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☆ Holocaust Death Toll on English Channel Island Is Raised by Hundreds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Claire Moses | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A long-running debate about a small part of Britain’s Holocaust history has been settled. A panel of historians tasked with investigating the death toll in Alderney, a British Crown Dependency and one of the Channel Islands in the English Channel, has adjusted the island’s historical record, adding several hundred people to an official count from the 1940s. On Wednesday, he presented the findings with members of the panel in a packed room at the Imperial War Museum in London. It concluded that the likely range of deaths was between 641 and 1,027, with a maximum number of 1,134 people. Most of them were forced laborers from the Soviet Union.

Persons: Eric Pickles, Britain’s, — Organizations: British, Channel, Imperial War Museum Locations: Alderney, London, Soviet Union, France

☆ 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

☆ Europe Wants to Build a Stronger Defense Industry, but Can’t Decide How
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Patricia Cohen | Liz Alderman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

France and Germany’s recent agreement to develop a new multibillion-dollar battlefield tank together was immediately hailed by the German defense minister, Boris Pistorius, as a “breakthrough” achievement. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago jolted Europe out of complacency about military spending. After defense budgets were cut in the decades that followed the Soviet Union’s collapse, the war has reignited Europe’s efforts to build up its own military production capacity and near-empty arsenals. Daunting political and logistical hurdles stand in the way of a more coordinated and efficient military machine. And they threaten to seriously hobble any rapid strengthening of Europe’s defense capabilities — even as tensions between Russia and its neighbors ratchet up.

Persons: Boris Pistorius, ” Locations: France, Ukraine, Europe, Soviet, Russia

☆ Forced to Relive Childhood Horrors in Old Age
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Emile Ducke | Evelina Riabenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When she first heard that Ukraine was under attack by an invading army, Halyna Semibratska, now 101 years old, was confused. “It’s not the Germans who have attacked us?” Ms. Semibratska asked. Ms. Semibratska is one of a small group of elderly Ukrainians who have lived through not one but multiple invasions. As children and teenagers, they saw their land and people ravaged in World War II. German troops and tanks swept through in 1941, seizing Ukraine from the Soviet Union, already seen by many Ukrainians as an occupying force.

Persons: Halyna Semibratska, “ It’s, Semibratska, Iryna Malyk Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet Union

☆ Kharkiv: Life goes on as Russian advance menaces city
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Andrew Carey | Daria Tarasova-Markina | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Kharkiv, Ukraine CNN —Thirty miles to the north, Russian forces are invading again. 00:41 - Source: CNNHotel manager Olha SokolenkoOlha Sokolenko, director of Kharkiv Palace Hotel, was in the hotel at the moment of the strike. This is my homeland.”Kharkiv’s mayorKharkiv's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, was elected just a few months before the Ukraine war broke out. To send signals both to Kharkiv residents who stay here that life goes on, and signals to those outside of Kharkiv that Kharkiv is a Ukrainian city and people live here.”Lomako explains that he and his partners traveled across the country to collect local recipes and techniques. Kharkiv theater goes undergroundThis theater in Kharkiv is one of several city institutions forced underground by the war.

Persons: Yuriy Sapronov, Sapronov, Chasiv Yar, ”, Yuriy, Daria Tarasova, ” Sapronov, Olha Sokolenko, Sokolenko, Olha, “, Kolotay, Cristiano Ronaldo, Matviy, Mikhaylo Galushko, ” Galushko, Ihor Terekhov, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Terekhov, Borys Lomako, “ It’s, ” Lomako, Lomako, Dmytro Gurov’s, Dmytro Gurov, CNN Gurov, Gurov, it’s, Oksana Stetsenko, ” Stetsenko, Neda Nezhdana Organizations: CNN, Ukraine CNN, Emergency Service, Soviet, Kharkiv, CNN Hotel, Hotel, ” FC Metalist Kharkiv Matviy Kolotay, FC Metalist Kharkiv, Hirnyk Sport, Coaches, FC Metalist, English, Everton, UEFA, Kharkiv's, Russia, Hyundai, Russian, Employees, Schools Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine, Russian, Ukraine’s, Che, Russia, “, Kaliningrad, Soviet Union, Soviet, Kyiv, Kremenchuk, Uzhhorod, Poltava, Ukrainian, Dnipro

