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☆ Opinion: Russia’s uneasy neighbors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“All of Russia’s neighbors are under threat,” he said, “if Ukraine does not prevail.” He will find few who disagree among those neighbors. It’s why Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, one of the most eloquent proponents of the need to support Ukraine, says Ukraine is Estonia’s own front line. Here, the exterior of Russia’s embassy has become a showcase for the contempt Estonians feel for their former master. As in Estonia, Russia’s 21st century assault on Ukraine brought echoes of Russia’s 20th century subjugation of Latvia. Genuine normalcy, a permanent sense of safety, Russia’s neighbors have discovered, will have to wait until peace returns to a secure Ukraine.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Latvia CNN —, it’s, Lithuania —, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Vladimir, Putin, Raivis, “, It’s, Kaja Kallas, Michal Fludra, Ukraine —, ” Janis Melnikovs, Radio Maria, Melnikovs, there’s, Russia —, Toomas, Margit Raud, Margit, —, Galina Domenikovska, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Russia’s Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Latvia CNN, Frida Ghitis CNN, Estonian, Russian Embassy, Ukraine Independence, NATO, Catholic, Radio, Ukraine, Kremlin, People Fleeing, Authorities, Soviet Army, Twitter Locations: Riga, Latvia, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark, Netherlands, Soviet Union, Tallinn, Estonian, Finland, Helsinki, People Fleeing Ukraine, Viru, Baltics, Russia’s, Baltic, Republic of Georgia, Crimean

☆ An AI weapons race may create a world where everyone stays inside out of fear of being 'chased down by swarms of slaughterbots,' warns founding Skype engineer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Kylie Kirschner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jaan Tallinn helped build Skype and is the founder of the Future of Life Institute. He recently warned of the risks of an AI arms race, describing theoretical anonymous "slaughterbots." As AI technology develops, Tallinn is especially afraid of the implications that military use might have for the future of AI. When contacted by Insider, the Future of Life Institute told Insider it agreed with Tallinn's remarks on his fears of weaponized AI. Now AI researchers, tech moguls, celebrities, and regular people alike are worried.

Persons: Jaan, Al Jazeera, Tallinn's, Elon Musk, Christopher Nolan, Steve Wozniak, Emad Mostaque, Musk, Insider's Kali Hays, — Organizations: Skype, Life Institute, Jaan, Al, Cambridge Centre, Elon, Apple Locations: Jaan Tallinn, Estonian, Tallinn

☆ ‘He's torturing people': Video shows Russian troops being stripped naked and forced to pluck grass
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A new video purports to show a Russian military brigade commander hazing Russian soldiers. The troops in the video are stripped naked and forced to pluck grass and hit with batons. Soldiers narrating the video lament the effect of hazing and claim it will cause a "mutiny." In the video posted on Thursday, soldiers narrating the video said they were approaching their limit with the behavior. "They'll get a mutiny if they keep going that way," a soldier narrating the video says, per WarTranslated.

Persons: WarTranslated, Russia's, They'll Organizations: Service, Russia's 4th Tank, Russian, 4th Guards, Moscow Times Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow, Estonian, London, Naro

WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday it fined Deutsche Bank and its U.S. affiliates $186 million for failing to sufficiently address money laundering and other shortcomings flagged by the U.S. central bank. The Fed identified the previous issues in 2015 and 2017 consent orders, which stemmed from deficient controls in Deutsche's relationship with the Estonian branch of Danske Bank which ended in 2015. In December, Danske Bank pleaded guilty to a bank fraud conspiracy and agreed to forfeit $2 billion to settle a long-running Department of Justice probe into billions of dollars of illicit payments. In its latest order, the Fed said it found a "significant portion" of the $276 billion in transactions Deutsche cleared for Danske involved "high-risk non-resident customers." Shortcomings in Deutsche's policies on money laundering persisted after its relationship with Danske ended in 2015, the Fed said.

