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☆ How Russians end up in a far-right militia fighting in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

[1/3] Danil Yugoslavsky gets ready at Civic Council’s Warsaw office, hours before crossing into Ukraine, in Warsaw, Poland, January 15, 2023. Max Smit, who crossed into Ukraine with Yugoslavsky, had never held a weapon before he joined the RVC. And there are some who think that fighting for the motherland is their cause," said Galeotti, naming the Rusich Group and ENOT Corp among far-right paramilitary units fighting on Russia's side. That's still a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and volunteers fighting in Ukraine, and the thousands of foreigners that have been fighting Russian forces there. According to Sokolov, RVC fighters received regular salaries from the Ukrainian defence ministry.

☆ Russia's navy is flexing its muscles around the world, but it may end up paying for Moscow's losses in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russia's navy has had little involvement in Ukraine, losing only one major warship so far. Russia's military closed off parts of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan to practice firing torpedoes, missiles, and artillery. Russia's navy received heavy investment in the 2000s, as President Vladimir Putin rebuilt the military after a decade of post-Soviet decay. While it still struggles with its larger ships, Russia's navy now has dozens of frigates and corvettes armed with effective long-range weapons. Russian navy corvette Gremyashchiy, front, and the frigate Admiral Kasatonov in St Petersburg in July 2019.

☆ The Capitalist Generation’s Space Race
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Mark Gimein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Worden’s foes think nothing of siccing federal investigators on him and his team in an intramural death match. To put it succinctly, in Vance’s telling, NASA and its usual-suspect corporate partners were basically devoted to doing very little — or ideally, nothing — at maximum expense. So Worden’s team went in the opposite direction: The simpler and cheaper the better. Will Marshall, a physics prodigy and space expert, became the informal leader of a group of Ames recruits living in a Silicon Valley group house, known as the Rainbow Mansion. The housemates started working on the smallest satellites they could come up with — shoebox-size contraptions they would eventually call Doves.

☆ Putin accuses the West of creating Nazis while comparing the war in Ukraine to WWII, in what experts are calling a perversion of history
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He sought to portray the war in Ukraine as part of a plot to destroy Russia. Putin has sought to portray the war in Ukraine as a battle against Western powers who he claims are determined to destroy Russia. A real war has been unleashed against our Motherland," he said during a parade in Moscow on Tuesday. During the war, Russia was allied against fascist powers with Western powers including the UK and US. "They've even said that the West created Nazis," he added, calling it a "grotesque perversion of and distortion of history".

☆ Terence Kawaja's adtech-focused investment bank Luma Partners may lose 3 of its partners amid a disagreement over its future direction
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Luma Partners' three partners are currently planning to exit the company, Insider has learned. It followed a disagreement with Luma Founder and CEO Terence Kawaja about the future vision for the firm. Luma Partners, the adtech-focused investment bank may lose all three of its partners following a disagreement with the company's founder, Terence Kawaja, about the future direction of the firm, Insider has learned. Kawaja's court jester style is in sharp contrast to that of Andersen, Greenbaum, and Filippini who tend to keep a lower profile. For the moment, they remain partners with Luma, which is currently working on a live M&A deal, Andersen said.

☆ False flag? Analysts says Russia 'likely staged' Kremlin drone attack it blamed on Ukraine and the West
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine denied any involvement in the incident, with officials saying it more likely signaled that Russia was planning a large-scale terrorist attack against Ukraine in the coming days. The Kremlin went further in its accusations on Thursday, claiming that Washington had helped Ukraine to plot and orchestrate the drone attack. CNBC contacted the Kremlin for a response to claims that it was likely behind the drone attack itself. A view of the roof of Senate Palace of the Kremlin from Red Square on May 3, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. The Kremlin said the drone attack had taken place "on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9th Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned."

