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☆ Super-aged Japan now has 9 million vacant homes. And that’s a problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Chris Lau | Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“This is a symptom of Japan’s population decline,” said Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba. “It’s not really a problem of building too many houses” but “a problem of not having enough people,” he said. According to figures compiled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 14% of all residential properties in Japan are vacant. “When an earthquake or a tsunami occurs, there is a possibility that vacant houses will block evacuation routes as they break down and get destroyed,” he said. In other rural areas with a high concentration of vacant houses, akiya have stalled development, the professor said.

Persons: ”, Jeffrey Hall, “ It’s, don’t, Akio Kon, it’s, “ They’re, Buddhika Weerasinghe, Yuki Akiyama, Akiyama, ” Akiyama Organizations: CNN, Kanda University of International Studies, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Kanda University, “, Bloomberg, Getty, Ministry, Internal Affairs, Communications, Tokyo City University, Homes Locations: Japan, New York City, Tokyo, Kyoto, Chiba, Kanda, Yato, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa prefecture, Tambasasayama, Noto, Ishikawa, Europe, West, “

☆ Thousands of Ukrainians have been sent to Russian prisons. Ukraine says they’re being held as bargaining chips
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

The Ukrainian government says there are thousands of people like Dima, civilians arrested by Russia who have been held in arbitrary detention for years. In the early weeks of the war, Russian troops took over their home, parking their tank in the garden and stealing anything of value. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia opened a second pre-trial detention facility in Simferopol, SIZO No. Detained civilians, however, are stuck in limbo. Mariana Checheliuk's photos were among those displayed by relatives of detained civilians at a recent protest in Kyiv.

Persons: Ukraine CNN — “, ”, Vasyl Khyliuk, Dmytro Khyliuk, Dima, –, Ivana Kottasova, Dmytro Lubinets, Lubinets, ” Achille Després, Cross, it’s, Vasyl, ” Vasyl, Halyna, “, Dmytro Khyliuk’s, Russia —, Khyliuk, Anastasiia, MIHR, Pantielieieva, CNN “ We’ve, ” Pantielieieva, Yulia Khrypun, Serhii, ’, Serhii Khrypun, Yulia, ” Yulia, Mariana Checheliuk, Mariana, Natalia Checheliuk, ” Natalia, ’ ” Natalia, Alexander Ermochenko, Mariana –, Mila, Natalia, Volodymyr, Zelensky, Mariana Checheliuk's Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Ukrainian Independent, Agency, Kyiv, CNN, Russian Federation, International Committee, Ukrainian, Organization for Security, Getty, Media Initiative, Human Rights, Penal, Russian Investigative Committee, Russian Prison Service, ICRC, Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, Russian Federal Security Service, Russian National Guard, Directorate, General Staff, Serhii, Crimean Human Rights, Maxar Technologies, Volunteers, Russia, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Security Service of Ukraine, Ukraine’s, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Information Bureau, Ministry, “, Headquarters Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Dima, Ukrainian, Kozarovychi, Russia, Geneva, Europe, Novozybkov, Russia’s Bryansk, Russia’s Vladimir, Mordovia, Russian, Moscow, Bryansk, Nove, Tokmak, Melitopol, Olenivka, Kursk, Crimea, Kamensk, Russia’s Rostov, Yulia Khrypun Russia, Chonhar, Kherson, Crimean, Crimean Tatars, Simferopol, SIZO, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, ‘, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, Bezimenne, Donetsk People’s Republic, Azovstal, Donetsk, Taganrog, Kamyshin, Russia’s Volgograd, Qatar

