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☆ COP29: Azerbaijan’s leader takes a wrecking ball to climate talks as calls mount for a total ‘overhaul’
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Angela Dewan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —From the moment the US election results rolled in, climate leaders knew Donald Trump would be a blow to the COP29 talks in Baku. Amid the chaos, prominent global climate leaders on Friday issued an open letter calling for a “fundamental overhaul” of the entire UN climate process. COP29 marks the third year in a row that the climate talks have been held in either a petrostate, or economy that relies heavily on oil and gas. World leaders and delegates pose for a "family photo" on day two of the COP29 talks. Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesThe geopolitical chaos comes as global climate leaders scramble to find ways to Trump-proof progress so far, as the president-elect has vowed to again pull the US out of the Paris Agreement.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ilham Aliyev, Sandrine Dixson, —, ”, Alex Scott, they’re, ” Aliyev, Aliyev, Agnès, Joseph Borrell, Azerbaijan’s COP29, Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen didn't, Sean Gallup, Trump, Gerardo Werthein, “, Javier Milei’s Organizations: CNN, The, of Rome, United Arab, Getty, New York Times Locations: Baku, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Italy, Paris, France, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Azerbaijan, Armenia

☆ Young Chinese are ditching planes to travel long distances by train and bus. Meet the ‘iron butt’ travelers
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Chris Lau | Joyce Jiang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A growing group of Chinese travelers are now turning to extreme forms of transportation for their vacations. They call themselves “iron butt” travelers – inspired by the amount of time they spend traveling on uncomfortable seats that make flesh start to feel like metal. Iron butt travel lets me visit more places for less money,” another self-identified “iron butt” traveler, 27-year-old Peng Fei, told CNN. But that doesn’t mean he and his fellow “iron butt” travelers have to compromise the fun. Now, though, iron butt travelers are redefining – or perhaps gentrifying – this form of travel.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Lin En, Lin, isn’t, Lin En, Peng Fei, ‘, ”, I’d, “, Lin En's, Lin En, Peng, “ I’ve, They’re Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Tibet Autonomous, United Arab Emirates Locations: Hong Kong, Xinjiang, China’s, Astana, Kazakhstan’s, China, Kazakhstan, Laos, Kunming, Huay, Thailand, Myanmar, megacities, Beijing, Shanghai, Lhasa, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region, Guangzhou, Central Asia, Europe, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tibet Autonomous, Egypt

☆ Lonely Planet’s top places to go in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-23 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Grab your passport and your sunscreen, Lonely Planet has just revealed its 30 must-visit destinations for 2025 as well as a brand-new rundown of top 10 travel trends. Cameroon, Lithuania and Fiji got nods as country destinations and Chiriqui in Panama and Valais in Switzerland were classed as regions with rizz. For cities, “number one on the list this year is Toulouse, France,” Nitya Chambers, Lonely Planet’s SVP, content and executive editor, tells CNN. Train-hopping is the top travel trend identified by Lonely Planet in this 15th edition of its best-selling “Best in Travel” book. Christopher Horsley/Getty ImagesLocal flavors and outdoor adventureThe northern Thai city of Chiang Mai weaves into Lonely Planet’s local flavors travel trend.

Persons: ” Nitya Chambers, It’s, Chambers, ”, Christopher Horsley, Chiang Mai, “, rawness, it’s, –, Justin Foulkes, Bulgaria Chiang Mai Organizations: CNN, Lonely Planet’s, Lonely, Getty, Sustainable Development, ”, Regions, Cities, Brazil Palma de Mallorca, Cameroon Lithuania Fiji Laos Kazakhstan Paraguay Trinidad & Tobago Vanuatu Slovakia Armenia Regions Low, Coastal Locations: Bansko, Bulgaria, Osaka, Japan, Edmonton, Canada, Cameroon, Lithuania, Fiji, Chiriqui, Panama, Valais, Switzerland, Toulouse, France, Puducherry, Pondicherry, Chennai, Vanuatu, Ambrym, Christopher, Thai, Pacific Islands, England, East Anglia, Turkey, Giresun, Coastal Georgia, Cities Toulouse, France Pondicherry, India Bansko, Thailand Genoa, Italy Pittsburgh, USA Osaka, Japan Curitiba, Brazil, Spain Edmonton, Cameroon Lithuania Fiji Laos Kazakhstan Paraguay Trinidad & Tobago Vanuatu Slovakia, Nepal Chiriqui, Panama Launceston, Valley, Australia Valais, Turkiye Bavaria, Germany, Anglia, Hood, Columbia, Oregon

