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☆ Kremlin elites are fighting over how best to control their Ukraine war narrative, says the Russian foreign ministry's top spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Kremlin's leaders can't agree on Russia's narrative on the Ukraine war, a top official said. Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry's press director, said there's a "battle" among Kremlin elites. "There is a battle going on, including among the elites," said Maria Zakharova, director of the Russian foreign ministry's press department, per Russian news outlet Business Gazeta. Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry's top spokesperson, made that statement at a panel with Russian tech entrepreneur Igor Ashmanov and other pundits. It said Zakharova's public statements further show that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has given up control of the Russian information space to "a variety of quasi-independent actors."

☆ Slovak prime minister starts new pro-Western party for Sept election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 7 (Reuters) - Slovak caretaker Prime Minister Eduard Heger launched a new pro-Western, liberal centrist party named the Democrats on Tuesday to run in a September election called after his coalition fell from power last year. Heger said pro-Western democratic values and aid to neighbouring Ukraine were the cornerstones of his agenda. Heger said he would not cooperate with far-right nationalists, like Fico's Smer (Direction) nor the Hlas (Voice) party, which itself split from Smer on a more pro-Western platform and now leads opinion polls. Four ministers from the current government, including Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad, have joined Heger's new outfit. Under Heger's leadership, Slovakia shipped military equipment to Ukraine including the S-300 air defence system, and allowed hundreds of thousands refugees across the border after Russia's invasion of Ukraine started in February 2024.

☆ Cuba's president meets CEO of Russia's Rosneft amid fuel shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HAVANA, March 5 (Reuters) - Russian oil firm Rosneft's CEO Igor Sechin met with Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel late on Saturday, the island's leader said, amid an acute fuel shortage that has service stations temporarily shuttered and hours-long gasoline queues. Several tweets on Cuba's Presidency account emphasized the good relations between the two countries, but did not specify the reason for the visit by the state-run oil firm's boss. Cuba's former leader Raul Castro has also flown to Caracas for the occasion, Cuban state-run media said. Russia, hit by Western sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine, is looking to strengthen political and economic ties with other countries opposed to what it calls U.S. hegemony. Cuba has been under a U.S. economic embargo since 1962 after a Communist revolution led by former leader Fidel Castro.

☆ NHL roundup: Bruins bounce Rangers for 10th straight win
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

At the end of a board battle behind Elliott in the second period, Hinostroza one-timed his second goal off a pass from Casey Mittelstadt at 5:35 for Buffalo's first lead. Captain Dylan Larkin scored in the second period and Magnus Hellberg made 32 saves for the Red Wings, who have lost five straight games (0-4-1). Bennett, who had missed six straight games, scored one goal. Capitals 8, Sharks 3Craig Smith scored twice in Washington's four-goal second period and the visitors rallied for a win against San Jose. Predators 3, Blackhawks 1Philip Tomasino, Tyson Barrie and Colton Sissons scored for visiting Nashville in a win against Chicago.

☆ A regiment of drafted Russian soldiers who made video plea to Putin to stop them being 'slaughtered' are now mostly dead, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Drafted Russian soldiers made a video appeal to Vladimir Putin for help. Most of the soldiers in the regiment have died in Donetsk since recording the video, a report says. "Please help," the soldiers say in the video while in their uniforms with their faces covered. In the video, which was published by Telegram channel of the Siberian news outlet Lyudi Baikala on February 25, the soldiers directly ask Putin for help. The video was the soldiers' third such appeal, according to the Russian outlet The Insider.

☆ The Twitter leaders Elon Musk put in place keep quitting or getting fired. See who's left and who's recently been hired, including engineers from Google's DeepMind and a Tesla superfan.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

About half of the 20 people who reported to Elon Musk after his takeover have left Twitter. Musk has hired some new people, including engineers who may be working on an AI project. Elon Musk's Twitter is ruled by chaos. None have been directly replaced, the people familiar said, although Musk has also hired some new people from outside his companies. Below is a complete list of who Musk set as his direct reports, including those who have already left the company.

☆ Dozens of sanctioned superyachts seized from Russian oligarchs still hang in limbo, racking up millions in maintenance
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Grace Kay | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Seized yachts owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs hang in limbo as US and European authorities decide next steps. Annual maintenance for some of the yachts costs as much as $115.6 million. Earlier this week, CNBC reported that billions of dollars in oligarch's assets — from yachts and villas to private jets — are still frozen. And while the Russian oligarchs are still technically responsible for paying for yacht maintenance, they're unlikely to fork over the maintenance cost or authorities will encounter difficulty collecting the funds due to sanctions on financial transactions with the billionaires. According to Maltby, the maintenance cost of a yacht usually totals about 15% to 20% of its overall value.