☆ Factbox: Kremlin drone incident: What do we know?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] A still image taken from video shows a flying object approaching the dome of the Kremlin Senate building during the alleged Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia, in this image taken from video obtained by Reuters May 3, 2023. Ostorozhno Novosti/Handout via REUTERSMay 3 (Reuters) - Here's a look at what we know about the alleged overnight drone attack on the Kremlin, and the questions it raises. Russia called the incident a terrorist attack and an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin, for which it said it reserved the right to retaliate. "We don't attack Putin, or Moscow, we fight on our territory," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told a press conference in Helsinki. The incident comes at a moment of high tension and a potential turning point in the war, as Ukraine prepares to mount a long-anticipated counter-offensive.

☆ Kolisi's World Cup in the balance after SA Rugby confirm surgery
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAPE TOWN, May 3 (Reuters) - South African Rugby confirmed on Wednesday that Springboks captain Siya Kolisi underwent knee surgery last week and said it is unclear if he will be fit for this year's Rugby World Cup. "Mampane said it was too early to make any reliable forecasts on when Kolisi may be able to return to play." SA Rugby and Kolisi's club had remained tight-lipped about his condition over the last 10 days. Kolisi, one of the most respected figures in the game, is due to move to French club Racing 92 after the World Cup, which runs from Sept. 8-Oct. 28. South Africa, who name their final 33-man squad on Aug. 8, begin their title defence against Scotland in Marseille on Sept. 10.

☆ Moscow's 'special' forces: An inside look at how Russia's famed Spetsnaz really operate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Mark Galeotti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +24 min

Russia's Spetsnaz forces are often depicted as a kind of Russian super troops. Osprey PublishingMost countries' special forces emphasize physical fitness, determination and aggression. Special people, for special tasksMembers of the Russian military's 16th Separate Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in 2018. Even so, being better than most of the Soviet army's miserable and recalcitrant conscript forces did not make most of them truly special, special forces. The special operations commandMembers of Russian's 22nd Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in November 2017.

The Republican-led state is currently enforcing a near-total abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. NORTH CAROLINA: House Republicans have introduced a bill to ban abortion from conception, except to preserve the life or health of the mother. The Senate tabled discussion of a near-total abortion ban on Thursday after it had been approved by the House. PROTECTIONSCALIFORNIA: A Democratic state senator has introduced a bill to protect doctors who prescribe medication abortion pills to patients in other states. ILLINOIS: Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker in January signed a law protecting abortion providers and out-of-state patients from legal attacks waged by other states.

☆ Wrexham: An intoxicating tale of Hollywood glamour and sporting romance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

In an often brutal and bleak world, the recent resurgence of Wrexham, the city as well as the soccer club, lifts the soul. The Turf pub is a must-see for Wrexham fans. But now, there’s Wrexham with a story that, in hindsight, feels as if it was just waiting for Hollywood. One of Wrexham city center's shopping areas, pictured on April 22. Wrexham fans celebrate on the pitch after their team beat Boreham Wood at the Racecourse Ground.

☆ Bids for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations offer path for comprise over 2025 hosts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAPE TOWN, April 27 (Reuters) - Algeria head a list of four bids to host the 2027 African Cup of Nations, which the Confederation of African Football announced on Thursday, but Morocco are a surprise omission suggesting a compromise over the 2025 edition has been struck. A statement said CAF had received bids from Algeria, Botswana, Egypt and a joint candidacy from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for the 2027 tournament after the expiry of the deadline for declarations of interest. CAF have repeatedly delayed deciding who will replace Guinea as the 2025 hosts. Algeria and Morocco are the top two contenders for 2025 but choosing between the two neighbours has become a political dilemma for CAF, sources have told Reuters. The two North African neighbours have an adversarial relationship, with diplomatic ties suspended, and winning the rights to host the 2025 Cup of Nations would be a matter of national pride and a public relations triumph.

☆ Putin's political enemies and Kremlin critics face an 'extremely dangerous' situation in Russia right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

"All of the opposition political leaders are either in jail or under restrictive measures or outside of the country. The oppression of political opposition figures in Russia is nothing new. Some accuse the Russian state of trying to poison them, while others have died in suspicious circumstances. Evgenia Novozhenina | ReutersThe persecution of political opposition figures attracted global attention in 2020 when the high-profile Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya agreed that "it's extremely dangerous" to be a critic of the Kremlin now, no matter what your background is.

