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☆ Russian Regional Vote Delivers Strong Result for Putin Amid Claims of Rigging
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

But in the regions voting, electoral competition was limited, as strong candidates, including some from Russia's main opposition Communist Party, were blocked from running by authorities. Across the country, United Russia won every provincial governor's race it contested. Among the regional chiefs re-elected was powerful Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a close Putin ally. Similar systems have been rolled out in many other Russian regions. According to Russian officials, United Russia received large majorities in the regions, taking at least 70% of the vote in each.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Europe's, Putin, Stanislav Andreychuk, Andreychuk, Sergei Sobyanin, Sobyanin, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Moscow's, Felix Light, Lidia Kelly, Leslie Adler Organizations: Reuters, of Europe, Putin's United, Communist Party, United Russia, Kyiv, United Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Putin's United Russia, Russian, Moscow, Kremlin, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, United Russia, Bakhmut, Tbilisi, Melbourne

REUTERS/Artem Mikryukov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTBILISI, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Hikmet Hajiev, a foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, on Saturday denied that Baku had reached a deal with the breakaway province of Nagorno-Karabakh to simultaneously reopen roads to Azerbaijan and Armenia. Hajiev said that Azerbaijan would maintain "border and customs" control on the Lachin corridor, which links Karabakh to Armenia. He said that the road to Azerbaijan would open for aid shipments for the first time since 1988, a key demand of Baku's. In December 2022, Azerbaijani civilians began blockading the last road linking Karabakh to Armenia, causing acute shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Armenian state news agency Armenpress reported on Saturday that Karabakh officials had bowed to Baku's demands to reopen the long-closed road to Azerbaijan in return for lifting the blockade on the Lachin corridor.

Persons: Artem Mikryukov, Ilham Aliyev, Hajiev, Armenpress, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Saturday, Karabakh, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Taghavard, Nagorno, Karabakh, Rights TBILISI, Baku, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Baku's, Soviet Union, Tbilisi, Nailia

☆ Russian regional vote delivers strong result for Putin amid claims of rigging
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Europe's, Putin, Stanislav Andreychuk, Andreychuk, Sergei Sobyanin, Sobyanin, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Moscow's, Felix Light, Lidia Kelly, Leslie Adler Organizations: of Europe, Putin's United, Communist Party, United Russia, Kyiv, United, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Putin's United Russia, Russian, Moscow, Kremlin, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, United Russia, Bakhmut, Tbilisi, Melbourne

Azerbaijan said on Saturday that Armenian forces had fired on its troops overnight, and that Azerbaijan army units took "retaliatory measures". Azerbaijan's foreign ministry called the ethnic Armenian leadership of Karabakh a "puppet separatist regime" and said the vote was illegal. Both Ukraine and Baku's traditional ally Turkey condemned the election, and expressed support for Azerbaijan's claim to Karabakh. In the capitals of both Armenia and Azerbaijan, residents told Reuters they feared a new war between the two countries. In Armenia's capital Yerevan, a local resident who gave his name as Hayk accused Azerbaijan of wanting to start another war.

Persons: Artem Mikryukov, Baku, Armenia's, Armenpress, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Antony Blinken, Yuri Kim, Pashinyan, Samvel Shahramanyan, Shahramanyan, Mansura Lahicova, Mark Trevelyan, Felix, Felix Light, Ros Russell, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, International Committee, Reuters, Karabakh, U.S, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Taghavard, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia TBILISI, Baku, Armenia, Askeran, Russian, Soviet Union, Yerevan, France, Germany, Iran, Georgia, U.S, Turkey, Russia, Moscow, Reuters Baku, Ukraine, Armenia's, Tbilisi

☆ Spain's 16-year-old Yamal becomes country's youngest player and scorer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TBILISI, Georgia, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal became Spain's youngest international and goalscorer aged 16 years and 57 days as he made his debut away to Georgia in their Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday. Gavi had broken Angel Zubieta's record (17 years 284 days), which had stood for nearly 85 years. Yamal later scored Spain's seventh goal with a tidy finish from inside the box to put the 2023 UEFA Nations League champions 7-1 ahead. Yamal, who has a Moroccan father, was born and raised in Spain. Reporting by Fernando Kallas in Madrid Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lamine Yamal, Yamal, Marco Asensio, Gavi, Angel, Luis de la Fuente, Fernando Kallas, Toby Davis Organizations: Barca, UEFA Nations League, Georgia, Villarreal, Thomson Locations: TBILISI, Georgia, Barcelona, Spain, Cyprus, LaLiga, Moroccan, Madrid

