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On a craggy desert plateau in Uzbekistan, a renewable energy company from the United Arab Emirates is putting up more than 100 wind turbines. The Emirates, made wealthy by decades of oil exports, want to be seen as a climate-friendly renewable energy superpower, even as it helps lock developing nations around the world into decades more fossil fuel use. He founded the renewable energy company, Masdar, which has invested billions of dollars in zero-emissions energy technologies like wind and solar power across 40 countries. Simultaneously, he directs Adnoc, the national oil company, a behemoth that makes Masdar look minuscule. Adnoc pumps millions of barrels of oil per day and is aims to spend $150 billion over the next five years, mostly to ramp up its output.

Persons: Sultan al, Jaber, Adnoc Organizations: United Locations: Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Central, Emirates

WASHINGTON (AP) — Google will confront a threat to its dominant search engine beginning Tuesday when federal regulators launch an attempt to dismantle its internet empire in the biggest U.S. antitrust trial in a quarter century. If he decides Google broke the law, another trial will decide what steps should be taken to rein in the Mountain View, California-based company. Political Cartoons View All 1152 ImagesGoogle counters that it faces a wide range of competition despite commanding about 90% of the internet search market. One possibility is that the company could be forced to stop paying Apple and other companies to make Google the default search engine on smartphones and computers. Distracted, the software giant struggled to adapt to the impact of internet search and smartphones.

Persons: Judge Amit Mehta, Sundar Pichai, Larry Page, Eddy, Trump, Microsoft's Bing, Andy Bechtolsheim, Page, Sergey Brin, Justice Department's, litigator Kenneth Dintzer — Organizations: WASHINGTON, Google, Inc, Apple, Justice Department, Firefox, Regulators, Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, Netscape, Justice Locations: , California, Silicon

☆ Kim Jong Un's latest alliance with Putin could make him a formidable force
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin are meeting in Vladivostok. But this time, it's Kim who has the upper hand, and many fear his new alliance with Putin will make him a formidable force. "If Russia pays in oil and food, it can revive the North Korea economy, which in turn could then also strengthen North Korea's weapons system. AdvertisementAdvertisementBut Putin, at this stage, likely sees challenging US influence in Asia, by bolstering North Korea, as a bigger priority. In the tumult that's resulted from the Ukraine war, Kim, a canny and ruthless player, could yet emerge as one of the big winners.

Persons: Kim Jong, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Putin, Kim, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, it's Kim, Victor Cha, Ellen Kim, Sergei Shoigu, JUNG YEON, Yang, Sergey Radchenk, Henry, Kissinger Organizations: Service, North, New York Times, Analysts, CSIS, Russian, Korean, Getty, Asian Institute for Policy Studies, BBC, UN Security Council, Guardian, China, US Locations: Vladivostok, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, North Korean, North Korea, Russia, Washington, Seoul, North, Asia

☆ Astronaut Frank Rubio sets US record for longest trip in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Astronaut Frank Rubio has now been in low-Earth orbit for more than 355 days, breaking the record for the longest space mission by a US astronaut. Rubio — who has been on the International Space Station since September 2022 — bested the previous record, held by retired NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, at 1:40 p.m. NASAIn the record booksIf all goes to plan, and Rubio departs on September 27, his 371-day stay will not be a world record for the longest space mission. She now serves as a private astronaut for Axiom Space, which so far has hosted two commercial trips to the space station that have allowed paying customers to experience a trip to the orbiting laboratory alongside a veteran professional astronaut. During his stay in space, Rubio has seen several crews of astronauts rotate through via SpaceX vehicles.

Persons: Frank Rubio, Rubio —, —, Mark Vande Hei, Rubio, crewmates, Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin —, Roscosmos, Rubio’s, Vande Hei, Bill Nelson, Frank ! ” Rubio, Valeri Polyakov, Vande Hei’s, Scott Kelly, Gennadi Padalka, Peggy Whitson, Whitson, Anna Kikina, Joel Montalbano, ” Montalbano, European Space Agency — Organizations: CNN, Space Station, NASA, Russian Soyuz, Soyuz, SpaceX, Roscosmos, Space, Russian, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, European Space Agency Locations: Russian, Roscosmos, Russia, United States, Ukraine

The U.S. government is taking aim at what has been an indomitable empire: Google’s ubiquitous search engine that has become the internet’s main gateway. That's what happened to Microsoft after its antitrust showdown with the Justice Department: Distracted, the software giant struggled to adapt to the impact of internet search and smartphones. From Google's perspective, the perpetual improvements explain why most people almost reflexively gravitate to its search engine, a habit that long ago made “Googling” synonymous with looking things up. The Justice Department contends Google's claim that it dominates the market by supplying the best search engine is a canard. Google insists that consumers could easily switch their default settings to another search engine.

