EA removes Russian teams from Fifa 22 game
Games publisher Electronic Arts will remove the Russian national team and all other Russian teams from Fifa 22 and associated games, it has announced.
It was doing so to "stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people", the company tweeted.
It comes as football's governing bodies Fifa and Uefa said Russia's national side and clubs would be banned from all competitions.
Ukraine has asked the video games industry to do more.
The country's Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called on all game-development companies and esport platforms to block Russian and Belarusian accounts, cancel tournaments and ban players.
Electronic Arts tweeted: "EA Sports stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and like so many voices across the world of football, calls for peace and an end to the invasion of Ukraine.
"In line with our partners at Fifa [the International Federation of Association Football] and Uefa [the Union of European Football Associations], EA Sports has initiated processes to remove the Russian national team and all Russian clubs from EA Sports Fifa products including Fifa 22, Fifa Mobile and Fifa online.
"We're also actively evaluating related changes to other areas of our games."
It has also removed Russian and Belarusian teams from NHL 22 games.
Source - BBC
What sanctions could West still impose on Russia?
A raft of actions by the West is aimed at choking Russia's economy and banking system, and punishing Vladimir Putin's inner circle. What more sanctions could they impose?
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US, UK, EU and more than two dozen other nations retaliated with economic measures that have sent the Russian rouble tumbling, cut major Russian banks from the global financial system and hurt state-owned firms and oligarchs, including Mr Putin himself.
The US says its actions hit 80% of banking assets in Russia; and the EU 70%. The allies have also taken steps to limit Russia's access to key technology, such as microchips and lasers; and moved against cryptocurrencies.
Together, they represent the toughest sanctions Mr Putin's Russia has ever faced. And analysts expect policymakers to continue tightening - for example, by adding more kinds of technology and new companies to blacklists. The most recent action by the US, on Wednesday, targeted oil refining equipment, among other steps.
"We are at a seven or eight out of 10 on the escalation ladder right now," said Emily Kilcrease, senior fellow and director of the Energy, Economics and Security Program at the Washington think tank, the Center for New American Security. "There is definitely still room to go with tightening."
Many Western companies, including BP, Apple and others have responded to the situation by taking steps to halt services or exit the country.
But for now, trade can still flow - not least key exports like oil and gas, for which Russia is a major global supplier.
Western policymakers have been reluctant to hit energy, in part for fear of causing a spike in energy prices that would cause economic damage at home as well - especially in Europe, which relies on Russia for roughly 40% of its gas imports and roughly 30% of its oil imports.
But as the violence in Ukraine has escalated, there is growing pressure on the US and Europe to act.
"My sense is that it's going to become politically untenable to say we'll keep paying Russia for oil, gas and coal," says Christopher Miller, professor at Tufts University's Fletcher School and an expert on the Russian economy.
"That's already been politically tough for Western leaders to stand by and I think it's going to become even tougher as the Russian military escalates its use of force."
It's a tricky calculus.
While oil and gas transactions are key to preventing the Russian economy from going "off a cliff", cutting off that lifeline risks provoking more extreme reaction by Russia, says Jeffrey Schott, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a Washington think tank.
"The level of economic pressure now is severe. If you go for the economic jugular, Putin may respond with cyber and military action that will only make the suffering worse," he says.
What's more the commitment, announced by Western allies this week, to release a 60m barrels of oil from strategic national reserves - half of which will come from the US - will only act to soften a temporary spike in prices.
Russia may be able to withstand the loss of Western buyers, if it can sell less on the global markets at a higher price, says Ms Kilcrease.
"People I think want to see something there... but you have to think about the effect of what cutting off those sales would actually be. Will it hurt Russia? It's not actually clear," she says.
The consultancy Capital Economics recently estimated that the sanctions could shrink Russia's economy by 15% this year.
Nor has the pain been limited to Russia.
Global oil prices have already risen more than 10% since the start of February amid the tensions - and analysts expect they will remain elevated due to uncertainty from the conflict. Ukraine and Russia also supply nearly 30% of the world's wheat, 19% of its corn and 80% of its sunflower oil.
