Latest news with #Melnikov
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
German businesses warn that economic upturn 'not yet in sight'
Germany's Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) does not foresee a rapid recovery of the German economy as it struggles to create growth, and called on the new government to make reforms. "The economic upturn that we all want and that our country needs is not yet in sight," said DIHK chief executive Helena Melnikov in Berlin on Tuesday. Fears are growing that, for the first time in Germany's post-war history, economic output will decline for the third year in a row. The DIHK continues to expect a decline in gross domestic product (GDP) of 0.3% for the current year. This makes the organization more pessimistic than the German government, which expects GDP to stagnate in 2025. Melnikov referred to the results of a new DIHK economic survey of more than 23,000 companies which found that the mood remained predominantly poor. Only a quarter of companies rated their situation as good, and business expectations remained pessimistic. According to the survey, companies see the economic policy framework, weak domestic demand, high labour costs, rising social security contributions and high energy and raw material prices as the greatest risks to their bottom line. Added to this is the unpredictable US tariff policy. Melnikov said comprehensive structural reforms, such as faster planning and approval procedures, are necessary to ensure that the planned debt-financed government fund of €500 billion ($570 billion) for investment in infrastructure and climate change measures can have full effect. The new German government has announced a comprehensive package of measures to be implemented before the summer recess to ease the burden on companies. These include a reduction in electricity tax and better depreciation conditions to stimulate investment. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Terrified Long Island students forced to finish finals as armed police swept halls during chaotic lockdown
Students inside a Long Island high school said they were left terrified and confused during the response to a hoax shooting threat Thursday — and some said they were even forced to keep taking their tests as armed officers cleared the building room by room. Teens inside Long Beach High School said they had no idea what was going on when the school went into lockdown, and described a chaotic scene of panicking students barricading themselves into classrooms or hiding under their desk for hours as cops stormed the halls. Some students, who were only in school to take a test that day, said they were watched over by heavily-armed officers with loaded rifles as they were forced to finish, unable to focus on the exam and still unaware of what was happening. 'Typically you stop the test and go hide,' senior Nick Melnikov, who was in the gym taking a Spanish final when the lockdown went into full-effect said. 'But they were like 'nah go finish your test,' and then the cops walked in and were watching over us with guns as we took our test.' Melnikov, whose exam was scheduled to end at 10:30 a.m., said he wasn't allowed to leave until 2:30 p.m., stuck in the school and shuffled from room to room for hours after finishing his test. Other students, like senior Sophia Ferrera, were in class when the lockdown started and said she and her classmates spent over 90 minutes in a dark room silently hiding under their desks until police cleared them. Despite being traumatized by the situation, she said the worst part was that school officials then made students return to class as if nothing had happened. 'I thought they were just going to let everyone go home,' Ferrera said, shocked that she was forced to go to her next class after that experience. 'I couldn't focus, for the rest of the day I just kind of floated. Nothing felt real,' she said. After police cleared the building, the lockdown was downgraded to a 'lockout,' meaning nobody is allowed to enter or exit the building — but students arriving later in the day for their tests were being let inside all afternoon, while those inside were not allowed to leave, The Post confirmed. The threat, which turned out to be a hoax call made from California, claimed a 15-year-old student armed with an assault rifle was targeting Long Beach High School because he was 'tired of being bullied.' Parents, meanwhile, said they were kept in the dark throughout the entire crisis — unable to pick up their children despite seeing students enter and only learning about the situation through frantic text messages from their kids. 'I think the police handled it beautifully, but I think the school dropped the ball,' said Joe Meola, whose child barricaded herself in a classroom with a desk against the door for over two hours. 'They didn't tell any parent what was clearly happening or what our kids were actually going through — and my daughter was freaking out, she was having panic attacks and said she felt like she was going to throw up,' Meola added. He and other parents are now questioning what would happen if a similar situation were to unfold next year, as cellphones are now banned in schools statewide. 'Next year the kids cannot have cell phones — what if something like this happens again, God forbid,' asked Mike Doty. The Long Beach School District declined to comment.
