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☆ Sweden is exactly what the West needs to counter Putin's underhand tactics
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sweden this week became the newest member of the NATO alliance. On Tuesday, Hungary's parliament voted to approve Sweden's NATO membership in a move that may be exactly what the West needs to counter Putin and his underhand tactics. Sweden has accused Russia of spreading misinformation about Koran burnings to damage its bid for NATO membership. NATO has some major challengesDespite the boost from Sweden's membership, NATO still faces some of the gravest challenges in its history. "The same is true for Finland and Sweden's NATO membership."

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, He's, Putin, Oscar Jonsson, JONATHAN NACKSTRAND, Nima Khorrami, St, Russia's, It's, Shawn Coover, Emmanuel Macron, Jonsson, Khorammi, Donald Trump Organizations: NATO, Service, Russia, Swedish Defence University, Business, Forces, Swedish Amphibious Corps, US Marine Corps, Stockholm Archipelago, Getty, Arctic Institute, Staff, US Locations: Sweden, Ukraine, Russian, Hungary's, Russia, Baltic, Europe, Stockholm, NATO, St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, USSR, Crimea, South Carolina, Western, Finland

☆ Putin is starting to talk tough about the Baltics, laying the groundwork for 'future escalations' with NATO: ISW
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Washington-based think tank reported that Putin on Tuesday claimed that Latvia and other Baltic nations were "simply throwing out" ethnic Russian people from their borders. The think tank said it hasn't found any indication yet that Russia plans to attack the Baltics soon. However, the ISW warned that Putin may be laying the groundwork for "future aggressive Russian actions abroad under the pretext of protecting its 'compatriots.'" Undermining their sovereignty and portraying them as bullies toward Russians would fit within Putin's ultimate goal of weakening NATO, the ISW said. The think tank said it previously assessed that Putin's aim in invading Ukraine was to destabilize NATO instead of defending a NATO attack against Russia as he has stated.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, hasn't, Russia's Organizations: Service, NATO, Institute, Study, Business, RIA Novosti, Kremlin, Lithuania — Locations: Baltic, The Washington, Latvia, Latvian, Russia, Ukraine, Baltics, Soviet, Estonia, Lithuania

☆ Ukraine war latest updates: Putin hails military gains in Ukraine; Blinken warns of 'real problem' if Kyiv gets no extra funding
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Polish President Andrzej Duda told CNBC Tuesday that Ukraine's refusal to cede ground to Russia in any prospective peace talks was "perfectly understandable." "To me, as the president of Poland, it's perfectly understandable. He told CNBC that "all those voices who are saying that we probably should have some kind of political process, talks or discussions, they somehow don't hear what Mr. Putin is saying," Rinkēvičs told CNBC on Tuesday. When asked to comment on Sunday's talks, the Kremlin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told CNBC, "We find these negotiations strange without our participation. Read more on the story here: 'Perfectly understandable': Russia's neighbors back Ukraine's refusal to negotiate on peace talks— Holly Ellyatt

Persons: Andrzej Duda, Duda, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, CNBC's Steve Sedgwick, Latvia's, Edgars, Putin, Rinkēvičs, Sunday's, Dmitry Peskov, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: CNBC, Economic, Kremlin's Locations: Russia, Davos, Poland

☆ Raducanu withdraws from Macau exhibition match
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Tennis - WTA 500 - Stuttgart Open - Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - April 18, 2023 Britain's Emma Raducanu during her round of 32 match against Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 13 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has pulled out of a December exhibition match at the Macau Tennis Masters as she continues to recover from wrist and ankle surgery, her management company IMG said on Monday. Raducanu was poised to return to action after her May surgeries but, on her 21st birthday, has decided to extend her time on the sidelines. Raducanu started light training in August and said she is targeting a comeback for next season. The inaugural Grand Slam of the year kicks off in Australia on Jan. 15. Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Emma Raducanu, Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko REUTERS, Angelika Warmuth, Raducanu, Tommy Lund, Ken Ferris Organizations: Porsche, Former U.S, Macau Tennis Masters, IMG, Briton, Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: Stuttgart, Germany, Former, New York, Australia, Gdansk

