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☆ 48-year-old gymnast Oksana Chusovitina’s Olympic dream and history bid ended by injury
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Uzbekistan gymnast Oksana Chusovitina had been aiming to compete at her ninth consecutive Olympic Games later this year, but the 48-year-old’s hopes of securing a spot in Paris have been dashed by injury. “Yesterday, while training on the podium of the Asian Championships, which is taking place in Tashkent and is a qualifying event for the Olympic Games in Paris, I was injured during the floor exercise. She won a gold medal in the team all-around competition that year and has competed in every Summer Games since then. However, even if she had qualified for Paris 2024, she would not have been a record holder for very long. The title currently belongs to Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze, who has competed at every Summer Games since first appearing in Seoul in 1988, where she won a gold medal on debut.

Persons: Oksana Chusovitina, old’s, Chusovitina, Per, “, ”, I, William West, Chusovitina’s, –, Lobar Amrillaeva, Nino Salukvadze, Salukvadze Organizations: CNN, Olympic, Paris, Asian, Olympic Games, Getty, “ Unified, Games, Summer Games Locations: Uzbekistan, Paris, Instagram, Tashkent, Hangzhou, China, AFP, Barcelona, Baltic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Soviet Union, Beijing, London, Georgian, Seoul

☆ Paris 2024: What is an Individual Neutral Athlete at the Olympic Games?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Russian athletes have competed under several different guises throughout the 128-year history of the Olympics, and they will be known by another new name at Paris 2024. Antonin Thuillier/AFP/Getty ImagesHere’s everything you need to know about the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Olympics. “The sanctions against those responsible for the war, the Russian and Belarusian states and governments, remain in place for the Olympic Games Paris 2024,” the IOC said in a statement. “No flag, anthem, colors or any other identifications whatsoever of Russia or Belarus will be displayed at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in any official venue or any official function,” the statement continues. Like all other athletes, AINs will need to meet anti-doping requirements to be considered for selection.

Persons: Ukraine –, Igor Kobzar, Antonin Thuillier, –, AINs, Star Pau Gasol, Nicole Hoevertsz, Ryu Seung, Robert Michael, Russia –, Mariya Lasitskene, ”, Daniil Medvedev, “, it’s, Russia ” Organizations: CNN, Olympics, Belarus –, International Olympic Committee, IOC, ATP, WTA, Russian Olympic, Getty, Games, Olympic Games, Star, Athletes ’ Commission, International, Russian Olympic Committee, Paris, Tokyo, Kyodo, ROC, “ Unified, ”, Soviet Union, Unified Locations: Ukraine, Belarus, Belarusian, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Paris, France, Russia, AFP, Russian, AIN, Tokyo, Beijing, China, –, Moscow, Pyeongchang, South Korea, Barcelona, Soviet, Baltic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia

☆ Opinion: Credibility is the key at Trump trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

The idea that Cohen talked to Trump about Daniels on that call “was a lie,” Blanche alleged. Moreover, my experience has been that juries don’t decide based upon one moment — they base their judgment on an overall view.”There were allegedly three parties aware of the scheme to conceal the real reason Trump paid Cohen more than $400,000 in supposed legal fees: Trump, Cohen and Allen Weisselberg, then-chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. “Weisselberg could be the linchpin to validate Cohen’s claims about Trump agreeing to reimburse him through Trump Organization, as a business expense,” wrote attorney Stacy Schneider. Trump seems to be tempted to go mano a mano and show that he is better fit to be commander-in-chief. The new requirement for GOP politicians wanting to demonstrate their loyalty to Trump seems to be visiting the Manhattan courthouse where he’s on trial.

