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New rules to combat fraud on cross-border payments in the EU in forcefrom 1 January

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:59:28 GMT

New transparency rules come into force this 1 January that will help EU Member States to crack down on Value-Added Tax (VAT) fraud.The new rules will provide tax administration of the EU Member States with payment information allowing them to detect VAT fraud more easily, with a particular focus on e-commerce which is particularly prone to VAT non-compliance and fraud. This in turn creates holes in the tax revenues that pay for vital public services.For example, some online sellers with no physical presence in an EU Member State sell goods and services to EU consumers without registering for VAT anywhere in the EU, or by declaring less than the actual value of their online sales. Member States therefore need strengthened tools to detect and shut down this unlawful behaviour.In detailThe new system harnesses the key role played by payment service providers (PSPs) such as banks, e-money institutions, payment institutions and post office giro services, which collectively handle over 90...

Ukraine’s Grain Industry: Exports strong despite Russian disruption

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:59:28 GMT

The Ukrainian grain sector is growing its sea export volumes even as Russia continues to target key infrastructure for grain exports, according to Ukrainian media outlet Censor.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and shelling of major cities since February 2022 largely halted the operation of Ukrainian seaports and export routes in the Black Sea, which are vital for the economy and for the supply of grain to international markets. With millions of tonnes of grain trapped in warehouses, Ukraine’s role as the ‘breadbasket of Europe’ was under threat.The Black Sea Grain Initiative, launched with the participation of Ukraine, Russia, the UN, and Turkey, led to the resumption of exports from three Black Sea ports. Two ships belonging to Swiss trader Harvest Commodities – the M/V Riva Wind and M/V Arizona –were among the first to successfully leave the port of Odessa as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in August 2022, delivering 110,000 tonnes of grain to world markets. From August 2022 to...

Dear Abby: Nobody interceded with the bride, and I was left out of the wedding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:59:28 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My co-worker sent “save the date” cards to everyone a year ago, and my husband and I were looking forward to attending her wedding.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: My neighbors seemed so friendly until this incident Advice | Dear Abby: My friend was insulted when the waitress asked him to leave Advice | Dear Abby: My often-requested list of new year’s resolutions Advice | Dear Abby: They call me bossy, but I’m just trying to improve their parenting Advice | Dear Abby: I’m feeling used, and I want to stop sharing my company discount with this person Apparently, she then had a wedding planner or a friend send the actual invitations via email. Everyone else in the office received theirs, but I did not.When I found out, I told two other co-workers I hadn’t received an invitation and speculated that the sender might have misspelled my name in the email. I thou...

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

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:59:28 GMT

1677 Sweetbriar Drive – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 1600 block of Sweetbriar Drive in San Jose was sold on Dec. 12, 2023. The $2,320,000 purchase price works out to $1,102 per square foot. The house, built in 1962, has an interior space of 2,105 square feet. This single-story home provides a generous living space with its four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Inside, there is a fireplace. Additionally, the house features a two-car garage, providing ample room for vehicles and storage needs.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:On Laurelwood Drive, San Jose, in August 2023, a 2,354-square-foot home was sold for $2,800,000, a price per square foot of $1,189. The home has 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.In June 2022, a 1,596-square-foot home on Valencia Court in San Jose sold for $1,925,000, a price per square foot of $1,206. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 3,340-square-foot home on the 1600 block of Laurelwood Drive in San Jose sold in November 20...

ANÁLISIS | Las apelaciones de Trump para anular su eliminación de las boletas electorales plantean argumentos constitucionales existenciales

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:59:28 GMT

(CNN) — El expresidente de Estados Unidos Donald Trump es uno de los litigantes más frívolos de Estados Unidos, cuyas demandas por disputas comerciales y afirmaciones falsas de fraude electoral a menudo no provocaron más que risa.Pero las apelaciones gemelas que Trump ha presentado ahora después de haber sido excluido de las elecciones en Colorado y Maine no encajan en su patrón normal de utilizar la ley para retrasar e interrumpir momentos de responsabilidad personal. Estos esfuerzos podrían ser interesados y provocados por su propia conducta antidemocrática en 2020. Pero también son raros ejemplos de cómo el expresidente plantea una cuestión constitucional vital que debe resolverse con urgencia. Trump ha apelado ante la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos sobre el asunto de Colorado y ante un tribunal estatal en Maine. En última instancia, si el tribunal superior no logra resolver la cuestión en todo el país, las elecciones de 2024 podrían convertirse en un caos.Trump está impug...