☆ Ukraine war live updates: NATO chief chides China; Pentagon says weapons will reach Ukraine 'within days'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A view of the street filled with rubbles of partially destroyed building after a Russian missile strike as at least 7 were killed, 28 injured in the attack Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs said, in Dnipro, Ukraine on April 19, 2024. The Pentagon says its deliveries of weapons from the latest U.S. support package for Kyiv are on their way and will arrive in the coming days, if not sooner. Russian officials have hit back at the news, saying the new arms provisions will harm the region's security but will not bring Ukraine any closer to defeating Russia. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had some strong words for China, saying Beijing must end its support for Russia's war in Ukraine if it wants better relations with the West, and that it cannot have it "both ways." Elsewhere, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping Organizations: Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Pentagon, Kyiv, Russia, NATO Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Dnipro, Ukraine, China, Beijing

☆ Violent clashes break out in Georgia amid controversial ‘foreign agents’ law debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Radina Gigova | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Violent clashes erupted between protesters and police in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, on Tuesday as the country’s parliament continued debating a controversial “foreign agents” bill, criticized by Western and domestic opponents as authoritarian and Russian-inspired. “Second night of massive protest in Tbilisi against the Russian Law,” Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili said in a post on social media on Tuesday. The Georgian Dream party, which has been pushing for the law, has the parliamentary majority which could override a presidential veto. At least one employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was injured during Tuesday’s clashes, the ministry said in a statement. If protesters “continue their illegal actions,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs will “administer special measures defined by law,” it warned.

Persons: ”, Salome Zourabichvili, “, Zourabichvili, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Aleko Elisashvili Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rights Watch, Amnesty International Locations: Georgia’s, Tbilisi, Georgian, Britain, Russian, Soviet

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russian military chief visits Ukraine after gains; Belarus signals armed patrols could take to streets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko called on law enforcement agencies on Tuesday to organise patrols with small arms on the streets of Belarusian cities to ensure the safety of people. Lukashenko said that while the crime rate in Belarus was decreasing, the country was at risk of crimes of an "extremist nature." Our patrol guys must be on the streets...Patrols must be armed with small arms, at least pistols." Lukashenko backed Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by allowing Moscow to use its territory to launch the war and agreed last year to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in his country on Russia's western border. In power since 1994, Lukashenko staged a new crackdown on dissent after stamping out unprecedented demonstrations against what his opponents say was his rigged re-election in 2020.

Persons: Lukashenko, Alexander Lukashenko, — Organizations: of Internal Affairs, KGB Locations: Belarus, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian

☆ Russia is changing tactics to try to capture the city of Avdiivka and plans to fight through it 'block-by-block,' ISW says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian forces may be trying to make tactical gains by brute force, as they did in the bloody battle of Bakhmut, per the ISW. Future fighting in the city will likely resemble other instances of urban warfare in Ukraine, where Russian forces conducted attritional assaults for marginal gains, the ISW said. Ukrainian counter-attacks are holding Russian forces back, and the UK Ministry of Defence said the city will likely remain in Ukrainian control over the coming weeks. Ukrainian forces' main supply route remains intact, and they are conducting local counter-attacks against Russian troops, too, the UK said. Russian forces are reportedly attempting to bypass Ukrainian fortifications by trying to enter the city's edges using service tunnels.

Persons: —, Major Maxim Morozov Organizations: Service, Business, UK Ministry of Defense, of Internal, intel, Russian, UK Ministry of Defence Locations: Avdiivka, Russia, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Ukraine

☆ Russian riot police clash with protesters after activist sentenced
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Anna Chernova | Victoria Butenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Riot police fired tear gas, flash grenades and used batons to disperse demonstrators in Russia’s Bashkortostan region after a local activist was sentenced on Wednesday to four years in prison. Some 20 people have been detained by police, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian protest monitoring group. Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside a public building in the remote town of Baymak, with some waving the blue, white and green flag of Bashkortostan region, which neighbors Kazakhstan. Protesters were heard to cry "shame" at police officers as they tried to disperse the crowds with tear gas. In another, protesters were seen throwing snowballs at police holding riot shields.

