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☆ 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

☆ The NATO Welcoming Sweden Is Larger, More Determined
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Steven Erlanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN — Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago was an enormous shock to Europeans. Used to 30 years of post-Cold War peace, they had imagined European security would be built alongside a more democratic Russia, not reconstructed against a revisionist imperial war machine. There was no bigger shock than in Finland, with its long border and historical tension with Russia, and in Sweden, which had dismantled 90 percent of its army and 70 percent of its air force and navy in the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. After the decision by Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, to try to destroy a sovereign neighbor, both Finland and Sweden rapidly decided to apply to join the NATO alliance, the only clear guarantee of collective defense against a newly aggressive and reckless Russia. With Finland having joined last year, and the Hungarian Parliament finally approving Sweden’s application on Monday, Mr. Putin now finds himself faced with an enlarged and motivated NATO, one that is no longer dreaming of a permanent peace.

Persons: BERLIN, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Soviet Union, NATO, Finland Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Soviet, Hungarian

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat accused the United States, South Korea and Japan on Wednesday of preparing for war with North Korea. The Russian minister said the U.S., South Korea and Japan have also been talking about developing their cooperation. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesLast week, the three countries conducted combined naval exercises involving an American aircraft carrier in their latest show of strength against nuclear-armed North Korea. Lavrov compared Kim’s recent announcement that North Korea would not reunify with South Korea to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement saying there will be no Palestinian state after the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. “It’s terrible when, instead of unity, we have trends which divide us,” the Russian minister said.

Persons: — Russia’s, Sergey Lavrov, “, ”, Lavrov, North Korea's Kim, Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin’s, Kim, Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, DPRK, Democratic People’s, Kremlin, Israeli, West, United Arab Locations: United States, South Korea, Japan, North Korea, Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, U.S, North, Seoul, Ukraine, Russia, Washington, Tokyo, Russia’s Far, Korea, Israel, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia

stressing that the war could end tomorrow if Moscow withdrew hundreds of thousands of troops in Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory. Russia called the council meeting to again sharply criticize Western military aid to Ukraine. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya who read a joint statement underscoring Russia’s “hypocrisy” in criticizing lawful arms transfers to help Ukraine defend itself. But the Chinese ambassador criticized Ukraine for seeking to join NATO and warned Kyiv, without naming Russia, that this would deepen Moscow’s security concerns. “The negative impacts of the Ukraine crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict have added snow to the icy cold global economy,” Zhang said.

Persons: —, Sergey Lavrov, ”, Robert Wood, Lavrov's, Vladimir Putin, that's, ” Wood, Sergiy Kyslytsya, underscoring, Ukraine’s, “, U.N, Zhang Jun, ” Zhang, Zhang, Lavrov, Wood, Malta's, Vanessa Frazier, ” Frazier Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Kyiv, . Security Council, North Korea —, NATO, Russia, Palestinian Locations: United States, Moscow, China, Russia’s, Russia, Ukraine, Washington, London, Paris, Brussels, Ukraine’s, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, U.S

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia’s intense missile and drone attacks across Ukraine in recent weeks sharply increased civilian casualties in December with over 100 killed and nearly 500 injured, the United Nations said in a new report Tuesday. The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said there was a 26.5% increase in civilian casualties last month – from 468 in November to 592 in December. With some reports still pending verification, it said, the increase was likely higher. “These attacks sow death and destruction on Ukraine’s civilians who have endured profound losses from Russia’s full-scale invasion for almost two years now,” Bell said. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe U.N. monitoring mission said the highest number of casualties occurred during attacks on Dec. 29 and Jan. 2 amid plummeting winter temperatures.

Persons: Danielle Bell, ” Bell, –, Edem Wosornu Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights, Civilian, . Security Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Pokrovsk, Rivne, Russia, Moscow

☆ Middle East War Could Cause Oil Price Shock, World Bank Warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Alan Rappeport | More About Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A major escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas — one that spilled over into a broader Middle East conflict — could send oil prices surging as much as 75 percent, the World Bank warned on Monday. Energy prices have remained largely contained since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7. They said that if higher oil prices are sustained, however, that would lead to higher prices for food, industrial metals and gold. The United States and Europe have been trying to keep global oil prices from spiking in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Western nations introduced a price cap on Russia’s energy exports, a move aimed at limiting Moscow’s oil revenues while ensuring oil supply continued to flow.

