Tuesday, March 19

Author: John Rowley

Car Dealer Van Mossel Wants to Grow in Europe With a German Takeover
Business, Europe, Germany, News

Car Dealer Van Mossel Wants to Grow in Europe With a German Takeover

Car dealer Van Mossel Automotive Group will be more certainly committed to Germany. With the takeover of dealer group Hugo Pfohe from the Hamburg region, the company from Waalwijk is taking its first major step outside the Benelux. The takeover "fits perfectly into our European growth strategy", says Van Mossel CEO Eric Berkhof. The acquisition still needs to be approved by the German competition authority. Van Mossel expects that to happen halfway through next month. “Hugo Pfohe is located in a strategic region for us in Germany,” says Berkhof. “Our existing lease companies, located in Düsseldorf, are a perfect addition to this.” Hugo Pfohe has 700 employees and a turnover of 300 million euros. The family business trades in seven car brands. The 75-year-old Van Mossel claims...
ECB Boss Lagarde: We are Not Done Raising Interest Rates Yet
Business, Europe, News

ECB Boss Lagarde: We are Not Done Raising Interest Rates Yet

The European Central Bank (ECB) has not yet finished raising interest rates. Although policymakers opted for a more minor interest rate step than last time, interest rates are not yet restricting the economy enough, said ECB president Christine Lagarde. In addition, the ECB announced that it would reinvest less released bonds that the bank has bought up in recent years. From July, this will be reduced by 25 billion euros per month. Currently, reinvestments are still decreasing by 15 billion euros every month. Both the interest rate and the reduction in loan purchases have effects that policymakers are already seeing. Households and businesses are already borrowing less because this has become more expensive. But at the same time, there are still many things that could push in...
Reuters: US Leads Talks on Rescue of First Republic Bank
Business, News, US

Reuters: US Leads Talks on Rescue of First Republic Bank

The US government is coordinating talks about an emergency intervention to save the First Republic Bank, Reuters news agency reports based on insiders. The Ministry of Finance, the central bank and the regulator FDIC are trying to get companies from the financial sector to rescue the medium-sized bank. Attempts to save the First Republic from bankruptcy with help from the private sector have failed to produce a deal. It is still unclear whether the US government is also prepared to participate in a rescue operation. But the involvement of government agencies, according to a Reuters source, gives First Republic executives more confidence as they look for a solution. The US Treasury Department declined to comment on Reuters' questions about the news. The Federal Reserve and the...
From entitlement to defamation and violence: David Roper-Curzon, Baron Teynham and son Harry Roper-Curzon exposed in recordings
News, UK

From entitlement to defamation and violence: David Roper-Curzon, Baron Teynham and son Harry Roper-Curzon exposed in recordings

Viewers' discretion is advised: https://youtu.be/SuR0eYeAUQ0 The video has been widely shared and replicated on social media, with many people expressing shock and disgust at the behavior of David Roper-Curzon and their son Harry Roper-Curzon. Some have criticized Baron Teynham’s and Harry’s silence, how he has not publicly apologized to Jaff and went as far as defaming and publically embarrassing her after they separated. Using her ethnic background, education, and charity work against her. Dishonorable for a “nobleman”. The conduct of the Roper-Curzon family runs counter to the traditional British approach of handling personal matters in a private and a discreet manner. Due to Pylewell Park being in debt, the ownership has been transferred to a trustee, Alexander Dundee, Elizabeth Te...
Sudan Ceasefire Seems to have Already Been Violated: You Still Hear Shelling and Explosions
News, Sudan

Sudan Ceasefire Seems to have Already Been Violated: You Still Hear Shelling and Explosions

The ceasefire was violated in Sudan on Tuesday morning. There have been several bombings in the city of Omdurman. The paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) blames the Sudanese army for this, but both groups are fighting again. On Tuesday morning, Omdurman, next to the Sudanese capital Khartoum, was bombed several times. At least one bomb hit a civilian home. "You can still hear sounds of shelling, explosions and warplanes flying overhead," Atiya Abdalla Atiya of the Sudanese doctors' syndicate told The Guardian. According to the paramilitary group RSF, the Sudanese army has dishonoured the ceasefire by "continuing to attack Khartoum with aircraft". "This is a clear treaty violation," the group said. "We urge the Sudanese military to respect the ceasefire to alleviate the...
Russian Opposition Leader Vladimir Kara-Murza Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Treason
News, Russia