Persons: Alsynov, ” Organizations: CNN — Riot, Novosti, Bashkortostan’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, CNN, Reuters, OVD, Tatars Locations: Russia’s Bashkortostan, Russia, Baymak, Bashkortostan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine

☆ Finland to close last operating checkpoint on Russian border
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Eve Brennan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Finland will close the last operating checkpoint on its Russian border on Thursday, entirely shutting off the NATO country’s eastern border with Russia for two weeks. In Tuesday’s press release, Finland’s interior ministry said entry into Finland at the eastern border has continued despite restrictions. “Since the beginning of August, almost 1,000 third-country nationals have arrived in Finland without a visa via the border crossing points at the eastern border. He welcomed the move by the European Union’s border agency, Frontex, to deploy 50 guards along the Finnish border. Earlier this year, the Finnish Border Guard also began the pilot phase of constructing an eastern border barrier fence along some key parts of the border.

Persons: Petteri Orpo, Mari Rantanen, Alexander Grushko, ”, Grushko, “, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Vladimir Putin’s “ Organizations: CNN, NATO, Finland’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, Finland’s, Finnish Border Guard, Government Locations: Finland, Russia, Helsinki, Ukraine, ”, Russian, Moscow, “, Finnish, Brussels, European

☆ Russia put a Meta employee on a wanted list after designating the company a 'terrorist and extremist' organization
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Meta spokesperson is wanted by the Russian government. AdvertisementA Meta spokesperson has been wanted by Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs database since February, media outlets based in Russia found on Sunday. According to Mediazona, a Russian outlet not affiliated with the state, Andy Stone is wanted by the ministry for unspecified terrorism charges. Before the war in Ukraine, Meta products like Facebook and Instagram enjoyed popularity among Russian users. However, the sites are now banned in Russia, and Meta itself has been listed as a "terrorist" and "extremist" organization since October 2022.

Persons: —, Mediazona, Andy Stone, Stone, Instagram, WhatsApp, Meta Organizations: Service, Russia's Ministry, Internal Affairs, TASS, Meta, Facebook, Business Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Jamala: Russia adds Eurovision-winning Ukrainian singer to wanted list
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Jack Guy | Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russia has put a Ukrainian singer who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016 on a wanted criminal list, according to state media. Jamala, whose full name is Susana Jamaladynova, is “on the wanted list for criminal charges,” Russian state media outlet TASS reported on Monday. Russian state media called it anti-Russian and Moscow said it violated Eurovision rules. In 2022, Ukraine won Eurovision again thanks to folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra’s song “Stefania,” which was written about the frontman’s mother. While the winning nation normally hosts the following year’s contest, Ukraine was unable to do so due to the Russian full-scale invasion.

Persons: Susana Jamaladynova, Jonathan Nackstrand, Jamala, ”, Vladimir Putin’s, Stefania, Sweden’s Loreen Organizations: CNN, TASS, Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Russian Federation, Getty, Ukraine, Eurovision, Liverpool Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Russian, AFP, Crimea, Ukraine, Moscow, United Kingdom, Spain, Italian, Turin

☆ A Ukrainian military official who blew himself up with a grenade he got as a gift probably 'did not believe' it was real
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Ukrainian commander's top aide was killed in an explosive "accident," a Ukrainian official said. A suspect warned Hennadii Chastiakov that the grenades he gave him for his birthday were real. "The deceased probably did not believe this information," Maryana Reva told Radio Svoboda. AdvertisementAdvertisementA Ukrainian military aide who blew himself up with a grenade he was given as a birthday gift probably didn't believe it was real, according to a preliminary investigation. The suspect had "warned that the grenades were live ammunition," Reva told the outlet, but "the deceased probably did not believe this information," she said.