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Latvia’s president says Russia is planning for a long war in Ukraine and he has a message for countries wavering on continuing military support to Kyiv: Keep supplying arms or the Ukrainians will lose and Russia will have a green light for threatening others in the future. In July, Rinkēvičs was sworn in as president of Latvia, which was part of the Soviet Union until its break-up in August 1991. He said it is important for the West to support both Ukraine and Israel against attacks on “our values” and the international order. Rinkēvičs said the EU and NATO need to prepare for a long war in Ukraine. Many experts and officials have said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hope is to outlast Western support for Ukraine in a long war.

Persons: —, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Russia’s Wagner, Rinkēvičs, ”, “, ” Rinkēvičs, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s, Vladimir Putin’s, “ Let’s, let’s Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Associated Press, European Union, NATO, Russia, Russia’s, Gaza Health Ministry, EU, Ukraine, Security Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Europe, Africa, Gaza, Israel, Latvia, Soviet Union, Baltic, EU, Iran, It's, Moscow, ” Ukraine, United State, Asia, Taiwan, Latvian, United States, Nazi Germany, New York

☆ Kremlin, asked about damaged Baltic pipeline, says threats to Russia 'unacceptable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Estonian Navy conducts an undersea communications cable survey after a subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea was damaged, in the Gulf of Finland, October 10, 2023. Estonian Navy Handout/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that any threats made against Russia were "unacceptable" after Latvia's president said NATO should shut the Baltic Sea to shipping if Moscow were found responsible for damage to a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also repeated Moscow's denial of any involvement in the damage inflicted on the Balticconnector pipeline and a telecoms cable on Oct. 8. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said in a TV interview last week that NATO should close the Baltic Sea to ships if Russia were proven responsible for the damage to the Balticconnector. Asked about Rinkevics' remarks, Peskov told a regular news briefing: "Any threats must be taken seriously, no matter who they come from.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Edgars Rinkevics, Peskov, Rinkevics, Gareth Jones, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Estonian Navy, REUTERS, Rights, Russia, NATO, Kremlin, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Finland, Estonia, Baltic, Gulf of Finland, Handout, Moscow, Latvian, Russia, Latvia, United States, Nord

☆ ECB hawk Kazāks 'happy' with rates at current levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailECB hawk Kazāks 'happy' with rates at current levelsMārtiņš Kazāks, governor of Latvia's central bank, discusses European Central Bank hikes and what "higher for longer" means.

Persons: Kazāks Organizations: ECB, European Central Bank Locations: Latvia's

☆ ECB policymakers eye springtime push to cut payments on banks' deposits, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Balazs Koranyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MARRAKECH, Oct 13 (Reuters) - European Central Bank policymakers are planning a springtime push to cut interest payments made to commercial banks, in part to recoup some of the costs associated with a decade worth of stimulus, sources familiar with discussions said. That would mean overall interest payments to lenders - which still earn the ECB deposit rate, currently 4%, on other excess cash parked with the central bank - would be reduced further. But the ECB rejected the proposal in July, partly on resistance from its Executive Board, the sources said. The board's key argument is that excess liquidity is distributed unevenly across the euro zone and raising the ratio would put an excessive burden on smaller banks with a larger portion of deposits. Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing argued that the change would add to banks' financial burdens and restrict their lending options.