Currencies in countries with close ties to Russia, like Kazakhstan, have also been hit.
"That's the problem with sanctions - they never just end up targeting only one place," says Kristy Ironside, professor of Russian and Soviet history at McGill University. "They tend to have other knock-on effects so anything [policymakers] do next, they have to consider very carefully in light of that."
Source - BBC
Russian Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich selling the club
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has announced he plans to give the "stewardship" of Chelsea Football Club over to trustees of the club's charitable foundation.
Abramovich made the announcement in the days after Russia's invaded Ukraine to protect the club's reputation, a source close to the club told CNN.
"I have always taken decisions with the Club's best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values. That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea's charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC. I believe ... they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff, and fans," Abramovich wrote in a statement released on Saturday.
Although some British lawmakers have called for the Russian national to give up ownership of the club, he will stay on as the owner of the Premier League side, according to the source.
Earlier in the week, Member of Parliament Chris Bryant called for Abramovich to lose ownership of Chelsea after seeing a leaked 2019 UK government document that said Abramovich was of interest due to his "links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices," the MP said in a Twitter post.
"Surely, Mr. Abramovich should no longer be able to own a football club in this country?" he added. Abramovich himself has not been sanctioned by the UK, according to the UK's sanctions list website.
When asked about the impact on Chelsea's financial situation, the source told CNN that the club's finances will not change and that regarding his investment, Abramovich "has not asked for it back for 20 years and nothing has changed."
Chelsea has won two Champions League trophies and five Premier League trophies since Abramovich took ownership of the club in 2003.
Abramovich celebrates winning the Champions League after Chelsea beat Manchester City at the Estadio do Dragao on May 29, 2021 in Porto, Portugal.
The club released the following statement on Sunday morning: "The situation in Ukraine is horrific and devastating. Chelsea FC's thoughts are with everyone in Ukraine. Everyone at the club is praying for peace."
The Chelsea Supporters' Trust -- a non-profit independent trust set up to "encourage" the club's board to "take into account the interests of all supporters" amongst other purposes -- also released a statement following Abramovich's announcement.
"The Chelsea Supporters' Trust is deeply saddened and shocked by the Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent loss of life," the group said. "We note Mr. Abramovich's statement and are seeking urgent clarification on what this statement means for the running of Chelsea FC."
"We stand with the people of Ukraine," it added.
Source - CNN
Kanye West, Future, and Kendrick Lamar to headline Rolling Loud Miami 2022
Kanye West, Future and Kendrick Lamar are set to headline Rolling Loud Miami 2022, the festival announced Tuesday night.
Sharing a poster of the three-night event, Rolling Loud revealed the entire list of performers, which also includes Lil Baby, Gunna, Lil Durk, Saweetie, City Girls, Gucci Mane, Three 6 Mafia, DaBaby, Kodak Black and more.
Ye will kick off the music festival, headlining on Friday, July 22. Future will headline on Saturday and Kendrick will close out the festival on Sunday.
Source - ABC
Ex-Nissan exec Greg Kelly found guilty in Tokyo
A Tokyo court has found the former Nissan executive Greg Kelly guilty of playing a role in helping former boss Carlos Ghosn allegedly hide more than $80 million in deferred compensation.
But after more than three years of prosecution, Kelly, 65, was given a six-month suspended sentence by chief judge Kenji Shimotsu. The Tennessee human resources executive and attorney, arrested while on a Nov. 2018 business trip to Japan, will be free to go home with his wife, according to a statement released in Tokyo by the U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.
"We are relieved that the legal process has concluded, and Mr. and Mrs. Kelly can return home," said the statement. "While this has been a long three years for the Kelly family, this chapter has come to an end. He and Dee can begin their next chapter in Tennessee."
Source - Automotive News
Sean Paul to head back on the road this spring for North American tour
Sean Paul is ready to hit the road after a two-year pause and, on Wednesday, unveiled his multi-stop Scorcha Tour that kicks off later this month.
