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Czech brewer Budvar’s 2022 net profit is 40% down due to Russia’s war in Ukraine and high inflation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:04 GMT

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech brewer Budvar, which has been embroiled in a long legal dispute with U.S. beer giant Anheuser-Busch over the use of the Budweiser brand, said Thursday that it has registered a fall in its 2022 net profit and exports. The company said it’s due to Russia’s war in Ukraine and high inflation driven by soaring energy prices. Budejovicky Budvar NP, a 127-year-old state-owned brewery, said its net profit in 2022 reached almost 201 million Czech crowns ($9.3 million) — more than 40% down from the previous year.Exports were down by 4%, said the company, which sells its beer in some 70 countries. Budvar halted exports to Russia and Belarus following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which started in February last year. Exports to some other markets, such as Britain, Slovakia, Austria, Italy Spain or Canada, went up, it said. Budvar also registered a fall in its output by 1.2%, to 1.78 million hectoliters (47 million gallons).Budvar and Anheuser-Busch have been i...

JPMorgan Chase commits $7.7M to DC affordable housing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:04 GMT

Three D.C. nonprofits that support affordable housing efforts for underserved households in the District will share grants from JPMorgan Chase, totaling $7.65 million.Chase Home Lending has also expanded a separate homebuyer grant program in D.C.Chase said the largest share of grant money, $4.45 million, will go to Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development, which will use the funding to work with National Housing Trust, Medici Road, Housing Counseling Services, LISC DC, Mi Casa and Douglas Community Land Trust to develop programs aimed at preserving the supply of affordable apartment buildings.The National Housing Trust will receive $3 million to promote decarbonization efforts in affordable housing development and reduce utility costs for renters, a news release said.Manna will receive $205,000 to continue its work of renovating affordable for-sale homes in D.C.Chase has also expanded its Chase Home Lending program, making $5,000 homebuyer grants available in more m...

Caroline Wozniacki is returning to tennis 3 years after retiring. She will get a US Open wild card

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:04 GMT

FILE - Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki makes a backhand return to Russia's Maria Sharapova during their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. Wozniacki, a former No. 1-ranked tennis player and the 2018 Australian Open champion, announced Thursday, June 29, 2023, that she is returning to competition three years after she retired. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)(AP/Kin Cheung) FILE - Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki makes a backhand return to Russia's Maria Sharapova during their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. Wozniacki, a former No. 1-ranked tennis player and the 2018 Australian Open champion, announced Thursday, June 29, 2023, that ...

Car crashes into home in North Miami; no injuries reported

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:04 GMT

A car crashed into a home in North Miami.Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived at the scene of the crash at 1005 NW 123rd, Thursday afternoon. 7Skyforce hovered over the scene where the white SUV was seen crashed into the home’s front porch. Fire rescue treated one person who was sitting in a chair near the home.It is unclear as to why the vehicle left the roadway or how it left the roadway and crashed into the home. Engineers are expected to arrive at the scene to inspect the home for any structural damage. No injuries were reported. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Small plane skids off runway at FLL; no injuries reported

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:04 GMT

A plane skidded off a runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).The incident happened at the airport’s Runway 26, which is an operational runway, Thursday afternoon. 7Skyforce hovered over the scene where the plane landed safely in a grass area near the runway. Fire rescue crews were also at the scene. According to airport officials, there were three people on board the plane; the pilot and two passengers. No injuries were reported. The runway will be closed as officials investigate why the plane skidded off the runway. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Sriracha sauce is selling for as much as $120 amid prolonged shortage

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:04 GMT

New York (CNN) — The prolonged shortage of a certain red sauce is making the black market go wild.Prices of Sriracha sauce are as high as $70 on eBay as people look to snap up the spicy sauce — and they’re even steeper on Amazon, up to $124. Huy Fong Foods, which makes the rooster-adorned bottled sauce, has been dealing with a years-long shortage of the chilis, which is hurting production and causing some shortages.A search on eBay shows prices for various sized bottles ranging from $39.98 for 17-ounce bottles to a 28-ounce bottle for nearly $70. In both instances, shipping is an additional fee, jacking up the price even more.Prices are even higher on Amazon, where one seller is offering a 2-pack for $124. Of course, it’s unclear if anyone is actually paying these exorbitant prices, considering a 17-ounce bottle typically costs around $5.The company recently told CNN that it’s still experiencing a shortage of raw materials. “Although some production did resume this past fall season,...