☆ Spain men's coach dodges questions about women's team scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TBILISI, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Spain men's coach Luis de la Fuente tried to avoid questions on Thursday about the scandal sparked by football federation boss Luis Rubiales' unsolicited kiss of player Jenni Hermoso after her team's victory in the Women's World Cup. We need to win tomorrow with our eyes on qualifying for the European Championship and we are only focused on that," De La Fuente told a press conference. Spain midfielder Rodri said the players had a meeting with De La Fuente to address the issue. "The first thing we did was get together to talk about the situation and the responsibility of expressing ourselves as a Spain men's team," Rodri said. It is an unpleasant situation that we all find ourselves in, including the coach.

Persons: Luis de la Fuente, Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, De La Fuente, Rubiales, De la Fuente, women's, Jorge Vilda, Rodri, Hermoso, Fernando Kallas, Ed Osmond Organizations: Georgia, Scotland, European, FIFA, Thomson Locations: TBILISI, Spain, Tbilisi, Sydney, Spanish, Madrid

REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHAVANA, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Cuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring that coerced its citizens to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry said, adding that Cuban authorities were working to "neutralize and dismantle" the network. It was not immediately clear if the Cuban foreign ministry statement was associated with the Ryazan report. The defense ministers of Cuba and Russia earlier this year discussed the development of joint "technical military" projects at a meeting in Moscow. "Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine," the foreign ministry said late on Monday. Cuba said it had already begun prosecuting cases in which its citizens had been coerced into fighting in Ukraine.

Persons: Juan Medina, Miguel Diaz, Canel, Dave Sherwood, Marc Frank, Felix Light, Michael Perry, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Russia, Monday, Cuban, Thomson Locations: Cuban, Cuba, Madrid, Spain, Rights HAVANA, Ukraine, Caribbean, Moscow, Russia, Ryazan, Havana, Tbilisi

☆ Wagner channels say Russian arrested in Finland is top fighter with neo-Nazi background
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HELSINKI, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Social media channels linked to Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries said on Friday a top fighter in one of the group's subunits had been detained in Finland at Ukraine's request. It is unclear how Petrovsky was able to enter Finland while under European Union sanctions. On Telegram, Rusich published part of what it said was the Ukrainian request for Petrovsky's arrest. Earlier on Friday, Russian state news agency RIA cited the Russian embassy in Helsinki as saying it was aware of the detention of a Russian citizen in Finland on Ukraine's request and was taking steps to offer consular assistance. Reporting by Felix Light in Tbilisi, Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv and Anne Kauranen in Helsinki; Editing by Mark TrevelyanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Russia's Wagner, Wagner, Yan Petrovsky, Petrovsky, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Rusich, Felix Light, Pavel Polityuk, Anne Kauranen, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: European Union, United, Nazi, European, Kremlin, Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, Thomson Locations: HELSINKI, Finland, United States, Ukraine, Norway, Russia, Vantaa, Helsinki, Russian, Tbilisi, Kyiv

☆ Sweltering summer bodes ill for Georgia's strays
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 22 (Reuters) - In the blistering heat of a Caucasian summer, Tbilisi's stray dogs and cats are struggling to survive. According to activists, around 500,000 stray dogs and cats live in the country alongside 3.7 million humans. But with Georgia setting new temperature records amid Europe's rolling heatwave, Tbilisi's animals have been suffering. "The attitude was not very good," said Mariam Tsertsvadze, another Animal Project co-founder. "It’s so hard in Georgia to find new owners and forever homes for cats and dogs," he said.