☆ 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

☆ Vintage photos show what life looked like behind the Iron Curtain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Caroline Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Before the end of the Cold War, the Iron Curtain cut off the Soviet Union from the rest of Europe. Life there was restricted, but as its leaders changed, Western influence began to reach residents. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe Iron Curtain was a figurative and ideological wall — and eventually a physical one — that separated the Soviet Union from western Europe after World War II. The name, widely attributed to Winston Churchill, hinted that life in the USSR was secretive and very different from other western, capitalist countries.

Persons: —, Winston Churchill Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Soviet Union, Europe, USSR

☆ The US secretly sent communist-friendly Coca-Cola to a Soviet general in a bid to maintain good ties across the Iron Curtain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAs World War II ended and the Iron Curtain fell over Eastern Europe, relations deteriorated between the Soviet Union and its Western allies. Zhukov had developed an intense liking for Coca-Cola, a drink now illegal in the Soviet Union. PH/Sherman Montrose ACMECoca-Cola's steadfast support for the Allied war effort helped make it both distinctly American and recognizable worldwide. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty ImagesAt Zhukov's request, the new beverage wasn't put in the usual Coke bottles but instead in unmarked, straight-edged bottles. Its rival Pepsi eventually gained a virtual monopoly in the Soviet Union, which the Soviets maintained — once trading several warships for $3 billion worth of Pepsi — until 1985.

Persons: —, Georgy Zhukov, Zhukov, Truman, Robert Woodruff, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Bong, Henry, Hap, Arnold, Coke, Eisenhower, Getty Images Zhukov, Mark W, Clark, Harry Truman, James Farley, It's Organizations: Service, Soviet Union, Business, Sherman, Sherman Montrose ACME, US, US Army, Army Air Forces, Allied, Keystone, Getty Images, Cola Export Corporation, Getty, Cola, Pepsi Locations: Eastern Europe, Soviet, Soviet Union, Cassino, Italy, Sherman Montrose, North Africa, Coke, Montgomery, Frankfurt, Germany, France, American, Austria, Dehradun, India, Vienna, East

☆ The US Secretary of State gave a war-time rock performance at a bar in Kyiv, leaving some Ukrainians scratching their heads
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Slinging a crimson electric guitar onto his shoulder, Blinken told the crowd he knew they were facing a "really, really difficult time." So much of the world is with you and they're fighting not just for a free Ukraine, but for the free world. "For ten years, we've been explaining to the free world that we are defending it too," he wrote. Residents self-evacuate from a multi-story residential building hit by a Russian UMPB D-30 glide bomb on May 14, 2024 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The lyrics of "Rockin' in the Free World" are often seen as a criticism of American patriotism and George H.W.

Persons: —, Antony Blinken, Neil Young's, Blinken, Ukraine, Antony, Muddy Waters, Bohdan Yaremenko, Trump, he's, we've, Oleg Simoroz, Valeriy, it's, Matviyenko, Yevhen, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Illia Ponomarenko, George H.W, Bush, Donald Trump, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Biden Organizations: Service, Business, U.S, US State Department, Blinken, Music Diplomacy Initiative, Facebook, AFP, Ukrainian NGO Agency, Getty Images, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Kyiv, Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Soviet Union, State Department Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Russian, Kharkiv, United States, Muddy, Ukrainian, Russia, KABs, Sumy, Getty Images Russia, Polina, Soviet

☆ Opinion: Why Biden’s eager to debate Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Julian Zelizer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have both accepted an invitation from CNN to debate on June 27, nearly four years since they last clashed onstage. As you said: anywhere, anytime, any place.” Trump later told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins he also accepted. One of the biggest changes that took place in campaigns was who determined the structure. Join us on Twitter and FacebookNext month, President Biden will have an opportunity to demonstrate that concerns about his age are misplaced. Former President Trump will have a chance to prove that he has some kind of compelling vision for the country beyond his desire to take down his opponents and the establishment.

