February 2023 - Page 9 of 48

February 24, 2023

How The Cool Kid Of Progressive Politics Gambled It All Away

DATA-FOR-PROGRESS-4×3 — ILLUSTRATION BY FIVETHIRTYEIGHT / GETTY Visuals

For a particular section of the chronically on-line remaining, it was the equivalent of a blood bathtub. Just a number of times before Xmas, the Slack channels started out to disappear. Then, one by one, customers ended up booted off of the Slack entirely. Like at many contemporary places of work, staff at Data For Development — a remaining-leaning polling company and feel tank — made use of Slack’s chat software program for interior communication. But the Information For Progress Slack was notorious in progressive circles for obtaining many community channels that involved expansive membership outside of the business. And now the channels ended up staying shuttered and non-staff ended up getting evicted.

Sean McElwee, the firm’s charismatic and occasionally controversial 30-yr-outdated founder, had a behavior of inviting a coterie of characters from exterior the corporation into the Slack, including pollsters, political researchers and journalists. If McElwee imagined you had been appealing, you experienced a good shot at an invitation, specially when Knowledge for Progress was minimal extra than, as the interior lore goes, “three men on an email chain.” Nevertheless private channels remained closed to non-staffers, Info For Progress’s community Slack channels turned a beloved water cooler for thinkfluencers on the progressive still left.

“DFP, at one point in time, was like a authentic, wonderful intellectual hub that generated a lot of seriously amazing exploration and scholarship and friendship,” mentioned a single former member of the community Slack who wished to keep on being nameless. “The Slack was a area for the progressive facts neighborhood to come jointly, chat and community.”

And then one particular working day, it was unceremoniously dismantled. By this place, word had gotten out that McElwee was in the process of currently being ousted by senior team following a collection of article-midterm scandals came to a head. There was the community reckoning around McElwee’s fondness for betting on troubles and elections that Knowledge For Development polled on. There was his consulting function for Sam Bankman-Fried — the founder of recently bankrupt cryptocurrency trade FTX, who has considering that been indicted on fraud prices. And there were being accusations of a straw-donor plan — the place somebody pays a different human being to make donations on their behalf to stay clear of limitations on marketing campaign donations. (McElwee declined to be interviewed for this tale.) Following a tumultuous couple of weeks for the firm’s public image, McElwee was out, the new guard was in, and they were cleaning household.

“We’re a mature business,” reported Danielle Deiseroth, Details For Progress’s interim executive director. “We desired to place that chapter guiding us. We however have lots of wonderful mates of DFP who have been all-around considering that the commencing and are nonetheless incredibly supportive of us, but our Slack must be for our perform.”

The demise of the general public Slack marked the starting of a new chapter for Info For Progress. By the stop of the yr, new management had reestablished the nonprofit as independent and had instituted an advisory board. It’s the dawn of a new period … for a 5-year-outdated policy store. And now the youthful staffers left running the show are tasked with pinpointing what’s up coming.

At its inception in 2018, Knowledge For Development truly was 3 fellas on an e mail chain. As a result of Twitter, McElwee experienced related with Colin McAuliffe, a info scientist, and Jon Inexperienced, then a political science Ph.D. scholar. McElwee experienced now garnered interest for sizzling will take on progressive plan that challenged the status quo — in certain, he helped popularize the notion of abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — as perfectly as his weekly, wonky satisfied several hours that captivated the likes of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“We had been blogging, efficiently,” Green explained of Knowledge For Progress’s early days, noting that McAuliffe was expert at statistical evaluation, enabling them to inquire new concerns of public details. “We were just bringing a minor little bit of data to the ongoing discussion about the partnership concerning beliefs and pragmatism in the Democratic extended social gathering network.”

Originally, the trio designed Knowledge For Progress as an LLC, but in accordance to Eco-friendly it rapidly became clear that developing the company as a non-earnings made far more perception because they weren’t, properly, turning a revenue. It pivoted and grew to become a challenge of the Tides Advocacy Fund, a nonprofit social welfare business that money initiatives to progress progressive suggestions. Somewhat than continuing to rely on absolutely free, current polling and public belief facts, Info For Progress started soliciting new polling from YouGov Blue — an arm of YouGov specializing in polling for Democrats and progressives — just before eventually undertaking its individual polling in-dwelling. By 2020, two many years soon after its inception, the firm had developed from 3 bloggers to a bona fide pollster with approximately a dozen staff making coverage reviews shared by the likes of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and acquiring tapped to seek advice from with then-candidate Joe Biden.

As Facts For Progress’s impact and legitimacy grew, so did McElwee’s on the internet persona. All over the 2020 election, McElwee overtly tweeted about betting on PredictIt — a prediction sector, form of like a cross among a inventory sector and a athletics betting site, the place consumers can wager on political results, together with which prospect will win a key race or when a potential candidate could possibly file to run for president. Taking into consideration that Knowledge For Development was conducting polling that may impact these markets, a person could argue this was a conflict of curiosity. It violates FiveThirtyEight’s formal policy for which include pollsters in our databases and forecasts, and as this kind of, any upcoming polls carried out by McElwee — but not Data For Development — have been banned by FiveThirtyEight. At the time, McElwee’s bets went mostly unnoticed by the public, but at least among associates of the community Facts For Progress Slack, it was an open up mystery.

