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Russian President Vladimir Putin's broadened nuclear doctrine appeared to be a thinly veiled threat to the United States and its allies over their ramped-up support for Ukraine. The updated document includes a change that allows for Moscow to launch a nuclear strike if attacked by a nonnuclear country, such as Ukraine, that is supported by a nuclear state, such as the U.S. It was formally approved the same day that Kyiv used its first U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles against Russia. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told NBC News that he saw no indication that Moscow is imminently intent on using nuclear weapons. “He has rattled his nuclear saber quite a bit and this is dangerous behavior,” Austin said of Putin.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Lloyd Austin, ”, ” Austin, Kyiv’s, Keir Starmer, Russia …, Jean, Noel Barrot, Putin’s, Josep Borrell, Dmitry Peskov, “ Russia’s, Keir Giles, Biden, ” Giles Organizations: Ukraine, Kyiv, West . Defense, NBC News, Union, Tass, Kremlin, Moscow Locations: United States, Moscow, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Europe, Washington, British, Brazil, Western, London, Chatham, Eurasia

☆ Infinite Monkey Theorem: Monkeys will never write Shakespeare, new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( David Hodari | David Hodari Is A London-Based Editor. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The Infinite Monkey Theorem hypothesizes that, given a typewriter and an infinite amount of time, a monkey could in theory produce the full works of William Shakespeare. According to Open Source Shakespeare, a web page containing all of the bard’s plays, poems and sonnets, there are 884,421 words in the entire works of Shakespeare. While the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust says the writer introduced more than 1,700 words into the English language, "banana" was not one of them. Other academics were less incredulous, suggesting that the paper was a wild goose chase — a phrase itself invented by Shakespeare. It may be time for the theorem to exit popular usage — pursued, unsuccessfully, by a monkey.

Persons: William Shakespeare, Franklin, ” Stephen Woodcock, “, ” Woodcock, it’s, Woodcock, Jay Falletta, Shakespeare, George — “, ”, ” Ian Stewart, ” Martin Hairer, Daniel Simmonds, Simmonds, — Organizations: Galaxy, University of Technology Sydney, university’s, Mathematical, Physical Sciences, NBC News, Trust, Warwick University, Imperial College London, London Zoo, Zoological Locations: Australia, Zaire

☆ Russia fines Google more than the world's entire GDP
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( David Hodari | David Hodari Is A London-Based Editor. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The court that imposed the fine might be in for a long wait for Google to pay up, however. “This should be a reason for the Google leadership to pay attention to this and improve the situation.”The amount the court says Google owes is growing, too. The court ordered Google to restore the accounts within nine months, with a fine of 100,000 rubles (around $1,000) levied for each day after that period. Some of those Russian media outlets have also appealed to courts in Turkey, Hungary, Spain and South Africa to enforce court decisions made against Google in Russia. In the section of its third quarter earnings release titled 'Legal Matters,' Alphabet said: “We have ongoing legal matters relating to Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, it’s, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Dmitry Peskov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Konstantin Malofeev Organizations: Google, Kremlin, NBC, RBC, YouTube, International Monetary Fund, NBC News, Wagner Group Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary, Spain, South Africa, Russia, South Africa’s

At least 51 people have been killed after torrential rains caused flash flooding in southern and eastern Spain, local authorities said Wednesday. The toll makes this the worst natural disaster in the country's recent history and was confirmed by emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia, which said it was only an initial assessment. Authorities had advised citizens to stay at home and avoid non-essential travel as heavy rains poured onto the worst-affected towns, sweeping away cars and disrupting public transport.

Organizations: Authorities Locations: Spain, Valencia

☆ Putin's 'hybrid warfare' pressures neighbors at a crossroads to turn away from the West
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-26 | by ( David Hodari | David Hodari Is A London-Based Editor. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The American presidential election isn’t the only vote that the Kremlin has its eyes on — and, arguably, is seeking to get its hands in. Two of Russia’s neighbors find themselves at a crossroads, with Moscow hoping to steer them toward its orbit rather than greater engagement with Europe. The key votes in Georgia and Moldova this week are therefore being closely watched across the West. In Georgia, the very possibility of future free and fair elections may be on the ballot. For Moscow’s part, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told NBC News on Friday that “we are in no way attempting and hardly have an opportunity to influence the situation and electoral processes in these countries.”

