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☆ Russia claimed the West, Kyiv ordered the Moscow terror attack. Now it has the problem of proving it
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at an expanded Prosecutor General's Office meeting on March 26, 2024, in Moscow. An investigation into the attack is ongoing, but the latest, outlandish accusations give Moscow a problem: It now has to find the evidence to back up its unsubstantiated claims. What's particularly awkward for the Kremlin is that the Islamic State militant group has already claimed responsibility for the attack. Ukraine denies any involvement in the attack, saying it was "absolutely predictable" that Moscow would look to blame it. The White House said Ukraine had "no involvement whatsoever" in the attack and that any claim to the contrary was "Kremlin propaganda."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, It's, Andrius, Putin, David Cameron, concertgoers, Alexander Bortnikov, Nikolai Patrushev, Sergei Karpukhin, Nikolai Patrushev —, —, Patrushev, Maria Zakharova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, Putin's, Alexander Lukashenko, Rachabalizoda, Barotovich, Muhammadsobir, Shamsidin Fariduni, Tatyana Makeyevaolga Maltseva, Max Hess Organizations: General's, Getty, Ukraine, Crocus City Hall, Islamic State, West, Kremlin, Russia's Federal Security Service, Russian Security, AFP, Security, Islamic, RIA Novosti, Russian Foreign, U.S, Kremlin's, CNBC Wednesday, Institute for, Afp, Analysts, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, CIA Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Crocus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukrainian, Europe, Russian, U.S, Kyiv, Belarusian, Belarus, Basmanny, Soviet Union

☆ Putin expected to use deadly Moscow attack to Russia's advantage, whoever's to blame
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

U.S. officials and defense experts agreed that it's highly likely that IS was responsible for the attack. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that "what happened yesterday in Moscow is obviously just Putin and the other scum trying to blame it on someone else." Moscow openly rebuffed and ignored a warning from the U.S. earlier in March that "extremists" had "imminent plants" to attack large gatherings in Moscow. Law enforcement officers stand guard near the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, near Moscow, Russia. Just days before the attack, Putin instructed Russia's security services to focus their efforts on supporting Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, Vladimir Putin's, Olga Maltseva, hasn't, Ukraine —, Putin, Ali Cura, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Maksim Blinov, Maximilian Hess, Hess, Putin's, Tatyana Makeyeva Organizations: Sputnik, Afp, Getty, Hall, Islamic State, Ukraine, West, Crocus City Hall, Anadolu, Russia's Security, NBC News, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, Islamic Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Crocus, Ukraine, Kyiv, Europe, Basmanny, U.S, Chechen, Islamic State, Syria, Afghanistan

☆ Russia’s political class is taking a dark and vengeful turn
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Now comes another shock to the system, with the appalling murder of at least 139 people in a terror attack at a concert hall just outside Moscow. And with its brutal official response to the attack, Russia seems to have taken an even darker turn. But after Friday’s Crocus City attack, the brutality of Russian security services appeared on naked display. It sends a message to ordinary Russians – and the world – that Russian state security forces are capable of anything. “Everyone asks me, what is to be done?” Medvedev said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Putin, – implausibly, ”, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, ” Putin, Tatyana Makeyeva, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Margarita Simonyan, approvingly, Simonyan, “, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s, ” Medvedev, Vladimir Vasiliev Organizations: CNN, ISIS, “ Intelligence, Kremlin, KGB, Getty, VK, Putin, “, United Russia, Novosti Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv, United States, Chechnya, Crocus, Basmanny, AFP, Russian

☆ Russian election: As Putin readies for a fifth term, the Kremlin is stepping up its war on its own people
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Clare Sebastian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In January, she was jailed for five and a half years for spreading “false” information about the army. Russian independent news outlet Mediazona reported she was convicted after two reposts on VKontakte — Russia’s version of Facebook — including one about Russian troop deaths. Oskar CherdzhievRussia’s powerful investigative committee ordered a criminal case be opened on charges of spreading false information about the army. So they try to protect this.”‘Deeper and deeper into this darkness’With mainstream Russian media now entirely state-controlled, the authorities are targeting other forms of expression — the arts, literature and culture. In December, Akunin was added to Russia’s “terrorist and extremist list” for allegedly justifying extremism and spreading false information about the Russian army.