Persons: Bundesbank, Joachim Nagel, Robert Holzmann, Latvia's Martin Kazaks, Isabel Schnabel, Austria's Holzmann, France's Francois Villeroy de, Pierre Wunsch, We're, Schnabel, Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing, Tom Sims, John Stonestreet Organizations: Central Bank, ECB, Austrian, Barclays, Deutsche Bank CEO Christian, Thomson Locations: MARRAKECH

The Balticconnector gas pipeline was shut early on Sunday on concerns that gas was leaking from a hole in the 77-km (48-mile) pipeline. Finnish operator Gasgrid said it could take months or more to repair. "It is likely that damage to both the gas pipeline and the communication cable is the result of outside activity. The damage to the gas pipeline was believed to have taken place in Finnish waters, while the telecoms cable breach was in Estonian waters, Finnish authorities said. Prices were already up on Tuesday due to fears over tensions in the Middle East but expectations that outside activity caused the pipeline damage pushed prices in the nervous market higher.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Gasgrid, Sauli Niinisto, Petteri Orpo, Orpo, Elisa, Timo Kilpelainen, Terje Solsvik, Anne Kauranen, Anna Ringstrom, Andrius, Marta Frackowiak, Louise Rasmussen, Susanna Twidale, Julia Payne, Bart Meijer, Gwladys Fouche, Susan Fenton, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Finnish Border Guard, Companies Gas, PM, NATO, Reuters, Finnish, Amber Grid, Thomson Locations: of Finland, Estonian, Finland, Estonia, HELSINKI, Baltic, Finnish, Inkoo, Paldiski, St Petersburg, NORD, Russia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Lithuanian, Ukraine, United States, Latvian, Hamina, Oslo, Helsinki, Stockholm, Andrius Sytas, Vilnius, Gdansk, Copenhagen, London, Brussels

☆ WTA roundup: Jelena Ostapenko upset in Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wild card Dayeon Back, down 5-2 in the third set, rallied to beat second-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) in two hours, 13 minutes to advance. It was the first time two South Koreans won their opening matches in Seoul since 2013. 569, was able to force Ostapenko into long rallies, and the mistakes piled up for Ostapenko. In other first-round action, Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, fresh off her finals appearance in the China Open, continued her strong play with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Germany's Tatjana Maria. Another Russian, Kamilla Rakhimova, beat eighth seed Varvara Gracheva of France 6-3, 6-2, and Czech Linda Fruhvirtova topped seventh-seeded Peyton Stearns in three sets.

Persons: Jelena Ostapenko, Russia's Liudmila Samsonova, Florence, Jeong Jang, Sofia Kenin, Jang, Kenin, Jessica Pegula, Viktoria, Marie Bouzkova, Vera Zvonareva, Veronika Kudermetova, Zvonareva, Germany's Tatjana Maria, Daria Kasatkina of, Petra Martic, Laura Siegemund, Zhuoxuan Bai, Canadian Leylah Fernandez, Victoria, Fernandez, Anna Blinkova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Martina Trevisan, Kamilla, Varvara Gracheva, Czech Linda Fruhvirtova, Peyton Stearns Organizations: National Tennis Center, Hana Bank, South Koreans, Ostapenko, Viktoria Hruncakova, WTA, China . Hong Kong, Victoria Azarenka, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Hana Bank Korea, Seoul, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Zhengzhou, Russia, Daria Kasatkina of Russia, Croatia, Germany, China . Hong, Canadian, Italy, France, Czech

☆ Russia's EU neighbors are banning Russian vehicles from entering their countries as the bloc toughens sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

EU countries bordering Russia have started banning Russian vehicles from entering their territories. The European Commission recently said that vehicles registered in Russia are not allowed into the 27-member bloc. AdvertisementAdvertisementEuropean Union countries are stepping up their enforcement of sanctions against Russia as the Ukraine war stretches into its 19th month. Earlier this month, the European Commission stated in an updated sanctions FAQ that vehicles registered in Russia are not allowed into the 27-member bloc. In the last two weeks, the EU countries that border Russia — Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland — have implemented entry bans on Russian-registered vehicles.

Persons: — Organizations: European Commission, Service, Union, Russia, EU, NRK, Reuters Locations: Russia, Latvia, Ukraine, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Norway

☆ Raducanu targets comeback next season after injury-hit 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Raducanu, who won her maiden Grand Slam title in New York as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2021, has not played since April, missing the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open and dropping to number 214 in the rankings. "Next season I'll be back," she told the BBC. Raducanu has not crossed the second round of a Grand Slam since her Flushing Meadows triumph and has come in for her fair share of criticism. "The fact they're still talking about me even though I'm not at these events is just a compliment," the former world number 10 said. "Someone told me, 'worry when they're not talking about you'.