Persons: doesn't, ” Salome Samadashvili, Dmitry Peskov, ” Organizations: NBC News, European Union, NBC Locations: Moscow, Europe, Georgia, Moldova, In Georgia, Russia

☆ Sinwar’s killing looks set to boost Netanyahu, the Houdini of Israeli politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( David Hodari | David Hodari Is A London-Based Editor. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

If Netanyahu is feeling that pressure, that wasn't evident from his comments on Friday. International insistence that the Israeli government ease the suffering in Gaza had already intensified in the weeks before Sinwar was killed. Domestically, that may be more of a complex dance for Netanyahu, who heads a still-fragile coalition comprised of many of Israel’s most hawkish lawmakers. Until then, we will intensify military pressure,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — whom both major U.K. political parties have considered sanctioning this year — said in a post on X. Before Hamas' attack, Netanyahu was scrambling to keep onside the disparate right-wing and religious parties in his fractious ruling coalition while facing huge protests against him.

Persons: Netanyahu, “, ”, Sinwar, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Bezalel Smotrich —, — Organizations: U.S, ” Locations: Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Berlin

☆ Half of all global food threatened by growing water crisis, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( David Hodari | David Hodari Is A London-Based Editor. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

“The global water crisis is a tragedy but is also an opportunity to transform the economics of water — and to start by valuing water properly so as to recognize its scarcity,” said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organization and one of the commission’s co-chairs in a statement. With nearly three billion people already in areas experiencing unstable water trends and several cities sinking due to the loss of below-ground water, densely populated areas such as northwestern India, northeastern China and southern and eastern Europe will bear the brunt of global water mismanagement, the report says. “The global water crisis is a ticking time bomb. Even so, a lack of public funds being devoted to water issues by lawmakers around the world will do little to solve the problem. Governments “can’t even react to the symptoms of the water problem, let alone solve the problems if they’re being fiscally strangled,” said UCL's Mazzucato.

Persons: ”, Ngozi, Mariana Mazzucato, we’ve, Mazzucato, Tim Wainwright, “, they’re, UCL's Mazzucato Organizations: World Trade Organization, University College London Institute for Innovation, Purpose, NBC News, OECD, United Nations Locations: India, China, Europe, Netherlands

Israeli officials were Wednesday scrutinizing an unusually stern letter from the U.S. government threatening to review military assistance to the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if it continued to block essential aid from entering the Gaza Strip. People involved in aid distribution in Gaza told NBC News that several trucks had entered Gaza City in the north of the enclave, but that aid had not been distributed elsewhere. Since Sept. 30, he said, “only 12 trucks of food have actually made it to the population” through the Erez border crossing in northern Gaza. While the U.N. only counts its own trucks, Israel includes commercial vehicles in its tallies. The State Department says U.S. pressure placed on Israel in April did work and humanitarian assistance increased.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, haven’t, Andrew Miller, State Anthony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Axios, COGAT, Scott Anderson, John Kirby, Blinken “, ”, it’s, we’ve, ” Charles Hollis, “, It’s, Biden, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Ron Dermer Organizations: U.S, State, Defense, State Department, NBC News, Israeli Defense Ministry, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, House, Gaza, The State Department, Israeli, Strategic Affairs, Reuters Locations: Gaza, United States, U.S, Israel, Gaza City, New York, British, Austin, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Nabatieh

☆ Kremlin reportedly confirms Trump sent Putin Covid test machines, denies Putin phone calls since he left office
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( David Hodari | David Hodari Is A London-Based Editor. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Former President Donald Trump did send coronavirus testing devices to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the height of the pandemic, the Kremlin confirmed Wednesday. The book claims that Trump secretly sent Abbott Covid-19 testing devices to Putin when the machines were in short supply. Peskov also denied Woodward's claim that Trump and Putin have spoken on the telephone several times since Trump left office. Trump has repeatedly said he could settle the war between Russia and Ukraine in one day if he’s elected president again. Trump has referred to Putin as “very savvy” and a “strong man,” and praised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “genius.”