☆ Spanish police seize Russia-bound chemicals, including possible weapons material
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Police in Spain have seized 13 tons of banned chemicals, including “possible” chemical weapons precursors, that were bound for Russia despite the sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, they said on Tuesday. “During the investigation, it was proven that internationally sanctioned chemicals, some of them possible precursors for chemical weapons or nerve agents, had been exported in the past using this company structure,” national police and the tax authority said in a joint statement. The statement did not say which chemicals were seized in the latest operation. The Spanish company had established a sophisticated logistical and financial network to export internationally sanctioned chemical products to Russia, police said. However, Russia has repeatedly denied the accusations, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters in May that Moscow remained bound by its obligations under the treaty that bans chemical weapons.

Persons: Sant Feliu, Santa Perpetua, Mogoda, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: police, European Union Locations: Spain, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, “, Sant, del Valles, Santa, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, United States, Britain, London

☆ One of Russia's longtime allies says Putin's NATO rival is now a threat to his country
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Armenia's prime minister said Putin's NATO-style alliance, the CSTO, "creates threats" for his country. Armenia recently froze its membership in the CSTO, which was seen as a blow to Putin. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementA former close ally of Russia said that President Vladimir Putin's NATO-style alliance, far from offering security guarantees, now "creates threats" for his country. Armenia recently froze its membership in the six-nation Collective Security Treaty Organization of post-Soviet states, which has been seen as Putin's answer to NATO.

Persons: Armenia's, —, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: NATO, Service, Vladimir Putin's NATO, Security, Organization, Business Locations: Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

☆ 'Living death' was my dad's nickname for office work. Now I'm in my 40s — and I can see why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Ariel Sophia Bardi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. I'd spent carefree years bouncing around Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Mexico, India and Armenia. Advertisement"Living death," that's how my philosopher-slash-guitarist father had nicknamed office work. Author's view from hotel overlooking the Bay of Algiers Ariel Sophia BardiA freelance job helped me feel free againI needed to start living again. I make no comparison between their incredible courage and my own infinitely milder risks, which soon included drifting back to freelance work.

Persons: —, I'd, Trump, wasn't, Algiers Ariel Sophia Bardi, warbled, Rai, one's Organizations: Service, Business, Microsoft Locations: Algeria, Palms, Algiers, California, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Mexico, India, Armenia, Oran

☆ The plot to topple Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Paul Starobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

But it was only when Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine , in 2022, that Ammosov began to plot the overthrow of his homeland. As I found in months of wide-ranging interviews, everyone aspiring to a new Russian revolution grasps the seemingly impossible odds of their bid to topple Putin. Ponomarev — who was profiled last year in The Washington Post under the headline "Could this man bring down Putin?" Most applicants live in Russia, Sokolov tells me, but submissions have come from as far away as Uruguay. "I know a lot of good officers" in the CIA, Ponomarev told me, who "sympathize" with the anti-Putin insurgency.