☆ Thirty years on, Zambia mourns national team killed in plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The bulk of the team were experienced internationals, fancied to emerge top of their final round qualifying group and secure a first-ever World Cup final appearance at the 1994 tournament in the United States. Engine failure after takeoff from Libreville caused the plane to crash into the sea, killing all on board including the coaches, support staff and crew. A year after the crash, the team were surprise finalists at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, losing 2-1 to Nigeria. Twenty years after the disaster, Zambia finally won the African title - in Gabon, site of the crash. Just days before the final, players threw flowers into the sea at the beach where the bodies had washed up.

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

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

☆ Wolves earn vital points in battle against drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Victory put Wolves nine points clear of the bottom three places, joining Palace on 37 points and ended Hodgson’s run of three wins and a draw since returning to Palace in the wake of Patrick Vieira’s sacking last month. But it was largely a nervy night for the fans as Palace threatened to fight their way back into the game and dominated many of the exchanges. But Lokonga was firmly on his feet when he struck a point-blank shot on target five minutes before halftime, only to see the effort saved by diving Wolves keeper Jose Sa. Neves hit the resultant spot kick into the corner of the net to wrap up the win. Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Clare FallonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ajax in danger of missing out on Champions League football
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Soccer Football - Champions League - Group A - Rangers v Ajax Amsterdam - Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - November 1, 2022 Ajax Amsterdam fans with flares and banners in the stands before the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee SmithApril 24 (Reuters) - Ajax Amsterdam are in danger of finishing outside the top two in the Dutch league for the first time in 13 seasons and missing out on the Champions League next season as they struggle to build a new team in the wake of record sales last year. However, after a 3-0 drubbing from PSV Eindhoven on Sunday, Ajax have dropped to third with four league matches left to play. It could get worse as their next league clash on May 6 is home to AZ, who lie two points behind them in fourth place. Now it is their arch rivals Feyenoord who are on course to win the league, needing five points from their final four matches. They have 73 points with PSV second on 65 and Ajax on 62, facing having to play in the Europa League next season after 13 successive season of competing in the Champions League.

☆ Tucker Carlson leaves Fox News days after Dominion lawsuit settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Helen Coster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

April 24 (Reuters) - Fox News Media and its top-rated host Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways, less than a week after parent company Fox Corp (FOXA.O) settled for $787.5 million a defamation lawsuit in which Carlson played a starring role. A third person said the senior executive producer of "Tucker Carlson Tonight", Justin Wells, was also let go from Fox News on Monday. After the announcement of Carlson's departure from Fox News, a spokesperson for former President Donald Trump tweeted: "Fox News is controlled opposition." "I stand with Tucker Carlson!" Carlson joined Fox News as a contributor in 2009 and became a co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend" in 2012.

☆ Beer thrown from stands halts another Dutch league clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, April 23 (Reuters) - Beer thrown from the crowd caused a 15-minute stoppage to the match before PSV Eindhoven secured a 3-0 home win over Ajax Amsterdam in the Dutch league on Sunday in another incident involving objects thrown from the crowd. A similar incident on Saturday caused the abandonment of the league match between second-from-bottom Groningen and NEC Nijmegen. But while Saturday’s game was called off after a plastic beaker of beer struck the linesman, Sunday’s match was only halted temporarily because the beer thrown did not land on anyone on the field. Dutch football has been grappling with abuse from the stands and the throwing of objects. They also decided that if an object is thrown from the terraces but misses, play will be temporarily stopped with the players sent to the dressing rooms.

