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☆ Hundreds flee Syrian city of Homs as rebels advance further south
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-06 | by ( Eyad Kourdi | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Hundreds of people appear to have fled the central Syrian city of Homs overnight into Friday, as anti-regime rebels push further south on the road to the capital Damascus. It is not clear whether regime forces will be able to defend the city of Homs, about an hour’s drive south of Hama. CNN was unable to reach multiple contacts in Homs on Friday, amid reports of an internet blackout as the rebels approached the city. I swear to God, we are inside Hama city, we are inside Aleppo city,” a fighter cheered as he filmed himself by Alaarbaen Roundabout in Hama. Residents cheer as the rebels pour into the captured city of Hama on Friday.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, ”, Abu Mohammad al, Alawites, Assad’s, –, Alaarbaen, Hafez al, Assad –, Muhammad Haj Kadour, Jolani, Russia – Organizations: CNN, Getty, Jolani, United Nations Locations: Syrian, Homs, Damascus, Hama, Jolani, Idlib, Aleppo, ”, Hama’s, AFP, Saudi Arabia, United States, Iran, Russia

☆ Russian embassy advises its citizens to leave Syria as rebels advance on strategic city of Homs
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-06 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementThe Russian embassy in Syria has advised Russian citizens to leave the country. It cited the "difficult military and political situation in Syria," a Russian ally. The Russian embassy in Syria has advised its citizens to leave the country "in the light of the difficult military and political situation." In a post on Telegram, the embassy said Russian nationals should leave on commercial flights through operating airports, adding that the embassy continues to operate "as usual." "Without a strong Russian military base in Syria, all of Putin's plans collapse," Riboua said.

Persons: Bashar Assad's, Hayat, Natasha Hall, Zineb, Putin, Riboua, Assad, Aron Lund, Lund Organizations: Syrian, Middle, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Hudson Institute's Center for Peace, Security, Swedish Defence Research Agency Locations: Russian, Syria, Homs, The Russian, Aleppo, Hama, Damascus, Russia, Moscow, Africa, Ukraine, Syria's, Iran, Iraq, Tehran, East, Lebanon, Israel

☆ The top arms dealers in South Korea and Japan are growing almost as fast as those in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-06 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementSouth Korean and Japanese arms dealers are growing almost on pace with Russia's top defense firms. The top defense manufacturing firms in both South Korea and Japan saw growth rates of nearly 40% in 2023, nearly on pace with that of the top arms dealers in Russia, per a new report. It brought in $5.71 billion in arms revenue in 2023, up 52.7% from $3.74 billion in 2022, per SIPRI. AdvertisementRostec's arms revenue grew 49.3% in 2023 to $21.7 billion, up from $14.5 billion in 2022, per SIPRI. It earned $3.7 billion in arms revenue in 2023, just 1.9% up from 2022.

Persons: —, Xiao Liang, it's, Liang, Hanwha, Artur Widak, SIPRI Organizations: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Japan South, South, Hanwha, Hyundai Rotem, DSME, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Fujitsu, Tactical Missiles Corporation, United Shipbuilding Corp Locations: South Korea, Japan, Russia, Stockholm, Korea, Ukraine, Russian, Europe, Poland, Seoul

Syria CNN —The goal of Syria’s rebel coalition, as it wrests another major city from government control this week, is ultimately to overthrow authoritarian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the militant leader of the main group driving the country’s armed opposition. Syria’s opposition forces are decentralized and made up of different ideologies, albeit united by a common goal of upending the Assad regime. As CNN sat down to interview al-Jolani, news broke that forces under his command had captured the city of Hama. Al-Jolani told CNN that incidents of abuse in prisons “were not done under our orders or directions” and HTS had already held those involved accountable. “We are talking about a larger project – we are talking about building Syria,” Al-Jolani continued.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, Abu Mohammad al, Jolani, Hayat, ”, Abdulaziz Ketaz, upending, “, al, Al Nusra, Al Jazeera, – Ahmed al, –, Ibrahim Hatib, chokehold, ” Al, “ Hayat, Sham, ” CNN’s Mostafa Salem, Isil Sariyuce Organizations: Syria CNN, CNN, Getty, United, Terrorist Organization, Organization for, United Nations, Foreign Terrorist Organization, “, Al, Air Defense Brigade, Assad Russian, Iran’s, Guard, Syrian Air Force, Russian Locations: Syria, Hayat Tahrir, Qaeda, Syrian, Hama, AFP, Aleppo, Iran, Russia, al Qaeda, United States, Al, Iraq, US, Turkey, Idlib, Anadolu, ”, “ Hayat Tahrir

