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Oligarch's wife brings son into high-stakes divorce case

Tatiana Akhmedova wants high court to have access to son’s papers in her fight for £453m – but he says her claim is unlawful

It is proving to be a very modern divorce. Armies of lawyers and advisers; hundreds of millions of pounds at stake; priceless art; a superyacht; a key lieutenant switching sides; the son dragged into the proceedings by his mother. No wonder some involved have likened it to The War of the Roses, the dark Hollywood comedy about a feuding couple starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas.

But now attempts to secure the assets awarded following Britain’s biggest, bitterest marital breakup may hinge on how the high court views an arcane financial practice dating back to feudal times.

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Navy warship brings back 698 stranded Indians from Maldives; arrives in Kochi

Though most passengers are from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, there were repatriates of 18 other states and Union Territories also in the ship, which began its journey from Male to Kochi on Friday night




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Mumbai: Three rescued, five feared trapped as wall collapses in Kandivali

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Sunday informed that few people were feared to be trapped under the debris after a wall of a house collapsed in Kandivali (West) area of Mumbai. According to NDRF, so far three people have been rescued.

"Four to five people possibly trapped after wall of a house collapsed in Kandivali (West) area of Mumbai. 3 people rescued till now," the NDRF said.

A rescue operation is underway at the mishap site.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever




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Business start-up rates diverging across OECD economies

Diverging patterns of business start-up rates are emerging across OECD economies five years after the sharp, synchronized falls recorded at the beginning of the financial crisis.




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SMEs and entrepreneurs need to diversify their funding amid continued credit constraints

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are fundamental for inclusive growth and jobs, but they need to broaden their sources of finance in order to reduce their vulnerability to volatile credit market developments, according to two new OECD reports.




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Lending to SMEs and entrepreneurs is improving, but more diverse forms of financing are needed

Financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has turned the corner from the downswing seen during the global financial crisis, but overall credit conditions remain challenging and access to external finance continues to be much tighter for SMEs than larger firms, according to a new OECD report.




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Drivers of divestment decisions of multinational enterprises

Divestment by multinational enterprises is an important yet understudied phenomenon. The few available estimates indicate that about a fifth of all foreign affiliates are divested every five years. This working paper presents the findings from a novel cross-country firm-level dataset with financial and ownership information.




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Bridging divides in a post-truth world

The 2017 OECD Forum takes place after a series of political upheavals few would have predicted scarcely twelve months ago. Divides have become more apparent between metropolises and capital cities on the one hand, and towns and villages on the other, between Millennials and pensioners, between the haves and the have-nots, between the best and the rest.




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Bridging the rural digital divide

This paper examines recent policy and technology approaches to bridging the digital divide in rural and remote areas in OECD countries. It also includes a summary of common challenges and good practices to bring improved communication services to individuals and communities in rural and remote regions.




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The transition in the Mexican pensions system to one based on individual defined contribution accounts has increased its financial sustainability

The reforms to the pensions system in Mexico, especially the introduction of a system of individual defined contribution accounts, have significantly improved the system’s financial sustainability.




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New OECD data expose deep well-being divisions

New well-being data released today expose deep divisions in our society along fault lines of age, wealth, gender and education. The OECD’s latest How’s Life? report shows that while some aspects of well-being have improved since 2005, too many people are unable to share the benefits of the modest recovery that is underway in many OECD countries.




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Luxembourg must diversify its economy and maintain a strong and resilient financial sector

Luxembourg weathered the global economic crisis well, but must take additional steps to foster the diversification of the economy while ensuring the continuing health of its financial sector, according to the latest OECD Economic Survey of Luxembourg.




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COP11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity

The eleventh meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Hyderabad, India (COP11, from 8 to 19 October 2012).




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OECD Insights: Why biodiversity matters

As we celebrate International Biodiversity Day, the outlook is not very encouraging. Around 12% of birds, 25% of mammals, and at least 32% of amphibians are threatened with extinction over the next century. Humans may have increased the rate of global extinctions by up to 1000 times the “natural” rate typical of Earth’s long-term history.




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Research Co-operation between Developed and Developing Countries in the Area of Climate Change Adaptation and Biodiversity

Climate change and biodiversity loss have increasingly become the subject of international policy deliberations. It is widely recognised that strong and effective international co-operation is required to address these issues. Co-operation in science and technology between developed and developing countries is considered to be of particular importance.




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Behold the power of fungus... and biodiversity offsets - Insights blog

When you think of biodiversity conservation, you probably think of the classic images: the polar bear, the lion, the elephant, the giraffe. The ecological community likes to call them charismatic megafauna, with only a hint of satire.




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Key Ingredients, Challenges and Lessons from Biodiversity Mainstreaming in South Africa: People, Products, Process - Environment Working Paper

This paper provides an in-depth review of experiences and insights from mainstreaming biodiversity and development in South Africa. More specifically, it describes how biodiversity considerations have been mainstreamed in five key sectors/areas, namely: land use planning, mining, water, infrastructure, and the agricultural sector.




