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☆ An Epic Pilgrimage Across Three Great Religions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Aatish Taseer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +111 min

Before there was tourism, there was pilgrimage: a trip of endurance, hardship and ecstasy in celebration of one’s faith. On an epic pilgrimage of his own, one writer ventures into the heart of three great religions in Bolivia, Mongolia and Iraq. The Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala the day after Ashura. “They’re poor, but they come thousands of kilometers for the love of Imam Hussein.” PILGRIMAGE WAS A great equalizer. “Labaik ya Hussein,” came the solemn chorus of surrounding voices.

Persons: Eduardo Quintela Gonzáles, ” Quintela, JAN, “, ”, Quintela, Victor, Edith Turner, Chaucer, ferne, sondry londes, Vaishno Devi, Lyra Skinner, Lyra, Victoria Preston’s, —, Prophet Muhammad, Virgin Mary, Bath, Naipaul, Augustus, Ryan, garret, Virgin, Monica Machicao, Nicholas Casey, ” Monica, Casey, Evo Morales, sloughing, Columbus, Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Monica, glitzy cholets, Peru —, Viracocha, it’s, Pablo Quisbert, Leandro Chitarroni, Eichmann, Father Chitarroni, Father Chitarroni’s, Conquistadores ”, Fernando Cervantes, Bernabé Cobo, Quisbert, Edgar Quispe, Tatiana Huayhua, Francisco Tito Yupanqui, Mary, Yupanqui’s, su, Yupanqui, Chitarroni, she’s, Friar Abelino Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori’s, Irene, Juana, hajji, Waka, Aracely Alcón, Santiago, Alcón, ‘, don’t, ” Alcón, Tito Yupanqui, Uma Marka, Pachamama, haggard, Amaru Fiorilo Barrios, he’d, ” Fiorilo, Fiorilo, who’d, Valeria Alcón, Laureano Jose Quisbert, Elena Ticona Flores, Eduardo Quintela’s, Ensamble, pang, padre, consolations, Sincrético, El, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Axel, amauta, strode, La, Aatish Taseer, Saint Helena —, Constantine I, La Paz, Orgilbaatar Tsolmon, Orgil, Genghis Khan, Edward Gibbon, ” Orgil, Araniko’s, Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan’s, Kubla Khan, Coleridge, Kublai, Stalin, sybarite, Khamar, Dalai Lama, Lama, Christopher Kaplonski, ger, I’d, banshtai tsai, Prim, Egi, Munkhdul, Gandantegchinlen, Haidav, herder, “ Um sain, boltugai, Danzanravjaa, Zanabazar’s, Erdene, Mandakhtsog Monkhbaatar, Monkhbaatar’s, Dalai Lamas, prostrated, He’d, Zuu, she’d, Santiago de, L.K, Advani, Emperor Babur, Ram, kar sevaks, Ayodhya, Narendra Modi, Munkhbaatar Batchuluun, Henry Wallace, Franklin D, Potemkin, Munkhbaatar, Gerelmaa, Giimaa, She’d, Eduardo Quintela, Aracely, Santiago’s, Joseph Brodsky’s, Muhammad’s, Hussein, William Keo, ” Khuder, pillion, Labaik, Hussein ”, O Hussein, hearkened, Prophet, Ali —, Ali, Yazid, Imam, crackling, chickpeas, Imam Ali, Imam Hussein, Saddam Hussein, Tusi, Qasim, Imam Hussein’s, Khuder, “ Will, Najaf, prestes, — I, Yasir Yaseen, Ashura, Ali Akbar, Abbas, Ali Asghar, “ We’re, Francisco Goya’s, Hussein’s, Groom, Joseph, ” Wissam, Turfi, Saddam —, Arbaeen, Saddam, “ Imam Hussein, WE, Muhammad, Barnaby Rogerson, Prophet Muhammad ”, ” Ali, Muhammad — Muhammad, formlessness, Muqtada al, Abrams, chiding, Abu Musab Al, Zarqawi, Al Qaeda, William, “ They’re, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, flagellants, ruddy, stylishly, Hussein — shahid —, Farman Ahsan, Syed Salman Raza —, Saddam’s, ” Raza, William “, Ali Zayn al, Abidin, Labaik ya Hussein, thrall —, Lloyd, Susanne Rudolph — Organizations: CITY LA, LA, LA PAZ, Virgin, Crusaders, Dolorosa, Sun, The New York Times, Bolivian, Spain, La, Cordillera, Universidad Mayor de, Catholic, Good, La Paz, Dominican, Pakistan, Caesars, Nissan, Coke, Communists, Communism, ardor, Communist, Hyundai, flails, sacra, Apache, Mahdi Army, Al, ISIS, Karachi —, Princeton Locations: Bolivia, Mongolia, Iraq, Aatish Taseer Bolivia Mongolia Iraq, CITY LA PAZ, BOLIVIA, NAJAF, IRAQ, ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA, LA PAZ, La Paz, Bolivian, Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, New York, Christian, British, sondry, India, Delhi, Varanasi, Europe, American, Mecca, Arabia, Long, Vino Tinto, Chile, Peru, Monica, Plurinational State, Bolivia —, Americas, Spain, Columbian, Aztec Mexico, Inca Peru, Calvary Hill, Virgen del Cerro, South America, Puerto Rico, Huatajata, ”, Argentine, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Mexican, revelry, Spanish, “, morena, La, “ India, multilayered, Potosí, Argentina, Warisata, Scotch, Santiago de Compostela, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Nations, El Alto, Buenos Aires, Bombay, Tibet, Bolivia’s, Yamuna Rivers, United States, Buddhist Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian, Istanbul, Asia, Islam, China, Beijing, Dadu, Erdene Zuu, Soviet, Gobi, Los Angeles, gers, Qing China, Karnataka, Töv Province, Karakorum, Khamar, Erdene, Ukraine, Korea, Golden, Bayankhongor, Lhasa, Dalai, Inner Mongolia, Mongol, Nalaikh, Santiago, Santiago de Compostela and Canterbury, Bulgan Province, Somnath, Gujarat, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, ger, East German, Uvs Province, Pakistani, Indian, Tennessee, Najaf, Baghdad, Khuder, —, abayas, KARBALA, Kufa, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Karbala, Imam Ali, Bab, Kuwaiti, Bohras, South Asia, Tajikistan, Zaydis, Yemen, Alawites, Anatolia, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Sadr, U.S, Jordanian, Al Qaeda, Mesopotamia, Al, Multan, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan’s, Islamabad, Lahore, Kuwait, Karachi, Doha, Qatar