☆ Russia is suffering record casualties as the West steps up support for Ukraine, and it may struggle to replace them
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-06 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It added that Western military support remains vital to Ukraine's war effort. Russia will struggle to replace the increasing numbers of troops lost to death and injury on the frontline if the West continues to back Ukraine, a US think tank said. But Russia can't both replace its troops lost in Ukraine, and solve its workforce crisis, said the ISW. AdvertisementPresident-elect Donald Trump has pledged to bring peace to Ukraine and has been critical of US support for Ukraine. "The continued, regular provision of Western military assistance to Ukraine remains crucial to Ukraine's ability to continue defending against Russian offensive operations and inflicting unsustainable losses on the Russian military in 2025," the ISW said.

Persons: Petro, ArmyInform, Donald Trump, Keith Kellogg, Kyiv didn't, Joe Biden Organizations: UK's Ministry of Defence, The, Reuters, Ukraine, Kyiv, Trump, Russian Locations: Russia, Ukraine, US, Russian, Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Moscow

☆ Putin acknowledges a key pain point in Russia's economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-05 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin has urged his government and central bank to curb Russia's 8% inflation rate. Russia's inflation target is 4%, with interest rates at a record high of 21%. The high interest rates are pressuring businesses and hurting the cash savings of ordinary people. Russia's inflation rate is 8% compared to a year ago, which Putin acknowledged was "a relatively high level." Analysts polled by Reuters expect Russia's central bank to raise its key interest rate to 23% at its December 20 meeting.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, —, Elvira Nabiullina's, Sergei Chemezov, Chemezov, Price, Nabiullina Organizations: Wednesday, Russian, Reuters, Central Bank Locations: Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia's, Russia

☆ Russian mafia expert rates 10 Russian mob scenes in movies and TV
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-05 | by ( Margaret Guzman | Korey Isbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Joe Serio, former CIA agent and Russian mafia investigator, rates Russian mob scenes in movies and TV, such as "John Wick," for realism. Eventually, he worked as a security consultant, and later as the Director of Operations, for Kroll Associates — a global corporate investigation and business intelligence firm — where he conducted investigations on Russian mafia groups. He was also a CIA agent for five years in Moscow, where he provided information regarding Russian organized crime. Serio wrote two books focusing on the Russian mafia and his life in Moscow, "Investigating the Russian Mafia" and "Vodka, Hookers, and the Russian Mafia: My Life in Moscow." You can find his books about the Russian mafia here.

Persons: Joe Serio, John Wick, Keanu Reeves, James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, Barry, Bill Hader, Viggo Mortensen, of, Nicolas Cage, Ewan McGregor —, Denzel Washington, Pierce Brosnan, Serio, Joe Organizations: CIA, Russian, Italian Mafia, Soviet Union, Chechen, Control Department, Soviet, Kroll Associates, Russian Mafia Locations: United States, Russia, Moscow

☆ SpaceX faces opposition to Starlink expansion from Ukrainian group concerned about Musk ties to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-05 | by ( Lora Kolodny | In Lorakolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

