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☆ Russia has 'clearly lost its control' over the Black Sea with its navy moving to safer ports, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's move of its Black Sea Fleet to safer waters signals its waning power there, experts told Insider. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia's withdrawal of ships from a key Crimean base to safer ports shows it has "clearly lost its control" over the Black Sea in naval and geopolitical terms, a top naval expert told Insider. Pointing to those attacks, James Heappey, a UK defense minister, said during a defense event in Warsaw last Tuesday that the move signaled the "functional defeat" of the Black Sea Fleet. As of Sunday, multiple ships carrying grain, sunflower oil, and metals had sailed out of Ukraine's ports in the northwestern Black Sea, The Guardian reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementHardline pro-Kremlin Telegram account Rybar wrote on Friday that it's "difficult to accept" that "the Black Sea Fleet cannot fully ensure its security now."

Persons: —, Basil Germond, Germond, James Heappey, Heappey, Armed Forces @JSHeappey Organizations: Fleet, Service, Lancaster University, Montreux Convention, UK's Ministry of Defence, Black, Armed Forces, Warsaw Security, — Ministry of Defence Locations: Sevastopol, Russia, Ukraine, Turkish, Novorossiysk, Crimea, Warsaw, Ukrainian

☆ iPhone 12 emits too much radiation, France says. It rules Apple must take it off the market.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The iPhone 12 will not be sold in France after a government agency said it emits too much radiation. The phone passed a separate test of radiation levels for devices kept in a jacket or in a bag, the agency said. AdvertisementAdvertisementUsers of the iPhone 12 should be able to download an update that prevents radiation exposure from surpassing the limit, Sperrin said. Apple said the iPhone 12 has been certified by multiple international bodies and complies with all applicable regulations and standards for radiation around the world. He said the iPhone 12's radiation levels are "slightly higher" than EU standards but "significantly lower than levels where scientific studies consider there may be consequences for users.

Persons: didn't, Malcolm Sperrin, Sperrin, It's, Apple, Noël, haven't, Ian Scivill Organizations: Apple, Service, Union, Frequency Agency, Royal, France, Radio, World Health, Royal Hallamshire Hospital Locations: France, Wall, Silicon, French, Royal Berkshire

☆ How Russia is using US tech to build cruise missiles to devastate Ukraine, despite sanctions meant to stop it
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia has found new ways of obtaining US tech for its cruise missiles. Officials, experts, and media reports have laid out the routes Russia is using to import the banned or restricted technology. Ukrainian officials last Tuesday said that Russian K-100 cruise missiles used in recent attacks were built in 2023, using more than 30 foreign components, meaning that Western sanctions weren't working. The Kazakhstan back door for tech suppliesThe US sanctions include a ban on the sale of technology that could be used by Russia to build weapons. According to the Economist report, logic boards from California-made Altera Flex have been used in building the KH-100 cruise missiles Russia has used in attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, STRINGER, Gary Sommerville, we've, Sommerville, Mykola Danilyuk, Danilyuk Organizations: US, Service, Getty, Royal United Services Institute, Kazakhstan's, National, Russia, Kazakh, Russian, Silverado, New York Times, Free Russia Foundation, eBay, Amazon Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Kazakhstan, Kazakh, US, Armenia, Ukrainian, California

☆ Ukrainian soldier credits video-game obsession for his ability to strike Russian targets with drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is increasingly using small, cheap FPV drones to hit outsize targets. Mykhailo operates the drones using a joystick and a virtual reality headset — hence the video game comparisons. It's not the first time the video game comparison has been made. In an interview with The Guardian earlier this month, a Ukrainian drone operator called Olexandr said: "It's like playing a computer game, you know?" Ukraine is employing many of these cheap FPV drones, which can be made from off-the-shelf commercial drones and kitted out with explosives.