Persons: Biden, Danske, Pete Schroeder, Richard Chang Organizations: Federal, Deutsche Bank, U.S, Fed, Danske Bank, of Justice, Danske, Thomson Locations: Estonian, Estonia, Russia

☆ The Fed Slaps Deutsche Bank With a $186 Million Fine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Matthew Goldstein | More About Matthew Goldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Deutsche has a troubled history with regulators and prosecutors. The bank also paid a $150 million fine to a New York bank regulator in 2020, partly over its banking relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Fed orders from 2015 and 2017 stemmed from Deutsche’s relationship with the Estonian branch of Danske Bank, which has also run afoul of the authorities. Bank regulators had found that in its dealings with Danske Bank, Deutsche did not properly monitor transactions involving high-risk customers. Last year, Danske, the largest bank in Denmark, pleaded guilty to charges arising from a long-running money-laundering investigation.

Persons: Jeffrey Epstein, Deutsche Organizations: Danske Bank, Bank, Deutsche, Estonian, Danske Locations: New York, Estonian, Denmark

☆ Accused Russian intelligence officer pleads not guilty to US smuggling charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, July 14 (Reuters) - An alleged Russian intelligence officer pleaded not guilty on Friday to U.S. charges of smuggling U.S.-origin electronics and ammunition to Russia to help its war against Ukraine. Vadim Konoschenok, who was extradited on Thursday from Estonia, entered the plea at a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ramon Reyes ordered Konoschenok detained pending trial, after prosecutors called him a flight risk. Konoschenok was initially charged last September, as U.S. authorities sought to ramp up enforcement of export controls and sanctions designed to hamper Moscow's war effort. Reporting by Luc Cohen; editing by John Stonestreet and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vadim Konoschenok, Judge Ramon Reyes, Konoschenok, Sabrina Shroff, Luc Cohen, John Stonestreet, Sandra Maler Organizations: YORK, Ukraine, U.S, Attorney, Thomson Locations: Russian, Russia, Estonia, Brooklyn . U.S, Brooklyn, U.S, Washington

☆ NAFO: The pro-Ukraine internet 'fellas' using Shiba Inu memes to fight Russian propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“NAFO” stands for the North Atlantic Fellas Organization and is a decentralized online volunteer organization that is waging its own social media war against Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. Over the weekend, the group held its own summit in Lithuania’s capital, which was opened by the country’s foreign minister. A cartoon Shiba Inu, wearing the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine's flag, pops up behind Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in a video she shared on Twitter. Some fellas are Ukrainian soldiers, who are fighting on the front lines and provide pictures from the battlefield, mocking the incompetence of the Russian military or praising Ukrainian bravery. After identifying Russian propaganda or pro-Russian sympathizers, fellas pile on their posts with memes, humor, wry logic, and dismissive comments.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Kallas, Petras Malulas, NAFO, Kamil Dyszewski, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Keir Giles, Matt Moores, you’ve, Maria Zakharova, ’ ”, Defense Oleksii Reznikov, ”, Shiba, Shiba Inu, Ben Wallace, Adam Kinzinger Organizations: CNN, Estonian, Atlantic Fellas Organization, Twitter, Getty, Georgian Legion, Center for Strategic, International, Russian Foreign, Union, Ukraine’s, Defense, United Kingdom’s, Ukraine Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Estonian, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania’s, AFP, Russian, Egypt

Lithuania is the only one of the three states to have a land link to a fellow NATO ally, Poland. The three Baltic states have also attracted journalists who have fled Russia. DEFENCESpurred by Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the three Baltic states sharply increased military spending. According to NATO estimates for 2022, all three exceeded the NATO agreement to spend 2% of gross domestic product on defence. Since the invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states have requested the forces deployed are beefed up to 3,000-5,000 troops in each state.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Boris Pistorius, Andrius Sytas, Edmund Blair Organizations: NATO, RAND Corporation, European Union, Corruption, German, Thomson Locations: VILNIUS, Lithuania, Baltic, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Soviet Union, Siberia, Soviet, Russia, Belarus, NATO, Poland, Russia's Kaliningrad, Estonian, U.S, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, United States, West, Moscow, Vilnius, Russian, Crimea, Germany, Britain, Canada, British

☆ Uber rival Bolt names new CFO in preparation for IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