Persons: Judge Amit Mehta, Sundar Pichai, Larry Page, Eddy, Mehta isn’t, Sergey Brin, Andy Bechtolsheim, Page, Brin, Trump, Microsoft's Bing, Bing Organizations: Washington D.C, Microsoft, U.S, Google, Stanford University, Sun Microsystems, Inc, Apple, Justice Department, U.S . Justice Department, Yelp, Department, Firefox, Regulators Locations: Washington, , California, Silicon, Colorado

☆ Who’s Who in the Google Monopoly Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Cecilia Kang | More About Cecilia Kang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A trial to determine if Google abused its monopoly in online search, which begins on Tuesday, is set to lay bare how the internet search giant cemented its power, featuring testimony from top tech executives, engineers, economists and academics. The trial will unfold in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where a core group of individuals will command the courtroom and direct the day-to-day legal strategies. v. Google:From federal courtJudge Amit P. MehtaJudge Mehta, who was appointed to the bench in 2014 by President Barack Obama, will referee and decide the case in the nonjury trial. In a proceeding last month, he narrowed the lawsuit by the Justice Department and states while preserving the core argument that Google maintained its monopoly in search through deals with smartphone makers that cut out competitors. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1997, a year before Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google.

Persons: Amit P, Mehta Judge Mehta, Barack Obama, Judge Mehta hasn’t, Judge Mehta, Larry Page, Sergey Brin Organizations: Google, District of Columbia, Justice Department, The Ohio State Law, University of Virginia Locations: U.S

But most concurred it was a foreign policy triumph for Modi as he pushes to increase India’s influence on the world stage. “India’s statement embodies the voice of the emerging Global South” said Derek Grossman, an analyst focused on the Indo-Pacific at the RAND Corporation. “It’s emerging as a successful case study of Western and non-Western powers and the Global South working together to pursue shared goals,” he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's leader Xi Jinping skipped the G20 summit this year. Heading into the summit, Modi had argued that the developing countries should have more say, noting that they are disproportionately impacted by many crises including climate change, food shortages and rising energy prices.

Persons: —, Narendra Modi, Rishi Sunak, Olaf Scholz, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, ”, Amitabh Kant, Modi, “, Derek Grossman, Michael Kugelman, Wilson, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Sergey Lavrov, India's, ” Lavrov, Michael Schuman, ” Schuman, ” Kugelman, Krutika Pathi, Adam Schreck, Joanna Kozlowska Organizations: DELHI, British, United, Russia, RAND Corporation, Beijing, ”, Union, South Asia Institute, Global, Russian, Atlantic, European Union, “, Associated Press Locations: Ukraine, Russia, China, Moscow, United Nations, India, New Delhi, Brazil, South Africa, Beijing, London

☆ G20 welcomes African Union as permanent member at Delhi leaders' summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Flags of participating countries are pictured inside the International media center at the venue of the G20 leaders' summit, days ahead of its commencement in New Delhi on September 7, 2023. Money Sharma | Afp | Getty ImagesNEW DELHI — The African Union became the second regional grouping to be admitted to the Group of 20 leading industrialized and developing nations as a full permanent member, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Saturday at the start of the two-day G20 leaders' summit in Delhi. The widely-anticipated move underscores India's wide-ranging agenda to elevate the global multilateral forum's focus on the Global South in its presidency of the G20 this year. The 55-member bloc of African nations joins the European Union as only the second regional organization to become a permanent member of the G20. "It is in the spirit of together with all that India proposed permanent membership for the African Union in the G20."

Persons: Money Sharma, Narendra Modi, Modi, Azali Assoumani, Lula da Silva, Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron, Germany's, Olaf Scholz, Fumio Kishida, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Sergey Lavrov, China Premier Li Qiang Organizations: International, Afp, Getty, African Union, Indian, European Union, International Monetary Fund, Global, U.S, Canadian, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Russian, China Premier Locations: New Delhi, Delhi, India, China, —, Japan, Ukraine

☆ Modi, Biden pledge to deepen India-U.S. partnership as world leaders descend on Delhi for G20 summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Indian artist Jagjot Singh Rubal gives final touches to an oil painting of U.S. President Joe Biden, at his workshop in Amritsar on September 5, 2023, ahead of the two-day G20 summit in New Delhi. The pair's absence has sparked fears that a communique binding member states may not be issued at the end of a G20 leaders' summit — undercutting India's clout and diminishing his domestic messaging. At a pre-summit press conference Friday, India's G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant said the final declaration "is almost ready." In their joint statement after their Friday bilateral meeting, Biden and Modi "reaffirmed their commitment to the G20." Despite recently traveling to South Africa for a BRICS meeting, Xi has rarely traveled abroad.