“I remember people today chatting about it. He was tweeting about it. He wasn’t actually shy about it,” claimed the former Slack member.

It was not till fall of 2022 that public scrutiny of McElwee commenced to escalate. Info For Progress experienced been given tens of 1000’s of pounds to conduct polls for Shield Our Foreseeable future, a PAC mostly funded by Bankman-Fried that supported candidates who were crypto-pleasant, and McElwee himself experienced been advising Bankman-Fried, one thing that was resulting in inside unease even right before FTX disintegrated and Bankman-Fried confronted fraud expenses. Then in November, an interview with an nameless Twitter person stoked renewed interest in McElwee’s predilection for betting. In an job interview with The Tartan, Carnegie Mellon University’s pupil-operate newspaper, anonymous election forecaster and commentator @cityafreaks alluded to McElwee’s betting on PredictIt. The interview was afterwards pulled down when it became crystal clear a great deal of the user’s commentary, together with how significantly McElwee might have missing on PredictIt, was hyperbolic supposition, instead than actuality. But McElwee’s betting on PredictIt was so well-documented — on his Twitter feed (while some tweets have now been deleted) and in a podcast interview — that it did not choose prolonged for Polling Nerd Twitter to stage out the likely conflicts of his actions.

The backlash was hurting Details For Progress’s status, and senior management at the agency started to strategize about acquiring McElwee out. At the very same time, they started an internal evaluate to make sure the founder hadn’t influenced any of the firm’s polling in order to, say, increase his earnings on a specific wager. Deiseroth reported a broader interior investigation is ongoing, although she would not get into its details. But according to Johannes Fischer, Details For Progress’s director of engineering and analytics, that preliminary test confirmed McElwee didn’t have any visible sample of influence on the polls, which have been not managed by any one unique at the agency.

“The explanation I’m not involved about the precision of our figures is, [firstly], I was concerned and saw them the complete time, and, next, Sean just frankly doesn’t know how to do it,” Fischer mentioned. “There was in no way a point wherever Sean was ready to industry or pounds a study. Of system, he was the government director of the corporation, but he’s not a working towards pollster.”

By mid-December, McElwee was out and the business turned independent from Tides, inquiring all workers to indication new employment agreements that strictly prohibited betting on subject areas Details For Development works on. They also prohibited outside the house consultation work without the need of prior authorization from the company — so deals like McElwee’s perform with Bankman-Fried would have to be greenlit by management. The new nonprofit composition also released an advisory board of field gurus to help form the youthful pollster’s future chapter and who will have closing say more than its lengthy-phrase strategic choices, according to Deiseroth.

The potential, on the other hand, nonetheless appears a bit foggy. Like most pollsters, Data For Progress is examining its polls from the 2022 cycle and looking at exactly where it can make advancements. Deiseroth explained the organization will prioritize rebuilding have faith in heading forward, but that leadership is nevertheless in early conversations around what Details For Progress’s extensive-expression targets should really be and how to attain them.

But whichever is following, it is confident to involve the main tenet of what motivated Facts For Progress to begin with: making use of polling to support progressive policy suggestions. Deiseroth pointed out that amid all its turmoil, Data for Progress’s workforce of about two dozen staffers however put out a poll just about each and every day in December and January.

“We’re eager and excited to keep our do the job up and are searching ahead to how we shape our following chapter,” Deiseroth claimed. “We’re nonetheless below.”

Added reporting by Mary Radcliffe.

CORRECTION (Feb. 23, 1:32 p.m.): An earlier edition of this tale said that Info For Development acquired donations from Shield Our Long term. The funds had been payments for polling Knowledge For Progress executed for Safeguard Our Long term, not donations.

February 24, 2023

U.S. economy slowed more than initially thought last quarter, growing at 2.7{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} rate

The U.S. economic system expanded at a 2.7{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} once-a-year charge from Oct as a result of December, a stable showing irrespective of climbing interest charges and elevated inflation, the government reported Thursday in a downgrade from its first estimate.

The governing administration had beforehand believed that the economic system grew at a 2.9{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} yearly rate previous quarter.

The Commerce Department’s revised estimate of the fourth quarter’s gross domestic products — the economy’s complete output of products and providers — marked a deceleration from the 3.2{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} advancement charge from July as a result of September.

Thursday’s report also revised down the government’s estimate of purchaser investing expansion in the October-December quarter, from a 2.1{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} price to 1.4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}. That was the weakest this sort of exhibiting considering the fact that the 1st quarter of final 12 months. Organization expending also slowed in the fourth quarter, suggesting that the financial state shed momentum at the close of 2022.

“[T]he revision confirms that, though the U.S. financial system is however growing, it is dropping steam. The slowdown in fourth-quarter growth was mostly pushed by a deceleration in personal use and the two house and organization financial investment,” Cailin Birch, world-wide economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said in an e-mail. “This suits with our see that U.S. actual GDP growth will gradual significantly more than the study course of 2023, to exhibit marginal authentic expansion in yr-on-calendar year phrases.”

Far more modern knowledge, however, reveals that the financial state has given that rebounded. Shoppers boosted retail profits in January by the most in almost two decades, and companies additional a shockingly outsize number of positions in December and January. The unemployment price reached 3.4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, the most affordable stage considering the fact that 1969.

