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☆ Azerbaijan cancels Armenia talks, says Macron cannot take part
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Aliyev said Macron had "attacked" and "insulted" Baku and should not act as a go-between. Each side accused the other of triggering the latest bout of fighting, in which Armenia said Azerbaijan had seized settlements inside its borders. "Macron ... attacked Azerbaijan and accused us in what we haven't done," Aliyev said, speaking in English at a conference with international representatives in Baku. "It is clear that under these circumstances, with this attitude, France cannot be part of the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia." A spokesperson said Azerbaijan's assertion that Yerevan was trying to disrupt peace talks "has nothing to do with reality," the Interfax news agency reported.

☆ These economies are booming as Putin's war drives migrants and money out of Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Russians cross the border between Russia and Georgia days after President Vladimir Putin announced a mobilization drive on September 21. Daro Sulakauri | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesAs many economies reel from the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a select few countries are benefiting from an influx of Russian migrants and their accompanying wealth. The country's initial wave accounts for almost a quarter (23.4%) of all emigres out of Russia up to September, according to an online survey of 2,000 Russian migrants conducted by research group Ponars Eurasia. The majority of the remaining Russian migrants have fled to Turkey (24.9%), Armenia (15.1%) and uncited "other" countries (19%). 'Highly active' migrantsGeorgia's strategic location and its historic and economic ties with Russia make it an obvious entry point for Russian migrants.

☆ U.N. condemns Iran's crackdown on protests, establishes probe into alleged abuses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The U.N. Human Rights Council voted Thursday to condemn the bloody crackdown on peaceful protests in Iran and create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, particularly those committed against women and children. Thursday’s session in Geneva is the latest international effort to put pressure on Iran over its crackdown, which has already drawn international sanctions and other measures. “The only answer we received was more violence, more death.”Protesters wave Iranian pre-Islamic revolution flags in front of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva on Thursday. The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, expressed concerns that Iran’s government has not been listening to the world community. The council will now set up a “fact-finding mission” to investigate rights violations “especially with respect to women and children” linked to the protests that erupted on Sept. 16.

☆ Putin was repeatedly snubbed at an international summit of countries meant to be Russia's friends
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin's meeting with the CSTO security alliance went south when an ally repeatedly snubbed him. Vladimir Putin met with leaders from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-dominated alliance of post-Soviet nations. CSTO leaders in Yerevan, Armenia on November 23, 2022. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands as they attend the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Yerevan, Armenia, November 23, 2022. Putin also did not go to the G20 earlier this month and he did not address it virtually.

Fighting flared in September between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the two sides said more than 200 soldiers had been killed. "It is depressing that Armenia's membership in the CSTO did not deter Azerbaijan from aggressive actions," Pashinyan told the meeting in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. "Right up to today we have not managed to reach a decision on a CSTO response to Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia. In his own remarks, Putin acknowledged some unspecified "problems" facing the CSTO, and said more effort was needed to bring about peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan enjoys backing from Turkey and is not a member of the CSTO, which comprises Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well as Russia and Armenia.

☆ Factbox: What is the S-300 missile that is reported to have hit Poland?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Poland has said the missile that hit a grain facility on Tuesday, killing two people near the border with Ukraine, was probably an "old" S-300 rocket, a Soviet-era missile system being used by both Russia and Ukraine. * S-300 missiles are intended to shoot down aircraft, drones and incoming cruise and ballistic missiles. WHO USES THE S-300 MISSILE? * Moscow has previously sold S-300 missiles to Venezuela, China, Iran and Egypt, among other countries. * According to Russian military media outlets, the S-300 missile system was first used in conflict during the 2020 war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

☆ I'm Conan O'Brien's assistant of 13 years. I nap on the job, expense things I shouldn't, and talk back — and I'll probably work for him forever.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Eboni Boykin-Patterson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Sona Movsesian was an NBC page and landed her assistant job through an internal recommendation. But at times, I really don't act like it. I'm working with, in my opinion, the funniest person on television, and I'm working on a show that I'm proud of. I think I will be Conan's assistant until he dies — I'm going to ride this wave for as long as I can. Most people don't think of an assistant job in entertainment as a forever-job.

