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☆ Want to fit in while in Japan? Follow these unusually specific 'life rules' issued by the government
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Vivien Soo | Penny Sadler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But before they pack their bags, they may want to read Japan's "Life and Work Guidebook," which is aimed at helping foreigners fit in. But the chapter on "Daily Rules and Customs" is where foreigners will find specific guidance on "life rules" that illustrate Japan's emphasis on collectivism and respect. Not only party and music levels should be kept to a minimum, but also "voices" and "TV" levels, the guidebook states. A Japanese guidebook for foreigners advises against making noise by using washing machines early in the morning or late at night. "Be sure that your music is not too loud and cannot be overheard outside of the earphones," the guidebook states.

Persons: they're, Recep Organizations: Japan's Immigration Services Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cyclists, Getty, Foreigners Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Daj

☆ India’s free press is not so free after a decade of Modi
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Analysis Aishwarya S. Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

And as Modi looks to win another five years in power in an ongoing nationwide election, critics fear further erosion of the protections afforded to India’s free press. “I think many times before I write stories,” Kappan told CNN. Since his bail, Kappan has struggled to find a permanent job to provide for his family. Kumar told CNN he resigned because Adani’s proximity to Modi and the BJP would leave him unable to continue asking tough questions of the government. “They gave no reasons nor any justifications for why they denied my permit,” she told CNN from Paris.

Persons: Siddique Kappan, Narendra Modi’s, Modi, “, ” Kappan, Kappan, ”, Kaushik Raj, Narendra Modi, Gareth Copley, Shakuntala Banaji, RSF, Kunal Majumder, NewsClick, Prabir Purkayastha, Banaji, Kanchan Gupta, Ravish Kumar, Kumar, Gautam Adani, Vishal Bhatnagar, Dinesh Joshi, Gupta, Avani Dias, Vanessa Dougnac, Dias, Gaurav Bhatia, Dougnac Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, CNN, Getty, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, ICC Men's Cricket, India, Journalists, London School of Economics, “, Press, ”, Protect Journalists, Police, LSE, Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, Amnesty, New Delhi Television, NDTV, YouTube, Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s, Ministry of Home Affairs, India’s, Ministry, BBC Locations: New Delhi, India, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, AFP, Hathras, Paris, Ahmedabad, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Delhi, Jaipur, Modi, Asia, Dougnac

CNN —Spain, Norway and Ireland have announced plans to formally recognize a Palestinian state, in a move that is likely to bolster the global Palestinian cause but strain relations with Israel. Palestinian statehood has been recognized by more than 130 out of 193 member states of the United Nations, according to the Palestine Liberation Organization. “Today, Ireland, Norway and Spain are announcing that we recognize the state of Palestine. Each of us will now undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris told a news conference in Dublin on Wednesday. The landmark decision by three key European players sparked swift condemnation from Israel, with a senior lawmaker ordering the immediate recall of Israeli ambassadors to Ireland and Norway.

Persons: Simon Harris, Micheál Martin, Jonas Gahr Støre, ” “, ” Støre, Pedro Sánchez, “, ”, “ It’s, It’s, Israel Katz, Katz Organizations: CNN —, United Nations, Palestine Liberation Organization, “, Norway’s, Spain’s, Terrorism Locations: CNN — Spain, Norway, Ireland, Palestinian, Israel, Spain, Palestine, Dublin, Gaza, Iran

☆ Israel Seizes Camera From A.P., Citing Use of Its Images by Al Jazeera
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Adam Rasgon | More About Adam Rasgon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel’s Communications Ministry confiscated camera equipment from The Associated Press on Tuesday, claiming the agency had violated a new broadcasting law by providing images of northern Gaza to Al Jazeera. The seizure was an escalation in Israel’s efforts to punish Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab broadcaster that the Israeli government voted to shut down two weeks ago. In a statement, the Communications Ministry said inspectors had gone to a location in southern Israel used by The A.P. reported that Israeli authorities had conveyed a verbal order last week to shut down the live feed, but it did not comply. Al Jazeera has said that Israel’s decision to shutter its operations in the country violated “the basic right to access of information.”