Some of the amazingly robust economic gains in January — together with surging work development and bigger-than-envisioned retail sales — very likely reflected warmer-than-normal climate in the new year. Several economists be expecting very similar outsize gains in choosing or expending in the coming months, with most anticipating expansion to sluggish to a roughly 2{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} yearly level in the present January-March quarter.

And the Federal Reserve is envisioned to keep increasing its benchmark interest amount more than the future few months and to continue to keep it at a peak through year’s end to attempt to defeat still-higher inflation. Minutes from its last policy meeting launched Wednesday confirmed that all 19 Fed officials favored raising fees at the next two meetings.

Greater fascination prices still predicted

“From the Fed’s point of view, a slowdown in the financial system is anticipated and will be welcome information,” said Rubeela Farooqi, main U.S. economist at Significant Frequency Economics, a consulting organization. “Having said that, even as growth slows, a concentrate on reducing elevated inflation implies rates will transfer up further more and will remain better for for a longer time.”

Higher borrowing prices make home loans, automobile loans and credit rating card borrowing much more high priced. People greater fees could discourage customers and firms from investing, employing and investing and could at some point drive the financial system into a economic downturn.

The economy’s progress at the conclude of 2022 reflected generally a restocking of inventories, which will likely unwind in coming quarters, and a pickup in govt paying out. Housing expenditure fell approximately 26{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}. Bigger borrowing premiums have crushed homebuying and not too long ago led to a fall in housing selling prices.

Inflation, calculated 12 months about year, has cooled since it arrived at 9.1{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} in June, obtaining slowed to 6.4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} in January. However on a month to month foundation, value gains accelerated from December to January, raising the prospect that the Fed will raise its benchmark rate better than it has earlier signaled.

In Thursday’s GDP report, the govt also sharply revised up its estimates of Americans’ incomes in the fourth quarter. Following-tax money, adjusted for inflation, jumped 4.8{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, a much bigger acquire than the former 3.3{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} estimate.

The upward revisions mirrored greater wages and salaries than was estimated previously and state stimulus payments that were being meant to offset inflated expenses of gas, foods and other necessities. Twenty-just one states, together with California, Colorado, Florida, New York, Idaho and Pennsylvania issued a person-time payments last 12 months, ordinarily in the form of tax refunds.

The raise in incomes could carry on to assistance customer spending this year and could have aided travel up retail sales in January. If so, more powerful consumer spending could drive the Fed to proceed increasing prices or continue to keep them elevated for extended to awesome the financial system and quell inflation.

February 24, 2023

S&P 500 snaps four-day losing street, Dow, Nasdaq rise

U.S. stocks scrambled bigger Thursday to close a back again-and-forth session in the green following charge problems drove 4 consecutive times of declines for the S&P 500 (^GSPC).

The benchmark U.S. equity index gained .5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, when the Dow Jones Industrial Normal (^DJI) added 110 details, or .3{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}. The know-how-significant Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) climbed .7{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}.

A batch of economic info strike traders’ desks early Thursday. The government’s next estimate of fourth-quarter GDP was downwardly revised to 2.7{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} compared to 2.9{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} described final thirty day period in the preliminary reading, reflecting weaker customer investing and better inflation figures in the ultimate a few months of 2022.

In the meantime, filings for unemployment insurance fell last week to 192,000, the Labor Division reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg anticipated jobless claims to occur in at 200,000.

In specific inventory moves, shares of NVIDIA Company (NVDA) rallied 14{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} following the chipmaker noted fourth quarter benefits late Wednesday that defeat analyst estimates, even as gaming profits nearly halved from past yr. The enterprise explained it would associate with artificial-intelligence platforms amid a increase in fascination for the engineering, spurring optimism about its progress potential customers.

Wayfair (W) shares nosedived 23{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} in their worst solitary-working day slide on record right after the on line household furniture retailer claimed 5 million fall in prospects and worse-than-forecast losses.

Domino’s Pizza (DPZ) shares pummeled 12{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, the biggest decline for the inventory because 2010, following reporting pizza shipping and delivery demand from customers has fallen. Papa Johns (PZZA) shares also tumbled 6{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}.

Shares of Lucid Team (LCID) tanked virtually 12{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} following the electric auto maker’s fourth-quarter earnings skipped estimates, when a fall in preorders for its Air sedan signaled waning need for its cars.

Alibaba (BABA) stock was tiny altered just after paring an previously obtain. The Chinese e-commerce large unveiled better-than-predicted quarterly benefits, benefitting from easing COVID-19 restrictions in the ultimate a few months of 2022.

Shares of Etsy (ETSY) rose 2.4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} immediately after the on line crafts market reported profits for the fourth quarter that topped Wall Road estimates, citing a raise from good holiday break shopping demand.

In the meantime in the bond current market, U.S. Treasury yields resumed their ascent, with the benchmark 10-12 months note topping 3.95{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} early Thursday.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 22: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on February 22, 2023 in New York City. The stock market slightly bounced back at the opening after all three major indexes fell at least 2{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} at the closing of the market on Tuesday amid the release of the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) — NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 22: Traders function on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in the course of early morning buying and selling. (Picture by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Photographs)

On Wednesday, traders received a readout of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s Jan. 31- Feb. 1 assembly that indicated officers have been intent on continuing with “ongoing will increase” in curiosity costs to quell inflation. Traders are now expecting the federal funds rate to peak at 5.5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}.