☆ Russian law amendments punish 'discrediting' military, including voluntary formations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Igor RussakSummary This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. MOSCOW, March 1 (Reuters) - Russia brought new law amendments to parliament on Wednesday that further strengthen the country's censorship laws, envisaging up to 15 years in jail for discrediting the armed forces and voluntary military organisations such as the Wagner Group. "As well as public actions aimed at discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, volunteer formations, organizations and persons who are facilitated in the implementation of tasks assigned to the ... Armed Forces," would be punishable, Volodin wrote on the Telegram messaging platform. "This initiative will protect everyone who today is risking their lives to ensures the security of the country and our citizens ... ($1 = 75.1 roubles)Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Elon Musk recruits team to develop OpenAI's ChatGPT rival - The Information
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the automobile awards "Das Goldene Lenkrad" (The golden steering wheel) given by a German newspaper in Berlin, Germany, November 12, 2019. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File PhotoFeb 27 (Reuters) - Elon Musk has approached AI researchers in recent weeks about forming a new research lab to develop an alternative to OpenAI's ChatGPT, the Information reported on Monday, citing people with direct knowledge of the effort. Tesla and Twitter chief Musk has been recruiting Igor Babuschkin, a researcher who recently left Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) DeepMind AI unit, the report said. Babuschkin added that has not officially signed onto the Musk initiative, according to the report. Musk and Babuschkin could not be reached immediately for comments.

☆ Elon Musk is seeking to create a rival to OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk is reportedly seeking to develop a competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT. Musk cofounded OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, in 2015 but parted ways with the company in 2018. However, he has recently been critical of both the AI company and the viral chatbot. At other times, Musk has seemed complimentary about OpenAI's tech, saying ChatGPT was "scary good." Representatives for Musk and Babuschkin did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Moscow accuses US of preparing a 'toxic chemicals' provocation in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - The United States is planning a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry cited former U.S. ambassador to Russia John Sullivan as saying that "Russian troops plan to use chemical weapons in the special military operation area." "We regard this information as the intention of the United States and their accomplices to carry out a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals," Igor Kirillov, chief of the radiation, chemical and biological defence troops of Russia's armed forces said during a briefing. He said that Russia "will identify and punish the true culprits." Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ NHL roundup: Wild's Kirill Kaprizov caps hat trick in OT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Sabers 7, Capitals 4Dylan Cozens delivered his first career hat trick, and Buffalo defeated visiting Washington. Vinnie Hinostroza had a goal and an assist for Buffalo, while Cozens added an assist for the first four-point game of his career. T.J. Oshie scored his fourth goal in three games and added an assist, and Dylan Strome had a goal and an assist. Nick Schmaltz had a goal and an assist, and Shayne Gostisbehere also scored a goal for Arizona. Trocheck added an assist, and Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin each had a goal and an assist.

"We withstand all threats, shelling, cluster bombs, cruise missiles, kamikaze drones, blackouts and cold ... And we will do everything to gain victory this year." "Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko 1 2 3 4 5Igor, walking through Moscow, said Russia must win: "We're looking forward to it ending successfully. Despite strong support for Ukraine in the West, big developing nations, above all China and India, have kept clear of imposing sanctions on Moscow. Learn more about the Ukraine war.

☆ Tokyo bronze medallist weightlifter Son handed eight-year ban for doping
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Kazakh weightlifter Igor Son, who won bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has been banned for eight years for doping but will not be stripped of his medal, the country's weightlifting federation (WFRK) said on Wednesday. Son, who won bronze in the men's 61kg category, was among six weightlifters to receive doping bans after they had tested positive for banned substances in March 2022. Son, 24, served a seven-month suspension in 2015 after testing positive for prohibited steroid methandienone and was stripped of his Youth World Championship gold medal. Kazakhstan has been stripped of Olympic weightlifting medals, including six golds, from the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Games for various anti-doping rule violations. It was among several nations to be allocated only two places in weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympics because of its historic doping record.

☆ Ex-Russian commander who helped invade Crimea trashes Putin's war speech for leaving out all of Russia's failures in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Igor Girkin noted on Telegram that Putin never mentioned Russia's "failures" in its war with Ukraine. Blah blah blah," Girkin said in a post. Blah blah blah, there's no point in listening any more." US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday deemed Russia's war with Ukraine a "strategic failure." "One year after President Putin attacked Ukraine, it's clear that his war has been a strategic failure in every way," Blinken told reporters in Athens, Greece.

☆ NHL roundup: Connor Hellebuyck (50 saves) guides Jets past Rangers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY SportsFebruary 21 - Connor Hellebuyck made a season-high 50 saves and the visiting Winnipeg Jets recorded a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Monday night. Kyle Connor had a goal and two assists while Pierre-Luc Dubois added a goal for Winnipeg. The Ducks, who have lost five straight games, got 51 saves from John Gibson, the NHL leader in losses (10-23-6). Pastrnak's 40th goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie with 2:54 remaining in the second period. Charlie McAvoy assisted on all three Boston goals, and Jake DeBrusk scored his second goal in as many games since returning from injuries.

☆ Russian defence chief keeps job despite Ukraine routs thanks to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The Russian Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on Shoigu or its own performance in Ukraine. Appointed defence minister in 2012, he is part of Putin's inner circle and has enjoyed hunting and fishing holidays with him in his native Siberia. The Russian army has been learning from its mistakes and successfully adapting, the source said. There's no escaping the poor performance of the Russian military". It was "inconceivable", said Jones, that a Western defence minister could have kept his job in such circumstances.