☆ Kremlin says it will not issue a decree ending Russian mobilisation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Igor RussakLONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Russia does not need a presidential decree to formalise the completion of a partial mobilisation of reservists to fight in Ukraine, and none will be issued, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. Russia had already said it had recruited the 300,000 reservists it needed in just over a month, and that no more were required. But the Kremlin's refusal to issue a formal decree ending recruitment may increase concern among Russians that the mobilisations could still be restarted. "The Presidential Administration's legal department has reached its conclusion ... partial mobilisation has been completed. The part of Putin's mobilisation decree outlining how many would be called up was classified and never made public, adding to fears that the enlistment campaign could resume.

☆ Russia's partial mobilization of troops for Ukraine is complete, defense minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Friday said that the “partial mobilization” of 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine that Russia announced in September was complete. Speaking at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin broadcast on state television, Shoigu told Putin: “The task set by you of (mobilizing) 300,000 people has been completed. He said that in future, recruitment for the Ukraine campaign would be based on volunteers and professional soldiers, rather than mobilising more of Russia’s several million reservists. Putin declared a “partial mobilization” of 300,000 reservists on Sept. 21, after a series of military defeats saw Russian forces routed from east Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and under increasing pressure in the southern Kherson region. Responding to Shoigu, Putin acknowledged problems with mobilisation, saying that they were “inevitable”, and said that it was necessary to make “corrections” to the development of Russia’s armed forces.

☆ Russia's partial mobilisation is complete, Shoigu says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu attends a meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Russia, October 28, 2022. In future, Shoigu said, recruitment for the Ukraine campaign would be based on volunteers and professional soldiers, rather than mobilising more of Russia's several million reservists. Responding to Shoigu, Putin acknowledged problems with mobilisation, saying that they were "inevitable", and said that the Ukrainian campaign had shown the need for "corrections" to Russia's armed forces. Russia's armed forces have struggled in the eight months since Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, in what Moscow calls the "special military operation". Russian armed forces abandoned an attempt to seize Kyiv and other northern Ukrainian cities in April, before losing ground in the south and east to Ukrainian counter-attacks since August.

☆ 2 intensifying border wars show Putin is losing sway in his neighborhood while Russia struggles in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In recent weeks, border disputes in the Caucasus and Central Asia have escalated into clashes. And the Russian troops that once kept the peace between those feuding neighbors? Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesRussia's complicated history with Central Asia goes back centuries. Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, inherited this colonialist mindset, seeing Central Asia (and Ukraine) as part of the Russia sphere. KAREN MINASYAN/AFP via Getty ImagesTo some extent, the deployment of Russian troops, or threat to do so, has tamped down conflicts.

☆ Rich Russians offered a Caribbean shortcut to US visas by paying their way to a Grenadian passport
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Joshua Zitser | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

"Grenada is called 'little Switzerland,'" United Passport wrote in a Telegram message on September 25. Screenshot of United Passport Telegram. In the Telegram channel, United Passport advertised the possibility of getting to the US on an E-2 visa. In multiple exchanges on WhatsApp, United Passport told Insider Wednesday that one business opportunity would get us a Grenadian passport and, in turn, a US visa. The total cost, therefore, realistically starts at $200,000 for Russians when the $150,000 United Passport fee is factored in.

☆ Russia's Sistema buys $256 mln stake in Melon Fashion Group after scrapped IPO
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. MOSCOW, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Russian telecoms-to-healthcare conglomerate Sistema (AFKS.MM) agreed a $256-million deal for a stake in Melon Fashion Group on Wednesday, months after the retail outlet scrapped plans for an initial public offering (IPO) due to the conflict in Ukraine. It will secure around 193 million euros ($189 million) for its 36% stake, Eastnine said in a statement. Sistema President Tagir Sitdekov said Melon Fashion Group "is growing fast and demonstrating operational excellence", and said Sistema had the right experience to continue developing the company. The deal is expected to complete by the end of 2022, Sistema and Eastnine said in separate statements.