The bulk of Federal Open Industry Committee (FOMC) members supported this month’s lesser 25-basis-position hike, but a number of individuals indicated a drive to raise costs by a heftier 50 basis points.

In forthcoming meetings, “the circumstance for switching back again to 50 basis factors is weak, in our watch,” Pantheon Macroeconomics Main Economist Ian Shepherdson said in a take note. “But if the early details for February — notably payrolls, retail profits, and the CPI — are not materially softer than in January, the compromise would be to forecast one more couple of amount hikes past the December projections.”

“We consider the Fed has presently performed adequate and requires to wait for the total outcome of its steps to operate through,” Shepherdson reported.

—

Alexandra Semenova is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Observe her on Twitter @alexandraandnyc

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February 24, 2023

Cox Automotive Analysis: Stellantis’ Q4 2022 Market Performance

Stellantis has steered skillfully through the global computer chip shortage, maintaining the most abundant vehicle inventory in the U.S. auto industry for the past year while other automakers struggled with skimpy supply. Still, Stellantis posted a decline in U.S. sales in the fourth quarter while also cutting incentives. Its average transaction price rose to over $55,000, thanks mostly to a pair of pricey new Jeeps and strong Dodge pricing increases.

Europe and the U.S. are Stellantis’ most important markets. Here are some data points from Cox Automotive on Stellantis’ U.S. Q4 market performance.

Stellantis’ Q4 Sales Pulled Down by Jeep

Stellantis Q4 sales totaled 347,649 vehicles, down 15.5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} from Q4 2021. That compares with a high of 542,519 sales in pre-pandemic Q4 2019.

STELLANTIS U.S. SALES PERFORMANCE FOR Q4 2022

Jeep, Stellantis’ highest-volume brand, saw a significant sales decline of 18{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 143,317 vehicles. That was its lowest sales for the quarter in at least six years. Pre-pandemic, Jeep sold over 200,000 in the quarter.

Almost all Jeep models saw declines except for the Compass and Wagoneer, which saw year-over-year sales increases of 9{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} and 12{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, respectively. The biggest drop was the Grand Cherokee at a 32{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} decline or 50,800 units, followed closely by the Renegade with a decline of 27{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}. The newer Grand Wagoneer and Wrangler were both down 14{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} year over year in Q4.

Ram sales dropped by 14.5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 129,873 units, the lowest sales for the quarter in six years. The volume-leading Ram 1500 pickup truck saw a decline of 22{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 105,255 units. Promaster van sales increased 33{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 18,905.

Dodge sales jumped by 15{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 46,278. All three of the brand’s models gained in the quarter: Charger was up 3{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 17,414 cars; Durango sales climbed 22{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 15,890 SUVs, and Challenger rose 28{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 12,966 units. The Charger and Challenger are in their final year in their current form, and Dodge is selling special editions to commemorate their final run.

The Chrysler brand, with only two models, had the steepest decline of all major Stellantis brands, with a 39{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} drop to 25,052 units, driven by the 42{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} drop in Pacifica minivan sales. Sales of the 300 sedan, popular with fleets, were up 15{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 2,300 units.

Alfa Romeo sales fell 25{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to 3,031 vehicles. Fiat had quarterly sales of a mere 118 units of the 500X, the only model sold in the U.S., down 56{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} from a year ago.

With the sales drop, the total Stellantis market share was 9.6{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, the first time the automaker’s share dropped below 11{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} for the quarter in the past several years. Market share slipped for Stellantis’ highest-volume brands. Jeep share was 4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, down more than a full percentage point from a year ago. Ram dipped one percentage point to 3.6{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} and Chrysler was down 0.5 points to 0.7{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}.

Incentive Spending Slashed to Lowest Level in Six Years

Stellantis slashed incentive spending by 31{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} in Q4 2022 compared to the prior year. Its average incentive was $1,658 per vehicle, according to Cox Automotive calculations. That’s the lowest in six years by a wide margin. In the pre-pandemic Q4 2019, Stellantis spent over $5,000 per vehicle on incentives.

STELLANTIS U.S. INCENTIVES FOR Q4 2022

Stellantis significantly cut incentives for all brands. Chrysler incentives were down over 90{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to just $144, marking the first time incentives for the brand were under $1,000 for the quarter. Incentives for Jeep and Ram were down 53{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} and 38{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, respectively. Alfa Romeo incentives were down 18{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}, and the Ram brand saw the lowest decline with a drop of 6{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}.

Average Transaction Prices Jump to Over $55,000

Stellantis’ average transaction price (ATP) jumped 5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to $55,281, according to Cox Automotive calculations. By comparison, Stellantis’ ATP was $38,458 in Q4 2017.

STELLANTIS U.S. AVERAGE TRANSACTION PRICES FOR Q4 2022

Ram generates the highest ATPs, up 2{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to $59,903. The Ram 1500 got a 4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} boost to $63,363. Promaster gained 16{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to $48,309.

Jeep’s ATP jumped 7{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to $53,968 on the strength of the new higher-priced Wagoneer, with its ATP of $74,461, and even pricier Grand Wagoneer at $95,152. Grand Cherokee had a nearly 12{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} gain in ATP to $57,262. ATPs for Wrangler and Gladiator also rose.