Persons: Natia Chikovani, Mariam Tsertsvadze, Keso Baramidze, Tsertsvadze, It’s, Roman Churikov, Felix Light, Giles Elgood Organizations: Thomson Locations: Georgia, Tbilisi

The need to reintroduce stringent capital controls comes as Russian authorities grapple with a sharply weakening rouble, which tumbled past 100 to the dollar on Monday. One source at an exporting firm said the discussions concerned the forced conversion of up to 90% of exporters' revenues. Exporters who fail to return revenues to Russia could lose government support measures, too. One Russian banking source told Reuters that about $39 billion is stuck in Indian banks, which oil companies are unable to return to Russia. The high-level source said a minimal level of revenues was held in rupees, with even less in roubles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Elena Fabrichnayaand Anastasia Lyrchikova, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, RBC, FX, Central Bank Governor, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russia's, Moscow, India, Tbilisi

☆ The Killers apologize after being booed at Georgia gig over Russian ‘brother’ remark
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

We’re all separate? We all separate on the borders of our countries? … So I’m not your brother? Am I not your brother, being from America?”The audience responded to Flowers’ remarks with boos, and posts on social media alleged that people left the concert early. Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, has recently faced accusations of close ties with Moscow, most notably during efforts to pass a foreign agents bill earlier this year, which critics said mirrored controversial Russian laws.

Persons: ”, Brandon Flowers, Flowers, he’s, I’m, Brightside ”, ’ ”, Georgia’s Organizations: CNN Locations: Russian, Shekvetili , Georgia, America, Tbilisi, Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, Soviet Union, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Georgian, Moscow

☆ A frigid apocalypse doomed early humans in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili REUTERS/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Long before our species Homo sapiens trekked out of Africa, earlier human species also spread to other parts of the world. The frigid interval - comparable in intensity to the more recent ice ages - appears to have rendered Europe inhospitable for the bands of early human hunter-gatherers, as extreme glaciation deprived them of food resources. Fossils and stone tools indicate that Homo erectus established a foothold in Eurasia and later southern Europe relatively early in its history. The human species who subsequently colonized Europe proved more resilient amid persistent glacial conditions. "The study provides insights into the initial vulnerability of early human species to environmental changes and how eventually they adapted to increasing glacial climatic stress," Timmermann said.

Persons: David Lordkipanidze, David Mdzinarishvili, Chris Stringer, Stringer, Axel Timmermann, Chronis Tzedakis, erectus, Homo, sapiens, Timmermann, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Georgian Academy of Sciences, REUTERS, David Mdzinarishvili REUTERS, Pusan National University, University College London, Thomson Locations: Dmanisi, Tbilisi, Africa, Europe, Spain, London, South Korea, Eurasia, Georgia, Italy, Germany, Washington

Summary Wagner to train near PolandPrigozhin greets mercenaries in BelarusUp to 10,000 Wagner fighters to be in Belarus - commanderSays 22,000 Wagner fighters perished in UkraineMOSCOW, July 20 (Reuters) - Mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group will help train Belarusian special forces during exercises at a military range near the border with NATO-member Poland, the Belarusian defence ministry said on Thursday. "The armed forces of Belarus continue joint training with the fighters of the Wagner PMC (Private Military Company)," the Belarusian defence ministry said. Poland said earlier this month it would send 500 police to shore up security at its border with Belarus to cope with rising numbers of migrants crossing as well as any potential threats after Wagner mercenaries relocated to Belarus. MERCENARY PLANSA deal was struck on June 24 under which the mercenaries would move to Belarus in return for charges against them being dropped. The post contradicted remarks by a Russian lawmaker who said that as many as 33,000 Wagner fighters had signed contracts with the defence ministry.

Persons: Wagner, Poland Prigozhin, Russia's Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner's, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Marx, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russia's, NATO, Wagner PMC, Private Military Company, West, Kremlin, Wagner's Telegram, Reuters, Islamic, Central African, Thomson Locations: Poland, Belarus, Ukraine MOSCOW, Belarusian, Ukraine, Africa, Brest, Russian, Ukrainian, Russia, Crimea, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali, Bakhmut, Tbilisi, Moscow

MOSCOW, July 12 (Reuters) - Russia is decaying in a potent brew of absurdity and repression that is comparable to the Leonid Brezhnev-era of the Soviet Union, Oleg Orlov, one of the Russia's most respected human rights campaigners, told Reuters. One of the leaders of the Memorial rights group, which won a share of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 a year after being banned and dissolved in Russia, Orlov stood by his articles and cast Russia as a country gripped by the demons of history. "Russia is going backwards," Orlov told Reuters in his Moscow flat over a glass of the traditional fermented kvas. "For Putin, war is his political technology," Orlov said. Current Russian levels of repression, he said, could be compared to the Brezhnev era of the Soviet Union after the arrest of writers Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuli Daniel in 1965.

