and is fully consistent with the rationale of the constitutional reform supported by the majority of citizens in the June referendum.The consecutive holding of presidential elections, followed by the election of deputies to the majilis (the lower chamber of the parliament) and maslikhats (local representative bodies) will focus on the solution of urgent and strategic tasks for the socio-economic...

Red Sea Film Festival honors in Venice women protagonists of Arab cinema

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:14 GMT

Venice, Italy – 3 September 2022: The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) and Vanity Fair have come together to celebrate visionary female talent both on and behind the camera who are shaping the film industry and creating extraordinary stories that resonate with audiences around the world.  At a gala event hosted alongside the 79th Venice International Film Festival at the Palazzo Rocca Contarini Corfù, the RSIFF and Vanity Fair honoured six remarkable women working at the heart of th... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Ukraine is independent

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:14 GMT

As Ukraine greets its 31st year of independence, it finds itself fighting a war for its existential existence. It is not of war of its choice or of its making and it is not a result of its belligerence, but a consequence of the imperialistic ambition of its neighbor who cannot except the new historic reality that will soon redefine the region’s existence.However, Ukraine did make a choice of its own volition that confirms and defines its independence: It has chosen to resist Russia’s imperiali... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Switzerland’s Svizraa files protest against limiting its operations in Latvia

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:14 GMT

The Swiss chartering and transportation company Svizraa S.A. has sent a letter to Latvia’s foreign affairs, economics and justice ministries in protest over their de facto prohibition on the company to conduct business in Latvia.Svizraa - which works in the movement of fertilizers, grain, coal and steel, with a cargo turnover of more than 10 million tons per year - called the authorities’ decision to stop the operation of two of the company's mineral fertilizers and ammonia trans-shipment te... This story is part of New Europe's Premium content.To Read the Full Story, Subscribe or Sign In from the ↑ Top of the Page ↑ 

Critical mineral sourcing must also be sustainable for the EU’s clean energy transition

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:14 GMT

The European Union has become a global leader in the movement to a clean energy transition. A central part of this movement has been the result of transitioning from traditional fossil fuels, primarily oil, gas, and coal, towards more areas producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions, such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, and electric energy. The Fit for 55 plan has served as the basis for the EU to transition to climate neutrality by 2050, and 55 percent reduction of GHG emissions by 2030 in relation to 2005 levels. More recently, the REPowerEU plan presented by the European Commission has served as a basis for future clean energy transitions within the bloc, hoping to reduce emissions, along with dependence in particular on fossil fuel imports from Russia. Such considerations can be taken in light of these recent events, including the Russian Federation’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which has required many in the European Union to revert to burning more coal to meet energy deman...

Potential exchange of Iranian terrorist will lead to more threats on multiple fronts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:14 GMT

In July, the Brussels Court of Appeals issued an order preventing the transfer of a convicted Iranian terrorist who is widely expected to be the focus of a prisoner swap agreement with the Islamic Republic for another two months. What makes the case more dramatic is that the terrorist was not an ordinary person. Rather, at the time of the plot, he was an accredited Iranian “diplomat”.The ruling was the result of multiple plaintiffs filing suit against the Belgian government immediately after it was reported that the parliament had approved a treaty clearly designed to set the stage for Assadollah Assadi’s release.Those plaintiffs included the Iranian Resistance leader Maryam Rajavi, several officials with the National Council of Resistance of Iran, and prominent politicians from a number of Western countries who had taken part in the grand gathering in support of the main Iranian opposition movement, the National Council of Resistance of Iran that Assadi targeted in June 2018. Had h...

International Women's Day: EU takes landmark decisions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:14 GMT

Ahead of International Women's Day, the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy made the following statement:  “The growing oppression globally on women and girls and attacks on their human rights are alarming. We stand by women in Iran, whose freedoms are systematically restricted; and those in Afghanistan, where the Taliban are trying to erase women and girls' presence from public space, as well as everywhere else in the world where women's fundamental rights and freedoms are being threatened or denied."We are also deeply concerned about the reports that Russian Armed Forces use sexual violence against women and children in Ukraine as a weapon of war. These actions constitute war crimes and the perpetrators must be brought to justice. We will continue to work with our international partners to make Russia pay for these atrocities."To strengthen global accountability, the EU has just adopted a package of sanctions ag...

Agriculture: Record value of EU agri-food trade in November 2022

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:14 GMT

The Commission has published the latest monthly agri-food trade report, which shows that the monthly EU trade flows of agricultural and food products reached a new record value of €36.9 billion in November 2022. Since the beginning of 2022, EU agri-food trade reached a total of €369bn, which represents a 23% increase compared to the same period in 2021 (Jan-Nov). This can be explained by an increase of the value of both EU agri-food exports and imports, by 17% and 34% respectively. In the same period, the EU trade balance stands at €53.5bn.Compared to October 2022, EU agri-food exports slightly increased compared to the previous month, to reach €21.2 billion, a 2% increase. From January to November 2022, EU agri-food exports reached €211bn. When looking at specific sectors, the data confirm the higher EU exports of wheat from January to November 2022. The two main destinations for EU products are the United Kingdom and the United States. EU exports of pigmeat, cereals and vegetable ...

InvestEU: up to €250 million in loans for companies in Portugal to support sustainable investments, skills, as well as cultural and creative sectors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:14 GMT

The European Investment Fund (EIF) and Santander Portugal have signed a guarantee agreement, supported by the InvestEU programme, for up to €250 million in loans. The targeted financing will benefit Portuguese businesses in the areas of i) sustainability, ii) education and iii) culture and creative sectors.EIF guarantee products under InvestEU signed with Santander include the Sustainability Guarantee, the Skills and Education Guarantee, and the Cultural and Creative Sectors Guarantee. The EIF Sustainability Guarantee supports projects that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation to a more sustainable, circular and carbon-neutral economy. The EIF Skills and Education Guarantee has been set up to finance educational, training and re-qualification projects, in order to attract and qualify more people for the labour market. Finally, the EIF Cultural and Creative Sectors Guarantee aims to support companies that invest in these areas (such as restoration, libraries, press,...