All three Dodge models had healthy increases, putting the brand’s ATP at $50,369, up 9.5{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} from a year ago. The Charger had the biggest increase, up 13{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} to $47,118. The Durango had the highest ATP for Dodge at $53,431, up 4{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502}.

The Chrysler Pacifica had a 6{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} increase in its ATP, pushing it to $48,976.

Rebecca Rydzewski is a research manager for economic and industry insights for Cox Automotive.

February 24, 2023

Most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James calls out ‘fake’ article, FIBA apologizes

The projected No. 1 choose of the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama, is the most thrilling NBA prospect given that LeBron James.

All people is clambering to get a piece of the French star.

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, shoots a free throw during the match between Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France.

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, shoots a cost-free toss all through the match between Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sporting activities Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France. (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Pictures)

And it is building some issues.

BULLS Position GUARD LONZO BALL Dominated OUT FOR REMAINDER OF Year, Workforce ANNOUNCES

On Wednesday, Wembanyama named out the Worldwide Basketball Federation (FIBA) web page for publishing a “fake” job interview with him.

“4 days ago, [FIBA] published a Phony interview with me,” Wembanyama posted to his Instagram story. “WTF???”

The intended job interview was released on the internet site as an “exceptional interview” with the 7-foot-4-inch star.

Click on Right here FOR More Sports Protection ON FOXNEWS.COM

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, signs autographs after the match between Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France.

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, signals autographs after the match between Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sports activities Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France. (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Visuals)

Shortly just after his post, FIBA released a statement apologizing to Wembanyama for the article.

“An post featuring a meant job interview with Victor Wembanyama was not too long ago published on the FIBA web-site,” the statement reads. “Following doubts were being expressed by the player pertaining to the job interview, which was delivered to FIBA by a extended-time French contributor, the veracity of the interview could not be verified.

“FIBA has with no delay eliminated the write-up and all relevant social media posts, and has immediately terminated the marriage with the freelance reporter.”

Wembanyama presently performs for the Metropolitans 92, a French crew found outdoors of Paris, as he prepares for the NBA Draft in June.

The groups at the base of the NBA standings are hoping the lottery balls fall their way as the Wembanyama sweepstakes keep on.

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, reacts to a play during the match between Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France.

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, reacts to a perform all through the match concerning Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sporting activities Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France. (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Pictures)

Simply click In this article TO GET THE FOX Information App

“There is no incorrect workforce,” Wembanyama told ESPN in a modern job interview.

“I am not anxious there is no negative firm. I in no way inform myself I do not like to go there.”

Joe Morgan is a Sports Reporter for Fox News.

February 23, 2023

Russia-Ukraine war live: UK warns conflict could last another year; Russian general ‘under intense pressure in Donetsk’ | Russia

Russian general probably under intense pressure to take Vuhledar, says UK

The town of Vuhledar, in southern Donetsk oblast, has experienced heavy shelling again, according to the MoD’s latest defence intelligence update.

“There is a realistic possibility that Russia is preparing for another offensive effort in this area despite costly failed attacks in early February and late 2022,” the update on Thursday morning said.

Colonel General Rustam Muradov, commander of Russia’s Eastern Group of forces, is likely to be under intense pressure to improve results in Vuhledar after harsh criticism from the Russian nationalist community, according to the MoD.

“However, it is unlikely that Muradov has a striking force capable of achieving a breakthrough,” it said.

Key events

Summary

Hello and welcome to those now following today’s live coverage on the war in Ukraine. It’s 1pm in Kyiv.

On the eve of the anniversary of the start of the war, Vladimir Putin has threatened to strengthen Russia’s nuclear forces. His comments were released before an address to mark Thursday’s Defender of the Fatherland public holiday.

And Nato’s chief, Jens Stoltenberg, says the military alliance has seen “some signs” that China may be planning to support Russia in its war in Ukraine, and strongly urged Beijing to desist from what would be a violation of international law.

The UN general assembly is expected to endorse a broad resolution demanding Russia unconditionally and immediately withdraw from Ukraine’s territory by a massive majority. But China, South Africa, India and many countries in the global south are likely to continue to abstain, underlining their alienation from what they regarded as the west’s war.

We’ll have more on these stories shortly. In the meantime, here are the key recent developments:

