Day: December 24, 2022
Миллиардер Роман Абрамович с 2015 по 2017 год вложил $225 млн в крупнейшую американскую компанию по производству марихуаны Curaleaf. Как рассказал председатель правления Curaleaf Борис Йордан, чьи слова приводит Bloomberg, на текущий момент Абрамович вышел из компании.
«Все эти средства были давно погашены, еще до военных действий, в конце 2020 или конце 2021 года. Насколько нам известно, у Curaleaf сегодня нет Романа Абрамовича в качестве акционера», — сказал он. Помимо PalliaTech Inc российский бизнесмен также вкладывался в венчурную компанию Бориса Йордана Measure
Йордан рассказал, что связался с семейным офисом Абрамовича для привлечения средств через экс-главу «Сибнефти Петра Блоха — еще одного акционера Curaleaf, который является гражданином США и России.
«До войны он [Абрамович — МТ] был одним из самых востребованных инвесторов в мире. Присутствие его в качестве инвестора было воспринято как очень большой плюс», — пояснил Йордан. Поскольку ни Блох, ни Абрамович не находятся под санкциями в США, глава Curaleaf сказал, что не видит причин для беспокойства по поводу их связи с компанией.
Штаб-квартира Curaleaf располагается в Массачусетсе. Компания производит марихуану для использования в медицинских целях.
В 2013 году группа «Спутник» Йордана приобрела за $10 млн 35% акций производителя PalliaTech, а в 2015 году выкупила ее полностью. В 2018 году компания сменила название на Curaleaf, вышла в Канаде на IPO и привлекла 520 млн канадских долларов ($400 млн).
Ранее на этой неделе Канада заявила, что намерена изъять у Абрамовича замороженные в рамках санкций активы на сумму $26 млн, чтобы использовать их для восстановления Украины и выплаты компенсаций жертвам войны. Великобритания объявила о замораживании активов на сумму $7 млрд, связанных с олигархом, который ранее в этом году продал футбольную команду «Челси».
2022-12-24T08:02:49Z
(Reuters) -Iran’s Supreme Court has accepted the death sentence appeal of
FILE PHOTO: The Iranian flag is seen flying over Evin prison in Tehran, Iran October 17, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
rapper Saman Seydi Yasin even as it confirmed a death sentence against another protestor, the country’s judiciary said on Saturday.
Yasin, a Kurd who raps about inequality, oppression and unemployment, had been accused of attempting to kill security forces, setting a rubbish bin on fire and shooting three times into the air, charges which he denied.
Yasin’s mother last week pleaded in a video for help to save her son. “Where in the world have you seen a loved one’s life is taken for a trash bin?” she said in the video posted on social media.
The Court had initially said it had accepted the appeals of Yasin and another protestor, but in a subsequent statement the judiciary’s Mizan news agency said only that of Yasin had been accepted.
“The public relations of the Supreme Court of Iran has corrected its news: ‘The appeal of Mohammad Qabadloo has not been accepted … Saman Seydi’s appeal has been accepted by the Supreme Court,” the agency said.
Explaining the decision in its original statement, it cited flaws in investigating the case and said it had been referred back to the court for re-examination.
Qabadloo had been charged with killing a police agent and injuring five others during the protests.
Unrest erupted across Iran in mid-September after the death in custody of Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by morality police enforcing the Islamic Republic’s mandatory dress code laws.
Saturday’s announcement follows the Supreme Court’s suspension of protester Mahan Sadrat’s death sentence 10 days ago. He had been charged with various alleged offences such as stabbing a security officer and setting fire to a motorcycle.
Iran hanged two protesters earlier this month: Mohsen Shekari, 23, who was accused of blocking a main road in September and wounding a member of the paramilitary Basij force with a knife, and Majid Reza Rahnavard, 23, who was accused of stabbing to death two Basij members, and publicly hanged from a construction crane.
Amnesty International has said Iranian authorities are seeking the death penalty for at least 26 people in what it called “sham trials designed to intimidate those participating in the popular uprising that has rocked Iran”.