Persons: ” Indermit Gill, Biden, Janet L, Yellen, ” Organizations: Hamas, World Bank, Bank, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, New York Times, nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Bloomberg Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Iraq, Libya, United States, Europe, Gulf of Mexico

RUSSIAN DEATH TOLL IN HAMAS ATTACKS RISES TO 4MOSCOW — Russia’s embassy in Israel said the number of Russian citizens killed in the latest Israel-Palestinian war has risen to four. Previously, two Russian citizens were believed to have been killed and four were missing, according to Anatoly Viktorov, Russian Ambassador to Israel. 2 RUSSIAN CITIZENS WERE KILLED IN HAMAS ATTACKS IN ISRAELMOSCOW — Russia’s ambassador to Israel said that two Russian citizens have been killed in of the latest Israel-Palestinian war. Viktorov said that four other Russian citizens remain missing. He said the embassy has no information confirming Hamas’ claim that several Russian citizens were among the hostages it has taken.

Persons: Israel pummeled, Elon Musk, Musk, Marina Ryazanova, Anatoly Viktorov, Abdel Fattah el, JERUSALEM —, Cross, Fabrizio Carboni, we’ve, ” Carboni, “, Volker Türk, Türk, ”, ” PUTIN, Vladimir Putin, Mohammed Al, Sudani, Putin, regrettably hasn’t, ” Putin, Leo, Khan Younis, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, INDIA'S MODI, Narendra Modi, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Modi, Modi, ISRAEL MOSCOW —, Israel, Anatoly Viktorov didn’t, hasn’t, Viktorov, MACRON, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Macron, Muqtada al, National Security Iyad, Bazm, Dmitry Peskov, Mahmoud Abbas, Peskov, it’s, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s, Tarik Jazarevic, HAVE Organizations: ‘, Twitter, Tass, International Committee, ICRC, Associated Press, HUMAN RIGHTS, The United Nations, Palestinian, Tuesday, Iraqi, MSF, Shifa Hospital, Nasser Hospital, ISRAEL BERLIN, German Foreign Ministry, Indian, Israel’s, Israel, ISRAEL MOSCOW, Hamas, Ministry of Interior, National Security, Kremlin, WHO, The United, World Health Organization, United Nations, UNRWA, PARIS — France’s Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.N, ISRAEL, MOSCOW, Russian, Egypt, Palestinian, Geneva, GAZA, U.S, GAZA CAIRO, Gaza City, Khan, Shalom, GERMANY, Israeli, Germany, DELHI, India, FRANCE, MACRON HAMBURG, Iran, Hamburg, France, IRAQ, GAZA BAGHDAD, Sadr, Najaf, Iraq, RAFAH, Rafah, RUSSIA, Moscow, GAZA GENEVA, The United Nations, UN, BEIRUT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia’s U.N. ambassador alleged Monday that “neo-Nazis” and military-age men were at the wake for a Ukrainian soldier in a village café where a missile last week killed 52 people, even as Security Council members retorted that Russia was responsible for starting the war and committing crimes. The café, which had reopened for the wake, was obliterated, and whole families perished. He insisted, as Moscow has in the past, that the Russian military doesn’t target civilians and civilian facilities. According to Ukrainian news reports, he was initially laid to rest elsewhere in Ukraine, as his native village remained under Russian occupation. Kozyr’s family decided to rebury him in Hroza more than 15 months after his death, following DNA tests that confirmed his identity.

Persons: U.N, ”, Vassily Nebenzia, Albania’s U.N, Ferit Hoxha, Robert Wood, Geng Shuang, Dmitry Peskov, we’ve, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ukraine’s U.N, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Andriy Kozyr, Hroza, Kozyr’s, Dmytro Kozyr, Nina, Nebenzia, ” Nebenzia, “, Jennifer Peltz Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Security, Ukrainian, ”, “, Nazi, Associated, United Nations Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Hroza, Kharkiv, Beijing, ”, Moscow