Persons: Al Jazeera, Lauren Easton, ’, Easton, Al Jazeera’s, Jazeera, ” Organizations: Israel’s Communications Ministry, Associated Press, Qatari, Communications Ministry, Al Locations: Gaza, Al Jazeera, Israel

☆ Russia Starts Tactical Nuclear Drills, in a Warning to Ukraine’s Allies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russia sent a pointed reminder on Tuesday that it could use battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, releasing video of its forces beginning exercises to practice their use, two weeks after President Vladimir V. Putin ordered the provocative drills. Video released by the Russian Defense Ministry showed a caravan of military vehicles moving down a wooded road, as well as mobile Iskander missile systems — which can deliver conventional or nuclear explosives — getting into position to launch, with their warheads blurred out. The footage also showed a supersonic strategic bomber armed with missiles and an attack aircraft being prepared for takeoff. In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said the exercise, carried out near Ukraine, was aimed at preparing the force for the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons. The goal is to “unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state in response to provocative statements and threats of individual Western officials,” the ministry said.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, “, Emmanuel Macron, David Cameron, Britain’s Organizations: Russian Defense Ministry, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, France

☆ World’s most expensive feather sells at New Zealand auction
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Rosa Rahimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A feather from a long-extinct New Zealand bird has set a record after selling for $46,521 NZD (about $28,400 USD), the auction house handling the sale has said. The huia bird feather, which was expected to sell for up to $3,000 NZD ($1,830), smashed the estimate on Monday to become the world’s most expensive feather ever sold, Webb’s Auction House said. For Maori, the bird’s feathers were a mark of high status and the distinctive, white-tipped plumage were used for ceremonial headdresses. A Maori chief wears a huia feather in his hair Bettmann Archive/Getty ImagesEuropean New Zealanders also came to see the huia as a symbol of prestige. “People kind of had a frenzy and decided that everyone wanted a huia feather,” said Morris of the event.

Persons: Leah Morris, Duke, Duchess, York, ”, Morris, Johannes Keulemans Organizations: CNN, Museum, New, Getty, New Zealand, New Zealand’s Ministry for Culture and Heritage Locations: Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand, Zealanders, Dutch

☆ Russia's fearsome S-400 air-defense system isn't quite living up to the hype in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Russian S-400 surface-to-missile systems in the Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square on i in May 2023. Ukraine in September said it destroyed two Russian S-400 batteries in Crimea, a region annexed by Russia in 2014. Rajan Menon, the director of the Grand Strategy program at the US think tank Defense Priorities, described the S-400 as Russia's "top-of-the-line air defense system." A rocket launches from a S-400 missile system at the Ashuluk military base in Southern Russia in September 2020. A Patriot air defense system test-fired during a training in Chania, Greece, on November 8, 2017.

Persons: —, Fredrik Mertens, John Hoehn, it's, Hoehn, AP Mertens, Mertens, Ian Williams, Mattias Eken, Rajan Menon, Vitaly Nevar, Mick Ryan, you've, DIMITAR DILKOFF, Ryan, haven't, hasn't, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV, might've, Eken, Anthony Sweeney, Army Menon Organizations: Service, Business, Hague, Strategic Studies, NATO, SA, International Institute for Strategic Studies, US Patriot, Reuters, RAND Corporation, Ukrainian Air Force, Forbes, Directorate of Intelligence, Ministry of Defence, South Korea Defense Ministry, AP, Patriots, Storm, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Defense, REUTERS, Australian Army, Getty, Victory Day, Patriot, Army Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia, Moscow, Crimea, Screengrab, Soviet, US, Russia's, Ukraine's Luhansk, South Korea, Kaliningrad, Southern Russia, AFP, Chania, Greece, United States, West, NATO

☆ After Biden’s monster taxes, China launches its own anti-dumping probe against the US and EU
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Editor’s Note: Sign up for CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter, which explores what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. CNN —China has hinted at possible tit-for-tat action against trade barriers imposed by the United States last week, as relations between the two economic superpowers become increasingly fraught. On Sunday, China’s Ministry of Commerce said it was launching an anti-dumping probe into polyoxymethylene or POM copolymers, a thermoplastic used in various industries ranging from auto parts to electronics, imported from the US, the European Union, Taiwan and Japan. Thermoplastics are malleable when heated but become fixed in a solid shape when cooled, and can partially replace metals such as copper and zinc. The investigation should take a year to complete, but may be extended by another six months, the ministry added.