It said all of those facing death sentences have been denied the right to adequate defence and access to lawyers of their choosing. Rights groups say defendants have instead to rely on state-appointed attorneys who do little to defend them.
Rights group HRANA said that as of Friday 506 protesters had been killed, including 69 minors. It said 66 members of the security forces had also been killed. As many as 18,516 protesters are believed to have been arrested, it said.
A top state security body said early this month that 200 people, including members of security forces, had lost their lives in the unrest. However, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander has put the number at 300, including security force members.
2022-12-24T13:03:50Z
Hundreds of migrants prepared to camp in the cold at Mexico’s northern border over Christmas, hoping for a swift reversal in U.S. migration restrictions as they endure the bite of a winter storm ravaging the United States.
After the U.S. Supreme Court this week ruled that restrictions known as Title 42 could stay in place temporarily, many migrants are facing a Christmas weekend of what Mexico’s weather service called a “mass of arctic air.”
“I’m staying here, where else can I go?” said Walmix Juin, a 32-year-old Haitian migrant preparing for the weekend in a flimsy tent in the city of Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas. “I never thought I would spend a Christmas like this.”
Temperatures in the border cities of Matamoros and Reynosa, where several thousand people are camping outside or in bare-bones shelters, are expected to hover around freezing on Saturday and only slightly improve on Sunday.
Further west in Ciudad Juarez, where hundreds of migrants have been lining up to seek asylum at the border with El Paso, Texas, temperatures are forecast to drop to minus six degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit). Many have been sleeping in the streets.
Officials have provided more space in shelters in recent days, but some migrants are wary.
Wearing a baseball hat and jacket zipped to the chin, 29-year-old Venezuelan Antony Rodriguez has tried to stay warm in Matamoros by huddling under blankets in a tent with five relatives, he showed in a video shared with Reuters.
After an arduous trek across Central America and Mexico, Rodriguez said he turned down the offer of a shelter because he feared authorities would bus them south.
“We feel they’ll send us back,” he said.
Another Venezuelan in Matamoros, Giovanny Castellanos, said he was camping out in a tent on the border, wrapped up in blankets, to keep abreast of developments.
“If you go to shelter you’re further from here where the real information is,” the 32-year-old said.
Title 42 allows the United States to return migrants to Mexico or certain countries without a chance to request asylum. It had been due to end on Dec. 21 before the court ruling. Without clarity on when it will finish, some officials worry their cities could be overwhelmed if more migrants turn up.
“U.S. migration policy has a big impact here on the border,” Reynosa Mayor Carlos Pena Ortiz said on Friday.
Related Galleries:
Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, take refuge from the cold on a public transport bus during a night of low temperatures, while another migrant with his son watches them from outside, in downtown El Paso, Texas, U.S., December 23, 2022. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, stand covered with blankets during a night of low temperatures in downtown El Paso, Texas, U.S., December 23, 2022. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, rest during a night of low temperatures in downtown El Paso, Texas, U.S., December 23, 2022. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Daniel, a migrant from Venezuela, holds his 5-month-old daughter Yuri during a day of low temperatures, in downtown El Paso, Texas, U.S., December 23, 2022. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Предприятиям оборонно-промышленного комплекса необходимо в короткие сроки нарастить производство оружия и «значительно улучшить» его характеристики, заявил в пятницу президент Владимир Путин.
«Важнейшая, ключевая задача предприятий ОПК — обеспечить наши подразделения, передовые части всем необходимым вооружением, техникой, боеприпасами в требуемом объеме», — сказал Путин на совещании с руководством оборонных заводов в Туле.
«Кроме того, важно совершенствовать, значительно улучшать характеристики вооружений», — продолжил президент, добавив, что ждет «предложений» по решению «проблемных вопросов» и идей, как сделать так, «чтобы этих проблем было как можно меньше» (цитаты по «Интерфаксу»).
Выступая на коллегии Минобороны в среду, Путин заявил о готовности потратить любые деньги на производство оружия для армии, которая провалила блицкриг в Украине и увязла в долгой кровавой войне.