☆ A first-of-its-kind drone landing shows how the British navy plans to keep its new aircraft carriers in action for longer
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

During a test in September, a drone flew on and off a British aircraft carrier for the first time. A difficult operationRoyal Navy airman secure a W Autonomous Systems drone aboard HMS Prince of Wales in early September. In 2021, the Royal Navy tested a drone system meant to help crews train to defend against incoming jets and missiles. AdvertisementAdvertisementTurkey's navy will soon add TCG Anadolu, the world's first aircraft carrier designed for a drone air wing. The US Air Force's Next Aircraft Dominance Program is developing a sixth-generation family of aircraft, drone wingmen designed to fly alongside piloted planes.

Persons: —, Wales, Richard Hewitt, HMS Prince, LPhot Finn Stainer, Hutchins, Hewitt, Merlin, Ash Loftus, Prince, Burak, NavyMCS2 Colby, Alex Hollings, Hollings, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, MCS3 Brandon Roberson, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Royal Navy, Autonomous Systems, Royal Navy Carrier Strike Groups, Wildcat, Fleet, Royal Navy Air Test, Anadolu, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, US Air Force, Navy, US, Force's, Air Force, US Navy, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: British, Prince, Wales, Dardanelles, Tulsa, Vietnam, George H.W .

☆ Pakistan coach says ‘I’ve not seen so many grown men cry in all my life’ after first-ever World Cup qualifying round win
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Stephen Constantine, the head coach of Pakistan’s men’s national football team, said he has “not seen so many grown men cry in all my life” after his side claimed its first-ever World Cup qualifying round win. Pakistan beat Cambodia 1-0 at Islamabad’s Jinnah Sports Stadium thanks to a 67th-minute goal from Harun Hamid. “It is an unbelievable atmosphere here, I’ve not seen so many grown men cry in all my life,” Constantine told the BBC. Pakistan is ranked 197th in the world and will now face matches against Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Jordan in the second round of qualifying, which begins in November. “We don’t have regular football; half of them have part-time jobs … and that makes the double result even more impressive.