Persons: Jagjot Singh Rubal, Joe Biden, Narinder Nanu, Narendra Modi, Biden, Bangladesh —, Modi, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Putin, Sergey Lavrov, China Premier Li Qiang, Xi, India's, Amitabh Kant, Kant, snubbing Modi, Taiwan — Organizations: Afp, Getty, Indian, U.S, International Monetary Fund, African Union, Global, China Premier Locations: Amritsar, New Delhi, Narinder, Delhi, Washington, Australia, India, Japan, U.S, Mauritius, Bangladesh, China, —, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, France, South Africa, Beijing —, Zambia, Venezuela, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Beijing

☆ Ukraine's front-line forces aren't advancing as much as 'hoped' in the face of tough Russian defenses, but they're gaining ground, about 300 feet per day, NATO chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine is "gradually" gaining a little over 300 feet of territory every day. Moscow also constructed a formidable array of defenses known as the "Surovikin Line," which has proven to be a headache for Ukrainian forces. The main part of the Surovikin Line consists of three layers of obstacles and fighting positions and is protected in the front by minefields. Ukrainian forces have managed to carve out a pocket of liberated territory south of Orikhiv, a city in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. "When the Ukrainians are gaining ground, the Russians are losing ground," Stoltenberg said.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Dmytro Kuleba, Sergey Surovikin, it's, NATO's Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg Organizations: Service, NATO, Separate, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian Army, 3rd Assault Brigade, Ukrainian Armed Forces Press Service, REUTERS, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Kyiv, Russia, Moscow, Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Russian, Orikhiv, Azov, Bakhmut, Donetsk Region

CNN —A drone attack caused an explosion near Russia’s military headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don on Thursday, as Kyiv continues a campaign of strategic aerial strikes in Russian territory. Russian air defense systems separately intercepted a drone attack near Moscow, the capital’s mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a post on Telegram on Thursday. “Tonight, in the Ramensky urban district, air defense forces thwarted a drone attack on Moscow. “There will be a just retribution for everything.”In addition to the attacks on Russian territory, Kyiv has continued to also hit Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine. Russian-appointed officials in occupied Zaporizhzhia say there was another Ukrainian drone attack on Enerhodar, the city adjacent to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, early on Thursday.

Persons: Vasily Golubev, Golubev, Wagner, Sergey Sobyanin, ” Sobyanin, OLGA MALTSEVA, Denys Shmyhal, “, Jens Stoltenberg, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Getty, NATO Locations: Rostov, Kyiv, Russia, Ukrainian, Moscow, AFP, Ukraine, Russian, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia

☆ Ukraine's front-line forces are trying to fight their way through Russia's formidable Surovikin Line. Here's what that is.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian forces are making steady territorial gains in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. In doing so, Kyiv's troops have fought against the formidable Surovikin Line. As they approach Verbove, Kyiv's troops have are pushing against the main part of the so-called "Surovikin Line." The Surovikin Line is a complex system of defensive fortifications and obstacles across Russian-occupied territory in southern and eastern Ukraine. AdvertisementAdvertisementTo even reach the main line, Kyiv's soldiers have had to move through sprawling minefields — which has proven to be a slow and painstaking process.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Surovikin's, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner, George Barros, Barros, Rob Lee, Michael Kofman Organizations: Service, Factory, Russian Army, Institute, REUTERS Locations: Robotyne, Verbove, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Orikhiv, Azov, Kherson, Crimea, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Washington, Russia, Tokmak, Ukrainian, Moscow

☆ Myanmar won't be allowed to lead Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2026, in blow to generals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

