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☆ The President, the Soccer Hooligans and an Underworld ‘House of Horrors’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Robert F. Worth | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

direction, and he chose not to.” Serwer speculated that Vucic has concluded the reforms required to join the E.U. The notion that Serbia can “balance” the West against Russia is largely a mirage, Bassuener said. One afternoon in Belgrade, I spent an hour talking to Boris Tadic, who served as Serbia’s president from 2004 until 2012, when he lost to Vucic’s party. Vucic, he said, had “helped put criminals in power” with the belief that he could control them. “What is the final outcome of your power if you’re going to destroy the foundations of society with hooligans and criminals?” he asked.

☆ Hunger Strikes Have Long Served as a Tool of Nonviolent Protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Cora Engelbrecht | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

How is force-feeding hunger strikers viewed? The authorities are typically eager to quash any potential fallout from prisoners’ dying and loathe the spectacle that hunger strikes can create. International groups like the United Nations, the International Red Cross and the World Medical Association have long recognized the right of prisoners to refuse food. And it has been labeled “a form of torture and is contrary to medical ethics,” according to the World Medical Association. Despite these objections, the U.S. military has force-fed prisoners on hunger strikes at Guantánamo Bay, saying that it had no other choice but to keep them alive, and none have starved.

☆ Kitsch to Creepy: Polish Town No Longer Relishes Soviet Past (or Rasputin)
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

BORNE SULINOWO, Poland — Set in a thick forest, ringed by limpid lakes and free of violent crime, the town of Borne Sulinowo in northwestern Poland has undeniable bucolic charm — except for the ghosts on every eerily quiet street of the Nazi and then Soviet soldiers who built it. Governed for the past three decades by Poland, the town was controlled by and part of Germany before World War II; seized by the Red Army in 1945; and occupied by Moscow’s forces until 1992. Military re-enactors, including enthusiasts from Germany and Russia, visited each year to stage a parade, dressed in Soviet and Nazi uniforms, which are banned from public display in Germany. A Polish businessman opened the Russia Hotel, decorating it with photographs of himself and a friend dressed in Russian military uniforms and with communist-era banners embroidered with images of Lenin. His other ventures in the town included a cafe named after Rasputin and boozy, Russia-themed corporate events.

☆ One of Harlan Crow's Hitler paintings from his collection of Nazi memorabilia is likely a fake, according to two top experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jack Newsham | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But one of his supposed Hitler paintings appears to be fake, two experts told Insider. Harlan Crow's little-seen Hitler art collectionLittle is known about Crow's collection. Insider spoke with a person who attended a 2014 tour of Crow's library, led by Crow's personal librarian, who confirmed that he saw the Hitler watercolor in Crow's collection. The US Army has four Hitler paintings in storage, Renee Klish, a retired Army curator, told Insider. Panagopulos of Alexander Historical Auctions, who has often disagreed with Droog, also said it was doubtful that Crow's painting was genuine.

☆ How Putin spent 20 years rebuilding Russia's military 'and then just simply destroyed it' in Ukraine, according to an expert who watched it happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Vladimir Putin has spent his two decades in power rebuilding and reforming Russia's military. Below, Galeotti describes those reforms, what they achieved, and how, in a devastating war in Ukraine, Putin has squandered the military he built. IGOR SAREMBO/AFP via Getty ImagesWhen Putin came to power at the end of the 1990s, what was the state of the Russian military? How did the Russian military underperform in that conflict in Georgia? What did those conflicts show about the capabilities of the Russian military and about the impact of those reforms?

☆ Trump operatives considered using breached voting data to decertify Georgia's Senate runoff in 2021, text messages show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

It’s unclear what if any evidence he has in his possession related to the Coffee County breach. Penrose and Logan were also named in a state-level criminal investigation in Michigan alleging they participated in a conspiracy to seize voting machines there. A local election official helped them gain access to sensitive voting data which they downloaded onto a portable hard drive. Bundren was part of the team enlisted by Trump’s lawyers to find evidence of widespread voter fraud after the 2020 election. Bundren helped oversee the multi-state push to access voting machines on behalf of the Trump legal team, according to several documents obtained by CNN.