Persons: Stephen Constantine, Pakistan’s, Harun Hamid, I’ve, ” Constantine, haven’t, “, I’m, Li shanze, Constantine, ” Organizations: CNN, football team, Pakistan, Islamabad’s Jinnah Sports, BBC, Saudi, Pakistan Football Federation, FIFA Locations: Cambodia, India, Nepal, Malawi, Sudan, Rwanda, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Jordan

☆ An 87-year-old deal is keeping a lid on the naval war in Ukraine — for now
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Fighting between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea has picked up in recent months. The fighting is taking a toll on Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which Moscow can't reinforce. Russia's Black Sea Fleet hasn't been defeated, but its losses, including the sinking of its flagship, the Moskva, weigh more heavily on Russia's war effort because of a deal signed nearly a century ago that is preventing Moscow from bringing more ships into the Black Sea. The convention distinguishes between Black Sea powers — those with a Black Sea coastline — and non-Black Sea powers. "Initially it was thought that it was a big deal that some of the Russian warships were prevented from entering the Black Sea.

Persons: —, Russia —, hasn't, Sergey Ponomarev, US Navy Arleigh Burke, OZAN KOSE, Ben Wallace, Stringer, Turkey's, Volodymyr Dubovyk, Dubovyk, Sabina Joja, Joja, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Montreux Convention, NATO, Service, Fleet, Sea Fleet, AP, US Navy, Getty, Russian, REUTERS, Mechnikov National University, Middle East Institute, Washington DC, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Montreux, Crimea, Moskva, Sevastopol, Rostov, AFP, Turkey, Baltic, Northern, Odessa's, Ukrainian, Turkish, Romanian, Iulia, Washington, Izmail, Ankara, NATO

☆ As Russia's war in Ukraine drags on, Kyiv's neighbors are loading up on new high-tech military gear
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia's invasion of Ukraine has upended European security, driving countries there to plan once again for the possibility of a major land war. Those European countries have transferred billions of dollars' worth of military hardware to Ukraine, and now they are seeking to rebuild their own stocks. Poland and Romania both border Ukraine and have been affected by the war. US Army/Markus RauchenbergerBased on disclosed weapon transfers, Poland is Europe's second biggest contributor of military aid to Ukraine, sending Kyiv large quantities of Soviet-era arms. AdvertisementAdvertisementPoland also announced in September a $2 billion purchase of several hundred Naval Strike Missiles from Norway.

Persons: —, Markus Rauchenberger, HIMARS, Mariusz Blaszczak, Attila Husejnow, Abrams, DANIEL MIHAILESCU, spender, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, US Army, Baltic Fleet, Polish, Getty, Patriot, Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensors, US, US State Department, Apaches, NATO, Polish Air Force, Washington, Getty Images, Naval, Missiles, Reuters, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Eastern Europe, Poland, Romania, Warsaw, Bucharest, Norway, NSMs, Kaliningrad, Poland's, Belarus, South Korea, Seoul, Romanian, AFP, Getty Images Romania, Eastern, Slovakia, Czech Republic

☆ George W. Bush says it was 'shocking' to learn that Yevgeny Prigozhin once served him dinner in St. Petersburg: 'All I know is I survived'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A photograph from 2006 shows Yevgeny Prigozhin serving dinner to then-President George W. Bush. Prigozhin was running catering for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, earning the name "Putin's chef." The former president was then asked if he thought Russian leader Vladimir Putin could "survive" the consequences of the Ukraine war if the conflict does not end in Moscow's favor. Russian leader Vladimir Putin listens to his US counterpart George W. Bush prior to a dinner 14 July 2006. In those days, Prigozhin had earned himself the nickname "Putin's chef" because he provided catering services to the Russian leader.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, George W, Bush, he'd, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Wagner, —, It's, Laura Bush, Putin, DMITRY ASTAKHOV, US Justice Department —, Weeks Organizations: Service, Yalta European Strategy, Getty, World Trade Organization, US Justice Department, Wagner, Kremlin Locations: Wall, Silicon, Yalta, Kyiv, St . Petersburg, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow's, Russia, Constantine, Washington, Moscow, Concord