Persons: Vladislav Ammosov, Ukraine —, Ammosov, wondrously, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Simona Supino, Alexey Navalny —, Ilya Ponomarev, Ponomarev —, —, Sean Guillory, Denis Sokolov, Sokolov, Galina Starovoytova, Anastasia Sergeeva, Sergeeva, Valter, Putin —, Tatiana Kosinova, Yelena Bonner, Itil, Boris Nemtsov, Nemtsov, Vladimir Lenin, specter, NurPhoto, Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Boris Akunin, Ponomarev, Trotsky, Mao, Castro, Alexei Sobchenko, Sergei Chuzavkov, Ilya Ponomarev Ponomarev, Michał Kamiński, Kosinova, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, Nikolai Gogol's, . Barnum, Bernie, Madoff, Donald, Leonid Nevzlin, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Navalny, King George III, Khodorkovsky, Garry Kasparov, Putin's, Andrey Volna, Brian Fitzpatrick, Charlie Wilson's, Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Daniel Fried, William Burns, Fried, Biden, We're, Evgenia, it's Organizations: Putin, Ukrainian, Russian Federation, The Washington Post, University of Pittsburgh, Civic Council, Kennan, Wilson Center, GRU, Russia, BI, International Republican Institute, CIA, Kremlin, Russian, Memorial, Soviet Union, of America, Civic, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Russian Volunteer Corps, European, Human Rights, Siberian Battalion, Ammosov, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Putin's Defense Ministry, True, Bolsheviks, of Russia Legion, People's Deputies, State Department, Justice Department, Polish Senate, Trump University, Trump, Khodorkovsky, FBI, Intelligence, Senate, Ukrainian Security Services, Bolshevik Locations: Siberia, Russia, Warsaw, Poland, Ukraine, Sakha, India, Putin Russia, Russian, Kyiv, The, restive North Caucasus, Washington, Soviet Union, Moscow, WhatsApp, Ukrainian, Soviet, Crimean, USSR, Europe, Uruguay, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, America, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Belgorod, Kursk, Kremlin, China, Cuba, True Russia, Ponomarev, Northern Virginia, Polish, ., Lviv, Yukos, London, Pennsylvania, Texas, Afghanistan, Putin Russian, Tallinn, Estonia

☆ A longtime Russian ally says it's frozen its participation in Putin's NATO 'at all levels' after a year of snubs
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-02 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO at all levels," he said, according to a translation by US think tank the Institute for the Study of War. AdvertisementHowever, he added that Armenia may "see the need to make another decision" in the future, per the ISW. Pashinyan announced his decision to leave the CSTO — a military alliance made up of Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan — in February. Tensions have risen between Russia and Armenia since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Pashinyan has repeatedly refused to support. Other CSTO members have also snubbed Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, berate Putin, Thomas Graham Organizations: Service, Collective Security, Organization, NATO, Business, for, Tajikistan —, Kremlin, Yale Locations: Russian, Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pashinyan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia's, East

☆ The Philippines' first male athlete to win Olympic gold prompts outpouring of #PinoyPride
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

With every tumble, handspring and stuck landing at the Paris Olympics, trailblazing two-time gold medal gymnast Carlos Yulo of Team Philippines ignited a wave of Filipino pride. The 24-year-old cemented his legendary status after he took the top spot in the men’s floor and vault events, making him the first male athlete in the Philippines history to win a gold medal. The wins made Yulo the second person ever to take home gold for the Philippines after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz won the women’s 55-kilogram event in 2021 at the Tokyo Games. He also accounts for the totality of the Philippines’ medal count this year. “It’s also not seen as much of a priority … For a lot of people in countries like the Philippines, it’s about survival.