Persons: Mykhailo, Olexandr, Insider's Alia Shoaib, Michael Peck, James Patton Rogers Organizations: Service, Reuters, Russian, Guardian, Air Assault Force, UK's Royal United Services Institute Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia

☆ The US is sending Ukraine more explosives to blast obstacles like these in Russian defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

They're layered with treacherous obstacles like mines, ditches, and anti-tank dragons teeth. Close up of Russian trenches, fortifications, and tank obstacles in the Kherson region on November 15, 2022. Dragons teeth obstacles can be seen in the three rows of gray dots before the trenches and fortified positions. Nazi Germany's defenses, like the Siegfried Line built to defend its west, also featured dragon's teeth, machine-gun pillboxes, razor wire and mines. As Insider's Jake Epstein has reported, Russian positions may be vulnerable to attack from assaults that cross open terrain and steer clear of roads.

Persons: —, Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, Brady Africk, Siegfried, Jake Epstein Organizations: Service, Technologies, UK's Royal United Services Institute, American Enterprise Institute, US Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kherson, Dnipro, Nazi

☆ A Ukrainian drone maker said they're building drones that can carry out surprise attacks to target Russia's 'very expensive' equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Drone maker Valeriy Borovyk told CNN that he's building "very stealthy" drones for Ukraine. He said the drones can be used to carry out surprise attacks on "very expensive" Russian equipment. He told CNN that his team is developing some long-range drones, as well. Drone maker Valeriy Borovyk told CNN that he calls the drones "Vidsyich," which is Ukrainian for "repel." "We mostly concentrate [our attacks] on very expensive [Russian] equipment," he told CNN.

Persons: Valeriy Borovyk, —, James Patton Rogers, Mia Jankowicz, Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, Fedorov Organizations: CNN, Service, UK's Royal United Services Institute, University of Southern, Digital Transformation, Russia Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, University of Southern Denmark

☆ Bayraktar TB2 drones were hailed as Ukraine's savior and the future of warfare. A year later, they've practically disappeared.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In the early months of the Russia-Ukraine war, Bayraktar TB2 drones were hailed as Ukraine's savior. However, a year later, nearly all of them are believed to have been shot down by Russian forces. "Once the Russian military got its act together, it was able to down many TB2s," Bendett said. Electronic warfare is a "critical component" of Russia's tactics and contributing to the enormous losses of Ukrainian drones, a report released by the UK's Royal United Services Institute found. Ukraine still had the initiative, but "as the Russian military adapts, there can be no room for complacency," it said.

☆ Russian jet almost shot down a British surveillance plane flying near Ukraine, and only failed because the missile malfunctioned: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian jet tried to fire on a British spy plane last year, but the missile malfunctioned, NYT reports. In their telling, the Russian fighter jet pilot misheard the radar operator on the ground as conveying permission to fire, locked on to the British aircraft, and only failed because the missile didn't launch properly. One of the Russian jets "released a missile" in the "vicinity" of the UK plane, which he described as "potentially dangerous." Following the incident, the UK temporarily ceased surveillance patrols, later sending them out with an armed escort. A Russian Su-27 fighter jet seen approaching a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023, in video released by the US military.

☆ Fighter jets escorted a plane into a London airport after it lost communications and may have caused a 'sonic boom'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Fighter jets escorted an aircraft to an airport in London after it lost communications, per BBC News. This came shortly after people heard a "loud bang," which some thought was a sonic boom. Some plane spotters believe it might have been a sonic boom caused by the fast movement of the RAF jets. Essex Police tweeted that a plane heading from Iceland to Nairobi, Kenya was escorted into Stansted at about 12.50pm UK time. Departures from another London airport were reportedly suspended for around 15 minutes, per BBC News.

☆ The Barnes & Noble CEO says sales are rising because he trusts his booksellers to 'create good bookshops' and run each store the way they want to
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sales at Barnes & Noble are rising because staff are it's not trying to make stores "homogenous," its CEO said. "Sensible retailing principles" equal "terrible bookstores," Daunt told the Business Studies podcast. He took over as CEO of Barnes & Noble in 2019 with plans to update the chain's 600 stores across the US. By 2022, total sales at Barnes & Noble were 3% higher than pre-pandemic levels, with book sales up by 14%. "If you're in Alabama, you should run a very different bookstore to if you're on the Upper West Side of Manhattan," he told Business Studies.