«У нас нет никаких ограничений по финансированию. Страна, правительство дают все, что армия просит», — заверял президент, добавляя, что «соответствующие результаты должны достигаться».
После серии неудач в Украине, где, по западным данным, Россия потеряла половину танков и практически исчерпала запасы высокоточных ракет, Путин в ноябре приостановил действие госпрограммы вооружений (ГПВ) — опорного плана, на основании которого военно-промышленный комплекс работал последние годы. Была приостановлена разработка и новой ГПВ объемом 22 триллиона рублей, чтобы «пересмотреть приоритеты» исходя из опыта в Украине, рассказывал ранее источник «Ведомостей» в ОПК.
Запущенная в начале 2010х, а затем расширявшаяся каждые пять лет, госпрограмма производства оружия «съедала» ежегодно две трети оборонного бюджета. По плану к 2020 году в войска должны были поступить дивизионы танков «Армата», новый стратегический бомбардировщик, 600 самолетов и тысячи вертолетов, а доля современного вооружения должна была вырасти до 70%.
Но в Украину российская армия вошла на старой технике, с бумажными картами и за несколько месяцев исчерпала запасы высокоточных ракет. А после массовой мобилизации была вынуждена раздавать необученным солдатам орудия времен Великой отечественной войны.
В бюджет-2022 правительство России заложило 3,5 триллиона рублей расходов по статье «национальная оборона», из которых 2 триллиона приходилось на госпрограмму вооружений. В процессе эту сумму было решено увеличить на треть, до 4,7 триллиона рублей, а в бюджете-2023 — еще на 300 млрд рублей, до 5 трлн.
За два года бюджет потратит на «военную машину», таким образом, почти 10 трлн рублей, что в 7 раз больше годовых расходов федеральной казны на здравоохранение (1,4 трлн рублей), в 20 раз больше годового финансирования системы ЖКХ (0,5 трлн рублей) и почти в 1,5 тысячи раз выше суммы, которая выделяется на развитие собственного производства лекарств (6,7 млрд рублей в 2022 году).
The Boring Company
- Elon Musk’s Boring Company aims to build a network of road tunnels under major cities.
- Its president, Steve Davis, has a fittingly whimsical background, revealed in a Bloomberg profile.
- Davis reportedly slept at Twitter HQ with his wife and baby after Elon Musk sought his help.
The Boring Company CEO, Steve Davis, slept at Twitter’s headquarters after Elon Musk asked for his help following his takeover, The Information reported.
Davis spent the first few weeks after his baby was born sleeping in a makeshift bedroom in Twitter’s San Francisco office, along with his partner. The outlet reported that he spent two months working for Twitter after Musk asked for his help.
Musk also owns The Boring Company, which has built a reputation for offbeat stunts. While its core business is focused on digging a network of tunnels for Tesla cars under major US cities, the company has also drawn attention for selling flamethrowers and building a Monty Python-style watchtower.
As it turns out, Davis has a history of wacky gimmicks throughout his career, detailed in a 2019 profile from Bloomberg reporter Sarah McBride (the profile builds on reporting from Ashlee Vance’s book on Elon Musk).
Davis was hand-picked by Musk to lead Boring, perhaps in part because of his colorful background. Before working for Musk, Davis founded a frozen yogurt shop and a bar that accepts bitcoin, among other ventures.
Boring Company has faced scrutiny, especially in Chicago and Las Vegas, where it aimed to build its first tunnels. Its first project is a 1.7-mile-long tunnel under the Las Vegas convention center that conveys passengers in Teslas.
Here are some of the most striking details from Davis’ pre-Boring life.
The Boring Company’s chief executive slept at Twitter’s headquarters with his partner and newborn baby following Musk taking over the social media platform in late October, The Information reported.
Steve Davis became head of The Boring Company in 2019
Mark Ralston/Getty Images, James Clayton/BBC
Musk tested Davis’ engineering skills by challenging him to make a $120,000 part with a budget of $5,000. After months of work, Davis emailed Musk that he did so with just $3,900 and Musk responded with one word: “Ok.”
The Boring Company
The anecdote was reported in Ashlee Vance’s book, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future.