SpaceX's Starlink system has been linked to Ukraine since terminals arrived there shortly after Russian troops invaded the neighboring country in early 2022. The following year, the Pentagon agreed to purchase Starlink satellite internet terminals for use in Ukraine's ongoing defense against Russia. However, in September 2023, Americans of Ukrainian descent rebuked the SpaceX CEO after it emerged that he had thwarted a major attack on the Russian navy. The UCCA isn't the only group concerned about Musk's relationship with the Kremlin. A month before the Journal story, Newsweek and others reported that Russia had installed Starlink terminals in its Iranian-designed Shahed drones, used in their military offense in Ukraine.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Trump, Musk, Starlink, Michael Sawkiw, Vladimir Putin, Bill Nelson, Sawkiw Organizations: Federal Communications Commission, Ukrainian, Committee of America, SpaceX, Pentagon, Russia, CNBC, FCC, Kremlin, Street, NASA, Newsweek Locations: Warsaw, Poland, American, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Texas, Crimea, U.S

Arseny Turbin is recognized by several human rights groups as one of Russia’s youngest political prisoners. Arseny Turbin, 16, was sentenced in June to serve five years in prison for terror offenses. “But I know it’s not enough, and that I can’t change the system.”Excerpt from a letter written by Arseny Turbin to his mother and shared with CNN. Video Ad Feedback Arseny Turbin, then 15, stages a solo protest in June last year in his hometown of Livny. ‘Not just statistics’Kevin Lick, a 19-year-old dual Russian-German citizen, knows the price of dissent in modern Russia all too well.

Persons: Irina, Turbin, Turbina, Arseny Turbin, Irina Turbina “, ”, “, Arseny, ” Arseny, couldn’t, Leah Abucayan, ‘, ’ ”, Irina Turbina, Irina Turbina ‘, ’ Turbina, Vladimir Putin, Putin ”, CNN “, I’m, ’ ” Irina, “ I’m, CNN Arseny’s, Sergei Davidis, Dmitry Anisimov, Kevin Lick, Lick, Christoph Reichwein, Yulia Navalnaya, Alexey Navalny, “ They’re, Davidis, ” Davidis, Nina Khrushcheva, Nikita Khrushchev, Khrushcheva, Putin, Alexey Moskalyov's, it’s, Alexey Moskalyov, Masha, Moskalyov, gaunt, Alexey Navalny’s, It’s Organizations: CNN, of Russia Legion, Ukraine, Russian Federal Security Service, Human Rights, Federal, Service, Foundation, Corruption, Memorial, New School Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Livny, Oryol, Moscow, Bonn, Germany, United States, Berlin . Lick, Russian, ”

☆ Ukraine's front-line fighters and dronemakers are trying to crowdfund their way to Russia's defeat through cheap strikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Another prototype, a modified Soviet ZU-23-2 antiaircraft gun, needs $70,000 worth of parts to be fully automated to strike down Russian drones. Advertisement"For drones, most funding is from volunteer help, by donors," Chernyavskiy told Business Insider. Throughout the war, Ukraine has repeatedly struggled with insufficient amounts of ammunition, such as much-need 155mm artillery shells. In Ukraine, Chernyavskiy is frustrated, too. This is the nature of war," Chernyavskiy said.

Persons: it's, Oleksandr Chernyavskiy, Oleksandr Chernyavskiy Chernyavskiy, Chernyavskiy, Oleksandr Chernyavskiy Crowdfunding, Dmytro Smolienko, Federico Borsari, Borsari, Oleksandr Skarlat, Serhii Sternenko, Skarlat, Mark J, Lindquist, he's, Mark Lindquist, Oleksandr Chernyavskiy It's, Daniel Viksund, Viksund, Daniel Viksund He's, Chasiv, Jennifer Kavanagh, Kavanagh, Andriy Andriyenko, haven't, Sofiia Meleshenko Organizations: Ukraine's 241st Territorial Defense Brigade, Business, Publishing, Getty, Civilian, Center for, Telegram, US Air Force, Ukraine, 241st Territorial Brigade, Army, Veteran Aid Ukraine, Aid Ukraine, Defense, Savannah, BI Locations: Russia, Soviet, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kyiv, crowdfund, Norwegian, Afghanistan, Scandinavia, Chasiv Yar, Europe

This article is part of the Opinion series At the Brink,about the threat of nuclear weapons in an unstable world. There are just two major pacts governing nuclear weapons in the cosmos, both of which predate Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. Rescue Agreement 1970 Outer Space Treaty October 1967 Lays out the principles that governs outer space, the moon and other celestial bodies. Rescue Agreement 1970 Outer Space Treaty October 1967 Lays out the principles that governs outer space, the moon and other celestial bodies. Rescue Agreement Liability convention Today 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Outer Space Treaty October 1967 Foundation of international space law that governs outer space, the moon and other celestial bodies.