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What does mainstreaming biodiversity mean? Insights Blog

The theme of Biodiversity Day this year is “Mainstreaming biodiversity; sustaining people and their livelihoods”. According to World Bank figures, “natural capital accounts for an estimated 30% of total wealth in low income countries compared to only 2% in OECD countries”.




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Greater efforts needed to safeguard biodiversity

The world must ramp up its efforts to use natural resources more sustainably and conserve biological diversity and the ecosystems on which we depend for human life, the OECD today told participants at the COP13 Convention on Biological Diversity in Cancun, Mexico.




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Switzerland should do more to address threats to biodiversity

The OECD’s third Environmental Performance Review of Switzerland finds that despite being one of the greenest OECD countries in terms of energy supply, greenhouse gas emissions and domestic material consumption per unit of GDP, Switzerland urgently needs to address pressures on its biodiversity.




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Insights blog: Building Biodiversity-Friendly Economies

We are losing diversity of life on Earth at an alarming rate – one tenth of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity and one third of freshwater biodiversity has been wiped out since 1970. And we’re on course to lose another 10% of terrestrial species by 2050.




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Global Forum on the Environment: Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Sustainable Development

10-12 July 2018 - Within the margins of the meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Forum examined the opportunities and challenges with regard to biodiversity mainstreaming in national economic and development policy and across different sectors (e.g., agriculture, forestry, fisheries, energy and mining).




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OECD at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 14)

17-22 November 2018, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The OECD actively participated in this Conference through an official OECD side event and by taking part in a number of workshops, seminars and other events throughout the conference. Read more on the OECD side-event, participation at the High-Level Segment and the OECD work on biodiversity.




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Evaluating the effectiveness of policy instruments for biodiversity - Environment Working Paper

This report provides an overview of methodologies to evaluate the effectiveness of policy instruments for biodiversity, covering impact evaluation, cost-effectiveness analysis and other more commonly used approaches. It also provides an inventory of biodiversity-relevant impact evaluation studies, across both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.




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Find Peace within Yourself while Cruising through the Divine Land of Ladakh

Living amidst the hustle and bustle of urban life, people often feel the need for a long journey away from their busy routine.




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Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising- Country Note: Germany

This country note provides information on latest trends in income inequalities as well as key findings from the 2011 OECD report "Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising".




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Germany’s strong anti-bribery enforcement against individuals needs to be matched by comparably strong enforcement against companies

Germany continues to demonstrate a high level of anti-bribery enforcement having prosecuted and sanctioned 328 individuals and 18 companies in foreign bribery cases since 1999.




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The distribution of the growth dividends

Widespread increases in inequality over the past three decades have raised the question of the distribution of the growth dividends.




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New OECD data expose deep well-being divisions

New well-being data released today expose deep divisions in our society along fault lines of age, wealth, gender and education. The OECD’s latest How’s Life? report shows that while some aspects of well-being have improved since 2005, too many people are unable to share the benefits of the modest recovery that is underway in many OECD countries.




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Germany’s strong anti-bribery enforcement against individuals needs to be matched by comparably strong enforcement against companies

Germany continues to demonstrate a high level of anti-bribery enforcement having prosecuted and sanctioned 328 individuals and 18 companies in foreign bribery cases since 1999.




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OECD report on vocational training in Austria calls for continued diversity and increased co-ordination

There are few OECD countries where vocational education and training (VET) is held in such high regard or takes so many forms as in Austria. Some 60 percent of young Austrians aged between 25 and 34 have completed a VET course below tertiary level (vocational school or technical college).




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Infinite Connections: The Digital Divide

In 1973, Martin Cooper, a researcher at Motorola, made the first call from a handheld mobile phone prototype. This phone weighed 1.1 kg, took 10 hours to re-charge and was limited to 30 minutes of talking time. When it was commercialized in 1983, the phone cost approximately 7,000 USD.




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Innovation and education reforms critical to diversifying Chile’s economy - OECD

The end of the mining boom has highlighted the urgent need for Chile to diversify its economy away from commodity-intensive sectors, according to a new OECD report presented by Secretary-General Angel Gurría today.




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Can analogue skills bridge the digital divide? (OECD Education Today Blog)

The digital divide has shifted.




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The distribution of the growth dividends

Widespread increases in inequality over the past three decades have raised the question of the distribution of the growth dividends.




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People on the move: growing mobility, increasing diversity (OECD Education Today Blog)

In August 2015, a newspaper published a story about Sam Cookney’s commute to work. Pretty boring, one would think, as long commutes are nothing new for most of us. However, Sam’s story is not so common. He works in London and commutes, several times per month, from Barcelona!




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Different, not disabled: Neurodiversity in education (OECD Education Today Blog)

Diversity in the classroom includes differences in the way students brains learn, or neurodiversity. Diagnoses of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) have risen dramatically in the last two decades.




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Trends Shaping Education Spotlight 12: Neurodiversity

Diversity in the classroom includes differences in the way students’ brains learn, or neurodiversity. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (asd) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (adhd) affect increasingly large numbers of students.