Persons: It’s, ”, Oleg Orlov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Orlov, Tatyana Makeyeva, Darya, “, ” Korolenko, Konstantin Eggert, Evgeniya, Nadezhda Buyanova, —, Buyanova, Oskar Cherdzhiev Russia’s, Grigory Chkhartishvili, Boris Akunin, he’s, Akunin, Russia’s, Misha Japaridze, Alexey Navalny, Andrei Soldatov, ” Soldatov, Soldatov Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Higher School of, Center, Combating Extremism, Bolshevik Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet, Orlov’s, Russian, Shakhty, Ukrainian, ” Russia, Covid, USSR

☆ A traditional Russian ally snubbed Moscow's latest fighter jets for competitors from Pakistan and Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Azerbaijan's biggest arms supplier has been Russia but it will likely acquire jets from elsewhere. AdvertisementThe small, oil-rich South Caucasus country of Azerbaijan has big plans to upgrade its modest fleet of fighter jets over the next decade. However, rather than turn to Russia, its traditional arms supplier for decades, Baku will likely acquire modern fighters from Pakistan and Turkey. "Neither Russia nor Western democracies are ideal suppliers, even though Russia has historically sold arms to Azerbaijan," Roblin told Insider. Turkey provided training and arms that enabled Azerbaijan to defeat Armenia's armed forces in the 2020 war over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

Persons: —, Frederico Borsari, Borsari, Sebastien Roblin, Roblin, Armenia's, Sukhoi Su, Tatyana Makeyeva Azerbaijan's, China's, Armenian Su Organizations: Service, Thunder, Turkey's TF, Center for, Business, Azerbaijan, Russian, Pakistan Aeronautical, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, REUTERS, Armenia, Azerbaijan's MiG Locations: Russia, Moscow, Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Baku, Pakistan, Turkey, Pakistani, Ukraine, China, Armenia, Ankara, Nagorno, Karabakh, Zhukovsky, Soviet

☆ Russia says its scientists created a new nuclear blast simulator with flash and mushroom cloud effects to train soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian nuclear missile rolls along Red Square during the military parade marking the 75th anniversary of Nazi defeat, on June 24, 2020 in Moscow, Russia. Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesMoscow has the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world, with nearly 5,900 warheads, according to a tally by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. Tactical nuclear weapons have arisen as a point of debate and discussion during the fighting in Ukraine. Several weeks later, a Kremlin spokesperson said Moscow would use nuclear weapons if it felt like it faced an existential threat. At the time, the top United Nations official warned that nuclear war was back "within the realm of possibility."

Persons: —, Mikhail Svetlov, John Plumb, Tsar, TATYANA MAKEYEVA, Vladimir Putin, NSNW, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, that's Organizations: Service, Business, Khrulev Military Academy of Logistics, Getty, International, Nuclear, Pentagon, Defense, Space, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Russia Strategic Initiative, US European Command, Tactical, NATO, Kremlin, United Nations Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, United States, Soviet, AFP, Ukraine, Belarus

☆ I dreamed of the travel we'd do as a family of 4. Then came my youngest daughter's life-altering diagnosis.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Tatyana Leonov | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tatyana Leonov and her eldest daughter take a trip alone together once a year. New dreams and new plansMy eldest daughter's first "Yes Day" at a theme park in Sydney. An hour later, she'd convinced me that the next day would be a "Yes Day." She still talks about this "Yes Day," and I know that we created a special memory. The joy of "Wants Nothing" timeMother and her eldest daughter bonding at the spa on deck the cruise.

Persons: Tatyana Leonov, —, we've, It's, she'd, I'm, I've, grandma, He's Organizations: Service Locations: Sydney

☆ What the $150 billion climate change is costing the US looks like a year: Here’s
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Compare that to 40 years ago, when extreme weather episodes that cost an inflation-adjusted $1 billion happened once every four months on average. As of November 8, there have been 25 weather and climate disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Climate Assessment report’s estimate of the total annual cost of climate change in the United States takes those factors into account. $150 billion at glanceIt may be hard to appreciate the value of $150 billion without anything to compare it to. The $150 billion annual cost of extreme weather in the damage to the US is:

Persons: Tatyana Deryugina Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental, NOAA, MIT’s Center, Real, Hurricanes, University of Illinois, CNN Locations: New York, United States, Hawaii, University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign

☆ A Russian general who was critical of the army's operation was found dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Sebastian Cahill | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A decorated Russian general and his wife were found dead at his home. The general, Vladimir Sviridov, was critical of soldier training in the Russian military. Lieutenant General Vladimir Sviridov, 68, and his wife Tatyana, 72, were found dead Wednesday in their bedroom, per the Kyiv Post. During Sviridov's time as a commander in the 2000s, he complained about the Russian army, saying Russian pilots were not trained well enough. However, this is not yet the case," he said in one interview, per the Kyiv Post.

Persons: Vladimir Sviridov, —, Tatyana, Sviridov, Vladimir, Tatyana Sviridov, Ivan Pechorin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Popov Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post, Army of, Air Force, Air Defense, Russian Telegram, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ ‘The Hesitant Fiancée’s’ 19th-century eye-roll is connecting with fed-up women on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

She’s “The Hesitant Fiancée,” the eponymous subject of the painter Auguste Toulmouche’s 1866 painting. Toulmouche wasn’t a feminist painter, but his work speaks to women todayToulmouche painted scenes of elegant, wealthy French women in domestic settings, often chronicling their romantic exploits. The seated woman in "The Hesitant Fiancée" has inspired TikTok users to create memes based on their own eye roll-worthy moments when they had to swallow their anger. Auguste Toulmouche/From WikipediaWhile Toulmouche was “by no means a painter of feminist art,” Brown said, the women in his paintings are interpreted today as slyly subversive. “Read as a narrative that unfolds across the two works, it looks like the young woman from ‘Forbidden Fruit’ knows what’s about to happen to her.”‘The Hesitant Fiancée’ is courting TikTok fansThe revival of “The Hesitant Fiancée” has been centuries in the making.

Persons: she’s, Auguste Toulmouche’s, She’s, “, Fiancée ”, Kathryn Brown, ”, Brown, Toulmouche wasn’t, Émile Zola, ” Brown, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Auguste Toulmouche, Toulmouche, They’ve, —, that’s, “ Read, TikTok, Kira, @TheArtRevival, Tatyana, Art, would’ve, who’s, ” Kira Organizations: CNN, Loughborough University, Beaux, Arts ’ Paris Salon, Toulmouche Locations: ”, France

☆ Tamirat Tola sets NYC Marathon course record to win men's race; Hellen Obiri takes women's title
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

While the men's race was well decided before the last few miles, the women's race came down to the stretch. Albert Korir of Kenya, who won the 2021 NYC Marathon, finished second nearly 2 minutes behind Tola. Tola finished in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 58 seconds, topping the 2:05.06 set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011. Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia set a course record to win the New York City Marathon men's race on Sunday while Hellen Obiri of Kenya pulled away in the final 400 meters to take the women's title. Kenya's Hellen Obiri crosses the line to win the women's elite race in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5, 2023.

Persons: Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola, Kenya's Albert Korir, Ethiopia's Shura, Letesenbet, Sharon Lokedi, Obiri, Gidey, Albert Korir, Tola, Geoffrey Mutai, Jemal, Tamirat Tola, Hellen, Kenya's, Lokedi, Margaret Okayo, Kellyn Taylor, Molly, Brigid Kosgei, Marcel Hug, " Hug, Tatyana McFadden, Kurt Fearnley, Catherine Debrunner of, American Susannah Scaroni Organizations: Central Park, New York, Marathon, New York City Marathon, Boston Marathon, New Locations: Ethiopia, Central, Kenya, Manhattan, Taylor, Swiss, New York, American

NEW YORK (AP) — Tamirat Tola wasn't thinking about breaking the New York City Marathon course record as he was running by himself in Central Park for the last few miles of the race. Albert Korir of Kenya, who won the 2021 NYC Marathon, finished second nearly two minutes behind Tola. This was a stellar women's field that was expected to potentially take down the course record of 2:22:31 set by Margaret Okayo in 2003. There were talks of breaking the course record and doing all the things, after a bit it was like that’s not going to happen. Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won her New York debut, shattering the course record in the women's wheelchair race.