Persons: trailblazing, Carlos Yulo, They’ve, Yulo, Artem Dolgopyat, Armenia’s Artur Davtyan, Harry Hepworth, Hidilyn Diaz, Lionel Bonaventure, Suni Lee, ”, Diaz, “, ” Diaz, James Zarsadiaz, Zarsadiaz, “ It’s, Yulo’s Organizations: Paris, Team Philippines, Tokyo Games, Getty, Bercy Arena, USA, Philippine Studies, University of San, NBC News Locations: Philippines, Israel, AFP, University of San Francisco, Tokyo

☆ In Georgia’s Depressed Heartland, Pining for the Soviet Past
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The town of Kazreti, nestled in the picturesque mountains of Georgia near the border with Armenia, once boasted a cinema, a bank, musical fountains, two schools and a kindergarten. Dance ensembles and volleyball teams from across the Soviet Union would come to perform and compete, and central heating and electricity were free. But after the Soviet Union’s collapse in the 1990s, he said, everything also came crashing down in Kazreti. No longer supported by the Soviet command economy, the unprofitable local gold and copper mines and an enrichment plant were shut, putting hundreds of people out of work. Now there is just one school in the town and the cinema and bank have closed.

Persons: ”, Davit Jakeli Locations: Kazreti, Georgia, Armenia, Soviet Union, Tbilisi, Soviet

☆ The British Army has shrunk to its smallest size since the Napoleonic wars
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The British Army has shrunk to its lowest level since the early 1800s. That's a far cry from the Chinese army of 2 million soldiers, Russia's 1.3 million, or the 460,000 active-duty troops of the US Army. "As things stand, the British Army is a one-trick pony," Nicholas Drummond, a British defense expert and former infantry officer, told Business Insider. AdvertisementIn 1989, the British Army had 156,000 soldiers, or more than twice its present size. "Right now, the British Army cannot generate a single division, let alone two," Drummond said.

Persons: —, Napoleon, Nicholas Drummond, Rudyard Kipling, Tommy, Chuck, Drummond, Keir Starmer, Conservative government's, It's, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, British Army, US Army, Business, Britain's Army, NATO, Royal Navy, Treasury, Army, Labor, Conservative, Royal Air Force, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Romania, Bangladesh, Canada, Armenia, Russia, Washington, DC, Ukraine, British, Forbes

☆ Iran Warns Israel Against War in Lebanon Against Hezbollah: Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Vivian Nereim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Illegal Israeli settlements in the Gush Etzion settlement block in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 2020. But after the first Arab-Israeli war, Jordan took control of the West Bank, and Jerusalem became divided between Israel and Jordan. In the 1967 war, Israel annexed East Jerusalem and occupied the West Bank, which it says is disputed territory whose fate should be determined in negotiations. That appears to be the goal for Mr. Smotrich, who adamantly opposes Palestinian statehood. In a social media post on Thursday, Mr. Smotrich indicated that the latest settlement legalization was a response to those decisions.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Bezalel Smotrich, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Smotrich, Ammar Awad, Evyatar Borovski, Givat, Assaf Hershkovitz, Sde Ephraim, Jordan, Amit Elkayam, Volker Türk, Tor, “ We’ll, ”, Yehuda Fox, “, ” Aaron Boxerman Organizations: West Bank, Authority, Palestinian, Reuters, West, Peace, United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Security Council, International Court of Justice, Bank, Geneva Convention, Criminal Court, United Nations, International Court of, The New York Times, East Jerusalem —, Mr, Israel’s, Command Locations: Gush Etzion, Bank, Israel, Jerusalem, Jabal Subeih, Nablus, West, Givat Assaf, West Bank, Ras Karkar, Ramallah, Settlers, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jordan, East Jerusalem, Palestinian, Oslo, Evyatar, Beita, Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Armenia

☆ In 'Operation Endgame,' global law enforcement teamed up in their biggest battle against hackers. It's a start.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. 'Largest ever operation against botnets'Europol called the sting the "largest ever operation against botnets, which play a major role in the deployment of ransomware." As part of the operation, the law enforcement agencies shut down at least four malware groups or "droppers" known as "IcedID," "Smokeloader," "Pikabot," and "Bumblebee." Mitrano said "Operation Endgame," is a "very important first step, but we have to keep going." AdvertisementThe "biggest problem" in the malware world, according to Holt, is that there is always a different iteration of malware on the horizon.