Persons: Emma Raducanu, Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko REUTERS, Angelika Warmuth, Raducanu, I'm, they're, It's, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Porsche, Former U.S, Wimbledon, Briton, BBC, Thomson Locations: Stuttgart, Germany, Former, New York, Flushing, Bengaluru

☆ Gauff routs Ostapenko to reach U.S. Open semi-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

By the time it was over, Ostapenko had 36 unforced errors compared to 14 for Gauff. With the win, Gauff avenged her round of 16 loss to the Latvian at this year's Australian Open that left the American in tears. Despite delivering a lopsided win to reach the second semi-final of her career, Gauff said she never felt comfortable on the court against Ostapenko. "I know the game she plays, she has ability to come back no matter the scoreline, so I was just really trying to get every point, trying to play every ball in," said Gauff. Up next for Gauff, who is the youngest American to reach the U.S. Open semi-finals since Serena Williams in 2001, will be either Czech 10th seed and French Open finalist Karolina Muchova or Romanian 30th seed Sorana Cirstea.

Persons: Coco Gauff, Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko, Brendan Mcdermid, Jelena Ostapenko, Gauff, Arthur, Ostapenko, Serena Williams, Karolina Muchova, Sorana, Frank Pingue, Toby Davis Organizations: Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko REUTERS, U.S, Gauff, Ostapenko, French, Sorana Cirstea, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, American, Washington, Cincinnati, Latvian, French, U.S, Czech, Romanian, Toronto

☆ Djokovic turns up heat to beat Fritz and breeze into U.S. Open semi-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

With temperatures once again nudging towards 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), Djokovic turned in a cool, clinical effort, improving his record against American opposition at the U.S. Open to a perfect 12-0. "It's expected of course that people are backing the home player and there is nothing wrong with that," said Djokovic. On a baking hot day, 19-year-old Coco Gauff had warmed up the Arthur Ashe crowd, blasting past Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 6-0 6-2 to become the youngest American to reach the U.S. Open semi-finals since Serena Williams in 2001. "As the song went that they played here five minutes ago, you've got to fight for your right to party." Djokovic wasted no time ending both those runs, breaking the American three times and then taking the first set with a booming ace.

Persons: Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Brendan Mcdermid, Novak Djokovic shrugged, Margaret Court's, Djokovic, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Arthur Ashe, It's, I've, Coco Gauff, Jelena Ostapenko, Serena Williams, Fritz, Roger Federer, you've, Steve Keating, Rory Carroll, Toby Davis Organizations: Tennis, U.S, REUTERS, Flushing Meadows, Djokovic, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, Flushing, U.S, American, New York, Los Angeles

☆ Lithuania closes two Belarus border crossings
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The government did not spell out the circumstances nor threats in its reasoning for closing from Friday the two rural crossing points, which were not used by commercial vehicles. Over the previous few weeks Lithuanian officials have discouraged its citizens from travelling to Belarus, a close Russian ally, setting up signs at the borders saying: "Do not risk your safety – do not travel to Belarus. Neighbouring Poland has closed all but one border crossing point with Belarus this year following the imprisonment of a journalist of Polish origin and expulsions of Polish diplomats. Poland announced plans last week to move 10,000 additional troops to the Belarus border to support existing guards. In 2021, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania faced an immigration crisis when thousands of people, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, began crossing from Belarus.

Persons: Andrius Sytas, Terje Solsvik, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Lithuanian, Belarus, Russian, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, East, Africa

Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins addresses the opening session on the first day of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, Britain June 21, 2023. Henry Nicholls/Pool via REUTERSRIGA, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins announced his resignation on Monday, blaming a breakdown in relations with parts of his multi-party governing government. Karins' New Unity party plans to select its candidate for prime minister on Wednesday, he said. President Edgars Rinkevics has responsibility for giving a mandate to a new prime minister to try to form a government. Latvia's next parliamentary election is scheduled for 2026.