☆ Huawei launches in-house software system after being cut off from US services
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ERP software is used by companies to manage key business operations ranging from accounting to supply chain management. "We were cut off from the old ERP system and other core operation and management systems three years ago," said Tao Jingwen, a Huawei board member and president of its quality, business process and IT management department. The in-house Meta-ERP has been rolled out across 80% of the company's business, Huawei said in a news release. The cut off was a "massive crisis" for Huawei, Tao said in his speech, saying that the old system had been core to the company's operations for over two decades. Huawei's 'meta-ERP' system is a 'cloud-native' product, which uses the company's cloud-computing systems for greater efficiency than traditional ERP products, the person said.

☆ Moscow is trying to play it cool, but its military moves hint at growing concern over NATO's newest member
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Finland's admission this month doubles the length of NATO's border with Russia and does so in a region with important Russian military outposts. But Putin's invasion of Ukraine scared not only Finland into joining NATO but also Sweden, which hasn't fought a war since Napoleon was alive. This boosts the alliance's military, political, and economic power considerably and confronts Russia with the prospect of even more NATO forces on its border. There is the possibility of NATO forces and infrastructure being deployed to those countries. Russia's Arctic forces also field an array of powerful weapons, including submarine- and land-based cruise missiles and air-launched hypersonic weapons.

☆ US embassy welcomes Finland to NATO with meme on Finnish snipers, a lethal force legendary for punishing invading Soviets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

To mark the occasion, a US embassy posted a meme to Twitter about Finnish snipers. The meme reads "select all images with Finnish snipers" and includes 12 small picture boxes which together make up an image of a snow-covered forest. What followed was a 105-day-long conflict known as the Winter War — a cold affair that saw Soviet forces suffer substantial losses. Given their limited number of troops and equipment, Finnish forces often couldn't go head to head against Soviet forces in pitched battles, so they turned to their snipers. Ski-mounted Finnish troops inflicted heavy losses on the Soviets.

☆ Ukrainians are riding tanks captured from an elite Russian unit into battle in Bakhmut, but their new gear may not last long
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That includes T-80 tanks captured the 1st Guards Tank Army, an elite Russian armored unit. But Russian tanks are designed for Russian forces, and Ukraine might get limited use out of them. No wonder Western observers have been thrilled by reports of Ukraine capturing hundreds of Russian tanks and turning them against the invaders. "You can see an entire unit composed of nothing but captured Russian tanks." Interestingly, Kofman believes Ukraine doesn't need tanks as much as it needs armored vehicles to carry infantry into battle.

☆ Russia and Ukraine's deadliest battle is starting to look like Stalingrad 'without the importance,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia and Ukraine both say Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine, is the site of their deadliest fighting. An expert on Russia's military likened it to Stalingrad, but without the same level of significance. But at least Stalingrad was an industrial city, a major inland port on the Volga River that was a vital transportation artery for Soviet war production and home to a half-million people. Western experts are struggling to understand why both sides are pouring enormous resources — and prestige — into the Battle of Bakhmut. "It's like becoming like a Stalingrad except for without the importance of Stalingrad."

☆ Col. Paris Davis, One of First Black Officers in Army’s Special Forces, Receives Medal of Honor
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Joseph Pisani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Retired Army Col. Paris Davis , a Vietnam veteran and one of the country’s first Black Special Forces officers, received the Medal of Honor from President Biden Friday, nearly 60 years after he was first nominated. Col. Davis, 83 years old, enlisted in the Army in 1959, just over a decade after the military was desegregated. When he wanted to join the Special Forces, Mr. Biden said, some in the elite group asked if he was sure, since most people in the force didn’t look like him.