☆ ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3’ Review: N’opa!
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Amy Nicholson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The story starts after the passing of Toula’s father, Gus, the patriarch played with grumbling affection by Michael Constantine, who died in 2021. Only six people remain in the village, and two of them are secretly dating — the series’s core trope remains a hushed romance. The oddest disposable gag comes when Toula blurts her sexual attraction to a mustachioed stranger (Alexis Georgoulis). The ancient Greeks wrote tragedy after tragedy warning against hubris. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3Rated PG-13 for a suggestive scene on a nude beach with strategically placed slices of watermelon.

Persons: Gus, Michael Constantine, Toula, Alexis Georgoulis, Vardalos’s, Elena Kampouris, Voula, Martin Locations: Greece

☆ The US is making 'irreversible' progress with a former Russian partner in a tense corner of Europe, but not everyone in NATO will be happy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

For Cyprus, it's a move away from its longtime partner in Russia, but Turkey isn't happy about it. Cyprus has made "important strides" in its military and security cooperation with the US, Michalis Giorgallas, Cyprus' minister of defense, told Insider in response to written questions. Giorgallas told Insider. "This trajectory will continue," Giorgallas told Insider, adding that after the National Guard partnership, "our defense cooperation with the US has become irreversible and we look forward to what's to come." Giorgallas told Insider that the area is historically an unstable one and that the instability has become more visible in more domains, such as at sea and in the air over the region.

Persons: it's, Michalis Giorgallas, aren't, ROY ISSA, Panteleyev, Yiannis Kourtoglou, Giorgallas, John Yountz, —, IAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU, Christopher Cavoli, BIROL BEBEK, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, NATO, UN, Getty, Cypriot, Russian Navy, Airbus, US Army, Staff, Military Education, Training, Cypriot National Guard, New Jersey National Guard, National Guard, US European Command, Turkish, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Republic of Cyprus, Cyprus, Russia, Turkey, Wall, Silicon, Europe, East, North Africa, Moscow, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ankara, Washington, Crimea, Ukraine, Limassol, AFP, US, Nicosia, Larnaca, John Yountz Cypriot, Cypriot, Greece, Tartus, Northern Cyprus

☆ The Ukrainians are begging Western countries for F-16s, but they've also got their eyes on an often overlooked Swedish jet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine has repeatedly asked Western countries to give it F-16 fighter jets to take on Russia. To better fight the air war and support its ground forces, Ukraine has repeatedly asked Western countries for F-16 fighter jets, and those countries are moving toward supplying them. Matthew Horwood/Getty ImagesThe Gripen is well regarded by experts and may be uniquely suited for the war in Ukraine. That'll be great for future marketing of your aircraft,'" Alperovitch added. Of the six countries that fly the jet, only Sweden and the Czech Republic have backed Ukraine in the war.

Persons: Sweden's JAS, Dmitri Alperovitch, Alperovitch, Griffin, JAS, Matthew Horwood, Petr Josek PJ, That'll, Czech JAS, Mindy Bloem, John Kirby, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Gripen, Service, Royal Military Air, Getty, IRIS, Ukraine's Air Force, Strategic Services, Saab, REUTERS, AA, Russian Air Force, Kyiv, US Air National Guard / Tech, Gripen Es, Swedish Air Force, White House National Security Council, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Swedish, Wall, Silicon, Western, Kyiv, Prague, Sweden, Stockholm, Czech Republic, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, Hungary, Czech, Poland, Slovakia

☆ NATO's northernmost members are preparing for an undersea showdown with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

NATO navies worry about those subs and they've increased their focus on countering undersea threats. Nordic navies are investing in their own submarine fleets to keep track of Russia's boats. A particular concern for the alliance is Russia's submarines, many of which are assigned to those two fleets. The potential threat from Russia's undersea forces has prompted its neighbors to reevaluate their own submarine needs. But Sweden's western neighbors, Norway and Denmark, both see a need for bigger sub fleets.