☆ U.S. to provide Ukraine with more weapons as Putin signals end to unpopular mobilization drive
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Hyder Abbasi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Missiles, rockets and anti-tank weapons will form part of a new security assistance package for Ukraine, the Defense Department said Friday, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled an end to his unpopular mobilization drive. “The United States has delivered unprecedented security assistance to Ukraine and will continue to work with allies and partners to ensure Ukraine has the support it needs,” the statement said. The U.S. has contributed approximately $17.6 billion in security assistance “since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked and brutal invasion on February 24,” it added. The Pentagon's announcement came after Putin indicated that his controversial military mobilization drive was coming to an end. His said the strikes came after four Russian drones destroyed buildings and caused fires to break out in the region late Friday.

☆ Putin forced to endure a 7-minute-long rant from close ally who rebuked the Russian leader and demanded he shows respect
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The President of Tajikistan, a firm ally of Russia, appeared to berate Putin at an international summit. 'We do not need anything; just to be respected," Rahmon said. According to the New Voice of Ukraine, Rahmon also told Putin not to treat central Asian countries "as the former Soviet Union." The incident follows surprising public criticism from India's leader, another ally of Putin, of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in September, India's Prime Minister Modi told Putin that "now is not the time for war."

☆ Some of Russia's closest allies abstained at the UN rather than support its claim to have annexed parts of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

UN members voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to condemn Russia's annexation of Ukrainian regions. 143 nations voted in support, agreeing to condemn Russia's annexation, while 35 abstained. Experts say Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed them further from Russia. Russia tried to make Wednesday's vote a secret ballot, which would have obscured which nations voted with Russia. It did so after conducting referendums in the four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — which Ukraine and Western nations dismissed as a sham.

☆ Russia Detains Eight Suspects in Crimea Bridge Explosion
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Ann M. Simmons | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Smoke billowing from a fire on the bridge that links Crimea to Russia over the weekend. MOSCOW—Russian authorities said they have detained eight people in connection with the blast that brought down part of the bridge linking the occupied Crimean Peninsula to Russia. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, said it had detained five citizens of Russia and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia, alleging the detainees were involved in preparing last weekend’s explosion along the Kerch Strait Bridge.

Russia’s domestic intelligence service said Wednesday it arrested eight people in connection with a blast that damaged a key bridge to the annexed Crimean Peninsula, blaming Ukraine for an incident that dealt a high-profile blow to President Vladimir Putin. In a press release Wednesday, the FSB said Ukraine’s military intelligence and its chief, Kyrylo Budanov, were behind the attack. The explosive was detonated as it was being carried in a truck toward Crimea on Saturday, the FSB said. A press officer for Ukraine's military intelligence service, Andrii Yusov, declined to comment, telling NBC News: "We are not commenting on the statements made by terrorists." Putin swiftly labeled the bridge blast “terrorism” and boasted that the deadly aerial barrage his military unleashed on Ukrainian cities earlier this week was an act of revenge.