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New OECD data expose deep well-being divisions

New well-being data released today expose deep divisions in our society along fault lines of age, wealth, gender and education. The OECD’s latest How’s Life? report shows that while some aspects of well-being have improved since 2005, too many people are unable to share the benefits of the modest recovery that is underway in many OECD countries.




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TopClass Podcast Episode 1: What is ‘neurodiversity’ in the classroom and how should we respond to it?

Not every student’s brain works and learns in the same way. Classrooms are increasingly becoming more aware of what is known as "neurodiversity" among their students, a term used to describe neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and ASD.




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Experts warn coronavirus will divert resources from killer diseases

Fears for prevention and treatment of other illnesses such as malaria and dengue fever




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Coronavirus deepens north-south divide in Italy and Spain

Uneven recoveries from pandemic expected to exacerbate decades-old inequalities




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Liz Jones goes to mermaid school: Our intrepid columnist dives into a bizarre way of life

Believe it or not, it's a thing. But 'mermaiding' runs far deeper than simply dressing up in a silicone tail. So what's the big pull?




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Canelo Alvarez will climb two weight divisions to light heavyweight to take on Sergey Kovalev

Alvarez, who currently holds titles at 160 pounds, will try to become a champion in his fourth weight class when he meets Kovalev in a scheduled 12-round fight at the MGM Grand.




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George Osborne and wife Frances to divorce after 21 years of marriage

Former Chancellor and London Evening Standard editor George Osborne, 48, and his author wife Frances, 50, are getting divorced after 21 years of marriage, they announced in a statement today.




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Schalke boss David Wagner reveals players will have individual salt and pepper sachets for meals

The Bundesliga is restarting on May 16 and players will be isolated in hotels before matches. Among the rules for the Bundesligas return are detailed instructions for coaches.




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NGOs for disabled facing severe financial crunch as funds get diverted for tackling COVID-19

By Uzmi Athar New Delhi, May 10 () Several NGOs working in the disability sector are facing severe financial crunch as most of the funds and donations they would earlier get has been diverted towards tackling the COVID-19 crisis.Prashant Verma, general secretary, National Association for the Blind, says he could just pay 65 per cent salary to his employees in the last two months due to financial crunch and if no fresh donations are made he does not have any money to pay his 120 staff members this month."We feel as if we are at the end of the line," he told .Verma said his organisation used to get grants from many companies under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and even from individuals, especially during March as it was the end of the financial year."But this year we didn't get any money.




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Banned Akmal refuses to divulge details of two meetings with suspected bookies: PCB sources

Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has refused to divulge details of his two meetings with suspected bookies before the Disciplinary Panel which handed him a three-year ban after a hearing, according to Board sources. According to the source, Akmal had a meeting with two unidentified men in Defence Housing Society in Lahore. "Umar claims both these gentlemen met him at parties thrown by friends in DHA. But he has refused to even tell the Anti-Corruption officials what was discussed at these meetings," a reliable source in the Pakistan Cricket Board told PTI. "Even when the Anti-Corruption officials first presented their report to him on the night between 19th and 20th February in Karachi, Akmal admitted he committed a mistake by not reporting the meetings to them but refrained from giving any details, the source said. Akmal was found guilty of two charges under the PCB Anti-Corruption Code and on April 27, he was banned from cricket activities till February 19, 2023. The 29-year-old has 14 ..




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Naval ship arrives in Kochi with 698 repatriated Indians from Maldives

INS Jalashwa carrying 698 repatriated Indian citizens from the Maldives arrived in Kochi harbour on Sunday morning, completing the Indian Navy's first massive evacuation exercise from foreign soil during the COVID-19 lockdown, official sources said. The passengers would disembark from the cruise terminal of Cochin Port Trust, they said. Inspector General of Police Vijay Sakhare said all arrangements are in place to facilitate the safe stay of those repatriated, comprising 440 Keralites and people from other parts of the country. Four passengers are from Lakshwadeep. Besides these, the other passengers are from Tamil Nadu (187), Telganana (9), Andhra Pradesh (8), Karnataka (8), Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan (3 each) and Goa (1), Assam (1). There are seven passengers each from Uttarakhand and West Bengal, Delhi (4), Puducherry (3), while there are two passengers each from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, the sources said.




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NGOs for disabled facing severe financial crunch as funds get diverted for tackling COVID-19

Several NGOs working in the disability sector are facing severe financial crunch as most of the funds and donations they would earlier get has been diverted towards tackling the COVID-19 crisis. Prashant Verma, general secretary, National Association for the Blind, says he could just pay 65 per cent salary to his employees in the last two months due to financial crunch and if no fresh donations are made he does not have any money to pay his 120 staff members this month. "We feel as if we are at the end of the line," he told PTI. Verma said his organisation used to get grants from many companies under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and even from individuals, especially during March as it was the end of the financial year. "But this year we didn't get any money. Some of the companies, which even committed to us, are saying that this time they have to think about their own survival. Many individuals (who earlier donated) don't have money to support us. A lot of the money is ...