Davis was living in Washington D.C. working for SpaceX and missed California-style frozen yogurt, so he taught himself to make it “via trial and error” and opened his own yogurt shop, “Mr. Yogato.”
Fro-yo, not from Mr. Yogato.
Mark Lenihan/AP
Source: Bloomberg
Mr. Yogato offered discounts to customers who could answer trivia questions, or ask “Seinfeld” trivia questions that Davis couldn’t answer. Customers also got a discount for dressing as tennis player Bjorn Borg.
Tennis star Bjorn Borg.
AP
The “Rules of Yogato” are detailed on Mr. Yogato’s website.
Davis ultimately held a Willy Wonka-style contest to select the new owner of Mr. Yogato and sold it for $1 to the new owner.
Allison Shelley/Getty Images
Source: The Washingtonian
Davis founded and ran Mr. Yogato while simultaneously earning his Ph.D. in economics at George Mason University. The focus of his dissertation was US currency debasement.
Robyn Beck/Pool via REUTERS
Source: Bloomberg
After getting his Ph.D., Davis opened a bar in D.C. called Thomas Foolery, which was one the city’s first establishments to accept bitcoin payments.
An illustration of Bitcoin tokens.
Reuters
Source: Washington City Paper
Thomas Foolery offered “gimmick upon gimmick,” according to the Washington Post. The bar offered “angry hour,” when patrons could receive a discount for shouting their drink order. Visitors to the bar could also get discounts for things like dancing “the Carlton,” a move from “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
The skyline of Washington D.C.
Reuters/Larry Downing
Source: The Washington Post, Thrillist
Davis is reportedly a devoted fan of Ayn Rand and has quoted “Atlas Shrugged” during public events. He was also an extra in a 2012 “Atlas Shrugged” movie.
Mironova Gallery
Source: Mother Jones
Musk hand-picked Davis to lead Boring Company. At an event announcing the company’s tunnel plans, Davis joked that they would use bricks made from excavated dirt to build a pyramid in Musk’s honor.
Robyn Beck/Pool via REUTERS
Source: Bloomberg
Read the original article on Business Insider
Storylines
- A Meta employee spent $300,000 on a condo on a cruise ship that will sail the globe.
- Austin Wells told CNBC he wanted to travel the world, as well as keep working from home.
- The MV Narrative will set sail in 2025, with permanent residences starting at $1 million.
A Meta employee bought a 12-year lease for a cruise ship condo so he can continue working from home while seeing the world, a report says.
CNBC reported earlier this month that Austin Wells, a 28-year old employee of Reality Labs, Meta’s virtual reality arm, will be one of the residents on the MV Narrative.
The cruise ship promises to let guests live permanently at sea – at a price. Permanent 237-square-foot studios went on the market this year for $1 million.
Wells, from San Diego, told CNBC he was enticed by the opportunity to see the world while maintaining a semblance of routine that would allow him to continue working. And the 12-year lease put a cap on the price tag for the soon-to-be digital nomad.
“The thing that most excites me is I don’t have to upend my daily routine, in order to go see the world,” Wells told CNBC.
“I’m going from this model where you want to go somewhere, you pack a bag, you get on a flight, you rent a room, to now my condo, my gym, my doctors and dentists, all of my grocery stores travel the world with me.”
Wells told the outlet he plans to continue to work West Coast hours when the ship sets sail in Europe in 2025. That’s likely to result in working some very unsociable hours, including late evenings and early mornings.
“But that does open up the ability for me to … maybe see a city midday to afternoon and then start my workday around six or 7 p.m,” he told CNBC.
The MV Narrative, run by luxury travel company Storylines, promises residents the opportunity to visit all six continents on a 1,000-day circumnavigation, spending an average of three days in each port.
The price tag includes nearly everything a resident could need, with food, drink, and laundry services provided, alongside all the recreational activities found on a luxury cruise liner like gyms and performances.
Meta Wells recently announced plans to shrink its office space and expanded work from home orders to cut costs following huge losses this year.
Read the original article on Business Insider