Persons: — Tamirat Tola, Geoffrey Mutai, ” Tola, “, I’m, Tola, Jemal, Albert Korir, Obiri, ” Obiri, Letesenbet, Sharon Lokedi, Gidey, Lokedi, She's, Ingrid Kristiansen, Margaret Okayo, Kellyn Taylor, Molly, ” Taylor, Brigid Kosgei, Marcel Hug, ” Hug, Tatyana McFadden, Kurt Fearnley, Catherine Debrunner of, American Susannah Scaroni, ”, Debrunner, PARIS Daniel Romanchuk, Aaron Pike, Scaroni, McFadden, ___ Organizations: New York, Ethiopian, Central Park, Boston Marathon, New, PARIS, Games Locations: New York City, Central Park, New York, It’s, Manhattan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Central, Taylor, Swiss, American

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — They were banned under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin but commonplace under later Kremlin leaders. Now, after less than a century, official attitudes about abortion in Russia are changing once again. Although abortion is still legal and widely available, new restrictions are being considered as President Vladimir Putin takes an increasingly socially conservative turn and seeks to reverse Russia's declining population. In 2012, the number of “social reasons” for allowing abortion between weeks 12 and 22 was cut to just in the case of rape. He also moved to restrict abortion pills, which are approved to be taken to end a pregnancy in the first 10 weeks.

Persons: —, Josef Stalin, Vladimir Putin, ”, Lina Zharin, we’re, Michele Rivkin, natalist ”, Rivkin, Fish, Mikhail Gorbachev's, Boris Yeltsin, Lyubov, ” Rivkin, Tatyana Golikova, Mikhail Murashko Organizations: Kremlin, Orthodox Church, University of North, Abortion, Conservative, Russian Association of Population, Health, Russian Association for Population, Development, Health Ministry Locations: TALLINN, Estonia, Russia, Kaliningrad, University of North Carolina, Chapel, —

☆ HealthCaters enables people to screen themselves at home for preventable diseases. Check out the 14-slide pitch deck it used to raise $1.2 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A startup that offers personalized health screenings for individuals and employees has just raised $1.2 million in fresh funds. Berlin-based HealthCaters, which was founded three years ago, has developed a home-testing kit so that users can screen themselves for preventable diseases. The startup's app, which is also powered by AI, then suggests personalized health guidelines based on the results of these screenings. Based on these results, medical coaches at the startup create an individual health plan for patients. With the fresh funding, HealthCaters will double down on its business-to-business offerings, and eye a launch in the UK market.

Persons: Tatyana Eliseeva, aren't, Daniel Ek, Dr, Lilia Kruse, HealthCaters Organizations: IBM, DvH Ventures Locations: Berlin, HealthCaters, Germany, Europe

☆ As Turkey intensifies war on Kurdish militants, Iraqi civilians suffer
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Lena Masri | Amina Ismail | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Seventeen-year-old Samir Saado was finishing his cleaning shift at the village medical centre when an airstrike hit the building. Four members of the PKK-allied Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), who were guards at the clinic, were killed, local officials said. All five said the medical centre was hit by at least three strikes about three minutes apart. Reuters showed Zwijnenburg the footage of the red crescent symbol on the wall of the medical centre. Across northern Iraq, local people say they are powerless to prevent armed groups setting up in their villages and districts.

Persons: Samir Saado, ” “, “, ACLED, Tayyip Erdogan, Iraq’s, Mustafa al, ”, Tatyana Eatwell, Jonathan Lord, ” Lord, Saeed Hasan, Isa Khoudeda, Turkey’s, wailed, Wim Zwijnenburg, Zwijnenburg, Saado, Yazidis, Saado’s, ” Saado, Schlier Namiq, Tuta Qal, Aram Kakakhan, Kakakhan, Ismail Ibrahim, Namiq, Saddam Hussein, Namiq’s, Ryam Ziad, Ziad Khedr, Hassan Kashmoula, Ryam, Mustafa Anwar, Khedr’s, ‘ neutralised, Nidal Mahmoud, Khedr's, ” Mahmoud Organizations: Turkish, Turkish Defence Ministry, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic, Turkey’s Defence Ministry, Reuters, Anadolu, Human Rights, Defence Ministry, Unit, Justice, United Nations Human, NATO, Pentagon, ISIS, ., Coalition, United Nations, Mission, Middle East Security, Center, New, New American Security, Military, Islamic State, Tuta, Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government, SDF, ” Reuters, International Crisis Group, Crisis, “ Locations: Iraq’s, Sinjar, Turkish, Saado, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Kurdistan, Ankara, Northern Iraq, United States, PKK, U.S, Islamic State, Skeiniya, Germany, Turkish Government, Washington, New American, ”, Iran, Istanbul, Gaziantep province, Sabah, Europe, Greece, Iraq’s Sulaimaniya, Kurdish, Tuta, Ibrahim, Chamchamal, Chicago, Mosul, Iranian, Khedr