Persons: —, Adam Wandt, John Jay, botnets, Europol, Christopher Wray, alarmingly, Wandt, Ransomware, Tracy Beth Mitrano, it's, Mitrano, Thomas Holt, cybercrime, Holt, Cybercriminals, Wray, borderless cybercrime Organizations: Service, Business, European Union, FBI, cybercrime, New, John, John Jay College of Criminal, botnets, Cornell University, of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University Locations: Ukraine, Armenia, Europe, cryptocurrency, United States, Holt, ransomware

☆ Russian ally ditching Putin's rival to NATO damages the image Putin wants to project of himself, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewArmenia's announcement that it's going to leave a Russia-led alliance that was set up to rival NATO is a blow to the image Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to project, experts told Business Insider. In fact, experts say it's the opposite of what Putin hoped to achieve with the alliance. But leading it is still important to Putin as, in Putin's mind, "great powers lead alliances and organizations." Armenia snubbing RussiaPashinyan's announcement came after months of snubs against Putin, and criticism of the CSTO in general.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan, Putin, Davis Ellison, Alexander Cooley, Thomas Graham, snubs, Pashinyan, Graham, Armenia doesn't Organizations: Service, NATO, Collective Security, Organization, Business, The Hague, Strategic Studies, Columbia University, Yale, Armenia's, Reuters, Getty Locations: Russia, Armenia, Kremlin, Soviet Union, Moscow, Soviet, East, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Washington, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

☆ One of Russia's allies says it is quitting Putin's rival to NATO, in the latest snub to the Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA key Russian ally said it's quitting the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a group widely considered to be President Vladimir Putin's answer to NATO. The prime minister told lawmakers: "We will leave. Related storiesTensions have heightened between Russia and Armenia since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Pashinyan has refused to endorse on multiple occasions. Frankopan said the latest development may not end with Armenia leaving the CSTO if negotiations take place.

Persons: —, it's, Vladimir Putin's, Nikol Pashinyan, he'd, Pashinyan, Putin, Pashinyan's, Dmitry Peskov, Peter Frankopan, Frankopan Organizations: Service, Security, Organization, NATO, Armenian, Associated Press, Business, AP, Kremlin, Oxford University, West . Relations, Ukraine —, Azerbaijan, International Criminal Locations: Russian, Russia, Moscow, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Balkans, Azerbaijan

☆ Armenia to withdraw from Russia-led military alliance, accusing members of plotting war
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Armenia will leave a Russia-led military alliance, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed Wednesday, accusing members of the bloc of plotting with bitter rival Azerbaijan to start a war against them. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan reclaimed in full by force in September. Russia has traditionally allied with Armenia, but their relations have soured in recent months while Moscow’s ties to Azerbaijan have deepened. Pashinyan confirmed to lawmakers that Armenia will withdraw from the Russia-led military alliance. Azerbaijan has also demanded that Armenia change its constitution to remove a reference to Karabakh independence, but Pashinyan has so far resisted the calls.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, ” Pashinyan, Karen Minasyan, “, ”, Vladimir Putin, Pashinyan –, Azerbaijan –, Ilham Aliyev, Armenpress, Bagrat Galstanyan, ” Galstanyan Organizations: CNN, Security, Organization, European Union, Getty, AFP Locations: Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Moscow, United States, Soviet Union, Karabakh, Yerevan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Soviet, AFP, Nagorno, Aliyev

☆ Moscow derides peace summit; Ukraine says using Western weapons to strike Russia could be a game changer
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has poured scorn on Ukraine's attempts to invite its former Soviet allies to a forthcoming peace summit in Switzerland, saying the invitation had been rejected by its neighbors. "Kyiv and its Western handlers actively sought to attract representatives from the countries of the global South and East. Russia jealously guards its influence over the CIS, which includes Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, Western countries have tried to strengthen their relations with several member countries of CIS, much to Russia's disdain. Russia is sensitive over what it sees as Western encroachment on its own backyard, particularly as the CIS' membership has dwindled in recent years.