Persons: Julian Zelizer, ”, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, “ I’ve, Donald, ” Trump, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Trump, mano, John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ford, Ronald Reagan, Walter Mondale, George H.W, Bush, Bill Clinton, Ross Perot, Hillary Clinton, White supremacists, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Princeton University, Twitter, ABC, Republican, Fox News, Democratic Party, Trump, Biden, Commission, Georgia Gov, Arkansas Gov, League of Women Voters Locations: @CNN, JFK’s, Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, “

☆ Opinion | It’s Not Just Putin. Russia Needs China, Too.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Alexander Gabuev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vladimir Putin’s trip to Beijing this week, where he will meet with Xi Jinping and top Chinese officials, is another clear demonstration of the current closeness between Russia and China. Yet many in the West still want to believe that their alliance is an aberration, driven by Mr. Putin’s emotional anti-Americanism and his toxic fixation on Ukraine. Never since the fall of the Soviet Union has Russia been so distant from Europe, and never in its entire history has it been so entwined with China. The truth is that after two years of war in Ukraine and painful Western sanctions, it’s not just Mr. Putin who needs China — Russia does, too. China has emerged as Russia’s single most important partner, providing a lifeline not only for Mr. Putin’s war machine but also for the entire embattled economy.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Xi Jinping, Putin, —, it’s Organizations: Soviet Locations: Beijing, Russia, China, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, Soviet Union

☆ Slovakia Has Charted Its Own Course Since the Fall of the Soviet Union
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Slovakia, which was left reeling on Wednesday after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico, is a relatively young country whose history is closely intertwined with that of its central European neighbors. Slovakia is one of two nations born out of the former Czechoslovakia amid the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the waning years of the 20th century. Czechoslovakia was a multiethnic nation established at the end of World War I that endured dismemberment by the Nazis and more than four decades of Communist rule. After several years of economic and political upheaval following its independence, Slovakia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004, and adopted the euro in 2009. As the country navigated the establishment of its national identity, some tensions remained with the Czech Republic, its richer and larger neighbor, which has roughly twice Slovakia’s population of five million.

Persons: Robert Fico Organizations: European Union, NATO Locations: Slovakia, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Czech Republic

☆ Georgia passes 'Russia-style' law on foreign influence despite U.S. warnings and mass protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Georgian demonstrators protesting the controversial "foreign influence" bill stand in front of law enforcement officers blocking an area near the parliament building in Tbilisi on May 14, 2024. Georgian lawmakers on Tuesday passed a highly controversial "Kremlin-style" law on foreign influence, despite massive protests in the country and repeated warnings from the U.S. and European Union. Members of the Georgian Parliament physically came to blows as lawmakers held the third and final reading of the so-called "foreign agents" bill, before ultimately approving the legislation. The foreign influence bill calls for media outlets, nonprofits and other nongovernmental organizations to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has previously vowed to veto the bill.

Persons: Salome Zourabichvili Organizations: Union, Georgian Locations: Tbilisi, U.S, Georgian, Soviet Union

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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Putin replaces Russia's defense minister with civilian economist in unexpected move
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2024. Mikhail Klimentyev | Afp | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin tapped a civilian economist as his surprise new defense minister on Sunday in an attempt to gird Russia for economic war by trying to better utilize the defense budget and harness greater innovation to win in Ukraine. More than two years into the conflict, which has cost both sides heavy casualties, Putin proposed Andrei Belousov, a 65-year-old former deputy prime minister who specializes in economics, to replace his long-term ally, Sergei Shoigu, 68, as defense minister. That, said Peskov, meant it was vital to ensure such spending aligned with and was better integrated into the country's overall economy, which was why Putin now wanted a civilian economist in the defense ministry job. Putin's move, though unexpected, preserves balance at the top of the complex system of personal loyalties that make up the current political system.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Putin, Andrei Belousov, Sergei Shoigu, Nikolai Patrushev, Patrushev, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Belousov, Alexander Baunov Organizations: Sputnik, Victory Day, Afp, Getty, Security, Putin, West, Defence, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet Union