Ainslie hands wheel of British SailGP team to fellow Olympic gold medalist Scott

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:59:28 GMT

Ben Ainslie is stepping down as driver of the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team but will remain as CEO and majority owner in tech titan Larry Ellison’s global league.Ainslie will hand the wheel of the British foiling 50-foot catamaran to two-time Olympic gold medalist Giles Scott starting with the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix on Jan. 13-14.Ainslie, the most decorated sailor in Olympic history and a former America’s Cup champion, is the second star skipper to give up a SailGP helm in recent weeks. Jimmy Spithill announced his retirement from driving after steering Team Australia to second place in Dubai last month while filling in as friend and countryman Tom Slingsby was on paternity leave.Spithill left the U.S. team in late November ahead of its sale to a diverse group of investors and announced that he’ll start an Italian team for Season 5 that will begin next fall.Ainslie said this is the right time to step away from driving the high-performance catamaran in the 10-boat fl...

Trump asks US Supreme Court to overturn Colorado ruling removing him from ballot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:59:28 GMT

(CNN) — Donald Trump has formally asked the US Supreme Court to overturn the Colorado state Supreme Court ruling that removed him from the state’s 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist clause.”“In our system of ‘government of the people, by the people, [and] for the people,’ Colorado’s ruling is not and cannot be correct,” attorneys for the former president wrote in the filing with the court, which was obtained by CNN.The Supreme Court is facing mounting pressure to settle the question of whether Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, can be disqualified from holding public office, as state courts and election officials have come to differing conclusions across the country. The first contests of the 2024 primary begin in weeks.The high court is separately involved in other matters that could impact the federal criminal case against the former president.Trump’s...

Chicago Bears’ Jaylon Johnson, Montez Sweat named Pro Bowlers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:59:28 GMT

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and defensive end Montez Sweat were named Pro Bowlers for the first time Wednesday.Johnson’s selection to the 2024 Pro Bowl Games, which will be held in Orlando, Fla., in early February, comes amid a career season for the fourth-year Bears player. Johnson has four interceptions, including a pick-six, 10 passes defended, a forced fumble and 36 tackles in 14 games.He has allowed a career-low 50.9 passer rating by opposing quarterbacks, according to Pro Football Reference.“It is special that God has blessed me with the opportunity and favor to be selected for the Pro Bowl,” Johnson said in a statement released by the Bears. “I’m thankful for all of those who have played a role in my success because when I win, we all win.”Johnson has been open about aiming to be an All-Pro in this contract season, after which the Bears must try to either work out an extension, use the franchise or transition tag, or let Johnson...

The UK is not cooperating enough to curb migrant crossings of the Channel, a French report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:59:28 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A French report said the United Kingdom is not sufficiently coordinating with France in efforts to reduce the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, as part of a broader assessment pointing to the “uncertain effectiveness” of illegal migration policies.France is “struggling to develop operational cooperation arrangements” with the U.K., according to the report published Thursday by France’s Court of Accounts, a body in charge of auditing the use of public funds, independent from the government and parliament.The report refers in particular to a joint intelligence unit created in 2020 to fight human smuggling and reduce the number of people risking their lives to cross the Channel illegally. In 2022, it helped dismantle seven illegal migration networks.The Court “found that the British don’t provide usable information on the departures of small boats, and give very general, first-level information that has not been counter-checked.”In...

South Korea views the young daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as his likely successor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:59:28 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The young daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen as her father’s likely heir apparent, South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday, its first such assessment on the girl who was unveiled to the outside world a little more than a year ago.There has been intense outside debate and speculation about the girl, reportedly about 10 years old and named Ju Ae, since she made her first public appearance in November 2022, when she watched a long-range missile test-launch with her father. The girl has since accompanied her father at a number of major public events, with state media calling her father’s “most beloved” or “respected” child and churning out footage and photos proving her rising political standing and closeness with her father.A senior general knelt and whispered to her when she clapped while watching a military parade at a VIP observation stand in September. She was photographed standing in front of her father at one point during a visit to the a...