Russian Opposition Leader Vladimir Kara-Murza Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Treason

The well-known Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by a court in Moscow. The man was convicted of treason, among other things, due to his criticism of the war in Ukraine. Kara-Murza was arrested in April 2022 after publicly denouncing the conflict in Ukraine. The 41-year-old former journalist and politician faced three charges: high treason, scattering false information about the Russian army, and illegal work for an "unwanted" organization. The court found him guilty on all charges on Monday and sentenced him to the maximum prison term. Kara-Murza denied being guilty of the charges against him at his trial last week, calling it a show trial. He is the latest among many Kremlin critics who have been caught, convicted, or forced ...
Paris Stock Exchange Hits New Record
Business, Europe, France, News

Paris Stock Exchange Hits New Record

The Paris stock exchange hit a new all-time high on Tuesday. At the beginning of March, the star index CAC 40 was already just above 7,400 points, and after the extended Easter weekend, the index did even more. Just before 4 p.m., the Paris stock exchange reached 7,403.67 points. After the financial turmoil that has blown over from the American banks in recent weeks, investors seem willing to retake risks. After the peak of March 6, the French star index took another sharp plunge due to that banking crisis - on March 20, the CAC 40 was listed at less than 6,800 points. Since the beginning of this year, the CAC 40 has grown 14 percent in value. The banks included in the star index have not yet been able to recover the losses they incurred in the wake of the bankruptcy of the U...
King Charles Has His Own Stamp, But Wants to Use Up the Old One First
News, UK

King Charles Has His Own Stamp, But Wants to Use Up the Old One First

From now on, there are stamps with the image of King Charles, but the stamps with the late Queen on them will be used up first. So says David Gold, director at the British Royal Mail. The new stamps will not be sold in post offices and other distribution points until stocks of stamps depicting the Queen have been used up. King Charles asked that the existing stock be used first rather than destroyed. "He was unequivocal," said David Gold. "He doesn't want anything to be shredded. Stock must not be destroyed. No matter how long it takes, there's no rush…" The decision aligns with his principles regarding waste and the environment. The stamp features the king's head and neck facing left, as tradition has it. Since the first stamp was issued, the Penny Black featuring Queen Vict...
Russian MPs Set Up Special Army Unit So They Don’t Have to Die Themselves
News, Russia

Russian MPs Set Up Special Army Unit So They Don’t Have to Die Themselves

Russian MPs are accused of setting up a special army unit so that they and their sons do not have to go into battle. The unit mainly focuses on drones. Russian MPs were also called upon to fight in the war to gain popular respect and money from United Russia, Putin's political party. Since then, a number of politicians and their sons have voluntarily joined the army for a month with the Cascade unit, where they would work 50 miles from the battlefield. Russian blog account VKCh-OGPU says it is in close contact with the Russian Defense Ministry and has shared a list of MPs who worked in the unit. "This is a unit with MPs and their sons who want to say they worked in the war but don't want to go to the front line. The drone section in the Cascade unit is the most comfortable becau...
First Four Slovak Fighter Jets on Their Way to Ukraine
Europe, News, Slovakia, Ukraine

First Four Slovak Fighter Jets on Their Way to Ukraine

Slovakia has sent the first four of the thirteen promised MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense promises to deliver the rest in the coming weeks. After Poland, Slovakia is the second country that has decided to supply fighter jets to Ukraine. The decision was made last Friday. These are MiG-29s, a type that the Ukrainian army has had in their range since Soviet times. In principle, therefore, no additional training is required to deploy the aircraft. Russia reacted indifferently to the news last week. According to a Kremlin spokesman, the donated MiG-29s will "make no difference" in the war.