Persons: CNN —, ” Mark Twain, “, Twain, ” Michael Cohen, Donald Trump, —, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Todd Blanche, Cohen, Norm Eisen, Blanche, ”, pummeled Cohen, Robert Mueller, Nick Anderson, Agency Cohen, Keith Schiller, Daniels, ” Blanche, ” Eisen, don’t, Allen Weisselberg, Stacy Schneider, Weisselberg, David Zurawik, “ I’ve, Sen, Robert Menendez, He’s, George Santos ., CNN “ It’s, he’s, ‘, Henry Cuellar, ” Cupp, Drew Sheneman, Georgia —, Vladimir Putin’s, Frida Ghitis, ” Ghitis, Joe Biden’s, ” Dana Summers, “ Biden, ” Julian Zelizer, mano, Biden, ” Bill Bramhall, Stephanie Griffith, Howard Tucker, Gayle Fleming, Michael Ventura Gayle Fleming, Biden —, ” Tom Brady’s, Kara Alaimo, Tom Brady “, Kevin Hart, Gisele Bündchen, Brady, Benjamin, Vivian, ’ Brady, ’, Alaimo, Brady didn’t, Nafees Syed, Kamel El Hilali, Andrew Borene, freakout Scott Stantis, Jeff Yang, … ” Brown, Keith Magee, Brown, backpedaling, Forget, Doug Burgum, Scott Jennings, Burgum’s, Bill Bramhall, Content Agency Clarence Thomas Washington, Clarence Thomas ’, Dean Obeidallah, Thomas, Harlan Crow, ” Clay Jones, John Oliver’s, Steve Vladeck, “ Thomas, ” Don’t, Clayton Swope, Dan Perry, Netanyahu, Jill Filipovic, Miss Teen USA Mary Ziegler, Bob Kolasky, Megan L, Ranney, Karen Tang, Halle Berry, Naomi Watts, Jonathan Yeo, King Charles III, Aaron Chown, Holly Thomas, King Organizations: CNN, Trump, Tribune, Agency, Trump Organization, Twitter, Facebook, DC, Robert Menendez of New, GOP, ” Texas, White, Europe, Russia, Kyiv, Biden, ABC, Democratic Party, Netflix, Garden State, Content Agency, Capitol, Consumer Financial, Board, Fifth Circuit, ICC, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Buckingham Palace, Royal Locations: New York, Robert Menendez of, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Russian, Ukraine, Slovakia, Georgia, Soviet Republic, United States, Cleveland, “, Manhattan, North, . North Dakota, ” That’s, Louisiana , Mississippi, Texas, Florida’s, Buckingham

☆ Georgian president vetoes ‘foreign agents’ bill after widespread opposition
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Michael Rios | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili has vetoed a controversial “foreign agents” bill that sparked weeks of widespread protests across the country. The divisive legislation would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence” or face a fine. Opponents say the bill was modeled after similar laws in Russia that the Kremlin has used to snuff out opposition and civil society. “This law, in its essence and spirit, is fundamentally Russian, contradicting our constitution and all European standards,” President Zourabichvili said after vetoing the bill on Saturday. Demonstrators protest against the foreign agents bill in Tbilisi, Georgia on May 13, 2024.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Zurab Organizations: CNN, European Union, EU Locations: Russia, Tbilisi , Georgia, Georgia, Soviet, Russia . Georgia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Europe, –, Ukraine

☆ Opinion: Putin’s lightning assault jolts Europe awake
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

View more opinion on CNNCNN —It was a carefully choreographed show of force in Beijing Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived for yet another meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Frida Ghitis CNNOn Wednesday, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times and gravely wounded in an assassination attempt. Russia’s lightning assault, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who cancelled all his foreign travel, aims to force Ukraine to stretch its defenses. Security officers move Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in a car after the assassination attempt in Handlova, Slovakia, on Wednesday May 15. Every day, the stark reality that what began in Ukraine will change Europe for years to come becomes more inescapable.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Robert Fico, Fico, Putin, —, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, David Cameron, “, Fico —, Radovan Stoklasa, Sergei Shoigu, Andrey Belousov, laughably, Rishi Sunak, Mark Rutte, Russia's, Alexander Ryumin, Emmanuel Macron, ”, Mikko Heiskanen, Xi Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, CNN CNN, Frida Ghitis CNN, Wednesday, Slovakian, Kyiv, British, Putin, Kremlin, Moscow, European Union, Reuters, Europe, Russia, Republicans, Russian, West, NATO, Institute for, ” Locations: Beijing, Europe, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russia, Georgia, Soviet Republic, Moscow, Moldova, Slovak, Slovakia, “, Handlova, Iran, North Korea, China, Norway, London, British, Netherlands, ”, Germany, Berlin, Finland