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Vostochny space launch facility where President Vladimir Putin hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday reflects an ambitious attempt by Moscow to burnish its scientific glory that faded after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The new spaceport has a troubled history tarnished by construction delays and widespread corruption. DIFFICULT CONSTRUCTIONVostochny’s location in an unexplored and sparsely populated area in Russia’s far east has added to the cost and length of construction works. The first launch from Vostochny initially had been planned for 2015 but was pushed back until the following year. In 2018, an inspection revealed cavities in the ground under the launch pad that were blamed on shoddy construction works and required additional funds to fix.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Vostochny, Luna Organizations: MOSCOW, North, Soviet Union, Baikonur, Soyuz Locations: Moscow, Soviet, Soviet Union, Russia, Kazakhstan, Russia’s, Tsiolkovsky, Vostochny

☆ Wagner ‘does not exist’: Why Putin claims a rift in the mercenary group
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Weeks after an armed uprising by the Russian mercenary group Wagner revealed cracks in Russia’s system of one-man rule, the Kremlin has been on a PR offensive. “Wagner PMC does not exist,” Putin said when asked if Wagner would be kept on as a fighting unit. Roman Romokhov/AFP/Getty ImagesTensions between Wagner and the Kremlin boiled over in recent weeks, with Putin alleging that the paramilitary group "does not exist." So what is Putin’s aim in floating this account of a meeting with Prigozhin and Wagner commanders? “No, the guys do not agree with this decision,” the Wagner leader said, according to Putin.

Persons: Wagner, Weeks, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, “ Wagner, ” Putin, ”, State Duma —, —, “ It’s, ” Wagner, Romokhov, Putin winkingly, “ We’ve, “, Prigozhin, Internet Research Agency —, Russia —, “ I’ve, ” Prigozhin, Prigozhin’s, ‘ Organizations: CNN, Kommersant, “ Wagner PMC, State Duma, PMCs, Getty, Kremlin, TV, Internet Research Agency, “ Locations: Russian, Moscow, Rostov, Russia, AFP, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Donbas, St . Petersburg, Prigozhin

☆ Mysterious Killing of Chinese Gold Miners Puts New Pressure on Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Nicole Hong | Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Chinese embassy in the Central African Republic had a stark warning for its compatriots in the landlocked nation: Do not leave the capital city of Bangui. Kidnappings of foreigners were on the rise, and any Chinese person outside of Bangui was to leave those areas immediately. Less than a week later, on March 19, a group of gunmen stormed a remote gold mine far away from Bangui and killed nine Chinese workers. The Central African government has said that it investigated the massacre and concluded that a leading rebel group had orchestrated it. The investigation has left a trail of unanswered questions about the motives and methods of the attackers.

☆ With Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, NATO Readies for Combat on Its Borders
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Steven Erlanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the costliest conflict in Europe since World War II, has propelled the North Atlantic Treaty Organization into a full-throttled effort to make itself again into the capable, war-fighting alliance it had been during the Cold War. The shift is transformative for an alliance characterized for decades by hibernation and self-doubt. After the recent embrace of long-neutral Finland by the alliance, it also amounts to another significant unintended consequence for Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, of his war. NATO is rapidly moving from what the military calls deterrence by retaliation to deterrence by denial. They note that in the first days of the Ukrainian invasion, Russian troops took land larger than some Baltic nations.

☆ North Korea is said to lift 5-day lockdown in capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, South Korea — Russia’s embassy in North Korea says the country has eased stringent epidemic controls in the capital, Pyongyang, that were placed during the past five days to slow the spread of respiratory illnesses. North Korean state media in recent weeks have stressed vigilance against a possible re-emergence of Covid-19. From May to August, North Korea reported about 4.8 million “fever cases” across its population of 26 million but identified only a fraction of them as Covid-19. North Korea has dubiously insisted that rival South Korea was responsible for its Covid-19 outbreak, saying that the virus was transported by anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets and other materials flown across the border by balloons launched by South Korean civilian activists. South Korea has dismissed such claims as unscientific and “ridiculous.”

☆ Premarket stocks: What we learned at Davos: The economy is a mess, but there's still hope
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Friday marks the end of the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, an elite gathering of some of the wealthiest people and world leaders. The meetings between CEOs, politicians, and global figures at Davos can help set the tone for the year ahead. CEOs and political officials are also worried about the United States hitting its borrowing cap on Thursday, forcing the Treasury Department to start taking “extraordinary measures” to keep the government open. If an agreement isn’t reached, markets could plunge (like they did the last time this happened in 2011) and the United States risks having its credit rating downgraded again. China’s removal of strict coronavirus restrictions late last year is also expected to unleash a wave of spending that may offset economic weakness in the United States and Europe.

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