Police searching for man after breaking window, door of Ms. Cheezious restaurant

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:04 GMT

Police are searching for a criminal who broke the window and front door of an establishment in Miami. Ms. Cheezious, a restaurant located at 7418 Biscayne Boulevard, has fallen victim to another mischievous crime after surveillance video captured a man walking in front of the building moments before the business was damaged. The owner of the restaurant, Brian Mullins, discovered the damage Thursday morning and took to Instagram to find the identity of the man.“[This was] a random person with a bag of rocks repeatedly smashing a window trying to, I assume, get in,” said Mullins. “He was here for a while continuously hitting the window. He hit the window probably 13 or 14 times.”Police are now investigating the incident after they received the video footage. Ms. Cheesious, known for its award-winning grilled cheese, has been targeted in May when a different person broke a window with a rock. In one month, the owner has dealt with approximately $6,000 worth...

Meta releases clues on how AI is used on Facebook and Instagram

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:04 GMT

Washington (CNN) — As demand for greater transparency in artificial intelligence mounts, Meta released tools and information Thursday aimed at helping users understand how AI influences what they see on its apps.The social media giant introduced nearly two dozen explainers focused on various features of its platforms, such as Instagram Stories and Facebook’s news feed. These describe how Meta selects what content to recommend to users.The description and disclosures came in the face of looming legislation around the world that may soon impose concrete disclosure requirements on companies that use AI technology.Meta’s so-called “system cards” cover how the company determines which accounts to present to users as recommended follows on Facebook and Instagram, how the company’s search tools function and how notifications work.For example, the system card devoted to Instagram’s search function describes how the app gathers all relevant search results in response to a user...

Hot car deaths can be prevented with this new technology

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:04 GMT

(CNN) — One hot June day in Louisiana, Tyler Cestia was supposed to drop his son off at a babysitter before continuing on to work. His two-year-old boy, Thomas, asked to ride in the “big boy seat,” the child safety seat his older brother usually rode in, the one right behind the driver’s seat. Once he was buckled in, it was nearly impossible to see him from the driver’s seat, and he didn’t make a sound.“He was pretty quiet whenever we’d ride,” Tyler Cestia said. “I keep it in my mind that he was asleep.”Cestia, a manager at a welding company, had a big financial audit coming up at work that day, and he had a safety presentation to give in the morning. With Thomas silent and not visible, the stop at the babysitter just slipped his mind. The outside temperature peaked at almost 90 degrees that day. Temperatures inside of Cestia’s parked GMC Sierra pickup would have been well over 100 degrees.Thomas died strapped into his safety seat, as his small body was simply overcome by ...

Prosecutors drop Varsity Blues charges against 2 parents after appeals court ruling

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:04 GMT

Federal prosecutors are dropping charges against two parents whose convictions in the sprawling college admissions bribery scandal were overturned by an appeals court, prosecutors said Thursday.The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in May tossed all the convictions against Gamal Abdelaziz and all but one conviction of another parent, John Wilson. The Boston-based appeals court upheld Wilson’s conviction on a charge of filing a false tax return.The Massachusetts U.S. attorney’s office told the judge in court papers that it’s dismissing those charges tossed by the 1st Circuit, and asked to set a new sentencing date for Wilson on the tax count.Wilson had been sentenced last year to 15 months in prison and Abdelaziz was sentenced to a year behind bars, after jurors found them guilty in 2021 of buying their kids’ ways into school in the first case to go to trial in the so-called “Operation Varsity Blues” scandal. A court later agreed that they could re...