Tbilisi, Georgia CNN —Georgia’s parliament has passed a controversial “foreign agents” bill despite widespread domestic opposition and warnings from the European Union that its enactment would imperil the country’s chances of joining the bloc. Many Georgians fear their foreign agents bill will be used the same way in their country. Georgia’s parliament now has 10 days to send the bill to President Salome Zourabichvili, who has already vowed to veto it. However, EU leaders have made it clear that the foreign agents bill’s passage would jeopardize Georgia’s chances of accession. Georgian law enforcement officers detain a demonstrator near the parliament in Tbilisi on May 14.

Persons: Georgia CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, they’ve, Putin, ” Zourabichvili, Shakh, Levan Khabeishvili, “, ” Khabeishvili, ” Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s, Irakli, CNN’s Christian Edwards, Anna Chernova, Vasco Cotovio Organizations: Georgia CNN, European Union, EU, United, Getty, Soviet Union, Georgian, CNN, European Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Soviet, United States, Caucasus, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, AFP, Russian, Moscow

☆ What is Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ bill, and why is Europe so alarmed?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Georgia’s parliament is set to pass a highly controversial so-called “foreign agents” bill that has triggered widespread protests across the former Soviet republic nestled in the Caucasus Mountains. Here’s what you need to know about the proposed law and the uproar it has caused. The bill would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence” or face crippling fines. About 50,000 protesters gathered in Tbilisi to protest the proposed legislation on Sunday. The proposed law is modeled after a similar one in Russia that the Kremlin has used to increasingly snuff out opposition and civil society.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Vano Shlamov, Ivanishvili, they’ve, Georgia’s, Kobakhidze, Mirian, Jake Sullivan, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Ursula von der Leyen, Anna Chernova Organizations: CNN, Getty, European, House, Washington, Georgian, EU, “ Locations: Soviet, Caucasus, Tbilisi, Here’s, Georgian, Georgia, AFP, Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Soviet Union, European Union, Georgia’s, Didn’t Georgia, Anadolu, backsliding, George, Brussels, “ Georgia

☆ Central Asian migrants face xenophobic backlash in Russia after Moscow terror attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The men had been in Russia as migrant workers on either temporary or expired visas, authorities said. But in the days since, that emotion – combined with the disturbing videos – appears to have unleashed a wave of xenophobia from some towards Central Asian migrant workers in general. Her organization offers legal assistance to migrants looking for help in Russia, often on a pro bono basis. We need to spread the word.”A user in another channel, with 200,000 followers, suggested there was no space for anyone to feel sorry for migrants in Russia. According to Umerov, there are some 7 million migrants in Russia, of whom around 80% are from Central Asia.

Persons: Moskovsky, “ I’m, Vladimir Putin, Shamsidin, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Muhammadsobir Fayzov, Yulia Morozova, Putin, ”, ‘ It’s, Valentina Chupik, Tong Jahoni, Temur Umerov, don’t, ” Umerov, Umerov, Emomali Rahmon, “ Putin Organizations: CNN, Moscow’s Crocus, Central, Crocus City Hall, Reuters, Soviet, Kazakhstan —, Human Rights Watch, Central Asia, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Hall, Russian, Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry, European Bank for Reconstruction, “, Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences, ISIS, Kremlin Locations: Moscow’s Crocus City, Tajikistan, Soviet, Central Asia, Russia, Ivanovo, Russian, Crocus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Illinois, Moscow, Central, Berlin, Ukraine, Kyrgyz, Tashkent, Western

CNN —The final death toll from the Moscow concert hall attack last week could be higher than the 143 confirmed dead, as Russian investigators said they have received more than 100 reports of missing people. Investigators had said earlier that they had also received 143 reports of missing people since Friday. Russian social media channels have since been filled with appeals from friends and relatives to help find the victims still missing. Mourners lay flowers in Moscow on Saturday for the victims of the Crocus City Hall attack. Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty ImagesDespite ISIS sharing video evidence, Russian President Vladimir Putin has baselessly claimed that Ukraine was in some way responsible for the attack.