STOCKHOLM, July 6 (Reuters) - Estonian ride-hailing and food delivery startup Bolt named Mikko Salovaara as its chief financial officer ahead of the company's preparation for an initial public offering. The company, a rival of Uber (UBER.N), was valued at over $8 billion when it raised 628 million euros from investors in January last year. Chief Executive Officer Markus Villig told Reuters in May that Bolt expects to become profitable in the next 12 months and be ready for an IPO in 2025. Salovaara, who will join the company later this month, was earlier the CFO of fintech firm Revolut. Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mikko Salovaara, Uber, Markus Villig, Bolt, Supantha Mukherjee, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Salovaara, Stockholm

☆ Wawrinka sets up Djokovic clash as Wimbledon clears backlog
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 38-year-old Wawrinka, winner of three Grand Slam titles and twice a Wimbledon quarter-finalist, knocked out 29th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-2. His reward was a first meeting on grass with Djokovic who has beaten him in 20 of their 26 clashes. "I was missing that in my career to play him in the Grand Slam in Wimbledon. It was a memorable day for Andrey Rublev who overcame fellow Russian Aslan Karatsev 6-7(4) 6-3 6-4 7-5 to bag his 50th Grand Slam match victory and move into the third round. She set up an intriguing clash with American Sofia Kenin after the former major champion eased past China's Wang Xinyu 6-4 6-3.

Persons: Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Australia's Jordan Thompson, Dylan Martinez, Stan Wawrinka, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, It's, Novak, Wawrinka, Gijs Brouwer, Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Sonego, Andrey Rublev, Aslan Karatsev, Elina Svitolina, Elise Mertens, Sofia Kenin, China's Wang Xinyu, Barbora Krejcikova, Kontaveit, Marie Bouzkova, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Ed Osmond Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, Australia's Jordan Thompson REUTERS, Wimbledon, Dutch, England Club, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Swiss, Madrid, Bengaluru

☆ Wimbledon day three
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - Highlights of the third day at the Wimbledon tennis championships on Wednesday (times GMT):1210 PLAY SUSPENDEDPlay has been suspended on all outside courts at Wimbledon due to rain. The start of the Court One match between Briton Arthur Fery and Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev has also been delayed. loadingFederer, who has won Wimbledon a record eight times, sat in the Royal Box on Centre Court on Tuesday. 1005 NO PLAY ON OUTER COURTS DUE TO RAINLight rain forced organisers to push the start of play on the outdoor courts to 1030. Organisers are playing catch-up after 69 matches on the outside courts were cancelled on Tuesday due to torrential rain.

Persons: Briton Arthur Fery, Daniil Medvedev, Thompson, Wednesday King Federer, Wimbledon Jabeur, Udvardy Mighty Murray, Alcaraz, Federer, Rybakina, Kontaveit, Lucrezia Stefanini, FEDERER, Hritika Sharma, Rohith Nair, Aadi Nair, Ed Osmond Organizations: Wimbledon, Wednesday, Udvardy, Federer, All England, Court, Britain's, Thomson Locations: Russian, Alcaraz, Saudi Arabia, Estonian, England

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhat happened to Skype? At its height, Skype – a telecommunications app founded by Scandinavian entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, and Estonian engineers Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, Jaan Tallinn and Toivo Annus – had 560 million registered users. In 2005, just two years after its launch, the app was acquired by eBay. Microsoft then acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion. Now that Microsoft has rival Teams, the future of Skype is uncertain.

Persons: Niklas Zennström, Janus Friis, Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, Jaan Tallinn, Toivo Annus –, what's Organizations: Skype, eBay, Microsoft, CNBC Locations: Toivo, Silver

☆ EU leaders push to fund Ukraine with proceeds from Russia's frozen assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jan Strupczewski | Thomson Reuters | Jan Is The Acting Bureau Chief In Brussels. He Has Been Covering European Union Policy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 29 (Reuters) - European Union leaders will push senior officials on Thursday to find legal ways to funnel proceeds from billions of dollars of frozen Russian assets into projects helping rebuild Ukraine, papers showed. The bloc has said it froze more than 200 billion euros ($218.2 billion) of Russian central bank assets in reaction to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Another 30 billion euros of Russian oligarchs' private assets were also immobilised. The EU also needs to establish where to keep any proceeds from the Russian assets and how to disburse them. Belgium's Euroclear, which settles transactions and safeguards assets, said blocked coupon payments and redemptions boosted its balance sheet by 88 billion euros year-on-year by the end of March to 140 billion euros.