Russia is intensifying hostilities in Ukraine a year after its invasion in a deliberate attempt to deplete Ukrainian forces, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday.The fiercest fighting remained around the eastern city of Bakhmut, Brigadier general Oleksiy Gromov said, according to Reuters.
Finland will send three Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, the country’s defence ministry said according to Reuters. The announcement comes after Sweden’s defence minister said it was open to sending some of its Leopard battle tanks, and the Czech government announced a further military aid shipment to Ukraine.
The founder of Russia’s Wagner mercenary force has said much-needed ammunition for his troops has been dispatched, after a public row in which he accused the military leadership of treason. In an audio clip on Thursday, Prigozhin said he felt the pressure he and others had put on the ministry had paid off, and he had been told that ammunition was now on its way.
A Russian fighter plane crashed on Thursday and the pilot was killed in Russia’s Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine. The cause of the incident is not yet known, the Russian defence ministry said. The cause of the crash was a “technical malfunction”, according to preliminary information and crashed in an uninhabited area and there were no reports of other damage.
Sweden is open to sending some of its Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine as it prepares to present another package of aid to help Kyiv fight off the Russian invasion, the Nordic country’s defence minister said.
Moldova dismissed an accusation by Russia’s defence ministry on Thursday that Ukraine planned to invade the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria after staging a false-flag operation, and called for calm.
The US Treasury secretary stepped up calls for increased financing support to Ukraine, as the US readies an additional $10bn in economic assistance in the coming weeks. Janet Yellen said it was critical for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to “move swiftly” towards a fully financed loan programme for Ukraine.
‘I think he is not going to stop’: UK defence secretary on Putin’s war. Ben Wallace has said the conflict in Ukraine could last another year. PA news also reported that Wallace stressed that the war was “not a Nato conflict”.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has arrived in Kyiv to meet Volodymyr Zelenskiy as the first anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches. Arriving in the Ukrainian capital, Sánchez said: “I’m back in Ukraine a year after the start of the war. We will stay by Ukraine’s side until peace returns to Europe.”
The town of Vuhledar, in southern Donetsk oblast, has experienced heavy shelling again, according to the UK MoD’s latest defence intelligence update. “There is a realistic possibility that Russia is preparing for another offensive effort in this area despite costly failed attacks in early February and late 2022,” the update on Thursday morning said.
The Chinese government did not consult with Kyiv when preparing its peace plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official said on condition of anonymity. “China did not consult with us,” the official told reporters.
Vladimir Putin will use an address to mark Thursday’s Defender of the Fatherland public holiday to threaten to strengthen the country’s nuclear forces. Putin said that for the first time, Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles – a weapon able to carry multiple nuclear warheads – would be deployed this year.
Joe Biden has said Putin made a “big mistake” by suspending the last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the US. The Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has said Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the New Start nuclear arms reduction treaty with the US will not increase the risk of a nuclear war. Russia’s parliament on Wednesday approved Putin’s move to suspend the treaty.
The Biden administration is considering releasing intelligence it believes shows that China is weighing whether to supply weapons to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “an affront to our collective conscience”, at a two-day meeting of the general assembly. Friday’s anniversary is “a grim milestone for the people of Ukraine and for the international community”, he said in New York.
Two civilians were killed in Russian shelling of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, according to regional officials. Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the regional military administration, said an 81-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man were killed during shelling of the village of Novotyahinka, about 40km (25 miles) from Kherson city. A Russian missile strike on the north-eastern city of Kharkiv on Wednesday morning left two civilians wounded, Oleh Synyehubov, the governor of Kharkiv region, has said.
Biden vowed that the US would defend “literally every inch of Nato” territory, ahead of talks with Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, and leaders of the Bucharest Nine (B9), a collection of nations on the most eastern parts of the Nato alliance and closest to Russia.
All members of the B9 have jointly condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, a Polish presidential adviser said. Biden and the B9 leaders “reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine and underscored their shared commitment to stand with the Ukrainian people for as long as it takes” according to a White House account of Wednesday afternoon’s meeting in Warsaw.
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, has met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, as China and Russia reaffirm their close bilateral relationship. Wang told Putin that Beijing would play a “constructive” role in reaching a political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, the Russian state-owned Tass news agency reported.
Earlier on Wednesday, Wang met Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, where he said he expected to reach a “new consensus” on advancing the relationship between the two allies. Xi Jinping, China’s president, is expected to visit Putin in Russia in the coming months.
Vladimir Putin has praised soldiers who are “fighting heroically, courageously, bravely” to “defend the fatherland”, in a speech at a rally in Moscow to mark a year of war in Ukraine. Thousands gathered at Luzhniki stadium in Moscow for a concert marking Defenders of the Fatherland Day.
EU countries have failed to agree on a new set of sanctions against Russia meant to be in place for the one-year anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on Friday, four diplomatic sources in Brussels have told Reuters. More talks among Brussels representatives of EU member countries were due on Thursday afternoon, said the sources.

Russia is intensifying hostilities in Ukraine a year after its invasion in a deliberate attempt to deplete Ukrainian forces, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday.

Brigadier general Oleksiy Gromov said Russia had set the goal of capturing all the territory it does not control in the two regions that make up the industrial Donbas area of eastern Ukraine by summer, Reuters reports.

The fiercest fighting remained around the eastern city of Bakhmut, he told a military briefing on the eve of Friday’s anniversary of the invasion on Feb. 24 last year.

Gromov said:

The enemy, having an advantage in the resource of human mobilisation, is deliberately intensifying hostilities in an effort to deplete the units of the armed forces of Ukraine…In the short term, it is important for the Kremlin to capture the key settlements in the Donetsk region, and in the future to capture (all of) the Donetsk and Luhansk regions before the summer.

Finland will send three Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, Reuters cites the country’s defence ministry as saying on Thursday.

The announcement comes after Sweden’s defence minister said it was open to sending some of its Leopard battle tanks.

As reported earlier, the Czech government has announced a further military aid shipment to Ukraine.

Here are some of the latest images from Ukraine:

A city worker cleans along the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine near Mykhailivska Square, Kyiv. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

A damaged business tower in Kyiv. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

Bags containing aid including food and hygiene products at a day centre in Kyiv. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

The Czech government has approved a further military aid shipment to Ukraine and will continue to send equipment from stocks, the defence minister, Jana Černochová, said on Thursday.