Persons: Krisjanis Karins, Henry Nicholls, Karins, Aivars Lembergs, Edgars Rinkevics, Latvia's, Janis Laizans, Andrius, Terje Solsvik, John Stonestreet Organizations: Latvia's, Conference, REUTERS, Latvian, European Union, NATO, Unity, National Alliance, Progressives, Greens, Farmers Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, London, Britain, REUTERS RIGA, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Ventspils

☆ 'After the war, they will be a member': Russia’s neighbors back Ukraine's NATO bid at summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The leaders of Europe's Baltic states on Tuesday reiterated their support for Ukraine's expedited NATO membership bid, insisting that Kyiv should join the military alliance as soon as its war with Russia is over. Speaking on the first day of NATO's two-day summit, Latvia's Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said that all allies were aligned on the embattled state's ultimate membership. Ukraine's accession to the alliance is one of the major topics on the agenda as NATO members meet in Vilnius, Lithuania this week. "It looks like there is no readiness either to invite Ukraine to NATO or to make it a member of the Alliance," Zelenskyy said on Telegram Tuesday, ahead of an expected appearance at the summit. It comes a day after NATO dropped its Membership Action Plan (MAP) requirement for Ukraine — one of the major sticking points in accession negotiations.

Persons: Krišjānis Kariņš, Kariņš, CNBC's Steve Sedgwick, I'm, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: Latvia's, NATO, Alliance Locations: Baltic, Russia, Ukraine, Vilnius, Lithuania

☆ Latvia swears in EU's first openly gay president
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsLatvia swears in EU's first openly gay presidentPostedLatvia's new president Edgars Rinkevics was sworn in on Saturday (July 8) in Riga, becoming the first openly gay head of state of a European Union nation.

Persons: EU's, Edgars Rinkevics Organizations: Latvia, European Union Locations: Riga

☆ I cofounded a billion-dollar company and left it behind to teach high school. Teaching was way harder but more rewarding than working in tech.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Krista Krumina | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In 2020 he left to teach computer programming at his hometown's high school. In 2020, a year before the company I cofounded would be valued at $1 billion, I returned home to Cesis in Latvia to start my new job as a programming teacher at the local school. I realized how tough teaching isThe work of preparing for classes was all on me. My company and I found a suitable replacement candidate and agreed with the school to pay two-thirds of his salary. I didn't know the kids, they didn't know me, and we didn't know what to expect from each other.

Persons: Agris Tamanis, —, I'd, Draugiem, We'd, Printful, we'd, haven't, I've Organizations: Service, Entrepreneurship Locations: Latvia, Latvian, Cesis, COVID, Printful

☆ $200 billion in frozen Russian assets could help rebuild Ukraine. Europe is trying to figure out how
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Russian assets frozen in European accounts could generate billions of dollars a year for rebuilding Ukraine. One idea put forward in the EU is to draw off the interest on income generated by Russian assets while leaving the assets themselves untouched. This approach would probably deliver about €3 billion ($3.3 billion) a year, according to Anders Ahnlid, the director general of the Swedish National Board of Trade and head of the EU working group looking into frozen Russian assets. The group said in April that cash on its balance sheet had more than doubled over the year to March to stand at €140 billion ($153 billion), boosted by payments associated with frozen Russian assets, including bonds. Euroclear routinely invests such long-term cash balances and, in the first quarter, it recorded €734 million ($802 million) in interest earned on cash balances from sanctioned Russian assets.