Persons: Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, United, China’s Ministry of Commerce, European Union, EV Locations: China, United States, Taiwan, Japan

☆ Ukraine Destroys Russian Minesweeper in Black Sea, Ministry Celebrates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine says it has destroyed a Russian minesweeper in the Black Sea. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine celebrated the loss of the Kovrovets minesweeper on X.Ukraine claims to have destroyed or disabled a third of Russian ships in the Black Sea during the war. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementUkrainian forces destroyed Russia's Kovrovets sea minesweeper, the Ukrainian Navy reported on Telegram. "The Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, together with their comrades, continue to bring us closer to victory," the Ukrainian Navy wrote on its Telegram channel.

Persons: — Organizations: Ministry of Defense, Service, Ukrainian Navy, Naval Forces of, Armed Forces of Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Armed Forces of Ukraine

☆ Biden to deliver Morehouse graduation speech amid concerns from faculty and students
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Nnamdi Egwuonwu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"We as students, faculty and alums who are standing on the right side of history do not stand with Biden," said another Morehouse student, sophomore Anwar Karim. Most recently, Morehouse faculty were split over the decision to award Biden an honorary doctorate degree at the ceremony. Divisions on campus led to at least three meetings between Morehouse President David Thomas and students and faculty. That sentiment was shared by other Morehouse students critical of Biden's visit. But still, Biden's Morehouse visit will come amid a concerted effort by his administration and campaign this week to sharpen his message to Black voters.

Persons: Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Biden, He's, Jean, Pierre said, Court's Brown, Morehouse, Stephane Dunn, Calvin Bell, alums, Anwar Karim, he's, David Thomas, Thomas, Karim, Steve Benjamin, Benjamin, Trump, Malik Poole, Biden's Morehouse, Brown, Kamala Harris, Dunn Organizations: U.S, White, Morehouse College, NBC News, Education, Morehouse, Israel, CNN, House, Office, Public, Black, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Saturday, NAACP, Fund, Biden Locations: Israel, Washington , U.S, Gaza, Georgia, Detroit

☆ Afghanistan: 50 killed, dozens missing after flooding in Ghor province
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Masoud Popalzai | Ehsan Popalzai | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Fifty people were killed and dozens are missing after heavy rains and flooding in Afghanistan’s province of Ghor on Friday, according to the Afghan Ministry of Refugees. The Ministry said in a post on X on Saturday that 2,000 homes had been completely destroyed and up to 4,000 partially destroyed by recent flooding. Hundreds of people have been killed by flash flooding in Afghanistan over the past several weeks, according to the UN. Areas in northern Afghanistan have been ravaged by the heavy floods, including the provinces of Ghor, Badakhshan, Baghlan, and Herat. In April, unseasonal rainfall and floods killed more than 100 people in Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to authorities.

Persons: Zabihullah Mojahid, Zabihullah Mujahid Organizations: CNN, Afghan Ministry of Refugees, UN Locations: Afghanistan’s province, Ghor, Afghanistan, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Herat, Pakistan

☆ China retail sales, investment data miss expectations in April
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING — China reported data Friday that pointed to slower growth on the consumer side while industrial activity remained robust. Retail sales rose by 2.3% in April from a year ago, the National Bureau of Statistics said. That was less than the 3.8% increase forecast by a Reuters poll, and slower than the 3.1% pace reported in March. But fixed asset investment rose by 4.2% for the first four months of the year, lower than the 4.6% expected increase. Statistics bureau spokeswoman Liu Aihua pointed out that last year, the multi-day May 1 Labor Day holiday had included two days in April.

Persons: Liu Aihua, Liu Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, China's Ministry of Commerce, Labor, Statistics, Oxford Locations: Huai'an, China, BEIJING — China

☆ I have fond memories of high school in America. I'm worried my daughter won't feel the same in Singapore.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jason Erik Lundberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I live in Singapore and lecture in the creative writing and publishing graduate program at Nanyang Technological University, but have also taught at the high school, undergraduate, and community college levels. In 2007, my now-ex-wife (a Singaporean citizen) and I decided to move to Singapore from the US. For the most part, I enjoyed my classes, as well as my extra-curriculars, which in high school consisted of marching band, French club, and physics club. It's possible that, in the 30 years since graduating from high school, my memories have become rose-colored, but I do remember feeling like I had a good balance between my school life and my personal life. The author gets concerned about the amount of pressure put on his daughter by teachers.