Persons: Olga Maltseva, Vladimir Putin, – Putin, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, –, Tajikistan – Organizations: CNN, Russia’s, Crocus City, ISIS, Saturday, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Russia, Crocus, AFP, Russian, Ukraine, Belarus, Soviet, Tajikistan

CNN —The four men suspected of carrying out a brutal attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed at least 137 people have appeared in court on terror charges, as the Kremlin defended its security services criticized for failing to prevent the massacre. Shamil Zhumatov/ReutersOn Monday, three days after the attack, rescuers were still searching among the ruins of the collapsed concert hall and trying to clear rubble. CNN has geolocated the 90-second video to the concert hall, where bodies and blood can be seen on the floor as fire rages above. Despite ISIS appearing to provide evidence that its fighters had carried out the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been keen to point the finger elsewhere. Firefighters respond to the burning Crocus City Hall on March 22.

Persons: Dalerdzhon, Saidakrami, Shamsidin, Faizov, Shamil Zhumatov, Reuters Rachabalizoda, Fariduni, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Mukhammadsobir, Vladimir Putin, – Putin, Maria Zakharova, Maxim Shemetov, Adrienna Watson, –, Peskov, Alexander Matveev, ” Matveev Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Court, ISIS, Novosti, Crocus City Hall, Reuters, Ministry, Emergency, Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry, ”, Firefighters, US National Security, US, Moscow Locations: Moscow, Soviet, Tajikistan, Russia, Crocus, Ukraine, Kyiv, Siberian, Novosibirsk, Basmanny, Podolsk, Krasnogorsk, Russian, ” Ukraine, Washington, United States, ”

☆ The Moscow terror attack could drive a wedge between Russia and one of its longtime allies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia says suspects in the Moscow terror attack came from Tajikistan, something the country denies. Tajikistan and Russia are allies, but tensions have been growing between them. AdvertisementRussia's response to the weekend terror attack in Moscow could drive a wedge between the country and one of its historic allies. Experts also said that ISIS likely took advantage of Russia being distracted by the conflict in Ukraine to attack. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Russia could have stopped the attack if it wasn't attacking Ukraine.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, STRINGER, Emomali Rahmon, Putin, Rahmon, scold Putin, Vera Mironova, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Crocus City Hall, Islamic, Security, Organization, NATO, Hall, Getty, Moscow Times, Terrorists, Regional, Collective Security, ISIS, Kyiv, Davis Center, Harvard University, Financial Locations: Russia, Moscow, Tajikistan, Soviet, Crocus, Islamic State, Central Asia, Soviet Union, Moscow's Crocus, China, North Korea, Ukraine

☆ Who are ISIS-K, the group that claimed it carried out the Moscow terror attack?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It is a branch of ISIS, the terror group that emerged in Syria and Iraq and, at its peak, controlled a huge stretch of territory. By 2018, ISIS-K was ranked the world’s fourth-deadliest terror group, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace, which monitors global terrorism. Video Ad Feedback What we know about ISIS group claiming responsibility for Moscow terror attack 04:16 - Source: CNNWhat do they want? Russian state media reported on March 7 that the FSB, Russia’s security service, prevented an ISIS attack on a synagogue in Moscow, according to Reuters. It is the most active terror group in the country, responsible for 73 deaths in 2023, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace.