The "Temperature" rapper kicks off his 10-stop tour on March 11 at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Florida. He will then hit the nation's largest metro areas, such as New York City and Las Vegas, before wrapping on May 29 at California's Monterey Fairgrounds.
This tour fulfills the promise Sean made to fans about returning to the road by the spring. Prior to this, he hadn't left Jamaica since the pandemic all but shut down the touring industry and halted his plans.
"While a digital platform may keep you connected, it is no substitute for being physically interactive with fans," the Dancehall star said in a statement.
The Scorcha Tour will support Sean's upcoming eighth studio album of the same name, which is the follow-up to his Grammy-nominated album, Live N Livin. The tour also coincides with the 20th anniversary of Sean's breakthrough album, Dutty Rock, which produced the hits "Baby Boy," "Gimme The Light" and "Get Busy."
Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 4, at 10 a.m. ET on Sean Paul's official website.
Source-ABC
Zendaya and Labrinth release new gospel-inspired song from Euphoria
Following the season-two finale of HBO’s Euphoria, superstar actress Zendaya and show composer Labrinth released the full version of the gospel-inspired track “I’m Tired.”
A snippet of the track was first heard in the season’s second episode, during an emotional church scene with Zendaya’s character, Rue, who struggles with sobriety. At the end of the season finale, the last minute of the song — and Zendaya’s vocals — are heard while Rue reflects on her sobriety journey.
Zendaya sings, “Hey Lord, you know I’m trying. Hey Lord, you know I’m trying. It’s all I got, is this enough? Hey Lord, I wanna stay.”
The star expressed gratitude to Labrinth in a Monday Instagram story, saying, "Thank you bro for allowing me to write, create and share space with you on this very special song. I learn so much from you every time we work. Excited for what's to come."
In an interview with Variety, Labrinth discussed what it was like writing the track and even appearing in the final episode.
“I [sang], ‘Hey lord, you know I’m tired.’ And then she was like, ‘Oh snap!’ And we just started writing the song,” the singer, songwriter said. “It was all of that impulsive inspiration, you know? And then being in the scene, I was like, ‘I haven’t performed for a while and I’ve not been on American TV before or been an actor before... I [was] like, just be in the moment."
"I'm Tired" isn’t the first track produced by the duo. Labrinth started contributing music to the show during season one, composing “All for Us” for the season’s finale.
Considering Euphoria was greenlit for season three, fans may get much more of the Zendaya-Labrinth dynamic combo. The show is available to stream on HBO and HBO Max.
Source-ABC
Oil prices hit 7-year high despite emergency measures
Oil prices surged on Tuesday despite new measures aimed at calming markets worried by the invasion of Ukraine.
Brent crude - the international benchmark for oil prices - jumped 10% to $107 a barrel, marking the highest level seen in more than seven years.
It rose after the International Energy Agency's members agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil from emergency stockpiles.
Russia is one of the biggest energy producers in the world.
As a result, concerns about Russia's invasion of Ukraine have sparked concerns among investors that oil or gas supplies could be affected.
Price rises were steeper in the US, where West Texas Intermediate crude increased by 11% to $106 a barrel.
The United States and 30 other member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) agreed to release the oil in a bid to stabilize energy markets worldwide.
"We are prepared to use every tool available to us to limit disruption to global energy supply as a result of President Vladimir Putin's actions," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.
She added that Washington would carry on looking at how to speed up moving energy supplies away from Russia.
Another statement by the IEA noted that the invasion of Ukraine came against a "backdrop of already tight global oil markets, heightened price volatility, commercial inventories that are at their lowest level since 2014".
Petrol price movements in the UK are mainly determined by the price of crude oil, which is the raw material for fuel, and the exchange rate between the dollar and the pound, because oil is traded in dollars.
On Monday, the RAC said the average price of petrol had jumped to a record high of £1.51 a litre on Sunday, while diesel increased to £1.55.