Persons: Ilham Aliyev, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Vladimir Putin, Emomali Rahmon, Alexander Lukashenko, Mikhail Galuzin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Galuzin, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Commonwealth of Independent States, Tass, CIS, Commonwealth, CNBC, Russian, Georgia Locations: Turkmenistan, Russian, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Soviet, Switzerland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, CIS, Baltic States, Soviet Union, Moldova, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ In Former Soviet States, a Tug of War Between East and West
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In Georgia, protesters waving European Union flags have rallied against what they see as their pro-Russia leaders. Moldova’s government is pushing to join the bloc, enraging citizens hoping for closer relations with Moscow. Fueled in part by the Ukraine war, tensions have been mounting within some of the former lands of the Soviet Union, pitting those favoring closer relations with Russia against those orientated more toward Europe. Many of those tensions predate the war, rooted in longstanding domestic struggles over power, money and other issues, but they have been amplified by geopolitics, with both Russia and the West pushing countries to choose a side. Across the former Soviet Union “the whole context is now shaped by how the Ukraine war has radicalized competition between Russia and the West,” said Gerard Toal, author of “Near Abroad,” a study of Russia’s relations with former Soviet territories.

Persons: ”, Gerard Toal Organizations: Soviet, Soviet Union “, “ Locations: Georgia, Russia, Moscow, Armenia, Europe, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Soviet

Tbilisi, Georgia CNN —Georgia’s parliament has passed a controversial “foreign agents” bill despite widespread domestic opposition and warnings from the European Union that its enactment would imperil the country’s chances of joining the bloc. Many Georgians fear their foreign agents bill will be used the same way in their country. Georgia’s parliament now has 10 days to send the bill to President Salome Zourabichvili, who has already vowed to veto it. However, EU leaders have made it clear that the foreign agents bill’s passage would jeopardize Georgia’s chances of accession. Georgian law enforcement officers detain a demonstrator near the parliament in Tbilisi on May 14.

Persons: Georgia CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, they’ve, Putin, ” Zourabichvili, Shakh, Levan Khabeishvili, “, ” Khabeishvili, ” Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s, Irakli, CNN’s Christian Edwards, Anna Chernova, Vasco Cotovio Organizations: Georgia CNN, European Union, EU, United, Getty, Soviet Union, Georgian, CNN, European Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Soviet, United States, Caucasus, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, AFP, Russian, Moscow

☆ The US military isn't ready for the coming drone war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

The Department of Defense is working on initiatives to face the drone threat, but the US military doesn't yet appear ready to confront this ever-evolving challenge, especially on the scale seen in Ukraine. AdvertisementA US military MQ-9 Reaper drone waits for take-off at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan on March 9, 2018. US military leaders have repeatedly stressed there's no silver bullet to defeat small drones in battle. Shellie HallStudents there spend several weeks learning how to identify, engage, and defeat small drones. The drone threat draws certain parallels to fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, where hidden bombs posed a tremendous threat.

Persons: GENYA SAVILOV, Mick Ryan, hasn't, you've, Franz J, Marty, Samuel Bendett, Paul Scharre, that's, Mike Parent, Mark Schauer, Parent, Paul Butcher, Cpl, Doug Bush, Amber Osei, Moseph Sauda, doesn't, Sauda, America's, Bram Janssen, Scharre, Justin Bronk, Jack Watling, Ryan Organizations: Business, Troops, of Defense, Department of Defense, Getty, Australian Army, Islamic State, Kandahar Air Base, Defense Ministry, Karabakh . Defense Ministry, Azerbaijan, AP, Pentagon, US Army, Aircraft Systems, Solutions, 71st Jaeger Brigade, US Army Yuma, Technology, Army, sUAS University, US Marine Corps, Force, Central Command, Shellie, National Training Center, US Army Air Defense Artillery, Center, New, New American Security, Base, London's Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, prowling, Jordan, Chasiv Yar, Donetsk, AFP, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Avdiivka, Yuma, East, Oklahoma's Fort Sill, California, Fort Sill, China, Luhansk Region, Europe, Iran, New American, Iraq, Washington, Bagram, Kabul, Australian