Persons: Hennadii Chastiakov, Maryana Reva, Radio Svoboda, —, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Igor Klymenko, Chastiakov, Reva, Klymenko, Ukrainska, Zaluzhnyi Organizations: Service, Ukraine's Ministry, Internal Affairs, Radio, Ukraine's National Police, Ukrainska Pravda, Guardian Locations: that's

☆ Serbia's police detain over 4,500 migrants, seize weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Detained migrants sit on their knees with cuffed hands, at their makeshift camp close to the Serbia-Hungary border, near the city of Subotica, Serbia September 12, 2023. It said that eight smugglers and 119 people have been arrested on charges including human trafficking and illegal possession of weapons and drugs. Many migrants cross borders with the help of elaborate networks of smugglers who are sometimes armed, and shootouts between criminal groups are frequent. Last month three migrants died in a shootout near Serbia's border with Hungary, a route increasingly used by people smugglers for entering the European Union. Belgrade has pledged to align its visa policies with those of the EU to help stem the flow of illegal migrants westward.

Persons: Marko Djurica, Djurovic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights BELGRADE, Serbian, Serbian Ministry of Interior, Internal, European Union, Center for Protection, Asylum, RTV TV, Thomson Locations: Serbia, Hungary, Subotica, Sombor, Kikinda, Hungarian, Pirot, Bulgaria, East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Africa, Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia's, Austria, Belgrade

☆ A mob that stormed a Russian airport hunting for Jews got its marching orders from Telegram. Then the channel lost control.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Their actions seemed directed by a local antisemitic Telegram channel urging people to target Jews. AdvertisementAdvertisementA mob of protesters that ransacked a Russian airport in search of Jews on Sunday was incited by an antisemitic Telegram channel. The crowd at the airport went further than the channel asked, breaking through security cordons and storming through the airport. The identity of the Telegram channel administrator is unclear. Following the mob, Dageston Governor Sergey Melikov told reporters the Telegram channel was run from Ukraine by unnamed "traitors," according to the state-run outlet TASS .

Persons: —, Ilya Ponomarev, Putin, Sergey Melikov, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Service, Sunday, Airport, AP, Red Wings Airlines, Telegram, Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, RIA Novosti, Ministry of Health, Financial Times, State Duma, Federal Agency for Air Transport, Israeli Locations: Russia, Israel, Dagestan, Tel Aviv, Makhachkala, Russian, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Ukraine

☆ GM and Honda team up on autonomous ride service for Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —General Motors and Honda, along with Cruise — GM’s autonomous driving subsidiary — have agreed to create a driverless ride-hailing company in Japan. The company will use the Cruise Origin autonomous vehicle to give rides in Tokyo, Japan’s largest city. The Cruise Origin, an electric vehicle GM builds at a factory in Detroit, has no steering wheel, pedals or space for a driver. GM said it plans to build 500 of the vehicles for the Tokyo ride-hailing service, which is expected to be the first autonomous ride-hailing service in Japan, according to the companies. “The range of situations our [autonomous vehicles] have encountered is quite broad,” Voigt said, noting obstacles such as jugglers on the streets of San Francisco and donkeys in Austin.

Persons: Cruise, Honda, General Motors Cruise, Kyle Voigt, Voigt, ” Voigt Organizations: CNN —, Motors, Honda, —, Cruise, GM, General Motors, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Traffic, Administration Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Japan’s, Detroit, California, San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin, United States

CNN —A massive explosion followed by a large blaze occurred early Thursday morning at a warehouse in the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent, according to Reuters and AFP news agencies, citing local media reports. Several videos circulating on social media showed a huge column of fire and smoke billowing into the night sky. The blast happened at a warehouse close to Tashkent’s airport, according to Reuters, citing local news site Daryo. The warehouse was owned by Inter Logistics LLC, the ministry said, according to Tass. Flights appeared to continue to depart and arrive from Tashkent’s international airport overnight and into Thursday morning local time, according to data from Flightradar24.