Persons: Jason Erik Lundberg Organizations: Service, Nanyang Technological University, Business, Straits Times, Ministry of Education Locations: Singapore, Oklahoma, North Carolina

☆ Bollywood and Indian politics: Influence of Modi and BJP on world’s largest film industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

And most of these are Hindi films, meaning Bollywood holds an outsized influence on the country’s culture, identity and economy. A screengrab from the 2022 Bollywood film "The Kashmir Files." CNN reached out to several people from the film industry for this story, some of whom declined to be interviewed due to sensitivities around the topic. It encouraged some Bollywood filmmakers to “(lean) into the caricature of the Muslim villain,” he says. These films are growing fast; outside Bollywood, earnings from the South Indian media and entertainment industry have nearly doubled year on year, according to a 2023 report by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Persons: India’s, Narendra Modi, Indranil Mukherjee, ”, Raja Sen, “ It’s, Modi, Tanul Thakur, …, Veer Savarkar, –, ” Adah Sharma, Pandits, Vivek Agnihotri, ” Sudipto Sen, Debashree Mukherjee, it’s, Thakur, Sen, Darab Farooqui, Sonu Mehta, Farooqui, “, she’s, Aamir Khan, ” Farooqui, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mukherjee, Yash Chopra, ” That’s, ” Thakur, ” Sen, “ We’ve, ’, Dharmendra, Noemi Cassanelli, “ Something’s Organizations: India CNN —, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Observers, Hollywood, Republican, Modi’s, Getty, CNN, Ministry of Culture, of, Netflix, Columbia, Social Democratic Party of India, Hindustan Times, Columbia University, Journalists, Confederation of Indian Industry Locations: Mumbai, India, Kerala, Kashmir, Jammu, Columbia University’s, Middle Eastern, South, Jaipur, New Delhi, Pakistan, United States, Tamil Nadu

☆ China pledges $42 billion in a slew of measures to support the struggling property sector
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

China announced "historic" steps to stabilize the crisis-hit property sector on May 17, 2024, allowing local governments to buy "some" apartments, relaxing mortgage rules and pledging to deliver unfinished homes. These and other measures announced Friday marked Beijing's latest efforts to address issues in the massive real estate sector. The real estate companies can then use funds earned from those sales to complete construction on other apartments, the central bank said. Pre-sold, unfinished homesFor years, many apartments in China tended to be sold before construction was finished. Nomura estimated last year there were around 20 million such pre-sold, unfinished apartments in China.

Persons: Zhu Ning, Tao Ling, Xiao Yuanqi, Larry Hu, Dong Jianguo, Lifeng, Zhu, Nomura Organizations: China, Nurphoto, Getty, Tsinghua University, People's Bank of China, National Financial Regulatory, Macquarie, CNBC, of Housing, Housing, Future Publishing Locations: BEIJING, Wanxiang City, Huai'an City, East China's Jiangsu, China

☆ Live Updates: Attempted Killing of Slovakia’s Leader Shocks a Polarized Nation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

PinnedA day after Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, was critically wounded in what his government called a politically motivated assassination attempt, attention focused on Thursday on the security breaches that had allowed the attack to occur. Mr. Fico’s condition stabilized overnight, and doctors were carrying out more procedures in hopes of improving his condition, Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak told a news conference on Thursday morning outside the hospital where Mr. Fico was being treated. Political tempers in the deeply polarized Central European nation rose after Mr. Fico’s shooting, and the interior minister, Matus Sutaj Estok, said an initial investigation “clearly points to a political motivation” behind the assassination attempt. Filip Kuffa, a state secretary, said early Thursday on Facebook that Mr. Fico was in stable condition. It said that cellphones had been taken from many staff members at the hospital to prevent them communicating information about Mr. Fico’s condition.