An official ASEAN statement issued Tuesday night confirmed the decision to hand the chair to the Philippines in 2026 and affirmed the group's commitment to a five-point plan for restoring peace and stability in Myanmar. The ASEAN leaders' statement on Myanmar stressed the desire to work with the generals to end the country's crisis, especially in the context of the five-point plan which Myanmar accepted in 2021 but has largely failed to implement. "All of us are aware of the magnitude of the world's challenges today, where the main key to facing them is the unity and centrality of ASEAN," Widodo told fellow leaders. "ASEAN leaders must ensure that this ship is able to keep going, able to keep sailing," Widodo said. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said before flying to Jakarta that he plans to offer assurances of the safety of the ongoing release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos, Lee Hsien Loong, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun, Pham Minh Chinh, Joko Widodo, Sonexay Siphandone, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Hun Manet, Anwar Ibrahim, Xanana Gusmao, Adi Weda, Aung, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Retno Marsudi, —, Marsudi, bloc's, Widodo, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Li Qiang, Sergey Lavrov, Fumio Kishida Organizations: Singapore's, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam's, Cambodia's, Malaysia's, East Timor's, ASEAN Summit, Afp, Getty, United, Aung San Suu, ASEAN, Indonesia, Associated Press, European Union, Myanmar Armed Forces, Foreign Ministry, ASEAN Chair, Indonesian, Assistance Association for Political, U.S ., U.S, Russian, Japanese Locations: Laos, East, Jakarta, Myanmar, United States, Aung San, Philippines, Philippine, ASEAN, Naypyidaw, South China, U.S, China

☆ Google is about to turn 25. Its CEO thinks AI is the biggest tech development that we'll see in our lifetimes.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google is about to celebrate its 25th birthday but all its CEO can think about is AI. CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blogpost that AI "may be bigger than the internet itself." Google has focused more on AI after ChatGPT threatened to rock its core business earlier this year. But its CEO can't help but think about how AI is about to be a much bigger deal. In the Tuesday blogpost, Pichai said AI represented a "fundamental rewiring of technology and an incredible accelerant of human ingenuity."

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Pichai, Brin, Bard Organizations: Google, Service, London Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Video of a Ram truck flying through Burning Man's mud trap while hauling an RV is the best ad a car company could ask for
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The driver of a Ram 1500 TRX defied the odds in a video of the vehicle driving over mud. Amid rainstorms and flooding at Burning Man, the pickup truck managed to escape the muddy playa. While others trudged through ankle-deep mud at Burning Man, the driver of a truck made by Stellantis's Ram brand appeared to power through the wet grounds of Black Rock City, Nevada. The Burning Man festival was hit with rainstorm over the weekend that left more than 73,000 stranded. AdvertisementAdvertisementEach year, Burning Man attracts over 70,000 attendees that include the average Silicon Valley tech bro, models, and billionaires.

Persons: TRX, Stellantis's Ram, Brendan Cogbill, hine, ake Organizations: Service, ust Locations: Wall, Silicon, Black Rock City , Nevada

☆ Opinion: Why a G20 without Putin and Xi could be a fantastic opportunity
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Opinion David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —This might have been an opportunity for world leaders to bridge a host of chasms that are opening up, as G20 conferences have in the past. Yet this will be the first G20 that Xi has skipped in the decade he’s served as China’s president. The hope is that, without distractions from the presence of Xi and Putin, the G20 will be able to focus more directly on just such urgent issues. Certainly, it removes an opportunity to pressure Xi into restraining shipment of technology and equipment to Russia that could help its war in Ukraine. So, this G20 — uniquely absent Xi and Putin — is an important opportunity to showcase China’s failings, confirm Russia’s status as a pariah and ratify America’s place as a global leader.

Persons: David A, David Andelman, Vladimir Putin, Sergey Lavrov, Xi, Li Qiang, Putin, Narendra Modi, —, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, he’s, Blinken, Biden, Lavrov, ”, “, …, there’s, Michele Spatari, Biden’s, Putin — Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, David Andelman CNN, International Criminal Court, ICC, America, NBC, Putin, Indian, Sunday, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, United, Twitter, Facebook, Biden Locations: New Delhi, India, Bali , Indonesia, China, Washington, Johannesburg, South Africa, Arunachal Pradesh, Beijing, ” China, San Francisco, Russian, AFP, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Africa, Ukraine, Vietnam, Asia, American, Southeast Asia, America

☆ Elon Musk called Burning Man the 'best art on Earth' before thousands of mud-soaked attendees fled the disastrous event
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk called Burning Man the "best art on Earth" despite chaotic weather conditions. Elon Musk, who has been known to attend the arts festival in the past, praised the event as the "best art on Earth." In a Sunday post on X, formerly Twitter, Musk said: "Burning Man is unique in the world. The billionaire made the remarks in response to a joke video of a Balenciaga fashion show in Paris that was falsely labeled as Burning Man. Burning Man has long been a favorite among billionaires and tech elites.