☆ Tavares gets hat-trick as Leafs avenge Lightning rout to level series at 1-1
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TORONTO, April 20 (Reuters) - Captain John Tavares scored his first postseason hat-trick as the Toronto Maples Leafs avenged a Game One rout with a 7-2 thrashing of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, leveling the opening round Stanley Cup playoff best-of-seven series at 1-1. Leafs fans had their fingers on the panic button after a 7-3 loss to the Lightning on Tuesday, booing the team off the ice. "We needed a response tonight in a big way," said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. The oddsmakers are backing Toronto to win the best-of-seven series but history favors the Lightning, who have won seven consecutive playoff series after taking the first game. Thursday's contest turned nasty right from the start with the Leafs' Mark Giordano and Tampa Bay tough guy Zach Bogosian dropping the gloves to fight early in the opening period.

☆ What’s It Like to Be Shohei Ohtani? Only Bo Would Know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Tyler Kepner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As a pitcher in the 1980s and ’90s, Gubicza was a teammate of Bo Jackson on the Kansas City Royals. As a television analyst now, he calls games for the Los Angeles Angels, the team of Shohei Ohtani. “Bo Knows Sho,” Gubicza said this week, by the Angels’ dugout at Yankee Stadium. “I think we’re finally going to get it this year.”Ohtani, the Angels’ pitching and hitting sensation, was born in the summer of 1994, just as Jackson’s celebrated athletic career was ending. Bo didn’t know pitching, like Ohtani, but he could have.

Greene told CNN on Thursday she was “surprised and angered” over the incident and said she already spoke to McCarthy. “He agreed with me,” Greene said, indicating the speaker believed she shouldn’t have silenced. Greene told CNN later Thursday that she and Chairman Green had a chance to talk but that they disagreed about what happened at Wednesday’s committee meeting. Identifying or calling someone a liar is unacceptable in this committee and I make the ruling that we strike those words,” said Green, a Tennessee Republican. But the sooner we can get back to kind of civility amongst colleagues, the better for everybody,” he told CNN.

☆ Congressional Democrats bash Ron DeSantis for alienating Florida job creator Disney World in service of a 'flailing presidential campaign'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Warren Rojas | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ron DeSantis's Tuesday swing through DC, calling it ill-timed, his political resume goofy, and his ongoing fight with Walt Disney World a devastating vanity project. Walt Disney World has roughly 80,000 employees in Florida and is the state's biggest tourist attraction. The Florida governor wasn't being offered much cover by Florida Republicans on Capitol Hill. When another reporter asked whether DeSantis had gone too far by threatening Disney with state prisoners for neighbors, Scott claimed ignorance. "Ron DeSantis is out campaigning outside of the state of Florida and picking fights with Mickey Mouse," Fried said.

☆ JPMorgan sees Turkey lira diving towards 30 per dollar after elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, April 14 (Reuters) - Turkey's lira is likely to drop sharply and could near 30 to the dollar following next month's elections, bankers at JPMorgan have predicted, if it looks like only modest changes will be made to its unorthodox economic policies. Turkey's tightly contested presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14 are perhaps the most consequential in the century-long history of the republic. JPMorgan's analysts said that macro adjustments were expected regardless of the results but laid out two scenarios based on the degree of commitment to more orthodox policies, such as interest rate rises to cool inflation. "Initially, lira depreciates, driven by pent-up pressures of the large stimulus ahead of the elections. "A scenario of a return to orthodox macroeconomic policies could set lira on a real appreciation trend back towards its fair value," JPMorgan said.

Here is a snapshot of pending and passed legislation seeking to restrict or protect access in 2023. KANSAS: Although Kansans voted in favor of state abortion rights on a ballot measure last year, the Republican-led state Senate has passed a prohibition on prescribing abortion pills via telemedicine. The Republican-led state is currently enforcing a total abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. MONTANA: The Republican-led state Senate has passed a bill seeking to overturn a 1999 state Supreme Court ruling that found that the state constitution protected a right to abortion. SOUTH CAROLINA: Despite the fact that the state Supreme Court recently struck down a six-week abortion ban in a 3-2 vote, Republicans have introduced a near-total abortion ban and a six-week ban this year.

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