Persons: Kaja Kallas, Belgium's, Ursula von der Leyen, Jan Strupczewski, Philip Blenkinsop, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Union, Kremlin, European Council, High Representative, Commission, EU, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Russian, Brussels, Estonian, Russia, EU, United States, Canada, Britain, Japan

BRUSSELS, June 29 (Reuters) - European Union leaders will on Thursday debate the repercussions of the aborted mutiny in Russia as they pledge further support for Ukraine in its war against Moscow's invasion. Like several other EU leaders, Kallas said the mutiny showed cracks appearing in Russia's leadership. She said she had seen different views on how the mutiny could affect the Ukraine war and the risk Russia poses to the West. The West should not be swayed and continue to support Ukraine and bolster its own defences, Kallas said. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council of EU leaders, struck a similar note.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Kaja Kallas, Wagner, Kallas, Charles Michel, ”, John Irish, Julia Payne, Kate Abnett, Philip Blenkinsop, Jan Strupczewski, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Union, Ukraine, NATO, Estonian, European Council, EU, Kyiv, Diplomats, Peace, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Russia, Brussels, China, Ukraine, Western, France, United States, U.S, Britain, Germany, Vilnius, Lithuania, Kyiv

☆ Shocked by the speed of the Wagner revolt, Russia's neighbors want to beef up NATO's eastern flank
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Petras Malukas | Afp | Getty ImagesThe fallout of the Wagner Group's short-lived armed rebellion has raised the alarm among Europe's Baltic countries. Speaking alongside his counterparts from Latvia and Estonia on Tuesday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that the speed of the Wagner uprising underscored the strategic importance of strengthening NATO's eastern flank. Germany has offered to send around 4,000 troops to Lithuania on a permanent basis to bolster NATO's eastern flank. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year had already fueled concerns about the regional security of the Baltic region. Regional security concernsLatvia Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics described the Wagner rebellion as an example of "one evil fighting another evil."

Persons: Griffin, Silvestras, Petras Malukas, Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Landsbergis, Malukas, Catherine Colonna, Jens Stoltenberg, Russia's, Mario Bikarski, Federica Reccia, Edgars Rinkevics, Rinkevics, Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Gavriil Grigorov Organizations: Afp, Getty, Belarusian, Lithuanian, NATO, French, European Union, Economist Intelligence Unit, CNBC, Latvia, AFP Locations: Lithuanian, Pabrade, Lithuania, Baltic, Moscow, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Paris, Belarus, Estonian, Germany, Vilnius, Ukraine, Belarusian, Russian

☆ Turmoil in Russia: Reactions from foreign governments
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"With very limited evidence of fighting between Wagner and Russian security forces, some have likely remained passive, acquiescing to Wagner." LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GABRIELIUS LANDSBERGIS"For 100 years Lithuanians have lived on the edge of Moscow's brutal banditocracy, knowing it's only a matter of time before the next chaotic implosion. CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER JAN LIPAVSKY"We are closely following the situation in the Russian Federation. ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER KAJA KALLAS"Estonia is closely following the development of the situation in Russia and exchanging information with allies. The instructions of Russian security authorities should be followed at all costs," it said in its updated travel advice.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, Wagner, JAMES, OANA, GABRIELIUS, it's, JAN LIPAVSKY, ANDRZEJ DUDA, Emmanuel Macron, GIORGIA, Meloni, Frances Kerry, Hugh Lawson Organizations: MINISTRY, Russian National Guard, Wagner Group, NATO, Ukraine, Russian Federation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Russian, Britain, Ukraine, Rostov, Voronezh Oblast, Moscow, EU, Estonia

☆ Estonia's Bolt, Starship in food delivery robot deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, June 21 (Reuters) - Estonian ride-hailing and food delivery startup Bolt on Wednesday said it has signed a partnership with robotics firm Starship Technologies aiming to have thousands of robots delivering food across multiple countries, starting this year. With this partnership, Starship will gain access to Bolt's more than 100 million customers in over 45 countries and 500 cities. Bolt expects delivery using robots to ultimately increase its profitability per delivery. Former Skype co-founders launched Starship in 2014 and started testing their self-driving delivery robots in London. Since then its six-wheel robots have been operational in more than 50 service areas for last-mile delivery of food, groceries, and small packages.