Persons: Kamala Harris, –, Joe Biden, Putin, ”, Daniel Byman, ” Byman, John Miller, Wakil Kohsar, Washington, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Islamic, ISIS, Sunday, US, Institute for Economics, The United Nations, Sharia, “, RIA Novosti, RIA, Reuters, Kabul University, CSIS, National Legal Training, US Central Command, National Intelligence, UN, Manchester Arena, State Department, Kyiv Locations: Moscow, Soviet, Tajikistan, Khorasan, Asia, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Africa, East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Kabul, Afghanistan’s Kunar, Nangarhar, United States, Britain, Europe, “ Russia, Georgetown, Caucasus, Pakistan –, Mastung, AFP, Germany, Paris, Ariana Grande, England, Orlando , Florida, Russian, Ukraine, Crocus

People line up at a makeshift memorial outside Crocus City Hall near Moscow on March 24. Maxim Shemetov/ReutersAll four suspects in the Crocus City concert hall attack case have been remanded into pre-trial detention until May 22, the Moscow City Court said via Telegram. The names of the four accused in the case are Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, Moscow City Courts announced via Telegram. All four are from Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, and had been in Russia on either temporary or expired visas. The attack also came barely a week after Putin secured his fifth presidential term.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, Saidakrami, Shamsidin, Mukhammadsobir Faizov, Putin Organizations: Reuters, Telegram Locations: Crocus, Moscow, Crocus City, Tajikistan, Soviet, Russia

☆ France and Moldova to Sign Defence and Economic Accords on Thursday, Paris Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS (Reuters) - Moldova and France will sign defence and economic cooperation accords during a visit by Moldovan President Maia Sandu to Paris on Thursday, the French presidency said in a statement. Western powers are seeking to increase support for Moldova amid what they fear are increasing efforts by Russia to destabilise Moldova. In parallel to Sandu's visit, Western states will hold an audio call hosted by France to discuss increasing support for Ukraine, but also Moldova. To Ukraine's west, fellow former Soviet republic Moldova has a tiny defence budget and has long had tense relations with Moscow. It added that a defence cooperation agreement and a road map for cooperation in the economic field would be signed during the visit.

Persons: Maia Sandu, Macron, Sandu, John Irish, Kevin Liffey Organizations: PARIS, Moldovan, European Locations: Moldova, France, Paris, Russia, destabilise Moldova, Ukraine, Soviet, Moscow, Transdniestria, Republic of Moldova, Moldovan, European Chisinau

☆ South Korea records record number of Russians seeking asylum
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —A record number of Russians are seeking asylum in South Korea, according to South Korean authorities, with applications surging fivefold last year as Russians became the largest group seeking refuge in the East Asian country. A total of 5,750 Russian nationals sought asylum in South Korea in 2023, according to a report released earlier this month by the Korean Immigration Service. That’s five times higher than the 1,038 who sought protection in 2022 – and more than the total number of asylum applications from Russians recorded between 1994 and 2019. And the trend has continued into this year, with Russians making up the biggest group seeking asylum in January. In the past three decades, just 4,052 people have been recognized as refugees in South Korea from more than 103,000 asylum applications, according to the report.

Persons: South Korea CNN — Organizations: South Korea CNN, South, Korean Immigration Service, Immigration Service, Incheon International Airport, South Korean Justice Ministry, CNN, Customs, Protection Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Kazakhstan, China, Malaysia, Korea, Ukraine, Russia, Korean, Soviet, United States, Moscow

☆ Two years after Apple quit Russia over Ukraine, Vision Pros are for sale in Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Eamon Javers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

On the ground in Moscow, Apple products including MacBooks, iPhones and iPads are available in stores, although prices may be higher than they were pre-invasion. Asked about Vision Pro sales in Russia, an Apple spokesperson told CNBC: "As you are aware, Apple Vision Pro is only available at Apple Retail stores in the US." Still, at a retail outlet "re:Store," (pronounced Ree-store) a former official Apple reseller offers Apple products for sale at shops in Moscow. The chain's website features a large photo of a user strapped into an Apple Vision Pro, and the iconic bitten Apple logo with text reading, "Vision Pro: The era of spatial computers has come. Apple Vision Pro is already on sale."