Persons: Elon, hasn't, Elon Musk, Musk, Angie Peacock, hadn't, Musk's, Kimbal, Sergey Brin Organizations: Twitter, Rock City, Wall Street Locations: Nevada, Paris

☆ Elon Musk's former lieutenant who once slept on the floor in Twitter's office attended this year's Burning Man — and says it was 'totally bonkers' trying to get out
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Esther Crawford said she had a "totally bonkers exit" from mud that stranded many at Burning Man. The ex-Twitter director said despite the rain the event was "exactly what I needed." Crawford went viral last year for sleeping at Twitter's headquarters amid Elon Musk's takeover. Organizers at Burning Man began letting attendees leave the site on Monday afternoon after it told festivalgoers to shelter in place and conserve resources following flooding in the desert. Crawford said on Instagram that she attends the event every year because its "full of extremes" that forge deep relationships.

Persons: Esther Crawford, Crawford, Elon Musk's, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Kimbal Organizations: Elon, Service, Twitter, Man, Black Rock City Locations: Wall, Silicon, Black Rock

☆ Sergey Brin and Elon Musk's brother, Kimbal, spotted at Burning Man as attendees struggled to deal with swampy, chaotic conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk's brother, Kimbal Musk, and Google cofounder Sergey Brin have been spotted at Burning Man. Two of the biggest tech camps have been severely flooded, attendees told WSJ. Another tech founder said they abandoned their luggage and waded through ankle-deep mud. AdvertisementAdvertisementElon Musk's brother, Kimbal Musk, and Google cofounder Sergey Brin have been spotted at Burning Man as attendees continue to battle chaotic conditions. Another tech founder said she had to ditch her luggage and wade through ankle-deep mud.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Kimbal, Sergey Brin, Brock Pierce, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Elizabeth Holmes, Google cofounders Brin, Larry Page, Eric Schmidt, Brin Organizations: Wall Street, Rock City, Meta, Google, Musk Locations: Rock

☆ Tech entrepreneur says she ditched her luggage and trekked through ankle-deep mud to escape flooded Burning Man camp: 'It felt like walking in wet scuba gear'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Burning Man attendees have made gruelling escape attempts after bad weather hampered the event. One tech entrepreneur told WSJ she hiked through ankle-deep mud after her camp flooded. AdvertisementAdvertisementSome Burning Man attendees have been staging dramatic escapes after heavy rainfall turned the festival site into a chaotic mud pit. She said walking through the mud while carrying what she could "felt like walking in wet scuba gear." DJ and producer Diplo, a Burning Man regular, documented his escape with Chris Rock on social media.

Persons: Laurie Wofford, Sergey Brin, Diplo, Chris Rock Organizations: Tech, Morning, Wall Street Journal, Wofford Locations: Nevada, Washington, DC

CNN —Russian forces attacked Ukrainian port facilities on the Danube River used for food exports on Sunday, a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to discuss reviving a grain export deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ukraine’s Air Force said 25 drones were used in overnight attacks on the Odesa region, 22 of which were shot down. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that it was targeting fuel storage facilities in the Ukrainian port of Reni used to supply Ukraine’s military. An aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Kremlin of trying to create a “food crisis” with the attacks. He will likely to discuss reviving the deal while meeting with Putin in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Monday.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Reni, “, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, Erdogan, Putin, Sergey Lavrov Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, NATO, Romania’s Ministry of Defense, Russian, UN Locations: Ukrainian, Port, Romania, Romania’s, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Black, Sochi, Ukraine, Kyiv

Discovery, was among the Western studios to pull out of Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. A “Barbie House” photo zone was set to open in Moscow last week and Russian clothing brands have launched pink Barbie-themed collections. “Hi Barbie!” one Moscow-based influencer said to her fans, asking them which of her Barbie looks they like the most. Commentaries in state media have linked the movie and the doll to the United States’ “downhill” culture and geopolitical aims. Now they have somewhat different ideals,” said Moscow State Pedagogical University Associate Professor Tatyana Semenova according to Russia’s privately owned National News Service outlet.