Persons: Anders Ahnlid, “, ” Ahnlid, ”, Euroclear, Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš, John Thys, I’m, ’, ” — James Frater Organizations: London CNN, Union, Bank, EU, Swedish National Board of Trade, CNN, European Commission, European Central Bank, ECB, Group, Latvia’s, Latvia's, European Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Russia, EU, Belgium, AFP, Europe

☆ Shocked by the speed of the Wagner revolt, Russia's neighbors want to beef up NATO's eastern flank
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Petras Malukas | Afp | Getty ImagesThe fallout of the Wagner Group's short-lived armed rebellion has raised the alarm among Europe's Baltic countries. Speaking alongside his counterparts from Latvia and Estonia on Tuesday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that the speed of the Wagner uprising underscored the strategic importance of strengthening NATO's eastern flank. Germany has offered to send around 4,000 troops to Lithuania on a permanent basis to bolster NATO's eastern flank. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year had already fueled concerns about the regional security of the Baltic region. Regional security concernsLatvia Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics described the Wagner rebellion as an example of "one evil fighting another evil."

Persons: Griffin, Silvestras, Petras Malukas, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Landsbergis, Malukas, Catherine Colonna, Jens Stoltenberg, Russia's, Mario Bikarski, Federica Reccia, Edgars Rinkevics, Rinkevics, Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Gavriil Grigorov Organizations: Afp, Getty, Belarusian, Lithuanian, NATO, French, European Union, Economist Intelligence Unit, CNBC, Latvia, AFP Locations: Lithuanian, Pabrade, Lithuania, Baltic, Moscow, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Paris, Belarus, Estonian, Germany, Vilnius, Ukraine, Belarusian, Russian

☆ Rybakina defeats Ostapenko in rain-delayed Italian Open semi-final
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, May 19 (Reuters) - Seventh seed Elena Rybakina beat Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 in a rain-delayed semi-final at the Italian Open on Friday and will play Anhelina Kalinina in Saturday's final. Rybakina prevailed in a fairly straight-forward first set in a match delayed by more than an hour - and then interrupted - due to persistent rain. Ostapenko gained momentum in the second set and took a 3-0 lead but Rybakina shortened the distance to 4-2 just before rain briefly forced the players off court. "I didn't start that well the second set. Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru and Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/5] Teacher Inese Rudzite stands in front of Russian citizens during the Latvian language learning class in Riga, Latvia May 2, 2023. Speaking Russian instead of Latvian has not been a problem until now, but the war in Ukraine changed the picture. He said the test was needed because Russian authorities justified their invasion of Ukraine by the need to protect Russian nationals abroad. "I think that learning Latvian is right, but this pressure is wrong," Sevastjanova said. But now I end up learning Latvian instead.

☆ Emma Raducanu to miss both French Open and Wimbledon because of surgery on both wrists and ankle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The 20-year-old explained that as a result, she will miss this summer’s tennis events, including the French Open and Wimbledon. She suffered an ankle injury before the Australian Open earlier this year, while tonsillitis forced her to withdraw from the Austin Open in February. Meanwhile, a recurring wrist injury, which hampered Raducanu last season, came back during the Miami Open, where she exited in the first round. Last month, Raducanu lost in the first round of the Stuttgart Open in less than an hour. Raducanu in action during her round of 32 match against Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko at the Stuttgart Open.

☆ Surgery rules Raducanu out of French Open, Wimbledon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Tennis - WTA 500 - Stuttgart Open - Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - April 18, 2023 Britain's Emma Raducanu in action during her round of 32 match against Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko REUTERS/Angelika WarmuthMay 3 (Reuters) - Britain's Emma Raducanu will miss the French Open and Wimbledon while she recovers from surgery on her wrists and ankle, the former U.S. Open champion said on Wednesday. "I'm having a minor procedure done on both hands to resolve the issues. I'm disappointed to share that I will be out for the next few months and while I am at it will have another minor procedure that is due on my ankle." Raducanu, who has struggled with form and fitness since her fairytale run to the U.S. Open title as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2021, withdrew from the Madrid Open last month citing an injury to her right hand. She also lost in the first round in Miami and Stuttgart and was beaten in straight sets by Coco Gauff in the second round of the Australian Open.

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