☆ 'They just come, take a nice selfie ... and leave.' Overtourism returns, but cities are fighting back
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Many cities have come full circle to worrying about too many tourists rather than too few. "They just come, take a nice selfie, publish them on social media, increase the popularity of this place … and leave," she said. And an additional 50 million international tourist arrivals are expected per year — mostly from Asia — between now and 2030, according to the U.N.'s World Tourism Organization. James Matsumoto| Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesSome travelers supported Bhutan's $200 per day Sustainable Development Fee, which was announced in 2022. Managing 'tourist flow'The United Nations World Tourism Organization secretary-general, Zurab Pololikashvili, told CNBC Travel that the key to overcoming overtourism lies in "tourist flow."

Persons: Lionel Saul, Tatyana Tsukanova, What's, Tsukanova, Reinhard Hormandinger, Saul, Jesus Merida, It's, Luca Zanon, Ivan Saprov, Saprov, Miyajima, James Matsumoto, Zurab Pololikashvili, overtourism, Jon Hicks, —, Darrell Wade, Reinhard Hoermandinger Organizations: Hospitality Business, United Nations, Asia —, Tourism Organization, South, Afp, Getty, Guardian, daytrippers, CNBC, United Nations World Tourism Organization, CNBC Travel, Stone, Japan Times, Intrepid Travel Locations: Lausanne, Switzerland, Asia, South Korean, Machu Picchu, Peru, Acropolis, Athens, Borobudur, Indonesia, Sardinia, Venice, Bora Bora, Amsterdam, Spanish, Malaga, Spain, France, trialing, daytrippers . New, Valencia, Manchester, England, Thailand, Iceland, U.S, Bali, Germany, Yogyakarta, Labuan Bajo, Lake Toba, Austria

☆ Man with handgun seeking governor arrested in Wisconsin Capitol, returns with assault rifle
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A man illegally brought a handgun into the Wisconsin Capitol, demanding to see Gov. Tony Evers, and returned at night with an assault rifle after posting bail, a spokesperson for the state said Thursday. The man was demanding to see the governor, who was not in the building at the time, Warrick said. The man was taken into custody for openly carrying a firearm in the Capitol, which is against the law, Warrick said. The governor's office typically does not respond to questions about security issues.

Persons: Tony Evers, Tatyana Warrick, Warrick, Dane Count Jail, Evers, Britt Cudaback, Gretchen Whitmer, Mitch McConnell, Whitmer Organizations: Wisconsin Gov, Wisconsin Capitol, Gov, Capitol, of Administration, Madison police, Democrat, Wisconsin, Michigan Gov Locations: Wisconsin, Madison, Wis, Dane

☆ Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov released a video of his 15-year-old son beating up a prisoner, saying he's 'proud' of him for showing 'honor' and 'dignity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday that he's "proud" of his son for beating a prisoner. He published a video of Adam Kadyrov, 15, punching, kicking, and slapping a cowering man. Kadyrov published a video of the beatdown on Telegram, writing that he was "proud" of his son's actions. "He beat him, and he did the right thing," Kadyrov wrote, per a translation by Reuters. In his commentary, Kadyrov said the attacker was his 15-year-old son, Adam Kadyrov, and that the teenager had attained "adult ideals of honor, dignity, and defense of his religion."

