Charles, the new king of Britain, has issued his first remarks on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, calling her passing after 70 years on the throne “the greatest sadness.”

“The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.

“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.

“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held.”

【《We Chinese in America》Media Editor Tang Zhao, September 6, 2022】Ravil Maganov, the chairman of Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil, died Thursday after falling from a hospital window in Moscow, two sources familiar with the situation said, becoming the latest in a string of businessmen to meet sudden unexplained deaths. ( Photo shows Russian President Vladimir Putin stands next to First Executive Vice President of oil producer Lukoil Ravil Maganov after decorating him with the Order of Alexander Nevsky during an award ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow in 2019. Photo credit :SPUTNIK/Reuters)

Two people who knew Maganov well told Reuters they thought it highly unlikely he had committed suicide. Another source close to the company said there was a belief among Lukoil management that he had killed himself, but he had not seen evidence or documents to support it.

Asked by Reuters whether they were investigating the death as suspicious, Moscow police referred the matter to the State Investigative Committee. The committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lukoil said in a statement that Maganov had “died after a serious illness”. “Lukoil’s many thousands of employees deeply mourn this grave loss and express their sincere condolences to Ravil Maganov’s family,” it said.

Several other top executives associated with Russia’s energy industry have died suddenly under unclear circumstances in the past few months.

The day after Russia sent its forces into Ukraine in February, a Gazprom executive, Alexander Tyulakov, was found dead in his garage near St. Petersburg, Russian media reported.

In April, Sergei Protosenya, a former chief executive of Russia’s largest liquefied natural gas producer Novatek, was found dead with his wife and daughter in a villa in Spain. Catalan regional police investigating the case have said they believe he killed them and then took his own life.

In May, Russian media reported that a former Lukoil manager, Alexander Subbotin, was found dead in the basement of a house outside Moscow.

That same month, Russian media said Vladislav Avayev, a former vice president of Gazprombank, was found dead in a Moscow apartment, along with the bodies of his wife and daughter.

Maganov had worked at Lukoil since 1993, shortly after the company’s inception, and had overseen its refining, production and exploration, becoming chairman in 2020. His brother Nail is head of mid-sized Russian oil producer Tatneft.

Unusually among Russian companies, Lukoil took a stand on Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine. In a statement on March 3, the company’s board expressed its concern over the “tragic events” in Ukraine and called for the “swiftest possible end to the armed conflict” through negotiations.

Maganov was a close associate of one of Lukoil’s founders, Vagit Alekperov, and often attended meetings between Russian oil producers and the Energy Ministry to decide on joint actions as part of the OPEC+ group of leading global oil producers.

Alekperov, a former Soviet deputy oil minister, stepped down as president of Lukoil in April, a week after Britain imposed an asset freeze and travel ban on him as part of sanctions over Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

(Source: New York Times)

This website has a free subscription function, please enter your email address and name (any nickname) in the upper right corner of the page. After subscribing, you can receive timely updates of the website. I hope that new and old readers will actively subscribe, so that we have the opportunity to provide you with better services

Please click: Home (wechineseus.com) for more news and content on this website

Follow The Chinese Media's Twitter account: https://twitter.com/wechineseinus

Follow The Chinese Media's Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/wechineseinamerica/

【《We Chinese in America》Media Editor Tang Zhao, September 5, 2022】California could be on the cusp of losing one of the most effective national political allies it’s ever had. She’s credited with ensuring the state pocketed a larger share of federal funding and bolstering California’s 42-member congressional delegation. (Photo shows House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) in July. Photo credit :Los Angeles Times)

During two stints as House speaker, Nancy Pelosi quietly and relentlessly promoted progressive California-backed policies such as climate change, drought and healthcare. She’s credited with ensuring the state pocketed a larger share of federal funding and bolstering California’s 42-member congressional delegation.

The 82-year-old said in November 2020 that this will be her last term as speaker, a timeline she has since distanced herself from. She is running for reelection in her San Francisco district, but some expect she could retire after the midterm.

Now the prospect of life after Pelosi has some Californians beginning to ponder what kind of power vacuum her departure will leave, and what it will More startling to those who have become accustomed to California Democrats’ outsized influence is that Pelosi might be handing the speaker’s gavel to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, a fellow Californian.

His Republican Party’s policies — both in California and nationwide — are often diametrically opposed to the state’s liberal leadership and most of its residents.

Pelosi’s retirement will be “a blow to the country and a blow to California,” said former California Sen. Barbara Boxer, a Democrat who was elected to Congress five years before Pelosi. “It will put extra pressure on every member of Congress [from California] and our senators to step up much more than they have.”

For most of the last 15 years, any federal legislation that helped or hurt California generally had to run through Pelosi’s office, according to lawmakers and aides.

She made sure home-state projects like high-speed rail got opportunities for federal dollars, advanced interests such as water, drought and wildfire policy, and blocked Republican efforts to roll back environmental laws.

Pelosi boosted fellow Democrats from California, giving them opportunities to work on prized committees and high-profile legislation. She created openings in larger bills for policy that benefited the state, such as a Tijuana River improvement policy in the 2020 USMCA trade law. And she used the state’s progressive policies to model national legislation like the Affordable Care Act.

Because of Pelosi, California “always has a seat at the table on any relevant issue before Congress,” said Matt Weiner, the former executive director of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation and now CEO of Megafire Action. “I don’t know that some members appreciate how much Speaker Pelosi takes care of the state.”

She understands “how California’s needs are different and need to be addressed,” said Ann O’Leary, who was chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when Congress was enacting federal aid to the states.

A particularly coveted perk for California’s Democratic members has been a weekly lunch with Pelosi, which has built a deep sense of loyalty and camaraderie. The lunch is closed to staffers save for one or two, lending itself to a more frank and intimate conversation between lawmakers. Californians benefit from having a weekly, closed-door session with the speaker, where they hear about the agenda from her directly. “There’s a sense among members that you just do not miss it. There’s no staff, they talk candidly, can get cosponsors on bills, talk about issues before they get to the floor. And the speaker stays the entire time,” said a senior House aide who has worked for several California members. “That’s sort of a sacrosanct time for members of the delegation.”

Some question whether the delegation will remain united — and as politically powerful — without Pelosi at the helm.

She and her office now rebuff questions about exactly when she will turn over the powerful post, saying she is still focused on completing the work.

“The speaker is not on a shift,” her spokesman said. “She’s on a mission.”

(Source: Los Angeles Times)

This website has a free subscription function, please enter your email address and name (any nickname) in the upper right corner of the page. After subscribing, you can receive timely updates of the website. I hope that new and old readers will actively subscribe, so that we have the opportunity to provide you with better services

Please click: Home (wechineseus.com) for more news and content on this website

Follow The Chinese Media's Twitter account: https://twitter.com/wechineseinus