Persons: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Bob Woodward, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Abbott Covid, Putin, Peskov, “, ”, Jonathan Karl, he’s, ” Trump, Woodward, Trump's, United Nations Vassily Nebenzia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Jason Miller Organizations: Kremlin, Bloomberg News, Washington Post, Trump, NBC News, RBC, ABC News, Bloomberg, United Nations, Republican, ., Putin Locations: Russian, “, Ukraine, Russia

☆ U.S. recession fears spark selloff in international markets
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( David Hodari | David Hodari Is A London-Based Editor. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — U.S. stocks are on course to open in the red Monday, with Japanese stocks suffering their worst day of trading since the 1980s and a global equities sell-off intensifying over fears of a U.S. economic slowdown. The Nikkei’s 12.4% fall marked the worst day for the Japanese index since 1987’s “Black Monday” — the sudden and unexpected stock market crash that raised fears of a depression. Noriko Hayashi / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesIn recent weeks, rising concerns around a potential U.S. recession have spooked investors. A rise in the value of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar — making Japanese assets more expensive for holders of other currencies — has also likely played a role in the selling. Even so, some investors put their money into U.S. Treasury bonds — so-called ‘haven’ assets that act as stores of wealth in volatile moments.

Persons: Noriko Hayashi, Japan’s, Shunichi Suzuki, “, ” Suzuki, ” Organizations: LONDON, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Bloomberg, Getty, Federal Reserve, Labor, U.S ., Treasury Locations: U.S, Europe

More than in any other foreign arena, Vance has sought to echo Trump on the Ukraine war. In doing so, he emphasized the thick vein of “scarcity politics” that runs through his foreign policy, arguing that the U.S. can’t equip Ukraine with enough materiel to hold back an opponent as vast as Russia. Vance described Ukraine ceding territory to Vladimir Putin as being in “America’s best interest” while appearing more supportive than Trump of remaining in NATO. The foreign policy views of Pence, vice president when Trump was in office, while not loved by everyone, were at least “mature” — they were informed by several terms experiencing the consequences of foreign policy becoming reality, according to Daniel Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and now a professor at Princeton. Vance, on the other hand, brings “no foreign policy experience, certainly no expertise,” Kurtzer says, and he will fall in behind his boss when needed.

Persons: JD Vance, Donald Trump, ”, “, Vance, Clayton Allen, —, Anna Moneymaker, Trump, Bronwen Maddox, “ He’s, ” Allen, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Chatham House’s Maddox, Joe Biden, ” Vance, Patrick Baz, doesn’t, William Ruger, Israel, — Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, Viktor Orban, ” Trump, Stephen Maturen, Vance “, Dick, Cheney ”, George W, Allen, Hitler, Mike Pence, Pence, Daniel Kurtzer, ” Kurtzer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Charles Hollis, Hollis, Trump’s, ’ ”, Maddox, Grover Cleveland Organizations: Marines, Yale Law School, Gaza, Ohio, GOP, Eurasia Group, Republican Party, NATO, Republican National Convention, Democrat, Republicans, NAFTA, China, Getty, American Institute for Economic Research, Kremlin, Bloomberg, Trump, Princeton, United, Aperio Intelligence Locations: Iraq, U.S, Ukraine, Sierra Vista, London, Kyiv, Russia, lockstep, Europe, Mexico, Baghdad’s, Owerij, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Great Barrington , Massachusetts, Ukrainian, Taiwan, “, St Cloud, Minn, Israel, China, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United States, Montezuma, Canada

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