Persons: Barbie ”, Barbiemania, “ Barbie, hasn’t, ”, Barbie, Bulkin Sergey, “, influencer, Specialnaya, doesn’t, Dmitry Kosyrev, –, Maria Butina, Butina, Tatyana Butskaya, Barbie don’t, Tatyana Semenova Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros, Russia Russia’s Ministry of Culture, Warner Bros Discovery, RIA Novosti, Press, Moscow, Mattel, Hollywood, Duma, International Affairs, State, State Duma, Moscow State Pedagogical University, National News Service Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russia Russia’s, Siberian, Tyumen, Moscow, Russian, EU, United States, Asia, South, Vietnam, United Russia

☆ How Preply became one of the largest online language learning startups in the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He started to see the potential for online language tutoring as a viable business model, since online lessons were cheaper than in-person lessons and class schedules were more flexible. In the summer of 2012, Bigai, Voloshyn and Lukyanov founded the online language learning startup Preply. Last month, Preply raised a $70 million Series C extension round with a combination of debt and equity led by Horizon Capital. Reach Capital, Hoxton Ventures and Owl Ventures, which led its previous $50 million Series C in 2022, also participated. The company's successful fundraising comes after a difficult year personally for the Preply team.

Persons: Preply, Kirill Bigai, Dmytro Voloshyn, Sergey Lukyanov, Bigai, Lukyanov, James Kim Organizations: Preply, Horizon Capital, Morning, Skype, Horizon, Reach, Hoxton Ventures, Owl Ventures, Datadog, Bain, Reach Capital Locations: Ukraine, Boston, Texas, Barcelona, Kyiv, Berlin, Czech, Russia

CNN —Yevgeny Prigozhin turned the Wagner Group from a shadowy band of mercenaries into a feared military powerhouse operating across multiple countries on three continents. The kind of clear chain of command that is common in traditional military does not exist in Wagner, which makes Prigozhin’s demise a potentially existential problem for the group. Members of Wagner group sit atop of a tank in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023. A Russian military delegation went to the Libyan city of Benghazi this week to meet with Haftar, who has been supported by Wagner for several years. He said the cracks in the foundations of West African and Central African countries that have leaned on the Wagner Group for support could begin to emerge now.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, ”, Natasha Lindstaedt, “ It’s, ” Lindstaedt, – Wagner, Dmitriy Utkin, Valeriy Chekalov –, “ Wagner, Russia ” Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, “, ” Wagner, Huseyn Aliyev, –, ” Aliyev, Aliyev, Lindstaedt, Putin, Stringer, Yevgeny Progozhin, Khalifa, Haftar, Yevkurov, ” Oluwole, there’s, ” Prigozhin, Christopher O, Ogunmodede, couldn’t, Sergey Lavrov Organizations: CNN, Wagner, University of Essex, Russia, University of Glasgow, Kremlin, Ministry of Defense, Prigozhin's Press Service, Russian Ministry of Defense, Kommersant, UK Ministry of Defense, Getty Images Security, Russian, Central African, Forces, Reuters, Libyan, Central Africa, Institute for Security Studies, Central, Wagner Group, Politics, Russia’s Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russia’s, Russian, United States, Ukraine, Africa, Middle, Bakhmut, Rostov, AFP, Syria, St . Petersburg, Mali, Crimea, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Libya, Libyan, Benghazi, West African, “, Mali …

☆ Opinion: Putin’s virtual bravado, Xi’s big win, and 6 new members. Why this was a summit like no other
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The move breathes new life into a group set to rival the G7 and brings the world closer to multi-polarity. BRICS leaders could be forgiven for not knowing whether to exhibit exuberance or concern on Wednesday. (Summit host, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said it should be seen as an accomplishment for the entire BRICS bloc.) Hours later, just as BRICS leaders were sitting down to dinner, news alerts started to steal the show on the crashed private jet said to be carrying Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Host South Africa just manages to pull it offThat South Africa managed to pull off hosting the summit is an accomplishment in itself.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia, “, —, Xi Jinping, you’ve, Nicolás Maduro, Russia’s, Cyril Ramaphosa, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, couldn’t, Swagger, I’ve, Modi, Vladimir Putin’s, Sergey Lavrov, Lula da Silva, Lula, Vladimir Putin, Michele Spatari, It’s, ” Nontsikelelo, Facebook Xi, Xi, Putin Organizations: Atlantic Council, Organization for Security, Cooperation, CNN, Johannesburg CNN, United Arab, —, for Security, UN, Wagner, Getty, Democratic, Twitter, Facebook, National Congress, ANC Locations: Odesa, Europe, Johannesburg, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Africa, ”, Beijing, Donbas, Ukraine, AFP, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon

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