☆ LockBit ransomware group threatens to publish stolen Royal Mail data - TechCrunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - UK's Royal Mail, which has been grappling with a cyberattack for about a month now, was added to ransomware group LockBit's dark web leak site this week, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday. LockBit was threatening to publish "all available (Royal Mail) data" on Thursday, according to the report. Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ I've missed my kids' birthdays and Christmas as a lifeboat volunteer. I can't bear thinking about someone going into the water without anyone to help.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Marc Shoffman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

He has missed work, birthdays, and Christmas Day to save lives at sea. Being an RNLI volunteer can create issues at work and requires a sympathetic bossI was once loading a truck while working for the window-plastics supplier when the pager went off. My RNLI work is all voluntary, but we get an allowance for travel and food. I've missed some of my three daughters' birthdays and couldn't drink at my sister's wedding because I was on call. This is the first Christmas I won't be volunteering, as I am doing the night shift at Gatwick.

☆ UK's Royal Mail pauses access to online service after glitch
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummarySummary Companies Customers could see information on other users' ordersClick and drop website temporarily disabledRoyal Mail says fix "highest priority"Nov 1 (Reuters) - Royal Mail on Tuesday temporarily stopped access to its online postage and parcel tracking service after reports some customers were able to see information on other users' orders, the British company said. The problem seems to have started around 1300 GMT, according to a website tracking the developments, but Royal Mail, owned by International Distributions Services (IDSI.L), did not give details of how many customers' data may have been compromised nor how long it might take to bring the website back online. "We fully understand and apologise for the inconvenience caused by this. Royal Mail's "click and drop" service allows customers to pay for postage online, print labels, and track parcels and posts once they have been dropped off, and is used by individuals and businesses. Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK's Royal Mail reveals plans to cut up to 6,000 jobs by next summer
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Royal Mail revealed plans Friday to cut up to 6,000 jobs by next summer following a summer of strikes by postal workers in the U.K."We will be starting the process of consulting on rightsizing the business in response to the impact of industrial action, delays in delivering agreed productivity improvements and lower parcel volumes," Royal Mail's parent group, recently renamed International Distributions Services , said in a release. "Based on current estimates, c.5,000-6,000 redundancies may be required by end of August 2023." The group on Friday reported a half-year adjusted operating loss of £219 million ($247.2 million), citing around £70 million of direct negative impact from three days of postal worker strikes. CNBC reported last week that leaders of the CWU (Communication Workers' Union) were in talks with Royal Mail bosses, including CEO Simon Thompson, as the company looks to avert a further 16 days of industrial action threatened by the union. It now expects to make a full-year operating loss of around £350 million, including the "direct, immediate impact of eight days of industrial action which have taken place or been notified to Royal Mail."

☆ Putin is running low on long-range precision weapons, and he's wasting his dwindling supply terrorizing Ukrainians in cities far from the front lines, war experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russian forces unleashed a barrage of long-range precision weapons on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure this week. Russian forces, he said, do not have the capability to do this "three or four days a week for the next two years. Bombing civilians is 'unlikely' to break Ukraine's will to fightIt's unclear exactly how many long-range munitions Russian forces have left in the arsenal. Getty ImagesInsider was unable to independently verify the total number of long-range munitions left in the hands of the Russian forces. Gentile said that if Russian forces want to strike targets deeper in Ukraine, they don't really have a choice beyond long-range munitions.

☆ The 10 most bizarre weapons of World War II
▼ + stars: | 2015-07-22 | by ( Alex Lockie | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

World War II brought many successful innovations in technology including weapons. From explosive rats to a 155-foot-long gun, here are some of the most bizarre weapons from WWII. During World War II, the world's major powers set their sights on advancing technology, medicine, and communications in order to be efficient and fearsome in battle. PanjandrumThe Panjandrum, a rocket-propelled explosive cart, was one of the more curious weapons to have come out of World War II. Explosive ratsDogs were not the only unfortunate animal victims of experimental war weapons.

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