☆ Eurovision is back, but will Baby Lasagne or Nemo triumph? Your complete guide
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“People are like ‘OK, Sweden is the spiritual home of Eurovision’ – I see Eurovision as this moving entity,” she tells CNN. “The whole product, ABBA, is a vibe, isn’t it?”ABBA sing "Waterloo" at Eurovision 50 years ago. But ABBA are the past; Baby Lasagne, Windows95Man and Nemo – a person, not a fish – are very much the present. This year’s slim favorite is Baby Lasagne, whose arena-pounding anthem “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” describes a brain drain affecting Croatian towns. He credits his fiancée with helping him launch his career – “She’s the lasagne, and I’m just the baby,” he tells CNN.

Persons: Paul Anka, Abba –, Loreen, –, “, Loreen –, they’ve, ” Loreen, Olle Lindeborg, Lasagne, Nemo, Sarah Bonnici, aga, you’d, Music ”, Dominic Lipinski, Marcus, Martinus, ”, – “, I’m, Switzerland’s Nemo, ” Nemo, ” Joost Klein's, Jens Büttner, Joost Klein, Teemu Keisteri, he’s, Windows95Man, it’s, Belgium’s Mustii, Bonnie Tyler’s, Sanjin, Marina Satti, Hera Bjork, ” Saba, Slimane, who’s, ” Poland’s Luna, Jeff Spicer, ” we’re, Luna “, doesn’t, we’re, ” Portugal’s, … “, Alyona Alyona, Jerry Heil, Jens Bittner, ” Joost Klein, bro, airdropped, Angelina, Greta Thunberg, Eden Golan, audibly, they’ll, oddballs gunning Organizations: CNN, Waterloo, Malmo, Eurovision, Getty, Pulitzer, aga … aaa, aaa, United, Music, MAG, San, ” “ Hurricanes, Israel, European Broadcasting Union Locations: Sweden, AFP, Malmo, Europe, Armenia, wail, Gaza, Israel

☆ Charges Against a Congressman Lay Bare Foreign Government Influence Attempts
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Kenneth P. Vogel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As tensions flared over disputed territory in the Caucasus region in the summer of 2020, Azerbaijan’s squadron of high-priced Washington lobbyists scrambled to pin the blame on neighboring Armenia and highlight its connections to Russia. Unbeknown to members of Congress, Azerbaijan had an inside man who was working closely with the Azerbaijani ambassador to Washington at the time on a parallel line of attack, according to text messages released by federal prosecutors. Azerbaijan’s ambassador responded enthusiastically. “Your amendment is more timely than ever,” the ambassador, Elin Suleymanov, wrote to Mr. Cuellar. “It is all about Russian presence there,” added Mr. Suleymanov, who referred to the congressman as “Boss.”

Persons: Unbeknown, Henry Cuellar, Elin Suleymanov, Cuellar, ”, Suleymanov Organizations: Azerbaijan’s, Texas Democrat, Russian Locations: Caucasus, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Washington, Texas, “

Washington CNN —Kim Kardashian will join Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Thursday for a roundtable to discuss pardons issued by President Joe Biden earlier this month, a White House official said Thursday. Kardashian previously met with former President Donald Trump at the White House as part of her advocacy for criminal justice reform. In 2019, she delivered remarks from the White House East Room on a new initiative aimed at helping former inmates get jobs out of prison. She met with Trump at the White House again in 2020. Axios first reported Kardashian’s visit to the White House.