Persons: Kremlin . WASHINGTON —, Tim Cook, Romance768, Sergey Romantsev, Romantsev, Alexei Navalny, We're, CNBC's Steve Kovach Organizations: Apple, CNBC, Vision Pro, Apple Vision, Apple Retail, Vision, Kremlin, Russia, Pro, Meta, Russian Ministry of Industry, Trade, Sputnik, White Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Moscow, London, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Kremlin . WASHINGTON, St . Petersburg, New York, Russian, Patriarshiye, York, Istanbul, American, Washington

☆ Russia Using Thousands of SpaceX Starlink Terminals in Ukraine, WSJ Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russian troops in Ukraine are using thousands of Starlink satellite communications terminals made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, the Ukrainian military intelligence chief told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Thursday. Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov said that Russian troops have been communicating over the Starlink system "for quite a long time" and acquired the terminals from private Russian firms that purchased them from intermediaries. Photos You Should See View All 33 ImagesThe Russian Embassy and SpaceX did not respond immediately to requests for comment. The company did not respond to an email earlier this week asking whether it could categorically rule out the system's use by Russian troops in Ukraine. Retired British Army Brigadier Ben Barry told Reuters that if Russian forces are using Starlink their communications would be more secure and harder for Ukraine and its allies to crack.

Persons: Elon Musk's, General Kyrylo Budanov, Starlink, Ben Barry, Dan Whitcomb, Jonathan Landay, Mark Trevelyan, Chris Reese, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Reuters, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Wall Street, Pentagon, Ukrainian, Russian Embassy, SpaceX, British Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, Russian

☆ Armenia Can No Longer Rely on Russia for Military and Defence Needs - PM Pashinyan Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Armenia can no longer rely on Russia as its main defence and military partner because Moscow has repeatedly let it down so Yerevan must think about forging closer ties with the United States and France, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said. Armenia, a tiny former Soviet republic bordered by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey, has long relied on Russia as a big power ally, though Pashinyan has angered the Kremlin by questioning the foundations of the alliance. Pashinyan said Armenia should think about what security ties it should build with the United States, France, India and Georgia. Pashinyan says Russia failed Armenia when Azerbaijan launched a lightning-fast military operation that took back control over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, triggering an outflow of ethnic Armenians living there. Azerbaijan has accused France of sowing the seeds of a new war by supplying arms to Armenia, which is also being courted by the United States.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Armenian Public, Russian Federation Locations: MOSCOW, Armenia, Russia, Moscow, Yerevan, United States, France, Soviet, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, India, Israel, Gaza, Soviet Union, Karabakh, South Caucasus

☆ Long-lost twins who were separated and sold off at birth reunited after finding each other on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewIdentical twins who were separated and sold shortly after birth reunited after finding each other on TikTok, the BBC reported. After traveling to Germany to meet their biological mother, Aza, they were told that hospital staff had falsely informed her that the twins died shortly after birth. Years later, 19-year-old Ano was sent a TikTok Amy had posted of herself and tried to track her down because she found it "cool" how similar they looked. AdvertisementDigging into their past, the twins joined Vedzeb, a Facebook group dedicated to reuniting families separated by suspected illegal adoptions.

Persons: —, Aza, Amy Khvitia, Amy, Ano, she'd, Vedzeb, Tamuna Museridze Organizations: Service, BBC, Business, Facebook, United Nations, Human, Georgian Interior Ministry Locations: Germany, Soviet, Georgia

☆ 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

☆ Western companies have exited Russia in droves. New companies with owners from China and former Soviet republics are stepping in.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

However, the number of new companies in Russia with cofounders from former Soviet republics and China has soared in those two years, per Vedomosti. Companies with cofounders from former Soviet republics including Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan accounted for 59% of all new companies that established operations in Russia last year, per Vedomosti. AdvertisementCompanies with cofounders from China accounted for 25% — or 1,500 — of new companies in Russia over the first 10 months of 2023. AdvertisementMeanwhile, Russian businesses overseas have also been moving their assets home amid the pressures of Western sanctions and a push by President Vladimir Putin's regime. This still marks a huge decrease from 14% of new companies registered in 2021.