Persons: Christopher Cavoli, OLGA MALTSEVA, Ronald Reagan, Fredrik Linden, Petty, Marlowe Dix, Michael Aastrup Jensen, Aastrup Jensen, HENRIK MONTGOMERY, Eirik Kristoffersen, Kristoffersen, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: NATO, Nordic, Service, Baltic, US, Command, Allied, Getty, North Atlantic, Baltic Fleet, Navy, Submarine, Reuters, Naval, Norfolk, US Navy, Hudson Institute, Getty Images, Submarines, Armed Forces, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Nordic, Gulf of Finland, St . Petersburg, AFP, Finland, North, Russia's, Kaliningrad, Russia, Baltic, Sweden, Swedish, Gotland, Blekinge, Navy Gotland, Sweden's, Norwegian Ula, Norway, Denmark, Danish, Ula, Oslo, Swedish Gotland, Halland, Stockholm

☆ Secretive and highly paid submariners are behind some of Russia's most worrying undersea operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Known as GUGI, the directorate is responsible for conducting sabotage and surveillance against critical maritime infrastructure, including undersea cables and energy pipelines. NATO's intelligence chief warned this year that Russia could attempt to sabotage undersea cables in retaliation for Western support of Ukraine. Yantar, the special-purpose survey ship, was spotted lingering near undersea cables west of Ireland in 2021. "We know that Russia has the capacity to map but also potentially to conduct actions against critical infrastructure," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on June 16. "That's also the reason why we have, for many years, addressed the vulnerability of critical undersea infrastructure."

Persons: Sidharth Kaushal, Kaushal, GUGI, OLGA MALTSEVA, Sutton, Andrey Luzik, Jens Stoltenberg, That's, Stoltenberg, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: NATO, Service, Directorate, Russian Ministry of Defense, Submarine, Royal United Services Institute, Getty, Barents Observer, Russia Ministry of Defense, US Navy, Norwegian Coast Guard, OLE BERG, NATO Maritime Centre, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russia, GUGI, British, St . Petersburg, AFP, Belgorod, Moscow, Olenya, Baltic, Severomorsk, Europe, Ukraine, Ireland, GUGI's St, Petersburg

☆ Turkey isn't getting much use out of its Russian-made missile-defense system, but that's not why Erdogan is keeping it around
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The first parts of a Russian S-400 system are unloaded at an airport near Ankara in July 2019. Turkey's S-400 lacks that integration, as it hasn't been connected to NATO's radar network because alliance members fear that doing so could expose other systems to Russian observation. That made Russia's S-400 seem like not only a valid alternative but a preferable option to the US-made Patriot missile-defense system. (The US withdrew Patriot batteries from Turkey in late 2015, adding to Turkish concerns and desire for another air-defense system.) After the initial signing, the deal went into limbo over reported political disagreements and Turkey never received the system.

Persons: hasn't, Turkey's, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's, Lisel, David E, Banks, Erdogan, UMIT TURHAN COSKUN, Washington, Jens Stoltenberg, Orhan Cicek, MURAT CETINMUHURDAR Organizations: Service, Ankara, Turkish, NATO, Turkish Defence Ministry, Johns Hopkins University, King's College, Getty, ISIS, Kurdish PKK, Patriot, US, NATO NATO, Anadolu Agency Locations: Russian, Turkey, Ankara, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Turkish, King's College London, Hintz, Istanbul, AFP, Erdogan's, Washington, Kurdish, East, Eurasia, Banks, TURKISH, Moscow, France, Italy, Franco, Italian

☆ A flying car prototype just got an airworthiness certificate from the FAA
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Alef Automotive said that its vehicle/aircraft, dubbed the “Model A,” is the first flying vehicle that is drivable on public roads and able to park like a normal car. The FAA confirmed that it has issued the company a special airworthiness certificate, allowing for limited purposes that include exhibition, research and development. The FAA said that Alef is “not the first aircraft of its kind” to get a special airworthiness certificate. Alef Aeronautics' flying Car unveiling on October 19, 2022. But Alef said that it needed the FAA’s special airworthiness certificate to continue conducting the necessary research and development.