☆ Watch: Retired Army Col. Paris Davis Awarded Medal of Honor
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tesla’s Ambitious Goals Come With a Big Price TagTesla wants to become the world’s biggest car maker by volume. But at its investor day this week it offered little details on plans for new car models. WSJ Tesla reporter Rebecca Elliot joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss what the electric-vehicle maker did say about its future and how investors and analysts are reacting.

With Russia embroiled in conflict again in Ukraine, in what the Kremlin says is a fresh existential battle for national survival, memories of the Soviet dictator loom large. "Firstly, thank you for the victory (in World War Two)," said 21-year-old Madina in a typically mixed view of Stalin's legacy among people on the streets of Moscow. said Moscow resident Andrei, 31, praising Stalin as a strong unifying personality whose war victory should be lauded. Today, Gori's Stalin museum, located on the town's Stalin Avenue, is the town's most famous tourist attraction, drawing visitors from across the world. In 2010, the Georgian government ordered the town's Stalin statue removed, saying he did not deserve it.

Instead the opposite happened," said Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the select committee, in his opening remarks. McMaster said the United States must put a priority on expediting delivery of billions of dollars of weapons and munitions that Taiwan has already purchased. Although the committee is bipartisan, some Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns that it could fuel anti-Asian sentiment within the United States. The select committee has 13 Republican and 11 Democratic members. It will not write legislation, but will draw attention to competition between the United States and China on a range of fronts and make policy recommendations.

☆ Nigerians wait to finish voting in some places as election count underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Tife Owolabi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People wait for results during the counting process of Nigeria's presidential election, at a polling unit in Awka, Anambra state, Nigeria February 25, 2023. A Reuters reporter saw voters arriving at polling stations in Yenagoa city, which will open at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT) so electoral commission officials can complete Saturday's presidential and parliamentary election. Voting was also expected to continue in some parts northeastern Borno state, where voting machines failed to work. He is stepping down after winning two previous elections and serving the maximum eight years permitted by the constitution. Whoever wins will face a litany of crises in the country of more than 200 million, Africa's most populous nation.

☆ Nigerians vote for new president, braving long delays in hope of bringing change
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

People read newspapers at a newspaper stand in Onitsha, Nigeria, on February 26, 2023 following he Nigeria presidential and general election. By the evening, some polling stations were already counting ballots, while voting was still going on at others and had not taken place elsewhere. said 23-year-old Halima Sherif, whose polling station in the northern city of Kano had not started operating by closing time. He also acknowledged the delays but said voters would be able to cast their ballots. Yakubu said at a later briefing that voting would take place on Sunday in several wards in Yenagoa that had experienced severe disruption on Saturday.

☆ Nigerians vote for new president, delays seen at some polling stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Anamasere Igboereteonwu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/8] People looks for their names on voters list put up on a wall at a polling unit, during Nigeria's Presidential election in Agulu, Anambra state, Nigeria February 25, 2023. Polling stations were scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT), though Reuters reporters at locations across the country saw a mixed picture, with delays of several hours in some places while voting got underway more swiftly at others. In the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the vice presidential candidate from the ruling party, Kashim Shettima, arrived to cast his ballot but was unable to do so as his designated polling station had not opened. In another northeastern city, Yola, opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was able to vote, surrounded by a chaotic scrum of media and supporters. Vote-counting will begin as soon as polls close and results will be posted outside polling stations, according to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).

☆ Putin says Russia to deploy Sarmat nuclear missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, Russia February 21, 2023. Sputnik/Dmitry Astakhov/Kremlin via REUTERSSummary Russia to deploy Sarmat missilesRussia to roll out hypersonic missilesRussia to add more nuclear submarinesPutin continues nuclear signalling to WestMOSCOW, Feb 23 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia would pay increased attention to boosting its nuclear forces by deploying a much delayed new intercontinental ballistic missile, rolling out hypersonic missiles and adding new nuclear submarines. A year since ordering the invasion of Ukraine, Putin has signalled he is ready to rip up the architecture of nuclear arms control - including the big powers' moratorium on nuclear testing - unless the West backs off in Ukraine. "As before, we will pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad," Putin said, referring to nuclear missiles based on land, sea and in the air, in an address broadcast on state television. In addition, Putin said, Russia would continue mass production of air-based hypersonic Kinzhal systems and would start mass supplies of sea-based Zircon hypersonic missiles.