Persons: Washington CNN — Kim Kardashian, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Kardashian, Donald Trump, Alice Marie Johnson, Axios, Biden, Rolling Stone, “, ” Biden, Harris, Steve Benjamin Organizations: Washington CNN, White, Trump, Rolling, Administration Locations: Ottoman Empire, Armenia, Azerbaijan

☆ Oklahoma Was a Legal Marijuana Utopia. Then Came the Mass Murder
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Matt Stroud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

Fourteen months after the murders, the garage of the abandoned marijuana farm on prairie tableland northwest of Oklahoma City sits frozen and dark. Broadway Avenue in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, about 30 miles south of where Wu Chen, 47, executed four people at a marijuana farm. When Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana, the only real requirement was that Oklahoma residents had to be involved in marijuana growing and selling. But Oklahoma required 75% of any marijuana business to be owned by an Oklahoma resident. Deputies from the Kingfisher County Sheriff's Office were the first to arrive at the scene of a quadruple homicide at an abandoned marijuana farm.

Persons: Wu Chen, Mike Simons, Kevin Stitt, Sean Hannity's, Dan Newhouse, Liu, Chen, Yi Fei Lin, Mark Woodward, —, OBN, Adria Berry, BI Adria Berry, I'm, Barb Miuccio, Jeremy Grable, Jeremy, Barb, she's, Barbara Miuccio, Treez, Matt Stacy, Stacy, Stitt, Jeremy they'd, he'd, OMMA, didn't, Barb didn't, Barbara, Stacy —, she'd, Stacy hadn't, BI Jonathan Riedlinger, Riedlinger, Lin, Qirong Lin, Hechun Chen, Qiang Chen, Fang Lee —, Wenbo Lin, Wu Chen —, Wenbo Lin didn't, Reidlinger, Jed Green, Matthew Alan Stacy, Barb —, — he's, He'd, Woodward, Helen Carillo, He's, Kevin Pham, Pham, BI Pham, ProPublica, recriminations, Green, It's, they're, I'd, Ken Thompson, Thompson, Chen didn't, He'll, Jonathan Riedlinger, Kiki, I've Organizations: Oklahoma City, Broadway, BI, Marijuana, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, Republican, Sean Hannity's Fox, Fox News, Chen Inc, Narcotics, BI Adria, Oklahoma's Army National Guard, OBN, Business, Oklahoma State Bureau of, Sheriff's, Prosecutors, CSI Accounting Services, Whitney Economics, NBC, Cannabis, Virginia Slim, Florida . Police Locations: Oklahoma, Kingfisher County , Oklahoma, Ames , Oklahoma, Kingfisher , Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, California, Arkansas, Republican Washington, China, Kingfisher County, Dallas, Moore , Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, He's, Moore, Kingfisher, Hennessey , Oklahoma, OMMA, Mexico, Edmond, Tulsa, Russia, Bulgaria, Armenia, Steakhouse, Virginia, Florida, Miami Beach, Miami

☆ Russia accused a longtime ally of 'distorting history' in an effort to break off relations with Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussia's foreign minister accused Armenia, a former ally, of "distorting history" in an effort to "break off" relations with Moscow. Last month, it said it had "frozen our participation" in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The Collective Security Treaty Organization is considered Russia's equivalent to NATO , and Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped it could rival the Western military alliance. Advertisement"The Collective Security Treaty has not fulfilled its objectives as far as Armenia is concerned, particularly in 2021 and 2022. While tensions between Aremnia and Russia are clearly strained, experts on Russia and former Soviet Union countries say that relations between Russia and other CSTO members are also under pressure.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, Nikol Pashinyan, Putin, Pashinyan, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg's Organizations: Service, Security, Organization, NATO, Business, Russian, Ukraine's Kyiv, Russian Federation, Soviet Locations: Armenia, Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, France, South Caucasus, Central Asia, Aremnia

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