Persons: Alef Aeronautics Inc “, ”, Jim Dukhovny, Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin, Oleg Petrov, Dukhovny Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Aviation Administration, Automotive, FAA, Alef, Alef Aeronautics, Alef Aeronautics Inc, National, Traffic, Administration Locations: New York, California

☆ Opinion | The End of Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Is ‘a Five-Alarm Fire’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I don’t know whether the Supreme Court’s decision on student loan forgiveness on Friday was right or wrong on legal grounds. I do know that it will most likely cause a lot of delinquencies and defaults. Many borrowers simply don’t have the money to repay. And while they were free to keep paying down their student loans if they wanted to, they mostly did not. “I’m really concerned about a wave of delinquencies and defaults once payments resume,” Yannelis told me.

Persons: Constantine Yannelis, Biden, “ I’m, ” Yannelis, ” Organizations: University of Chicago Booth School of Business

☆ Russia's 'least capable' troops aren't in Ukraine, but they're still causing problems next door, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Moldova, next door to Ukraine, has been under pressure from Russia for decades. Amid the war in Ukraine, Kyiv and Western officials say Moscow is stepping up its interference. As a result of a 1992 war between Moldovan forces and Transnistrian separatists, Russian troops entered the breakaway region to support the separatists. Following that war, Transnistria gained a form of autonomy. SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty ImagesMoldova declared a state of emergency after Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, and it remains in effect.

Persons: —, that's, John Sullivan, SERGUEI VORONIN, Chișinău, Maia Sandu, Diego Herrera Carcedo, SERGEI GAPON, Moldova's, John Kirby, Kirby, Pierre Crom, Thomas de Waal, Dara Massicot, Massicot, Jamar Marcel Pugh, Sandu, Ursula von der Leyen, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Georgetown University, Getty, Moldovan, NATO, EU, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images Moldova, White House National Security Council, Carnegie, RAND Corporation, US Army National Guard, European Commission, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn Locations: Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Transnistria, Kyiv, Western, Moscow, Soviet Union, Romania, Europe, Baltic, Poland, Bender, Transnistrian, Chisinau, May, Lithuania, Sweden, AFP, Russian, Carnegie Europe, NATO, Bulgaria

☆ Ukraine wants to work with Western countries to create another 'sea of NATO' on the border with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Doing so would help turn the Black Sea into another "sea of NATO," the foreign minister said. "It's time to turn the Black Sea into what the Baltic Sea has become, a sea of NATO," Dmytro Kuleba said. "The Black Sea can never be a NATO sea," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to Kuleba's comments. The Black Sea region is "a strategically important area for Euro-Atlantic security," Geoană said in April. At the conference in April, Romania's foreign minister said a strong NATO presence in the Black Sea was a "must."

☆ The US has a new friend in the Mediterranean that could help it isolate Russia, but not everybody in NATO is happy about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Cyprus long had close ties with Russia, but it has turned to the West in recent years. John YountzHowever, Nicosia has been moving away from Russia and pursuing a closer relationship with the US. "We keep a strong military-to-military relationship with Cyprus," Cavoli said. Unhappy neighborsA UN peacekeeper looks at a map of the buffer zone between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in Nicosia in April 2021. ROY ISSA/AFP via Getty ImagesBurgeoning US-Cyprus ties would appear to benefit NATO, but not all of the alliance's members are happy about it.

☆ After a year of heavy losses, Ukraine's military is juggling a 'very uneven' force as it prepares for major fighting, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukraine's military is gearing up for offensives against Russian forces in spring and summer. Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesWhen Russia invaded in February 2022, Ukraine's military had about 196,000 active personnel and 900,000 in reserve, according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies' 2022 Military Balance report. The Western approachAn instructor briefs Ukrainian soldiers at a training center near Yavoriv in April 2017. The training they provided accompanied other efforts by Kyiv to reverse two decades of post-Cold War decay that weakened the Ukrainian military. "This is a continuous struggle in the Ukrainian military," Kofman said.