Černochová did not disclose details of specific equipment being shipped, reports Reuters, but said the country had so far sent 38 tanks, 55 armoured vehicles, four aircraft and 13 self-propelled howitzers from its military reserves, alongside larger shipments from the private sector.

The founder of Russia’s Wagner mercenary force has said much-needed ammunition for his troops has been dispatched, after a public row in which he accused the military leadership of treason.

On Wednesday, Yevgeny Prigozhin published a grisly image of dozens of men who he said had been killed because commanders including the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, had withheld ammunition to spite him, Reuters reports. Neither man commented but the defence ministry rejected the charge.

In an audio clip on Thursday, Prigozhin said he felt the pressure he and others had put on the ministry had paid off, and he had been told that ammunition was now on its way.

“So far it’s all on paper but, so we have been told, the principal documents have already been signed,” Prigozhin said.

A Russian fighter plane crashed on Thursday and the pilot was killed in Russia’s Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine.

The cause of the crash was a “technical malfunction”, according to preliminary information, the TASS news agency cited the ministry as saying. The plane crashed in an uninhabited area and there were no reports of other damage, it said.

In a post on the Telegram messenger app, Belgorod’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said the emergency services and investigators were on the scene near the town of Valyuki, and the reason for the crash was being established.

Mikhail Afanasyev wants your letters, write Andrew Roth and Pjotr Sauer. The Russian journalist from Abakan in Siberia was jailed last year for writing about a small group of national guardsmen who had refused to fight in Ukraine. But Afanasyev remains defiant, while local supporters crowdfund thousands of dollars to pay off his legal fines.

“It is the duty of every person to expand the horizon of freedom by his actions, so that light pours in and overcomes the darkness,” Afanasyev wrote from pre-trial detention in a letter to his supporters this month.

“I really ask you to write to me, very much! It helps me a lot … I just want to be a journalist, faithful to my profession to the end and defend its values.”

Read more of the story here:

Sweden is open to sending some of its Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine as it prepares to present another package of aid to help Kyiv fight off the Russian invasion, its defence minister told the local news agency TT.

The latest instalment Sweden has delivered to Ukraine since the invasion includes armoured infantry fighting vehicles, which the defence minister, Pal Jonson, told Reuters would be the country’s main contribution to Ukraine in terms of equipment for ground warfare.

Sweden is also preparing to send Ukraine the advanced Archer artillery system to Ukraine, and support has been growing in the Swedish parliament for additionally contributing some of the country’s around 120 Leopard tanks.

“We are open to that and we are in close dialogue with above all Germany about it,” Jonson was quoted by TT as saying.

Moldova dismisses Russia accusation of Ukraine planning to invade Transnistria

Moldova has dismissed an accusation by Russia’s defence ministry on Thursday that Ukraine planned to invade the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria after staging a false-flag operation, and called for calm, Reuters reports.

Earlier we reported on Russia’s defence ministry accusing Ukraine of planning to invade Moldova’s breakaway Transnistria region after a false-flag operation, citing reports from the RIA news agency.

The ministry said Ukraine planned to stage an attack purportedly by Russian forces from Transnistria as a pretext for the invasion, according to RIA.

Separately, the Tass news agency quoted the Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin as saying the west had instructed the Chisinau government to stop all interaction with the Moscow-backed Transnistrian administration.

Moldova’s president, Maia Sandu, accused Moscow earlier this month of planning a coup to overthrow the government and drag Transnistria into its war.

The mainly Russian-speaking region broke away from the then Soviet Moldova in 1990. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, pro-Russia separatists fought a bloody war with the Moldovan government forces.

The US Treasury secretary has stepped up calls for increased financing support to Ukraine, as the US readies an additional $10bn in economic assistance in the coming weeks.

In remarks prepared for delivery to a news conference as G20 finance leaders gathered on the outskirts of the Indian technology hub of Bengaluru, Janet Yellen said it was critical for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to “move swiftly” towards a fully financed loan programme for Ukraine, Reuters reports.

As President Biden has said, we will stand with Ukraine in its fight – for as long as it takes. Continued, robust support for Ukraine will be a major topic of discussion during my time here in India.

Yellen added:

Our economic assistance is making Ukraine’s resistance possible by supporting the home front: funding critical public services and helping keep the government running. In the coming months, we expect to provide around $10bn in additional economic support for Ukraine.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian founder of the Wagner mercenary group, was able to pass UK anti-money laundering checks by submitting a utility bill in the name of his elderly mother, the FT reports.

Leaked emails seen by the Financial Times show that the law firm Discreet Law in 2021 requested identification documents from Prigozhin, who has been placed under sanctions and accused of human rights abuses around the world, before taking him on as a client.

As part of anti-laundering checks, Prigozhin’s Russian lawyers forwarded the London-based law firm a copy of his passport and a gas bill in the name of his then 81-year-old mother, Violetta, for an address in St Petersburg, the FT reports.

Discreet Law’s founder, Roger Gherson, said the firm “cannot comment on confidential communications with [its] former clients”.