☆ How the Israeli Air Force once destroyed over 60 enemy jets and dozens of Soviet missile systems in battle without losing a single fighter
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Israeli Air Force achieved an unmatched air combat victory in the 1982 Lebanon War. The battle, known as Operation Mole Cricket 19, saw over 60 enemy aircraft eliminated without a single Israeli loss. The fourth-generation Israeli jets were also made much more lethal by the AIM-9L Sidewinder missile that could be fired from any angle. This allowed Israeli jets, with targeting assistance from UAVs, to destroy the SAMs using anti-radiation missiles. A picture taken on June 28, 2016 shows an Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter jet preparing to take off at the Ramat David Air Force Base located in the Jezreel Valley, southeast of the Israeli port city of Haifa JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty ImagesAdditionally, Israel had superior Command, Control, and Communications (C3) capabilities.

Persons: —, SAMs, Haifa JACK GUEZ, hadn't, Israel, Organizations: Israeli Air Force, Mole, Service, Palestinian Liberation Organization, Soviet Union, Soviet, Syrian Air Force, IAF, AIM, 9L, Ramat David Air Force Base, Getty, Syrian SAM, Kippur, Command, Communications, Grumman, RAND Corporation Locations: Lebanon, Beqaa, Israel, Syria, Soviet, Vietnam, Jezreel, Haifa, AFP, Syrian

☆ Meet the doomsayers waiting for the economy to crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"The one thing that our economy is going to be guaranteed is a wartime economy," Daniel told Business Insider in an interview. Interest in ultra-bearish takes on the market or the economy is on the up based on raw search data. Google searches for "stock market crash" have jumped 17% over the last quarter, while searches for "economic crash" have surged 15%, according to search analytics firm Glimpse. In both communities, users are sounding the alarm on all sorts of apocalyptic scenarios for the economy, with some predicting a stock market crash, housing market crash, or a total collapse of the US financial system. "Others may not be as lucky and could be constrained by them, and that could color their outlooks for the stock market and the economy."

Persons: —, Daniel, subreddit, Freddie Smith, Smith, aren't, Jonathan Rose, he's, Rose, there's, that's, Richard Sylla Organizations: Service, Genesis Gold, US, Northwestern Mutual, New York University Locations: Washington ,, Reddit, Florida

☆ The US Army's new plan to counter Russia and China has a glaring problem, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The 2024 Army Force Structure Transformation would be the Army's fifth major reorganization since 2003. The most striking aspect of the Army's plan is the large number of new units, for counter-drone protection as well as air and missile defense. In addition, there would be nine counter-small UAS batteries tasked with destroying small drones, and four more Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) battalions to stop manned aircraft, helicopters and drones. Monica K. Guthrie/US ArmyThe Army is also basing its plans on untried weapons, such as the Long-Range Hypersonic Missile and air defense lasers. China and Russia have much stronger air and missile forces than the regional opponents the army has faced for the last generation."

Persons: Monica K, Mark Cancian, Cancian, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, US Army, 2024, Army, Business, Congressional Research Service, Congress, Air Defense, Domain, Forces, CRS, Special Operations Forces, Security Force, Guthrie, Energy, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US, Nuclear Forces, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, China, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Forbes

☆ Jim Simons, billionaire quantitative investing pioneer who generated eye-popping returns, dies at 86
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jim Simons, a mathematician who founded the most successful quantitative hedge fund of all time, passed away on Friday in New York City, his foundation announced on its website. Pioneering mathematical models and algorithms to make investment decisions, Simons left behind an otherworldly track record at Renaissance Technologies, that bested legends such as Warren Buffett and George Soros. Its flagship Medallion Fund enjoyed annual returns of 66% during a period starting in 2018, according to Gregory Zuckerman's book "The Man Who Solved the Market." Simons received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from MIT in 1958, and he earned his PhD in mathematics from University of California, Berkeley at the age of only 23. He was active in the work of the Simons Foundation until the end of his life.