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Adam Kadyrov, —, Islam, Kadyrov, Nikita Zhuravel, Zhuravel, Tatyana Moskalkova, Kadyrov's, Moskalkova, Adam Delimkhanov, Delimkhanov Organizations: Service, Reuters, Moscow Times, United States Commission, International, Human, Zhuravel, Chechen Locations: Volgograd, Chechen Republic, Chechnya, Ukraine, Russia

REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 13 (Reuters) - A leading Russian journalist has had her phone compromised using Israeli spyware, researchers said Wednesday, the latest sign that phone hacking tools are being used to spy on media workers and opposition figures worldwide. A joint investigation by Canadian internet watchdog Citizen Lab and digital rights group Access Now found that the phone of Galina Timchenko had been infected using spyware built by the Israeli company NSO Group. Timchenko - the co-founder and publisher of independent Russian news outlet Meduza - was in Berlin at the time of the hack, the researchers said. Media defense groups condemned the alleged surveillance, with the Committee to Protect Journalists saying "journalists and their sources are not free and safe if they are spied on." Researchers, lawmakers and journalists have repeatedly accused NSO of helping governments spy on political opponents and undermine independent reporting.

Persons: Galina Timchenko, Tatyana Makeyeva, Timchenko, Meduza, Raphael Satter, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Canadian, Lab, NSO Group, Media, Protect Journalists, U.S, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Berlin, Latvia, Ukraine

☆ Years in the making, Venice approves a tax on daytrippers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Poonam Binayak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Venice's city council on Tuesday approved a long-awaited regulation to tax day visitors 5 euros ($5.38) to visit the city. Overnight travelers are exempt, though they're subject to a separate tourist tax implemented in 2011. Why is Venice taxing day visitors? The new tax is an attempt to "protect the city from mass tourism," Luigi Brugnaro, Venice's mayor, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The city of Venice currently fines visitors who eat or drink on the ground, sit on monuments and bridges, or swim in its canals, according to the city's website.

Persons: Luigi Brugnaro, overtourism, Tatyana Tsukanova, Tsukanova, Miguel Medina Organizations: EHL Hospitality Business School, Venice, Afp, Getty Locations: Venice's, Venice, Belgium, Lausanne, Switzerland, Bhutan

Discovery, was among the Western studios to pull out of Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. A “Barbie House” photo zone was set to open in Moscow last week and Russian clothing brands have launched pink Barbie-themed collections. “Hi Barbie!” one Moscow-based influencer said to her fans, asking them which of her Barbie looks they like the most. Commentaries in state media have linked the movie and the doll to the United States’ “downhill” culture and geopolitical aims. Now they have somewhat different ideals,” said Moscow State Pedagogical University Associate Professor Tatyana Semenova according to Russia’s privately owned National News Service outlet.

Persons: Barbie ”, Barbiemania, “ Barbie, hasn’t, ”, Barbie, Bulkin Sergey, “, influencer, Specialnaya, doesn’t, Dmitry Kosyrev, –, Maria Butina, Butina, Tatyana Butskaya, Barbie don’t, Tatyana Semenova Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros, Russia Russia’s Ministry of Culture, Warner Bros Discovery, RIA Novosti, Press, Moscow, Mattel, Hollywood, Duma, International Affairs, State, State Duma, Moscow State Pedagogical University, National News Service Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russia Russia’s, Siberian, Tyumen, Moscow, Russian, EU, United States, Asia, South, Vietnam, United Russia

☆ Rockaway Shark Attack Victim Had 5 Surgeries and Faces Long Recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Erin Nolan | More About Erin Nolan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Tatyana Koltunyuk pictured her life post-retirement, she imagined walking around New York City with a new puppy and traveling the world with her family. She talked about swimming in the ocean every day, her family said. But Ms. Koltunyuk’s vision for the future was irrevocably altered when she was bitten by a shark at Rockaway Beach in Queens last week. She was swimming alone near Beach 59th Street in the early evening when the shark bit her on the left leg, according to officials, and lifeguards responded when they heard her screaming for help. In the eight days immediately following the attack — days that her family described as “nightmarish” on a GoFundMe page raising money for Ms. Koltunyuk’s recovery — Ms. Koltunyuk underwent five surgeries, and her family said she will require more.

