Category: South Caucasus News
Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at 5:15 p.m. local time that a drone had fallen on the grounds of a non-residential complex in the city’s Pecherskyi district, RBC Ukraine reported.
The Parkovy Congress and Exhibition Center in Kyiv came under a Russian attack. The building was damaged, according to the Lean Institute in Ukraine, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, and the Kyiv branch of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) https://t.co/BShvAJbxKC
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) September 23, 2026
The Lean Institute in Ukraine later reported an emergency at the Parkovy building, saying part of the facility had been damaged. The incident occurred on the first day of the Lean Summit being held at the venue.
***
According to the institute, preliminary information indicated that everyone at the site was safe.
The Kyiv branch of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service later confirmed that the exhibition center had been struck. Rescuers said the building’s roof was damaged and that a fire caused by the strike had been extinguished.
The damage occurred during a wider Russian attack on Kyiv on September 23.
Earlier, Ukrainian authorities and local companies reported damage to telecommunications infrastructure and a data center in the capital, causing temporary disruptions to some communication and online services.
At least 41 people were reported injured in Russian strikes on Kyiv during the day, according to local authorities.
The post Russian attack damages Parkovy exhibition center in Kyiv – VIDEO appeared first on azeritimes.com.
Under the plan announced Wednesday, the Arnault family’s holding company Agache will merge with Christian Dior, according to a Dior statement, Reuters reported.
The new entity will retain the name Agache and will directly control a 49.76% stake in LVMH, along with 65.55% of the company’s voting rights.
***
Agache currently owns 96% of Christian Dior’s shares and 97.1% of its voting rights. It also holds a 6.77% stake in LVMH and 8.49% of its voting rights.
The merger is expected to take place in December and will include a tender offer for the 2.44% of Christian Dior shares that Agache does not currently own. The price will be determined based on the market price of LVMH shares, according to the statement.
The Arnault family does not plan to delist shares of the new Agache entity.
The family currently controls 50.33% of LVMH and 66.27% of its voting rights.
The restructuring is intended to simplify the family’s ownership structure while ma
The post Arnault family plans to simplify LVMH ownership through Dior appeared first on azeritimes.com.
Taiwan, democracy and human rights, China’s political system, and the right to development are Beijing’s four “red lines,” Xie Feng, the regime’s ambassador to the United States, said in an article published in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) state newspaper People’s Daily on Wednesday, NTD reported.
***
Xi urged the United States to work with China to achieve what he called “peaceful coexistence.”
The Chinese diplomat’s comments came less than a day before Trump was set to host Xi at the White House. China’s foreign ministry said Xi departed Beijing on Wednesday afternoon local time for a state visit to the United States.
The CCP has long labeled these topics as very sensitive, warning that mishandling them could inflame tensions between the world’s two largest economies. In 2024, when Xi met with then-U.S. President Joe Biden in Peru, he described Beijing’s four “red lines” as something that Washington should not challenge, according to China’s readout of the meeting.
Steve Yates, a China expert and former national security official in the George W. Bush administration, interpreted Beijing’s warning as evidence of its lack of confidence in addressing the sensitive topics.
“The PRC is not a great power. CCP mouthpiece says don’t press Xi” on any of these issues, Yates said on X, using the acronym of the regime’s official name, People’s Republic of China.
China expert and commentator Gordon Chang went further, questioning the purpose of the high-level reengagement.
“Once you rule out the topics China has said are ‘red lines,’ there’s no point in holding a summit,” Chang said on X.
The White House has said that Trump is expected to raise human rights issues when he sits down with Xi in Washington.
During his May visit to Beijing, Trump discussed the detention cases directly with Xi, including that of Pastor Ezra Jin, the leader of the most prominent underground church in China. The pastor was subsequently released and reunited with his family in Los Angeles on July 4.
The post China warns US against crossing “red lines” ahead of summit appeared first on azeritimes.com.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two sides had “some unfinished business from Sunday” as he headed to an unscheduled meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Anadolu Agency reported.
“We want strategic stability, but it has to be based on reciprocity and fairness,” Bessent said.
***
Bessent and He held high-level negotiations in New York on Sunday, alongside US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Their discussions covered artificial intelligence security, critical minerals and trade issues.
The latest meeting comes as Xi prepares to travel to Washington for a summit with Trump.
Xi is scheduled to be welcomed by Trump upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Wednesday. The planned reception would mark a break with longstanding diplomatic protocol, as it would be the first time since 1962 that a US president has personally welcomed a foreign leader at the military base.
The renewed discussions between US and Chinese officials come ahead of the leaders’ meeting, where trade and broader economic relations are expected to feature among the issues under discussion.
The post US, China trade chiefs meet again ahead of Trump-Xi summit appeared first on azeritimes.com.
The Torcal SUV, launched in London on Wednesday, retains styling features from Bentley’s combustion-engine models, including diamond-shaped lights inspired by the traditional front grille, Reuters reported.
The company has also sought to reproduce some of the sensory experience of a V8 engine. The Torcal features a soundtrack based on orchestral timpani, with additional drums that accelerate as the vehicle gains speed.
***
“Our intention was always to make a Bentley first,” Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser told Reuters. “We feel people are not asking for a completely different car just because it’s electric.”
The Torcal starts at £173,000 ($230,000), placing it toward the lower end of Bentley’s model range. That makes it considerably less expensive than Ferrari’s first EV, the Luce, which starts at €550,000 ($628,000).
Walliser described the Torcal as a “more affordable Bentley” that could help the company reach new markets.
The launch comes as ultra-luxury automakers take different approaches to the transition to electric vehicles. Ferrari has already introduced its first EV, while Rolls-Royce, owned by BMW, is also selling an electric model.
Lamborghini, another Volkswagen Group brand, has delayed its first EV until the end of the decade, while Britain’s McLaren said last week that it currently had no plans to launch an EV, citing limited customer demand.
Bentley itself previously postponed its first EV launch until 2026 and abandoned a target of becoming fully electric by 2030, saying customers were not yet ready to make the transition.
The company said it has been presenting the Torcal to existing and prospective customers, with strong interest reported in Europe, the Middle East and US states with relatively high EV adoption. Bentley plans to begin a launch campaign in China next year.
About half of the interest in the new model has come from existing Bentley customers, according to Walliser, while the other half has come from people new to the brand.
Bentley has invested £350 million ($465 million) at its plant in Crewe, northwest England, to produce the Torcal.
The investment comes as Britain’s automotive industry continues to attract major spending on new models and manufacturing. McLaren recently announced a £500 million investment in Britain, while Nissan said it would invest £170 million to build a new hybrid SUV at its UK plant.
British Business Minister Jonathan Reynolds said Bentley’s investment demonstrated t
The post Bentley unveils first EV as wealthy buyers test electric luxury appeared first on azeritimes.com.
Categories