Persons: Jim Simons, Simons, Warren Buffett, George Soros, Gregory Zuckerman's Organizations: Renaissance Technologies, flagship Medallion Fund, U.S, Intelligence, Soviet Union, MIT, University of California, Stony Brook University, Simons Foundation Locations: New York City, Vietnam, Soviet, Berkeley, Stony, New York

☆ Satellite Images Reveal Where Russian Nukes Could Be Stored in Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Christoph Koettl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

These new security features and other upgrades at a munitions depot in central Belarus reveal that Russia is building facilities there that could house nuclear warheads. If Russia does move weapons to this location, it would mark the first time it has stored them outside the country since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia already has nuclear warheads on its own soil that are close to Ukraine and NATO countries, but by basing some in Belarus, the Kremlin appears to be trying to accentuate its nuclear threat and bolster its nuclear deterrent. Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, made reference to such a site early last year, saying Russia would soon be completing the construction of “special storage for tactical nuclear weapons” in Belarus. The New York Times analyzed satellite imagery and photos, and spoke with nuclear weapons and arms control experts, to track the new construction, which started in March 2023.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: NATO, The New York Times Locations: Belarus, Russia, Soviet Union, Ukraine

☆ A Ukrainian captain says his unit shot down every drone it met despite having 'antiquated' guns
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian platoon has shot down all of the drones it's encountered, its captain told The Guardian. Oleksandr Zhygun said his soldiers are using "antiquated" guns to do it, per the outlet. AdvertisementA Ukrainian captain operating near Kyiv said his platoon has shot down every Russian drone it has encountered, despite having what he describes as "antiquated" guns. But in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian troops are struggling against Russia's night-vision drones, a Ukrainian soldier told the Kyiv Post last month. Asked whether Ukraine could still win the war, Zhygun told The Guardian it was a "difficult" question and that they needed more air defense systems.

Persons: Oleksandr Zhygun, —, Zhygun's Kalashnikov, Yehven, Dolin, Zhygun, Ukraine's Organizations: Ukrainian, Guardian, Service, Ukraine's 241st Brigade, Territorial Defense Forces, Soviet Union, Patriot, Republicans, The Institute Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Kyiv, Afghanistan, Ukrainian, Kyiv Post, Russia, Ukraine's, Avdiivka

CNN —Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said his forces were “always ready” to combat external threats, as he addressed crowds gathered at Moscow’s Red Square on Thursday to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Around 27 million people in the Soviet Union died in World War II, more than in any other country. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu salutes soldiers as he is driven along Red Square. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS in an interview that “unfriendly countries” were not invited for a third Victory Day since the war in Ukraine began. His Victory Day address comes just days after the Russian leader was inaugurated for a fifth term in office, in a carefully choreographed ceremony.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, “, Putin, ” Putin, ”, Sergei Shoigu, Alexander Nemenov, Sefa, Shoigu, Alexander Lukashenko of, Emomali, Serdar, Miguel Diaz, Thongloun, Maria Zakharova, ” Zakharova, Mikhail Klimentyev, Reuters Putin Organizations: CNN, Nazi, Russian, Getty, Canel, Russian Foreign Ministry, TASS, Sputnik, Reuters, Kyiv, Kremlin Locations: Soviet, Nazi Germany, Russia, Ukraine, “ Russia, AFP, Red Square, Anadolu, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Cuba, Laos, Guinea, Bissau, Russian, United States

☆ Russia again had only one tank in its big Victory Day military parade, and it was a World War II relic
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussia often uses its annual Red Square military parade in Moscow as an opportunity to show off its weaponry. This T-34, the legendary Soviet tank from World War II, was the only Russian tank on display at the Victory Day parade in Red Square today. A military parade on Victory Day in Red Square, Moscow, Russia, in May 2022, to mark the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. A RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system drives on Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2024. AdvertisementWhile the Russian tank display was notably lacking, other modern Russian weapons did make an appearance, such as Russia's intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Persons: —, @maxseddon, Vladimir Putin, Novozhenina, Ukraine's, NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA Organizations: Service, Red, Soviet Union, Business, Soviet, Nazi, REUTERS, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Victory Day Locations: Russia, Moscow, Soviet, Nazi Germany, Square, Ukraine, Red Square, Donetsk

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