Here are some of the latest images from Ukraine:

Destroyed Russian military equipment is displayed in Kyiv’s Mykhailivska Square. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

The Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine near Mykhailivska Square, Kyiv. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

A damaged residential building in the town of Lyman, Donetsk region. Photograph: Ihor Tkachov/AFP/Getty Images

Summary

Hello and welcome to those now following today’s live coverage on the war in Ukraine. It’s 10am in Kyiv.

We’ll have more on these stories shortly. In the meantime, here are the key recent developments:

‘I think he is not going to stop’: UK defence secretary on Putin’s war. Ben Wallace has said the conflict in Ukraine could last another year. PA news also reported that Wallace stressed that the war was “not a Nato conflict”.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has arrived in Kyiv to meet Volodymyr Zelenskiy as the first anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches. Arriving in the Ukrainian capital, Sánchez said: “I’m back in Ukraine a year after the start of the war. We will stay by Ukraine’s side until peace returns to Europe.”
The town of Vuhledar, in southern Donetsk oblast, has experienced heavy shelling again, according to the UK MoD’s latest defence intelligence update. “There is a realistic possibility that Russia is preparing for another offensive effort in this area despite costly failed attacks in early February and late 2022,” the update on Thursday morning said.
The Chinese government did not consult with Kyiv when preparing its peace plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official said on condition of anonymity. “China did not consult with us,” the official told reporters.
Vladimir Putin will use an address to mark Thursday’s Defender of the Fatherland public holiday to threaten to strengthen the country’s nuclear forces. Putin said that for the first time, Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles – a weapon able to carry multiple nuclear warheads – would be deployed this year.
Joe Biden has said Putin made a “big mistake” by suspending the last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the US. The Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has said Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the New Start nuclear arms reduction treaty with the US will not increase the risk of a nuclear war. Russia’s parliament on Wednesday approved Putin’s move to suspend the treaty.
The Biden administration is considering releasing intelligence it believes shows that China is weighing whether to supply weapons to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “an affront to our collective conscience”, at a two-day meeting of the general assembly. Friday’s anniversary is “a grim milestone for the people of Ukraine and for the international community”, he said in New York.
Two civilians were killed in Russian shelling of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, according to regional officials. Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the regional military administration, said an 81-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man were killed during shelling of the village of Novotyahinka, about 40km (25 miles) from Kherson city. A Russian missile strike on the north-eastern city of Kharkiv on Wednesday morning left two civilians wounded, Oleh Synyehubov, the governor of Kharkiv region, has said.
Biden vowed that the US would defend “literally every inch of Nato” territory, ahead of talks with Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, and leaders of the Bucharest Nine (B9), a collection of nations on the most eastern parts of the Nato alliance and closest to Russia.
All members of the B9 have jointly condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, a Polish presidential adviser said. Biden and the B9 leaders “reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine and underscored their shared commitment to stand with the Ukrainian people for as long as it takes” according to a White House account of Wednesday afternoon’s meeting in Warsaw.
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, has met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, as China and Russia reaffirm their close bilateral relationship. Wang told Putin that Beijing would play a “constructive” role in reaching a political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, the Russian state-owned Tass news agency reported.
Earlier on Wednesday, Wang met Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, where he said he expected to reach a “new consensus” on advancing the relationship between the two allies. Xi Jinping, China’s president, is expected to visit Putin in Russia in the coming months.
Vladimir Putin has praised soldiers who are “fighting heroically, courageously, bravely” to “defend the fatherland”, in a speech at a rally in Moscow to mark a year of war in Ukraine. Thousands gathered at Luzhniki stadium in Moscow for a concert marking Defenders of the Fatherland Day.
EU countries have failed to agree on a new set of sanctions against Russia meant to be in place for the one-year anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on Friday, four diplomatic sources in Brussels have told Reuters. More talks among Brussels representatives of EU member countries were due on Thursday afternoon, said the sources.

On Thursday 2 February, my friend Pete Reed died as he tried to evacuate civilians in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, writes Cengiz Yar.

Based on footage we now have of the incident, his vehicle was hit by a Russian anti-tank missile. He was killed in the blast, and others in his team were severely injured. Reports suggest it was likely a double-tap strike, a technique used frequently by Russia in Syria, where an attack is made to draw in additional support and recovery operations before a second attack is made.

Pete was one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met. You should know a bit about the good he did in this world.

I met him in the spring of 2016 over some drinks in Iraq, where I worked as a photographer. He was loud, a bit goofy, and trying to do some good. What good? He hadn’t quite figured that out yet.

Read more by Cengiz Yar here:

Sam Jones

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has arrived in Kyiv to meet Volodymyr Zelenskiy as the first anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches.

Arriving in the Ukrainian capital, Sánchez said:

I’m back in Ukraine a year after the start of the war. We will stay by Ukraine’s side until peace returns to Europe.

Sánchez, who last visited Ukraine in April, is understood to have travelled to Ukraine at Zelenskiy’s invitation.

Pedro Sánchez arriving in Kyiv this morning, where he was met by the deputy foreign minister, Yevhen Perebyinis. Photograph: Spanish government handout

Vuelvo a Kyiv un año después del inicio de la guerra.

Estaremos al lado de Ucrania y de su gente hasta que la paz regrese a Europa.

Сьогодні повертаюся до Києва.

Ми будемо з Україною та її народом, поки до Європи не повернеться мир. pic.twitter.com/9ekUL9Lmfl

— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) February 23, 2023