Organizations: CNN, AFP, of Internal Affairs, Inter Logistics LLC, Tass, Tashkent’s Locations: Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Tashkent’s, city’s Sergeli, Central, Soviet

CNN —A Russian court has rejected an appeal by jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny against a 19-year prison sentence on extremism charges, according to Russian state media RIA, in the latest crackdown on the outspoken Kremlin critic. Navalny was sentenced in August, after he was found guilty of creating an extremist community, financing extremist activities and numerous other crimes. Navalny appeared at the hearing on Tuesday via video link from a penal colony in the Vladimir region, east of Moscow. Supporters of Navalny claim his arrest and incarceration are a politically motivated attempt to stifle his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. A joint investigation by CNN and the group Bellingcat linked the Russian Security Service to Navalny’s poisoning.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny’s, ” Navalny, Daniel Kholodny, Novichok, Moscow’s Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russia’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, YouTube, Russian Security Service Locations: Vladimir, Moscow, Russia, Germany, Soviet, Berlin, Siberian, Omsk, Ukraine

Deaths have outpaced births in Japan for more than a decade, posing a growing problem for leaders of the world’s third-largest economy. The country also has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, contributing to the ballooning elderly population. To some extent, that messaging has worked: there are now a record 9.12 million elderly workers in Japan, a number that has grown for 19 consecutive years. Workers age 65 and up now make up more than 13% of the national workforce, the internal affairs ministry said Monday. Japan’s elderly employment rate is among the highest across major economies, it added.

Persons: Fumio Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Workers Locations: Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan

“They just come and say ‘vote.’ So people vote,” Baska told CNN. “Here, when you buy a SIM card for your phone, you immediately get an SMS from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and United Russia Party,” Baska said. The text messages carry pro-Kremlin messaging, informing voters that “about 90% of voters are ready to vote for Yedianaya Rossiya (United Russia),” or that “United Russia is helping Zaporizhzhia region,” she added. Guerrilla activity by Ukrainian partisans has taken place but is more difficult to achieve now, Baska told CNN. ‘Nothing to do with democracy’Few residents in Melitopol are interested in the bogus elections taking place, Baska told CNN.

Persons: ”, Alexander Ermochenko, ” Baska, Yedianaya Rossiya, ’, Vladimir Putin’s, “, Jens Stoltenberg, Baska, Melitopol, …, Republic Denis Pushilin, Yuriy Sobolevskyi, ” Sobolevskyi Organizations: CNN, Communist, National Resistance Center, Ministry of Internal Affairs, United Russia Party, Kremlin, “, NRC, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of, NATO, Yale Humanitarian Research, United Russia, Russian, Russian Guard Locations: Melitopol, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, United Russia, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luhansk, Kyiv, of Europe, ”, Mariupol, Crimea, Republic

☆ Russia-Ukraine War U.S. Officials Say It Appears Likely Putin Ordered Prigozhin Killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Mr. Putin himself is under an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children, as is his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. Seven of the people targeted by the new sanctions are Russian officials, and the other four, including Ms. Kadyrova, have ties to the camps. “Children are literally being ripped from their homes in the year 2023 by a country sitting in this very chamber,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said. Some are pressured into accepting Russian citizenship, and others have been adopted by Russian families, Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said. “You will hear Russian officials say that their transfers of children are part of humanitarian evacuations,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said on Thursday.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Aymani Nesievna, Kadyrova, reeducation, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Maria Lvova, Biden, ”, “ It’s, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Ms, Thomas, ARTEK, AKF, Galina Anatolevna Pyatykh, Irina Anatolyevna Ageeva, Irina Aleksandrovna Cherkasova, Mansur Mussaevich Soltaev, Magomedovich Khuchiev, Konstantin Albertovich Fedorenko, Alievich, Olena Oleksandrivna Shapurova, Vladimir Vladislavovich Kovalenko, Vladimir Dmitrievich Nechaev, “ Organizations: State Department, Kremlin, International, Court, Ukraine, Security, U.S ., Federal, Educational Institute International Children Center, Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, The State Department, Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Youth Army Locations: Russia, Russian, United States, Ukraine, Chechen, Chechen Republic ., U.S, Crimea, Chechen Republic of Russia, Belgorod, Russia’s Kaluga, Russia’s Rostov, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Sevastopol, Crimean

Mr. Putin himself is under an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children, as is his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. The two entities placed under sanctions are a Russian-owned camp and an organization that has overseen Ukrainian children who were sent to a camp in the Chechen Republic. “Children are literally being ripped from their homes in the year 2023 by a country sitting in this very chamber,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said. Some are pressured into accepting Russian citizenship, and others have been adopted by Russian families, Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said. “You will hear Russian officials say that their transfers of children are part of humanitarian evacuations,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said on Thursday.