Persons: Supantha Mukherjee, Jason Neely Organizations: Technologies, Skype, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Estonia, London, Stockholm

☆ European Uber rival Bolt will deliver food to your door via self-driving robots
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Bolt is set to launch food delivery via robot in partnership with the robotics firm Starship Technologies. Estonian ride-hailing firm Bolt says it will begin delivering food to people's doors from a fleet of self-driving robots through a partnership with robotics firm Starship Technologies. The company said it would start offering online food deliveries in its home city of Tallinn later this year in an initial rollout of Starship's robots, which are roughly the size of a suitcase. "Starship offers a smart and much-loved service that has proven itself over the past five years and we're excited to introduce this service to more people." The company has since expanded into several other lines of business, including online food and grocery delivery and e-scooters.

Persons: Bolt, Markus Villig, Uber Organizations: Technologies Locations: Estonian, Tallinn, U.S

☆ Kontaveit to retire after Wimbledon due to back injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Kontaveit cut her 2022 season short in October and took another two-month break in February to focus on the issue. "I am ready for new challenges after my last effort as a professional tennis player - to enjoy the game and compete as hard as I can at Wimbledon." Kontaveit, now ranked 79th in the world, exited the Australian Open in the second round and has not played since a first-round defeat at the French Open in May. A quarter-final run at Melbourne Park in 2020 is her best Grand Slam result to date. Kontaveit won four titles and reached the WTA Finals in a breakthrough 2021 season and was ranked world number two last September at the U.S. Open, where she lost to Serena Williams in the second round.

Persons: Kontaveit, Poland's Magda Linette REUTERS, Hannah Mckay, Serena Williams, Hritika Sharma, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Melbourne, Wimbledon, Melbourne Park, WTA, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Instagram, Hyderabad

☆ Estonia becomes first ex-Soviet state to legalize same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Estonia’s parliament passed on Tuesday a law legalizing same-sex marriage, becoming the first ex-Soviet country to do so. Two adults will be able to marry “regardless of their gender,” after the parliament approved amendments to the country’s Family Law Act, according to a press statement. The amendments to the Family Law Act also mean that same-sex couples can now adopt children. Geoff Moore/ShutterstockSame-sex relationships have been legally recognized in Estonia since 2016, when the Registered Partnership Act took effect. “I am delighted that the decision has now been taken for a more forward-looking Estonia that cares for all.”

Persons: CNN —, Kaja Kallas, ”, Geoff Moore, “, Signe Riisalo, ” Riisalo Organizations: CNN, ”, Estonian Human Rights, Estonia’s, Social Locations: Soviet, Estonia, Tallinn

A Russian-installed official said on Sunday that Ukraine had taken control of the village, Piatykhatky, in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had not only retaken Piatykhatky but had advanced by up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks, capturing 113 square km (44 square miles) of land. The reported capture of the villages reflects incremental gains for Ukraine that highlight the challenge of breaking through lines Moscow has spent months strengthening. Russia says it invaded Ukraine to "denazify" it, an argument Ukraine and its Western allies call a pretext for a land grab. While Ukraine conducts what Western governments and analysts say are probing attacks to test Russian forces, officials from two NATO member states said Moscow is redeploying some of its forces as it seeks to predict where Ukraine will strike.