Persons: Robert Fico, Robert Kalinak, Fico, Matus Sutaj Estok, Mr, Filip Kuffa, ” Organizations: Facebook Locations: Bratislava, Handlova, Slovakia, Slovak

☆ Britain says it is developing a radio-wave weapon that can take out a swarm of drones for just $0.12 a shot
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The UK has unveiled a new radio frequency-directed energy weapon under development. The Ministry of Defence said it could take out a swarm of drones for just $0.12 a shot. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementBritain is developing a new radio-wave weapon designed to take out a "swarm" of drones for just $0.12 a shot, the UK's Ministry of Defence said in a press statement. According to the MOD, the Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon, or RFDEW, uses radio waves to detect, track, and disable electronic components at a range of up to 1000 meters.

Persons: — Organizations: Ministry of Defence, Service, UK's Ministry of Defence, Business

☆ Russia Expels British Diplomat After U.K. Booted His Counterpart
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | More About Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it was expelling Britain’s defense attaché from the country, reciprocating against the British government after it threw out his Russian counterpart last week. The Russian ministry announced that further, unspecified retaliatory steps would be forthcoming because of the “unfriendly” measures taken by London. The ministry summoned a British diplomat to inform him that the attaché had been declared “persona non grata,” according to a statement. Britain had announced on May 8 that it was ordering the Russian defense attaché to leave, describing him as an “undeclared” military intelligence officer.

Persons: attaché Organizations: Russian Foreign Ministry, Russian Locations: British, London

☆ Slovakia's prime minister no longer in life-threatening condition after assassination attempt
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico walks during the European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on April 18, 2024. Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is expected to survive a multiple-shot assassination attempt following surgery, according to the country's deputy prime minister. The Slovakian premier's condition has stabilized but remains serious, Reuters cited a hospital official as saying on Thursday. "The shooting of the prime minister is first and foremost an attack against an attack on a human being – but it's also an attack on democracy," she said in an officially translated video. Fico has served as prime minister of Slovakia for around 10 years across three mandates, heading the Smer (Direction) party.

Persons: Robert Fico, Tomas Taraba, Šutaj Eštok, Zuzana Caputova, it's, Fico Organizations: Slovakia's, EU, BBC, Reuters, CNBC, Slovakian Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Slovakian, Sky News, Russia, RTVS Locations: Brussels, Slovakian, Slovak, Handlova, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, Ukraine

☆ After Outlawing Public Zoos, Costa Rica Relocates Hundreds of Animals
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jesus Jiménez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Costa Rica announced last week that it would close its two remaining state zoos, more than a decade after it passed a law to ban keeping wild animals in government-sponsored captivity but was met with legal blowback. Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment and Energy said in a statement on Saturday that it would not renew its contract with Fundazoo, a foundation that had run the zoos. The move will close the country’s last two state zoos: the Simón Bolívar Zoo and the Santa Ana Conservation Center. Some of the animals have been in captivity for more than 30 years, the ministry said. Franz Tattenbach, the minister of environment and energy, said on Saturday that Costa Rica would move toward running sanctuaries for animals that cannot return to to the wild.

Persons: Costa Rica, Franz Tattenbach Organizations: Rica’s Ministry of Environment, Energy, Fundazoo, Santa Ana Conservation Center Locations: Costa, Rica’s, Costa Rica

☆ China's economy reveals pockets of softness. Here's what to watch ahead of Friday's data
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The National Bureau of Statistics is due to release data on retail sales, industrial production and fixed asset investment for April on Friday. Some of the weakness speaks to genuine sluggish demand in China at present. The firm expects this week's economic data releases to show a "softening in economic momentum," affirming its forecasts for the central bank to cut rates by the end of June. "Some of the weakness speaks to genuine sluggish demand in China at present," said Hui Shan, Goldman Sachs' China chief economist, in a note Sunday. Businesses' loan demand fallsNew bank loans to businesses and government organizations dropped sharply in April from March, as did new loans to households, according to official data accessed through Wind Information.