New York Post
16-05-2025
- New York Post
Long Island students were forced to finish finals during armed police sweep
Students inside a Long Island high school said they were left terrified and confused during the response to a hoax shooting threat Thursday — and some said they were even forced to keep taking their tests as armed officers cleared the building room by room. Teens inside Long Beach High School said they had no idea what was going on when the school went into lockdown, and described a chaotic scene of panicking students barricading themselves into classrooms or hiding under their desk for hours as cops stormed the halls. Some students, who were only in school to take a test that day, said they were watched over by heavily-armed officers with loaded rifles as they were forced to finish, unable to focus on the exam and still unaware of what was happening. Advertisement 3 Long Beach High School was placed under a full-lockdown' Thursday' due a threat authorities later deemed a hoax. Google Maps 'Typically you stop the test and go hide,' senior Nick Melnikov, who was in the gym taking a Spanish final when the lockdown went into full-effect said. 'But they were like 'nah go finish your test,' and then the cops walked in and were watching over us with guns as we took our test.' Melnikov, whose exam was scheduled to end at 10:30 a.m., said he wasn't allowed to leave until 2:30 p.m., stuck in the school and shuffled from room to room for hours after finishing his test. Advertisement Other students, like senior Sophia Ferrera, were in class when the lockdown started and said she and her classmates spent over 90 minutes in a dark room silently hiding under their desks until police cleared them. Despite being traumatized by the situation, she said the worst part was that school officials then made students return to class as if nothing had happened. 'I thought they were just going to let everyone go home,' Ferrera said, shocked that she was forced to go to her next class after that experience. 'I couldn't focus, for the rest of the day I just kind of floated. Nothing felt real,' she said. Advertisement 3 Students told The Post they were hiding for hours while cops cleared the entire campus. Google Maps After police cleared the building, the lockdown was downgraded to a 'lockout,' meaning nobody is allowed to enter or exit the building — but students arriving later in the day for their tests were being let inside all afternoon, while those inside were not allowed to leave, The Post confirmed. The threat, which turned out to be a hoax call made from California, claimed a 15-year-old student armed with an assault rifle was targeting Long Beach High School because he was 'tired of being bullied.' Parents, meanwhile, said they were kept in the dark throughout the entire crisis — unable to pick up their children despite seeing students enter and only learning about the situation through frantic text messages from their kids. Advertisement 3 Some students said they were forced to continue taking their tests as armed police watched over them and sweeped the school. panitan – 'I think the police handled it beautifully, but I think the school dropped the ball,' said Joe Meola, whose child barricaded herself in a classroom with a desk against the door for over two hours. 'They didn't tell any parent what was clearly happening or what our kids were actually going through — and my daughter was freaking out, she was having panic attacks and said she felt like she was going to throw up,' Meola added. He and other parents are now questioning what would happen if a similar situation were to unfold next year, as cellphones are now banned in schools statewide. 'Next year the kids cannot have cell phones — what if something like this happens again, God forbid,' asked Mike Doty. The Long Beach School District declined to comment.
The Guardian
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
ACO/Tognetti review – a masterclass in chamber music-making
Concerts don't usually start before the ensemble arrive on stage, but the Australian Chamber Orchestra aren't your usual orchestra. Most pianists don't warm up for their concerto with a cameo on continuo harpsichord, either – but Alexander Melnikov isn't most pianists. Bach's Ricercar a 6 from The Musical Offering exploded into life with most musicians still in motion. Arranged by ACO's director, violinist Richard Tognetti, the opening was starkly dissonant. Bow attacks were vicious (more rhythm than pitch), the tone both supremely blended and anarchically nasty. That's the thing about an elite ensemble whose 17 core string players perform on exceptionally valuable historic instruments: if you can weave magic from gut and horsehair – and their Ricercar also featured passages of liquid smoothness and an ending with vivid, organ-like intensity – then ugliness becomes another expressive effect. Melnikov joined a smaller group for Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No 3. The outer movements were fast and bottom-heavy, the violins' relentless energy earthed by the ensemble's three cellos and double bass (the latter's pizzicatos dropped like massive anchors) while Melnikov sat serene in their midst. His second-movement cadenza with Tognetti was ultra-stylish and a welcome change of pace. Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No 1 was a masterclass in chamber music-making: faced away from Tognetti, Melnikov remained in intimate contact. Shifts of mood were constant and collective – a hint of Chopin here, a blush of Romantic passion there, biting neoclassicism all over the place. Trumpeter Jeroen Berwaerts's solos were crystal-toned, injecting a flash of circus pizzazz when needed. In the second half, the exquisite fragments and half-remembered counterpoint of Sofia Gubaidulina's Reflections on the Theme B-A-C-H spooled out in near-darkness – newly poignant after the composer's recent death – and ran straight into more Bach. Those baroque surroundings also coloured Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony, where contrapuntal themes were handled as if precious relics. Elsewhere melodies were starkly vibrato-free, open strings raw, bows like cleavers. The ACO turns 50 in 2025; Tognetti has been its leader for 35 years. The young firebrand has gradually become its senior figure. But some things haven't changed: the intensity, the fearlessness, the curiosity. This remains rule-bending at its most revelatory.
Reuters
13-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
German GDP expected to contract 0.5% this year, DIHK says
BERLIN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The German economy will contract by 0.5% this year, shrinking for a third consecutive year, the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) said on Thursday, forecasting the longest period of weakness in Germany's post-war history. "This is a turning point and emphasises the acute need for action," DIHK managing director Helena Melnikov said, noting that a record 60% of companies see the economic policy framework as their biggest business risk. Increasing competition from abroad, high energy costs, elevated interest rates and uncertain economic prospects have taken their toll on the Germany economy, which contracted in 2024 for a second year in a row. The survey, conducted among 23,000 companies from all sectors and regions, shows that over the next 12 months, 31% of companies continue to expect business to get worse, while only 14% expect an improvement, the survey showed. In industry, only 22% of companies are planning more investment, while almost 40% are cutting back. "If this trend continues, Germany faces the threat of further deindustrialisation," Melnikov said. Export expectations also remain gloomy, as 28% of companies expect exports to fall over the next 12 months, while only 20% expect sales to other countries to rise. "Declining competitiveness and increasing protectionism are threatening the export-orientated German industry, which has always been a driver of economic growth," said DIHK head of foreign trade Volker Treier.