☆ France accuses Russia of stoking Armenia, Azerbaijan conflict
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - France's President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia on Wednesday of purposefully provoking the recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan as part of an effort destabilise the Caucasus region and beyond. The worst fighting between the two ex-Soviet countries since 2020 broke out in late September, killing more than 200 people. However, speaking to France 2 television on Wednesday Macron said Moscow had stoked tensions in recent months in favour of Azerbaijan. France, along with the United States and Russia are co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group that mediates over Nagorno-Karabakh. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by John Irish; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine says Russia's investigation into Crimea bridge blast is 'nonsense'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Oct 12 (Reuters) - A senior Ukrainian official dismissed as "nonsense" on Wednesday Russia's investigation into an explosion last weekend that badly damaged a bridge linking the Russian mainland to the Crimea peninsula that Moscow has annexed. Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed Ukraine's security forces for the explosion and earlier on Wednesday Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had detained five Russians and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia over the blast. "The whole activity of the FSB and Investigative Committee is nonsense," Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne cited interior minister spokesman Andriy Yusov as saying when asked about Moscow's allegations on the Crimea Bridge blast. Yusov described the FSB and Investigative Committee as "fake structures that serve the Putin regime, so we will definitely not comment on their next statements". Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly and by Kyiv bureau; Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia's FSB arrests eight for Crimea Bridge blast
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday that it had detained five Russians and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia over the explosion that damaged the Crimea Bridge last Saturday, Interfax reported. The FSB said the explosion was organised by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, and its director Kyrylo Budanov. Ukraine has not officially confirmed its involvement in the blast, but some Ukrainian officials have celebrated the damage. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe explosion on the twelve mile-long bridge destroyed one section of the road bridge, temporarily halting road traffic. At a televised meeting of Russia's Security Council on Monday, Putin said the strikes were a retaliation for the Crimea bridge blast, which he said had been organised by Ukraine's secret services.

☆ Russian security forces say a key bridge to Crimea was sabotaged by a truck bomb hidden inside rolls of plastic wrap that repeatedly went unnoticed
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia says a key bridge to Crimea was attacked by a truck bomb hidden in rolls of plastic. Russia's Federal Security Service said Ukrainian military intelligence organized the bombing. Ukraine has not directly claimed responsibility for the weekend bombing of the Kerch Strait Bridge. Russia's Federal Security Service claimed that the bombing — which Russian President Vladimir Putin has deemed a "terrorist attack" — was organized by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and its head, Kyrylo Budanov. Russia's Federal Security Service said that the explosive device that destroyed part of the bridge was "camouflaged" in rolls of construction polyethylene film on 22 pallets weighing in total more than 25 tons.

☆ Factbox: Iran's minority Kurds in focus after woman's death in custody
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The demonstrations began in reaction to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and then spread to every one of Iran's 31 provinces. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe death of the ethnic Kurd raised tensions between the establishment and Iran's Kurdish minority, which human rights groups say have been long oppressed by Iran's leadership. Here are some facts about Iran's Kurds, part of a community that is spread across several Middle East countries and one of the world's largest people without a state. Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution touched off bloodshed in its Kurdistan region with heavy clashes between the Shi'ite revolutionaries and the Kurdish Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) which fought for independence. Rights groups say Kurds, who form about 10 percent of the population, along with other religious and ethnic minorities face discrimination under Iran's Shi'ite clerical establishment.

☆ Delaware Freezes Out Russia-Linked Startups, Extending Sanctions’ Reach
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Andrew Scurria | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

PREVIEWDelaware is now extending U.S. sanctions meant to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine to business ventures incorporated in the state. Blocked startups also can’t raise outside financing because they can’t amend their articles of incorporation in Delaware to issue new capital stock, according to several startup founders and their lawyers. Some startups have persuaded Delaware to restore their good standing after demonstrating that corporate officers no longer live in Russia. Blocked startups face other financial repercussions. It can’t proceed with expansion plans so long as it is blocked in Delaware, Mr. Zykov said.

☆ Russians fleeing Putin's draft are pouring into nearby countries, sending hotel rates, rents, and airfares soaring
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Many are heading to neighboring countries where they can enter visa-free, like Kazakhstan and Georgia. The influx has jacked up hotel rates and rents in these places. The sudden surge in Russians entering these neighboring countries has jacked up hotel rates and home rents in Kazakhstan and Georgia. Many highly educated professionals have left Russia since the war with Ukraine broke out, Insider's Jason Lalljee reported in March. In some cases, tenants have faced eviction, as they have been unable to fork up additional rents, the publication reported.

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