Persons: Tatyana Koltunyuk, Koltunyuk, Dasha Koltunyuk, Gregg Kallor Locations: New York City, Beach, Queens

☆ After Queens Shark Bite, Drones Buzz Over Unfazed Beachgoers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Hurubie Meko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The sky was clear over Rockaway Beach in Queens early Saturday afternoon. Lifeguards scanned the still waters, dotted by a few swimmers, and occasionally blew whistles to warn those who ventured too far into the ocean. The woman, Tatyana Koltunyuk, had been swimming alone near Beach 59th Street when she was bitten on the left leg, officials said. Jose Velez, 64, was at Beach 59th Street on Saturday with his wife, brother, sister-in-law and nieces and nephews. The family comes to the beach every year, he said, and had “never, never, never” heard of such an attack.

Persons: Tatyana Koltunyuk, Jose Velez, “, ” Organizations: Rockaway, Jamaica Hospital, Beach Locations: Rockaway Beach, Queens, Beach, Jamaica

☆ Pizza party: 14 versions of the world’s favorite food
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The solution was to fry the pizza dough, with ricotta and pork fat tucked inside, for a puffier and more substantial effect. With several locations in Miami, Rey Pizza offers Cuban pizza varieties that include chorizo, picadillo (ground beef) and platano (plantain). New York slice pizzaNew Yorkers just fold their slices to eat on the move. “New York slice pizza uses a low-moisture and low-fat mozzarella that’s dry, almost more of a provolone,” Verde says. He recommends trying authentic New York slice pizza at Amore Pizzeria in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens (for a whole pie, try the Italo-Americano New York style pepperoni pizza at Coco Pazzeria).

Persons: Fabio Errante, , “, ” Errante, ”, Nino Coniglio, ” Coniglio, Enzo Algarme, ” Algarme, ’, Henry Cunningham, Gabriele Bonci, Cunningham, Stefano Politi Markovina, Tatyana Serraino, that’s, Lisa Cherkasky, it’s, Errante, . Wood, Allen Brown, Derek Gaughan, Pala, ” Gaughan, Louis, Steve Dolinsky, there’s, Dolinsky, Lou Malnati’s, crème, Khachapuri, Maggie Rossetti, iStockphoto, Ciro Verde, Coco Pazzeria, Pazzeria, Coniglio, you’re Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Food, Netflix, Washington Post, Uno, Pizza, Americano Locations: Naples, Italy, Italian, Brooklyn, New York City, Neapolitan, Virginia, Rome, Rome’s, Prati, Rome's Trastevere, Errante, Olive, Sicily, United States, Palermo, Detroit, Michigan, Trumbull, Columbus, New Haven, New Haven , Connecticut, Chicago, Cuban, Miami, Gouda, France’s Alsace, Germany, Catalonia, Spain, Balearic, Istanbul, Yerevan, Berlin, Hamburg, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia, York, Astoria , Queens, ” Verde, Flushing, Queens, Yorker

This is how Komsomolskaya School Number 1 is marking the opening of a new school desk, a so-called “hero desk” emblazoned with the face and biography of one of Russia’s war dead, once a pupil at this very school. The desks are part of a pan-Russian initiative called the “New School Project” and are funded by “United Russia,” a staunchly pro-Putin party. As of early May, United Russia said there were more than 14,000 desks in 9,000 schools across the country. Local news reports suggest some schools use the desks to reward good behavior or good grades. The desks across the country are standardized: green, with military photographs, a biography, medals awarded (often posthumously) and the soldier’s date of death.

Persons: It’s, ”, Gennady Alexandrovich Pavlov, Chuvashia, Gennady Pavlov, Russia’s, Daniil Ken, ” Ken, Sergei Shoigu, Ken, Alena Arshinova, Olga, Sergey Kravtsov, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, there’s, “, ‘, Tatyana Chervenko, Chervenko, Mikhail Stepanov, ’, Stepanov, Wagner, “ Artyomovsk Organizations: CNN, New, “ United, Putin, Teachers ’ Alliance, Russian Ministry of Defense, State Duma, United, Kyiv, Russian, Russia’s Security, Novosti, Ministry Locations: Russian, Chuvashia, Russia, “ United Russia, United Russia, Ukraine, Hostomel, Kyiv, United States, State, St . Petersburg, Simferopol, Crimea, “, Leningrad, ”, Moscow, Virginia, Khabarovsk, Russia’s, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

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