☆ NATO's newest member means Russia's 'unsinkable aircraft carrier' will be even more isolated
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Finland also extends NATO's border along the Baltic Sea, which has been called a "NATO lake." That further isolates Russia's Kaliningrad region, which is surrounded by NATO member countries. Kaliningrad is a major military outpost, hosting Russia's Baltic Fleet and other forces, and has been called an "unsinkable aircraft carrier" that allows Moscow to project power deep into NATO and EU territory. However, some Baltic Fleet units were redeployed to Ukraine where they have reportedly suffered very high casualties. Russia's Baltic Fleet is based in Baltiysk and is composed of warships — mostly corvettes and a number of support ships — infantry and armored units, and aviation and air-defense forces.

☆ Andy Robertson: Assistant referee stood down while Football Association investigates apparent elbow incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The assistant referee who appeared to elbow Liverpool’s Andy Robertson during an English Premier League game on Sunday will not be involved in any matches while English football’s governing body investigates the incident, the body responsible for Premier League referees said in a statement. The Football Association (FA) is investigating the incident which happened at the end of the first half match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield. Video replays appeared to show Robertson brushing past Hatzidakis who responded by lifting his elbow, which hit the player. Robertson was visibly furious and had to be pulled away by his teammates after receiving a yellow card for his subsequent reaction. The incident during the break was one of many flashpoints in a chaotic game at Anfield which eventually finished in a 2-2 draw.

☆ The US Air Force is finally getting rid of its A-10s, and its focus may be straying from the Warthog's unique mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Those retirements would shrink the Air Force's A-10 fleet to 260 aircraft, and Air Force leaders plan to continue decommissioning A-10s in the years ahead. Not so closeUS Air Force joint terminal attack controllers during a close air support training with an A-10 in Nevada in September 2011. Michael HolzworthCurrent and former Air Force officials have said that the F-35 would take over the A-10's mission after the Warthog left the fleet. So it will perform the mission very differently," said Kendall, who is now the Air Force's top civilian official. Those skills "are perishable," Boeding added, "and the stakes are too high to not train dedicated crews (ground and air) in purpose build close air support aircraft."

☆ Rising tensions with Russia have NATO militaries worried about the revival of a Cold War-era submarine threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

A top concern is that those subs could be used to attack or interfere with undersea cables and pipelines. Ander Gillenea/AFP/Getty ImagesConcern about Russia's expanding underwater capabilities and the danger they pose to critical underwater infrastructure has risen since Russia seized Crimea in 2014. Since then, Russian submarines have deployed more often and for longer and their activity close to critical undersea infrastructure has increased. Recent Russian submarine activity does suggest an increasing focus on being able to get into the Atlantic and closer to the US East Coast. At a Senate hearing in February 2020, the head of US European Command was asked if US forces have "sufficient visibility" on Russian submarines in the Atlantic.

☆ A decade of quiet preparations helped Ukraine turn the tables on Russia's bigger, better-armed military, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Following Russia's 2014 attack, Ukraine's military set out to improve and modernize its forces. In the years that followed, Ukraine's military underwent a period of preparation that helped it blunt the full-scale invasion that Russia launched in February 2022. Training for artillery troops was also intensified. However, Russia's tanks still outnumbered Ukraine's nearly four to one when the invasion started. Prior to 2022, Ukraine's military had struggled to retain troops, but high turnover during those years meant Ukraine had a large pool of civilians with military training.

☆ For the 2nd year in a row, Iran is sailing its biggest warship around the world to show off its growing navy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Iranian warships left Iran in September on what one official said was a journey around the world. Visiting far off landsIranian navy Makran near the Strait of Hormuz in May 2021. They have repeatedly seized Iranian arms shipments bound for Yemen and have often had tense encounters with Iranian warships. Iran has also started an indigenous shipbuilding program to grow its navy, which is designed to defend the Persian Gulf. "Yet the focus of Iran will continue to be the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Indian ocean.

☆ As fighting rages in Ukraine, the US is sending drones to keep an eye on another tense corner of Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones deployed to Greece during the final weeks of 2022. Operating from Larissa air base, the drones will keep an eye NATO's borders in southeastern Europe. The deployment comes as NATO grapples with the war in Ukraine and with tensions between Turkey and Greece. Predator in the skiesUS Air Force airmen do pre-flight checks on an MQ-9 at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in May. A US Air Force F-15C at Larissa Air Base in May 2021.

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