☆ Lt. Gen. Twitty: We need to be prepared for a protracted war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailLt. Gen. Twitty: We need to be prepared for a protracted war in UkraineRetired Army Lt. General Stephen Twitty, former deputy commander of U.S. European Command, discusses the message President Biden's surprise visit to Ukraine sends to NATO allies and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

☆ Ukrainian village renamed after top general fighting Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Feb 15 (Reuters) - A village in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine has been renamed Zaluzhne in honour of Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the top general in the war against Russia. "The village of Vatutine is renamed Zaluzhne. Kharkiv regional council has supported this decision," Kuts wrote on Facebook after an online session of the regional council. The village, which has just over 1,200 residents, lies about 40 km (25 miles) southwest of the regional capital, Kharkiv. Together with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the four-star general has become the face of the war effort against Russia.

☆ Putin expected to channel Stalingrad victory at key moment in Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Tatiana Gomozova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kirill BragaVOLGOGRAD, Russia, Feb 2 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin is expected to use an event to mark the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in Stalingrad 80 years ago to rally Russians around his military campaign in Ukraine later on Thursday. Since Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February last year in what he called a "special military operation", Russian officials have drawn parallels with World War Two and the struggle against the Nazis. Ukraine - which itself suffered devastation at the hands of Hitler's forces - rejects those parallels and accuses Russia of waging a war of imperial conquest. Thousands of people lined Volgograd's streets on Thursday to watch a victory parade as planes flew overhead and modern and World War Two-era tanks and armoured vehicles trundled through the city centre. Some of the modern vehicles had the letter 'V' painted on them, a symbol used by Russia's forces fighting in Ukraine.

☆ Putin evokes Stalingrad to predict victory over 'new Nazism' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Tatiana Gomozova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Russian officials have been drawing parallels with the struggle against the Nazis ever since Russian forces entered Ukraine almost a year ago. REUTERS/Kirill Braga 1 2 3 4 5VICTORY PARADEAs Putin finished speaking, the audience gave him a standing ovation. Thousands of people lined Volgograd's streets to watch a victory parade as planes flew overhead and modern and World War Two-era tanks and armoured vehicles rolled past. Some of the modern vehicles had the letter 'V' painted on them, a symbol used by Russia's forces in Ukraine. Irina Zolotoreva, a 61-year-old who said her relatives had fought at Stalingrad, saw a parallel with Ukraine.

☆ The US's powerful Abrams tanks are heading to Ukraine, but generals disagree over how hard it'll be to use them on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The US has pledged to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, joining a bevy of Western-made tanks. Here comes the M1 Abrams for UkraineA M1A2 Abrams tank fires at a target during an exercise. The same day, word spread that US President Joe Biden would announce he was sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. But Hertling disagreed that withholding the M1 Abrams was a "political decision" and didn't find the examples of non-US Abrams operators persuasive. M1 Abrams: training and sustainmentAn M1A2 Abrams drives into the woods during an exercise in Hohenfels, Germany.

☆ 3 people share why they're paying as much as $4 million to live on a cruise ship all
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Storylines MV Narrative luxury cruise ship is poised to set sail in 2025. StorylinesBut like a commercial cruise ship, residents of the MV Narrative will have plenty to do. Holt said when he signed on in 2021 to live aboard, the annual fee for a single guy like himself was $72,000 a year. Holt plans to give up his Virginia rental and live aboard the ship full time. Angela NuranThe MV Narrative won't set sail until 2025, but Angela Nuran and Paul Cosentino are ready.

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