☆ Japan July core CPI rises 3.1% yr/yr, slowing from June
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

FILE PHOTO-People shop daily necessities at a market in Tokyo, Japan March 3, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Japan's core consumer prices rose 3.1% in July from a year earlier, data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed on Friday. The so-called core-core inflation index, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 4.3% year-on-year. The rise in the core consumer price index, which includes oil products but excludes volatile fresh food prices, matched the median market forecast and followed a 3.3% increase in the previous month. For the full tables, go to the ministry's website at: http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/cpi/index.htmReporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Androniki, Tetsushi, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Communications, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Russia accuses Ukraine of orchestrating a phone scam scheme to trick elderly Russians into setting military recruitment offices on fire amid string of arson attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia accused Ukraine of inciting elderly Russians into attacks on military recruitment offices. Russia offered no evidence of the alleged phone scam scheme and Ukraine has not yet responded to the allegations. Several attacks on Russian recruitment centers have been documented since the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Russian state media reported that use of the scheme has exploded in just the last week, tying Ukraine's alleged arson attempts to Russian military gains in Ukraine. The government noted that arson attacks carry up to 20 years in jail.

Persons: general's Organizations: Ukrainian, Service, General's, Russia, Russia's Federal Security Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, St . Petersburg

☆ Japan's population falls while foreign residents rise to record
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, July 26 (Reuters) - The population of Japanese citizens decreased at the fastest pace ever while the number of foreign residents rose to a record at nearly 3 million people, government data showed on Wednesday. The data underscores that foreign nationals are playing an even bigger role in Japanese society to make up for a shrinking population. For the first time, the number of Japanese residents fell in all 47 prefectures, the data showed. Japan's population peaked in 2008 and has declined since then because of its low birth rate, which hit a record low last year. Tokyo was the home to the largest share of foreign residents with 4.2% of the population, or 581,112 people.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Satoshi Sugiyama, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Tokyo

☆ Ukrainians looking for missing troops are finding Nazi bullets, World War II-era trenches, and the bones of German soldiers on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine is finding Nazi bullets, WWII trenches, and the bones of German soldiers on the battlefield, the New York Times reported. Ukrainian groups trying to locate lost soldiers have found Nazi bullets, old weaponry, and even human remains from World War II, according to The New York Times. Already, the group has found more than 200 bodies from World War II, sometimes in the same trenches where the fighting is happening now, according to the outlet. "When you dig into a trench, you find a trench from World War II," director Leonid Ignatiev told the Times. More World War 2 remnants were unearthed after the Kakhovka dam was destroyed last month.

Persons: it's, Leonid Ignatiev, — Organizations: New York Times, Service, The New York Times, Times, Nazi, Ukraine's Ministry, Internal Affairs Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Soviet Union, Soviet

☆ Pardoned Wagner convicts are once again committing crimes, and Russian authorities are trying to cover it up, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former prisoners pardoned after fighting with the Wagner Group in Ukraine have returned to Russia. Some, including those convicted of murder, are committing violent crimes again, per Russia's Verstka. And Russian authorities are trying to hide the cases, including in court documents, it reported. Independent Russian outlet Verstka said it discovered recent cases against former Wagner fighters when it looked at court documents. UK intelligence said in March that half of all Russian prisoners recruited to fight in Ukraine had likely been killed or wounded.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Verstka, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Independent, Internal Affairs, CBS News, UK Ministry of Defence Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Independent Russian, Russian, Moscow, Belarus

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