Persons: Ukraine Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Piatykhatky, Maliar, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Rogov, Margo Grosberg, Michael Kofman, Denise Brown, Dan Peleschuk, Lidia Kelly, Wendell Roelf, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, NATO, Russia, Western, Estonian Defense Forces, Twitter, Russia's Defence Ministry, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, French, KYIV, Russian, Piatykhatky, Moscow, Ukrainian, Novodonetske, Donetsk, Sweden, Estonian, Dnipro, Estonia, U.S, Great Salt, Kherson region, Kyiv, West

☆ The US Air Force is finally retiring the aging A-10. Now it plans to get rid of some the specially trained airmen who guide the Warthog to its targets.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Air Force has begun retiring the A-10, an aircraft famed for its role in close air support. Indeed, the US Air Force is finally retiring the aging A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft, which a top official has said "doesn't scare" China. According to Pentagon's budget request for 2024, the Air Force is looking to cut its TACP force by more than 40% over the next three years. If the plan goes ahead, the Air Force TACP community will have a little over 2,100 positions for officers, enlisted troops, and civilian personnel in 2025, down from the 3,700 slots it has currently, a spokesman told Air Force Times. "I think the military is getting ready for a war where we won't have air dominance," a former Air Force Combat Controller told Insider.

Persons: —, Tyler, Mercedee Wilds, Ryan Conroy, Michael Holzworth, Col, Nathan Colunga, Colunga, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: US Air Force, Tactical Air Control Party, Service, China, US Air National Guard, Staff, Tyler Woodward Tactical Air Control Party, US Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Air Force Times, Air, National Guard, Air Combat Command, Air Force Combat, Combat, Air Commando, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, Navy, Army Green Berets, Marine Raiders, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Force Special, Squadron, Tech, Warfare, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Estonian, Kansas, Fort Irwin, California, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Estonia, Nevada, Johns

☆ ECB policymakers line up behind rate hike plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Underlying inflation eased to 5.3% in May, but a big chunk of the drop was due to a one-off administrative discount in German transport prices. Wunsch has said in the past that the ECB's deposit rate could hit 4% if underlying inflation did not moderate. Joining the chorus behind rate hikes, Estonian central bank chief Madis Muller said more rate action is needed. "Euro zone interest rates have not yet peaked," Muller said in a statement. "The ultimate goal is clear for the central bank - we need to quickly get the price rise under control."

Persons: Joachim Nagel, Pierre Wunsch, Wunsch, Austria's Robert Holzmann, Gediminas Simkus, Madis Muller, " Muller, Balazs Koranyi, Andrius Sytas, Julia Payne, Francois Murphy, Terje Solsvik, Alex Richardson, Toby Chopra, Jan Harvey Organizations: Central Bank, ECB, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Belgian, U.S, Estonian

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - Estonian authorities are investigating the theft of cryptocurrency from users of the country's Atomic Wallet service, a police spokesperson said Wednesday. More than $100 million in digital assets were stolen from thousands of users of cryptocurrency service Atomic Wallet by a gang of allegedly North Korean hackers known as "Lazarus," cryptocurrency analytics firm Elliptic said Tuesday. A spokesperson for Estonia's National Criminal Police said in an email that authorities had been investigating the theft since last week but would not be drawn on the details. Kaarel Kallas said the investigation was still in its early stages "and at the moment we cannot comment on the origins of the attacks." The FBI, which has in the past investigated Lazarus-linked hacks, declined comment.

Persons: Lazarus, Kaarel Kallas, Raphael Satter, Mark Potter Organizations: National Criminal Police, FBI, Thomson Locations: Tallinn

☆ Question of who will take over NATO looms as Biden meets alliance’s chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —As President Joe Biden prepares to sit down Monday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a personnel issue will be looming: Who will replace the outgoing NATO leader when he departs his post later this year? He’s already received a pitch on United Kingdom Defense Minister Ben Wallace from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during an Oval Office meeting last week. A person familiar with the matter said Sunak entered the meeting prepared to sell Biden on Wallace, though afterward Biden told reporters he wasn’t yet convinced. Other candidates for NATO secretary general could include Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, according to diplomats. Finland’s membership was finalized in April, but Turkey has remained resistant to Sweden joining the defense alliance.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Biden, Stoltenberg, – NATO’s, He’s, Ben Wallace, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Wallace, “ We’re, ”, “, haven’t, Mette Frederiksen, Frederiksen, Mark Rutte, Kaja Kallas, doesn’t, It’s Organizations: Washington CNN, NATO, United Kingdom Defense, British, Danish, Dutch, Estonian Locations: Lithuania, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Turkey

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