Persons: Leonid Brezhnev, Oleg Orlov, Orlov, Wagner, Russia, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Brezhnev, Andrei Sinyavsky, Yuli Daniel, unpatriotic, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's, William Faulkner, Fyodor Dostoevsky's, Tatiana, Guy Faulconbridge, Filipp Lebedev, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Memorial, Solidarity, West, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, Afghanistan, Chechen, Russian, Tbilisi

[1/7] Top ranking official attendees of the NATO summit pose for a family picture in Bucharest April 3, 2008. And officials often cite the Bucharest declaration as a reference point. The parallels with the 2008 summit, held in the colossal Parliament Palace commissioned by Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, have struck many NATO-watchers. But others argue that promising Ukraine NATO membership after the war could encourage Putin to keep the conflict going. They say the Bucharest declaration in fact prompted Putin to test Western Ukrainian militarily in both Ukraine and Georgia.

Persons: Francois Lenoir, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dmytro Kuleba, Nicolae Ceausescu, Orysia, Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Timothy Sayle, Andrew Gray, Kevin Liffey Organizations: NATO, REUTERS, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Chatham House, Russia, Ukraine NATO, University of Toronto, Thomson Locations: Bucharest, VILNIUS, Vilnius, Ukraine, Georgia, U.S, United States, France, Germany, Russia, Moscow, Soviet Union, NATO, Romanian, Russian, Eastern, Ossetia, Tbilisi, Crimea, Ukraine's

☆ Anti-LGBT protesters break up Pride festival in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Anti-LGBTQ protesters scuffle with police as they try to break into the site of Tbilisi Pride Fest, in Tbilisi, Georgia July 8, 2023. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYJuly 8 (Reuters) - Up to 2,000 anti-LGBT protesters broke up a Gay Pride festival in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Saturday, scuffling with police and destroying props including rainbow flags and placards, though there were no reports of injuries. "The protesters managed to find... ways to enter the area of the event, but we were able to evacuate the Pride participants and organisers," Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Darakhvelidze told reporters. Georgia aspires to join the European Union but its ruling Georgian Dream Party has faced increased criticism from rights groups and the EU over its perceived drift towards authoritarianism. Georgia has passed laws against discrimination and hate crimes, but LGBT+ rights groups say there is a lack of adequate protection by law enforcement officials and homophobia remains widespread in the socially conservative South Caucasus nation.

Persons: Alexander Darakhvelidze, Nobody, Mariam Kvaratskhelia, Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, Alexander Lashkarava, Gareth Jones, Ros Russell Organizations: Tbilisi Pride Fest, REUTERS, Gay, Pride, Tbilisi Pride, Reuters, LGBT, European Union, Georgian, Party, EU, Thomson Locations: Tbilisi, Tbilisi , Georgia, Georgian, Georgia, . Georgia, South Caucasus

☆ Tbilisi Pride festival canceled after violent anti-LGBTQ protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A Pride festival was canceled in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Saturday by organizers who say authorities failed to prevent violent disruptions from Russian-affiliated far-right groups. Festival organizers Tbilisi Pride said in a tweet that they were “compelled” to cancel the festival and “evacuate” the festival territory. “The Ministry of Interior of Georgia once again neglected to protect us from violent far-right groups and allowed the mobs to prevent us from exercising our freedom of expression and assembly even in private settings,” Tbilisi Pride said. Videos posted by Georgian activist channels showed clashes between police officers and anti-LGBTQ protesters in the festival area in Lisi Wonderland. Tbilisi Pride has accused the Georgian government of orchestrating and coordinating with Russian-affiliated, far-right group Alt Info, who they claim disrupted the event.

Persons: Lisi Wonderland, ”, “, Wonderland, Alexander Darakhvelidze, ” Darakhvelidze, Nobody, Irakli Gedenidze, Shalva Papuashvili, Papuashvili, Salome Zourabichvili, ” Zourabichvili, Mark Clayton, Clayton, Peter Fischer Organizations: CNN, First Channel, Tbilisi Pride, Interior, ”, ” Tbilisi Pride, Pride, Russian, Reuters, Georgian Interior Ministry, Georgian, Channel, UN Locations: Georgian, Tbilisi, Georgia, ” Tbilisi

☆ How Style Not Com Became the Darling of the Front Row
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Jessica Iredale | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

firm, saw a fawning post by Mr. Gvishiani in September 2021 — he called it “the P.R. “It could have been a fake account or someone that is laughing about people from fashion,” Mr. Is it cynical?’ But he attracted my attention, so it was kind of smart.”By January 2022, Style Not Com had accrued about 10,000 followers. Mr. Gvishiani sent Ms. Cornet his wish list of shows he would like to attend during Paris Fashion Week. “We put him front row, and Loïc Prigent came to me and said: ‘Wow, you put Style Not Com front row.