☆ Pro-Putin pundits are furious Biden made a surprise trip to Kyiv, calling it a 'humiliation' for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pro-Kremlin pundits are livid that US President Joe Biden made a surprise trip to Ukraine's capital. One Russian state TV host called Biden's visit to Kyiv a "demonstrative humiliation of Russia." Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of support as Ukraine fights against Putin's forces. Russian state TV host Sergey Mardan called Biden's visit a "demonstrative humiliation of Russia" in a Telegram post to his more than 231,000 subscribers. "Kremlin propagandists call Biden's visit to Kyiv 'a demonstrative humiliation,'" Gerashchenko noted in another tweet, adding, "Get used to it."

☆ NHL roundup: Auston Matthews' return boosts Leafs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Feb 15, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander (88) battles for the puck with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Caleb Jones (82) in front of Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek (34) during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY SportsFebruary 16 - Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist in his return after missing five games with a sprained knee, helping the Toronto Maple Leafs earn a 5-2 win over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. The Maple Leafs went 2-3-0 while Matthews was out. Conor Timmins added a goal, and the Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves. Lazar and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson left due to lower-body injuries, and goalie Arturs Silovs stopped 22 shots in his NHL debut.

☆ Putin, secure in power, sets stage for long and draining war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

One senior Russian source with knowledge of decision-making said Putin's hopes of burnishing his reputation had been dashed. "Ahead, it will be even more difficult and more costly for both Ukraine and Russia," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. For all the geopolitical shock waves Putin has caused, he still has no serious rival for power, according to five senior Russian sources close to decision-making. The source said Russia was at a disadvantage in both military technology and motivation, but that the war would still continue "for a very long time". "The president believes he can win in Ukraine," said one senior Russian source.

☆ Monday's rally raises the stakes ahead of inflation data release — listen to the 'Homestretch'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

I WOULD SAY IT DOES RAISE THESTAKES A LITTLE BIT SO TO SPEAKAHEAD OF CPI TOMORROW JUST INTERMS OF WE HAVE TO GET A GOODINFLATION NUMBER IN ORDER TOKEEP THE RALLY GOING. IF IT COMES IN A LITTLE BIT HOTOR MAYBE EVEN IF IT COMES IN ASEXPECTED, PERHAPS WE SEE SOMESELLING AND PROFIT TAKING THERE. YEAH, JUST IN TERMS OF WHAT ISWORKING TODAY, A LOT OF IT WILLBE TECH. SOME OF IT IS LED BY SOME OF OURNAMES, TOO, WHETHER IT ISMICROSOFT OR A LOT OF SEMISLEADING, NVIDIA, AMD. IT HAS LOST A LITTLE BIT OF ITSJUICE SINCE EARNINGS.

☆ Mercenary leader Prigozhin says Russia faces resistance in taking Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Prigozhin, an entrepreneur and restaurateur, has attracted attention as fighting raged in this campaign. "Bakhmut is needed so our troops can operate comfortably," Prigozhin said. Ukrainian troops are well trained ... and like any large city it is impossible to capture it from head-on. Military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said the situation around Bakhmut probably remained the most difficult sector faced by Ukraine's forces as Russia deploys more and more conscripts. "The area south of Bakhmut is a very difficult sector," Zhdanov said in an online interview.

Ukrainian troops are well trained ... and like any large city it is impossible to capture it from head-on. Prigozhin refrained from further attacks on Russia's military leadership, looking straight into the camera to stress he was not criticising anyone. The United States assesses that Wagner currently has about 50,000 personnel deployed to Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts recruited from Russian prisons. Prigozhin denied that and asked Washington to "clarify" what crime Wagner was accused of. Prigozhin said on Friday that Wagner had stopped recruiting prisoners.

☆ NHL roundup: Vladimir Tarasenko scores in Rangers debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Feb 10, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) skates against the Seattle Kraken during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Kaapo Kakko and Vincent Trocheck also scored in the three-goal opening period as the Rangers improved to 5-0-1 since revamping their lines. Ryan Lindgren, Jacob Trouba and Zibanejad added goals for New York, and Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves. Andreas Athanasiou finished with a goal and two assists, Colin Blackwell and Seth Jones also scored goals and Sam Lafferty added two assists for the Blackhawks. Mason McTavish scored in a two-point game and Trevor Zegras and John Klingberg added a goal apiece for the Ducks.

☆ Widows of Russian soldiers were filmed being gifted fur coats – but weren't allowed to keep them, an anti-war group says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The widows of Russian soldiers that died in the Donbas region were filmed being gifted fur coats. One of the women in the video told a Russian anti-war group that some later had the coats taken away. The CHTD Telegram news channel shared the clip and said that the "widows were given 21 fur coats as compensation for the breadwinner who died in Ukraine." However, the Russian anti-war group Feminist Anti-War Resistance claimed on Telegram that one of the women in the video told them that she and at least three other women had their fur coats taken away after the video was filmed. The anti-war group said in the Telegram post that it was unclear if all the women in the video were genuine widows.

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