Persons: Hui Shan Goldman Sachs, Louise Loo, Goldman Sachs, Hui Shan, Goldman, RRR, Pan Gongsheng Organizations: Visual China, Getty, BEIJING, National Bureau, Statistics, Reuters, Finance, Oxford Economics, People's Bank of, Information, Clocktower, CNBC Locations: Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China, —, Beijing, People's Bank of China

☆ Russia Detains Senior General, Widening Military Purge
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian security agents detained a senior general early Tuesday, widening a purge of the country’s sprawling Defense Ministry amid President Vladimir V. Putin’s broader shake-up of his government. Lt. Gen. Yuri Kuznetsov, who oversaw the ministry’s personnel department, was detained on an accusation of “large-scale” bribery, Russia’s Investigative Committee, a federal law enforcement agency, said in a statement on Tuesday. His detention came after Mr. Putin unexpectedly removed his long-serving defense minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, from his post and replaced him with a member of his economic team. Prosecutors said General Kuznetsov received a bribe from “commercial interests” between 2021 and 2023, when he worked on the protection of state secrets at the Armed Forces’ General Staff. The prosecutors claimed that security agents discovered cash equivalent to $1 million and luxury items during a search of General Kuznetsov’s home.

Persons: Vladimir V, Yuri Kuznetsov, Putin, Sergei K, General Kuznetsov, Kuznetsov’s Organizations: Mr, Prosecutors, Armed Forces ’, Staff

☆ Russia's increasingly turning to fast ATVs and motorbikes to find Ukrainian targets, but they're very vulnerable
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewRussian forces are increasingly relying on light and fast vehicles like ATVs and motorbikes to move troops to the front lines, conduct reconnaissance of Ukrainian positions, and execute assaults. Ukraine's forces were operating quad bikes as early as April 2022, just weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, to ambush Russian forces. AdvertisementWhile Russia's lighter vehicles are more vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks than its heavy armor, Moscow has still lost scores of tanks and armored vehicles on the battlefield, including to Kyiv's exploding FPV drones. AdvertisementRussia hasn't completely turned its back on its armored vehicles, though. Last week, for instance, Moscow launched a new assault in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region and tried using armored vehicles to break through defensive lines.

Persons: —, Chasiv Yar, ROMAN PILIPEY, Rob Lee, WX4nTcfqEO, — Rob Lee, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Pavlo Fedosenko, Ukraine's, Russia hasn't, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Business, Russia, Getty, Foreign Policy Research Institute, 177th Naval Infantry Regiment Locations: Russia, Russian, Chasiv, Donetsk, AFP, Ukrainian, Moscow, Kreminna, Donetsk Oblast, Anadolu, Ukraine's, Kharkiv

☆ Andrey Belousov: Shifting his fishing buddy sideways, Putin chooses an economy expert for the war in Ukraine. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Alexandra Prokopenko, a former adviser at Russia’s Central Bank, put the shakeup down to the growing interrelationship between the war and Russia’s economy. “Putin’s priority is war; war of attrition is won by economics,” Prokopenko wrote in a thread on X. Russia's President Vladimir Putin, center-right, with Sergei Shoigu, at Red Square for the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2024. Putin has shifted Shoigu sideways to a post as the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, meaning that Shoigu is not completely out of the picture. Discussing Shoigu’s new appointment, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the former defense minister would remain immersed in matters of military production.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, shakeup, Andrey Belousov, Sergei Shoigu, Alexandra Prokopenko, ” Prokopenko, Belousov, Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Prokopenko, Pyotr Stolypin, Putin, Shoigu’s, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, ” Peskov, General Valery Gerasimov, Nikolai Patrushev, Patrushev, Mikhail Mishustin, Dmitry Patrushev, “, ”, Tatiana Stanovaya Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russia’s Central Bank, Russia's, Victory Day, Getty, NATO, Putin, US Congress, Ministry of Defense, Security, Russia’s General Staff, subjugating, Security Council, Federal Security Service Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, AFP, Europe, Kyiv, Shoigu, Russian, Japan, Soviet Union, subjugating Ukraine, Patrushev

UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told a daily briefing at the UN that the health ministry in Gaza recently published two separate death tolls – an overall death toll and a total number of identified fatalities. The fully identified death toll comprises of 7,797 children, 4,959 women, 1,924 elderly, and 10,006 men, the UN spokesperson said, citing the Gaza health ministry. The total number of dead also does not include the approximately 10,000 people who are still missing and trapped under the rubble, the officials added. Israel launched its military assault on Gaza on October 7 after the militant group Hamas, which governs Gaza, killed at least 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 250 others. CNN has seen a daily report from the Palestinian health ministry which matches the number OCHA published in the revised version.

Persons: Farhan Haq, Haq Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Ministry of Health, Hamas, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Palestinian Ministry of Health Locations: Gaza, Israel

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