Persons: —, cofounders, Mikhail Nikolayev, ACRA, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: Service, Business, cofounders, Companies Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, China, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, India, Russian

☆ ‘A Death in Malta’ Review: Lost in a Sea of Corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Tunku Varadarajan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Daphne Caruana Galizia and family. Photo: Paul Caruana GaliziaImagine the corrupt Tammany Hall of old reborn in a sovereign state in postwar Europe—a tiny archipelago, no more, in the southern Mediterranean. Meet murky little Malta, democratic Europe’s notable outlier—not just geographically and linguistically (having the only Semitic official language in the EU) but morally and ethically. And its rule of law, rickety at best, is shockingly derelict for an EU country. This isn’t just the judgment of fastidious outsiders, predisposed to look askance at Malta.

Persons: Daphne Caruana Galizia, Paul Caruana Galizia, Muammar Gaddafi, rickety, Labour Party — Organizations: Tammany Hall, European Union, Labour Party Locations: Europe, Britain, Libyan, Soviet, Malta, EU, Maltese, “

☆ EU states to start debating Ukraine membership talks on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] European Union (EU) flags fly in front of the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, July 8, 2020. The initial draft, dated Dec.4 and seen by Reuters on Monday, reads: "The European Council decides to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and with Moldova." For Bosnia, the initial draft stated the bloc was "ready to open EU accession negotiations... once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved". All three decisions would require unanimous backing of the 27 EU countries. "In our perception, no conditions for Ukraine to start accession talks are met," Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs told journalists separately on Monday.

Persons: Ralph Orlowski, Zoltan Kovacs, Charles Michel, Kovacs, Viktor Orban, Michel, Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: European Union, European Central Bank, REUTERS, Rights, European Commission, EU, Kyiv, Reuters, European Council, Commission, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Ukraine, Hungary, Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia, Soviet, Kyiv, EU, Caucasus, Tbilisi, Budapest, Hungarian, Brussels

☆ Karabakh refugees in Armenia face uncertainty and poverty in exile
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Elada Sargsyan, 54, a refugee from Nagorno-Karbakh region, poses for a picture in a disused kindergarten, where she now lives temporarily along with dozens of other refugees from Karabakh, in the town of Masis, Armenia November 22, 2023. Born in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, Sargsyan fled her hometown in 1988, aged 19, as the Soviet Union began to fall apart. In 2020, they lost another home, when Azerbaijan - by now closely allied with Armenians' bête noire, Turkey - reconquered much of Karabakh including their village in a second war. Like many refugees, they have struggled to find work in Armenia. Alvina, a grandmother aged 65, has become the family’s main breadwinner, earning a little money selling homemade "jingalov hats" or "green bread", a flatbread stuffed with herbs that is a staple for Karabakh Armenians.

Persons: Elada Sargsyan, Irakli, Sargsyan, I’ve, they’ll, Masis, Alina Harutyunyan, Harutyunyan, I'd, Lilia Abrahamyan, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Soviet Union, Mount, Karabakh, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Masis, Armenia, Azerbaijan, MASIS, Baku, Soviet, Soviet Armenia, Aknaghbyur, Turkey, Armenia’s, Yerevan, Mount Ararat, Harutyunagomer, Ottoman Turks, Karabakh's, Vanadzor, Alvina

☆ Spanish conservative politician shot in face in Madrid. Gunman escaped on a motorbike, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Vice-President of the European Parliament Alejo Vidal-Quadras from Spain meets the media at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, Tuesday Jan. 27, 2009. Veteran Spanish right-wing politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras has been taken to a hospital in Madrid after being shot on a street in the capital, police said Thursday. After he broke away, he helped found the far-right Vox party. Vox President Santiago Abascal said he believed Vidal-Quadras' life wasn't in immediate danger. Popular Party President Alberto Núñez Feijóo deplored the shooting and wished for his recovery.

Persons: Alejo Vidal, Quadras, Tuesday Jan, Alejandro Vidal, EFE, Vidal, Mariano Rajoy, Vox, Santiago Abascal, Abascal, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Pedro Sánchez, Sánchez, Quadras hasn't Organizations: Tuesday, Veteran Spanish, Police, Popular Party, Vox, Spanish Locations: Spain, Brussels, Belgium, Madrid, Spanish, Quadras, Catalonia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan

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