Share prices across Europe and the US also fell further on Tuesday as attacks on cities in Ukraine continued.
Markets in US, Europe and UK fell amid fears about the impact of the ongoing conflict.
Having been up in early trading, the FTSE 100 turned negative amid the warnings of the consequences of Western sanctions on Moscow and signs that Russia was stepping up its invasion of Ukraine.
Western countries have imposed punishing sanctions against Moscow, with another raft of companies winding down Russian operations and halting investment, such as BP and Shell.
Frankfurt saw steeper losses, which analysts suggested could be linked to Germany's reliance on Russian energy imports.
Russia's currency was stable, however, having collapsed 30% on Monday to record lows against major currencies. One rouble was worth less than one US cent in trading on Tuesday.
The rouble's fall cuts its buying power and hits savings of ordinary Russians. The decline was only halted when Russia's central bank doubled interest rates to make the currency more attractive to investors.
The sanctions' stranglehold on Moscow's finances has hit the central bank's access to a lot of Russia's huge reserves of money held in the form of foreign currencies.
Sources-BBC
TCI Delegation attends 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM and SICA Summit 2022
The Premier Honourable Charles Washington Misick is attending the 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on 1 – 2 March 2022 in Belize.
During the two-day conference Heads of Government will discuss a number of matters pertinent to countries in the Caribbean region including the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic, advancing the recovery of regional economies as a result of the pandemic; progressing the CARICOM Single Market and Economy to help improve regional resilience; border and security issues; and advancing the CARICOM Agri-Food Systems Agency, with emphasis on regional food and nutrition security.
Government Heads will also engage with representatives of the private sector, labour and civil society and discuss climate change following the recently concluded COP-26.
The event commenced on Tuesday, 1 March 2022 with an opening ceremony and featured remarks by: CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett, outgoing CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Honourable Gaston Browne and CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister of Belize, Honourable John Antonio Briceño and will close on Wednesday, 2nd March with a press conference and official closing.
On Thursday, 3rd March 2022, the Premier, accompanied by the Honourable Arlington Musgrove, Minister for Immigration and Border Services, will attend the 2022 Central American Integration System (SICA) Summit.
The SICA Summit invites Heads of Government from member states and associate member states, from the Central American region to discuss the priority matters including democratic security; prevention and mitigation of natural disasters and the effects of climate change; social integration; economic integration; and institutional strengthening. The Directors of Cooperation of SICA plan to meet with the Directors of Cooperation of CARICOM following inter-sessional meetings, to exchange best practices and experiences.
The TCI delegation consists of the Premier, Honourable Arlington Musgrove, Minister for Immigration and Border Services, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services, Ms. Althea Been, Mr Miquel Swann, Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Office of the Premier and Public Policy and Mr Bentley Johnson, Aide De Camp.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government continues to partner with neighbouring countries and organisations in the region and globally that will aid in the promotion of best practices and improve socio-economic sustainability, development and resilience in the TCI.
The Conference of Heads of Government consists of the Heads of Government of the Member States. CARICOM has 15 Member States – Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago; and five Associate Members – Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
International Crime Court to investigate possible war crimes in Ukraine
Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.
On Monday, International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Karim A.A. Khan, announced that the court is opening an investigation into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine. The court has "reasonable basis to believe" that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed in Ukraine and is pursuing accountability, including possible prosecutions, Khan said in a statement.
The U.S., meanwhile, is supporting an international effort to "detect and document potential human rights violations" for abuses of international humanitarian law, potential war crimes and "other potential atrocities" committed by Russia, Department of State spokesman Ned Price announced Monday.
Americans should not be worried about nuclear war, Biden says
After Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces put on high alert Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday that the American people should not be worried about the threat of nuclear war. The president made the comment while leaving a White House event celebrating Black History Month, replying "no" when a reporter asked whether the country should feel worried.
The U.S. sees "no reason" to change its own nuclear alert level, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a press briefing Monday afternoon.
"We are assessing Putin's directive and at this time we see no reason to change our own alert level," she said.
Source-ABC