Persons: ”, Gvishiani, Lucien Pages, —, JW Anderson, Coperni, Saint Laurent, Loewe, Pages, “, Com, Bottega Veneta, Clara Cornet, Instagram’s, Cornet, Loïc Prigent, ’ Organizations: . Agency, All, Paris Locations: Tbilisi, Europe, East, Africa, Paris

☆ Insight: Young Russian lawyers step up to defend anti-war protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Lucy Papachristou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

"I have always had a keen sense of justice," Gominova told a Reuters reporter based in Poland. "Defending protesters in court is my version of protest," said Gominova, who began representing anti-war activists in court almost immediately after the invasion. With numerous civil society groups disbanded by the state, many other lawyers also defend anti-war activists independently, but it is hard to determine how many. Several Russian lawyers have attracted the attention – and condemnation – of authorities, not only for defending critics of the invasion but also for expressing their own opposition. Before the Ukraine conflict, Gominova, in St Petersburg, worked mainly on civil cases ranging from family disputes to consumer rights.

Persons: Young, acquittals, Sofia Gominova, Gominova, Violetta Fitsner, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Russia's, Evgenia Kara, Vladimir, Vadim Prokhorov –, Putin –, Prokhorov, Dmitry Talantov, Ivan Safronov, Maria Bontsler, Anastasia Rudenko, George Orwell's, Yuri Mikhailov, Mikhailov, Filipp Lebedev, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Mike Collett, White, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Russia, Ukraine Lawyers, Petersburg Bar Association, Moscow Bar, Russia's, Ministry, Russian Federation, Reuters, U.S, of America, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, acquittals Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, Poland, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Moscow, Ivanovo, Russian, St Petersburg, Tbilisi, Geneva

Wagner fighters took control of the southern port and logistical hub for Russia's war in Ukraine on Saturday morning. Facial recognition software linked him to an account on VKontakte, Russia’s Facebook equivalent, created in the name of Dmitry Chekov. Russian media reported last September that Prigozhin had visited prisones in Rostov region, recruiting more than 1,000 convicts for Wagner. The man was identified by facial recognition software as 33-year-old Sergei Shirshov, a native of the Volga River city of Saratov. A third Wagner fighter pictured in Rostov was identified by facial recognition software as Roman Yamalutdinov, a native of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin, Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Dmitry Chekov, Chekov's, Sergei Shirshov, Shirshov, Yamalutdinov, Olga Romanova, Felix Light, Filipp Lebedev, Guy Faulconbridge, Mike Collett, White, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Wagner Group, Don, Reuters, Belarusian, Facebook, TASS, Local, Penal, Thomson Locations: TBILISI, Russian, Rostov, Ukraine, Moscow, Bakhmut, Belarus, Volga, Saratov, Saratov region's, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Tbilisi

☆ General Dynamics, Rheinmetall to compete for potential $45 bln US Army vehicle contract
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] U.S. servicemen drive Bradley infantry fighting vehicles during the joint U.S.-Georgian exercise Noble Partner 2015 at the Vaziani training area outside Tbilisi, Georgia, May 21, 2015. REUTERS/David MdzinarishviliWASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army said on Monday it had selected General Dynamics (GD.N) and American Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) to compete to replace the Bradley fighting vehicle, in a deal that could be worth more than $45 billion to the winner. A single competition winner will be given a production contract in 2027, Army officials said, with fielding of the first vehicles in 2029. Ultimately, some of the functions of the vehicle would be autonomous, Army officials said. The Army has struggled to replace the Bradley over a number of years, with a previous attempt abandoned.

Persons: David Mdzinarishvili WASHINGTON, Bradley, Mike Stone, Chris Sanders, Jamie Freed Organizations: Bradley, REUTERS, U.S . Army, Dynamics, Rheinmetall, Army, Point Blank Enterprises, Oshkosh Defense, BAE Systems Land, Armaments, Thomson Locations: Tbilisi , Georgia

☆ Flights leaving Moscow sell out as Wagner troops descend, and unconfirmed reports say Putin might have left the capital for St. Petersburg
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Flights from Moscow have sold out amid reports Wagner troops are marching on the city, per Der Spiegel. There have been unconfirmed reports that Vladimir Putin has fled from the capital to St. Petersberg. Flights from Moscow to Tbilisi, Georgia, Astana, Kazakhstan, and Istanbul, Turkey, are now no longer available, a Der Spiegel reporter confirmed. Several other private flights from Russia were also tracked on the Flightradar24 platform, Der Spiegel said. Putin has condemned the mutiny, which he has described as a "betrayal," and has vowed that Russia will defend itself.

Persons: Wagner, Der Spiegel, Vladimir Putin, —, Petersberg, Dmitry Peskov, Denis Manturov, Putin Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Moscow's Vnukovo Locations: Moscow, Russia, St, Petersberg, Ukraine, Tbilisi , Georgia, Astana, Kazakhstan, Istanbul, Turkey, Flightradar24, Moscow's, Russian

But in a statement on April 8 last year, the company said: "Due to recent developments, Acer has decided to suspend its business in Russia." Asked about subsequent exports to Russia via Swiss subsidiary Acer Sales International SA, Acer in Taiwan said in a statement that "we strictly adhere to applicable international regulations and trade laws regarding exports to Russia". Acer did not say why it continued shipping its goods to Russia despite saying it would suspend business there. Reuters was unable to establish where some Acer goods that can still be found on sale in Russia had originated from nor when they had arrived in the country. There were no deliveries of the newly prohibited items by Acer to Russia from Switzerland after that date.

Persons: Dell, Artem Zhavoronkov, Acer, Filipp Lebedev, Gleb Stolyarov, Ben Blanchard, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Mike Collett, White, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Reuters, Dell, HP, Acer, Russia, European Union, Acer Sales International SA, PC, IDC Russia, Nordic Star, Economy Ministry, Economic Affairs, Russia's Ministry of Industry, Trade, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Russia, Ukraine, Acer's, Switzerland, Swiss, St . Petersburg, Japan, Bioggio, WhatsApp, Switzerland's, Tbilisi, Taipei, Geneva

☆ These economies benefited from Russia's isolation — but they now risk Western retaliation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Changing trade patterns in the region are an opportunity, but also a risk. Georgian public support for EU membership has resurged over recent months, with four-fifths (81%) of the population currently in favor joining the bloc, according to a recent poll from U.S.-founded non-profit the National Democratic Institute. Armenia, meanwhile, has never submitted an application for either membership, and other Central Asian countries would not be eligible to join the EU. The geopolitical context with which we [Georgia] are now thought of is with other Central Asia countries. But they don't have EU membership as a target — we do," Kukava said.

Persons: Armenia's, haven't, Mikheil Kukava, Subir Lall, —, Kukava, they're, Ursula von der Leyen, Armen Nurbekyan, Nurbekyan Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty, International Monetary Fund, Institute for Development of, CNBC, Russia Western, European Bank for Reconstruction, Development, European Union, Georgia's National Statistics Office, European Commission, of Seven, Central Bank of, EU, NATO, of Information, U.S, National Democratic Institute, Central Locations: Tbilisi, Russian, Moscow, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, Russia's, Caucasus, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, East, Central Bank of Armenia, Armenia's, U.S, of Information Georgia

"The selfless actions of Russian servicemen repelled three attacks by Ukrainian terrorist formations," the Russian ministry said. Ukraine denies its military is involved in the incursions into Belgorod and says they are conducted by Russian volunteer fighters. BORDER ATTACKReuters was able to verify video footage which showed damaged military targets near Shebekino but not the date of the images. The attacks on Belgorod, Peskov said, would have absolutely no impact on the course of what the Kremlin calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. Another group, known as the Freedom of Russia Legion, posted footage of armed soldiers and vehicles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Gladkov, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Felix Light, George Sargant, Andrew Cawthorne, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Russia Kremlin, Ukrainian, Russian, Federal Security Service, Kremlin, Kyiv, Russian Volunteer Corps, of Russia Legion, Milan Pavicic, Thomson Locations: Russia, MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow, Shebekino, Belgorod, Ukrainian, Russian, Novaya Tavolzhanka, Tbilisi, London, Gdansk

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