Persons: Van Allen, haven’t, Neil Armstrong’s, Donald Trump, Trump, Elon Musk’s, Achilles ’, Silent Barker, landers, Michael R, Turner, Vladimir Putin, ”, It’s, Biden’s, it’s, Lyndon B, Johnson, Anatoly Dobrynin, Stephen N, Whiting, Antony Blinken, Biden, hasn’t, Musk Organizations: U.S, Space Command, Cosmos, Kremlin, Space Force, Elon, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, SpaceX, Pentagon, NASA, United, NASA U.S, Space Foundation, Soviet Union, Britain, United Nations Office, Outer Space Affairs, Prime, U.S . National Intelligence, K, Operations Center, Ohio Republican, House Intelligence Committee, Russian Embassy, United Nations, Soviet Union aznd, Johnson Presidential, YouTube, National Security Council Locations: Colorado Springs, Moscow, Russian, Kelso, CelesTrak, Russia, China, United States, Britain, Soviet Union, North Korea, Ukraine, U.S, States, Iran, Israel, Beijing, Soviet, Britain China Russia, Washington, what’s, Ohio, United Nations, Treaty, White, deconflict, India

☆ November was the most costly month of the war for Russia in terms of average daily dead and injured: UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-05 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementNovember saw Russia hit a new daily average high for its casualties in the war, per the UK MOD. It was the third month in a row that Russia suffered record-breaking daily losses, it said. November saw Russia suffer a record daily average for the number of soldiers injured or killed since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to UK intelligence. Citing the Ukrainian General Staff, it said that Russia suffered 45,680 casualties in November, up from 41,980 in October, with a daily average of 1,523. The losses likely made it the most costly month of the war for Russia in terms of personnel, it said.

Persons: Velyka, George Barros, Mark Rutte, Rajan Menon, Columbia University's Organizations: Russia, UK Ministry of Defence, Ukrainian General Staff, MOD, Washington DC, for, NATO, Columbia, Columbia University's Saltzman Institute of War, Peace Studies Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kupiansk, Russian, Kursk

☆ Syria's Assad can't count on Iran to stop the rebel offensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-05 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Since the early stages of Syria's bloody civil war that began in 2011, Iran has supported Syria's strongman president, Bashar Assad. Advancing in the face of Russian and Syrian airstrikes, they overran Syria's fourth-largest city, Hama, on Thursday. Earlier in the Syrian conflict, Iran helped orchestrate interventions on Assad's side by its powerful Lebanese proxy Hezbollah in 2013, and Russia in 2015. While Iran will undoubtedly remain committed to supporting Assad, it's unlikely to prove capable of organizing a 2016-style counteroffensive to recapture Aleppo. Century's Lund recalled that the last time Iran intervened to help Assad recapture Aleppo, it did so in close collaboration with Russia.

Persons: I'm, Bashar Assad, Tahrir, Aron Lund, Assad, Lund, Barbara Slavin, Slavin, Kasim Rammah, Arash Azizi, Azizi, Century's Lund, Stimson's Slavin, Donald, Trump, Paul Iddon Organizations: Syria's, Century, Swedish Defence Research Agency, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Stimson, Iran Initiative, Atlantic Council, Getty, Syrian National Army, Trump, Clemson University, Russia, Russian Locations: Iran, Aleppo, Tehran, Hama, East, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Washington, Turkey, Idlib, Anadolu, Turkish, Syrian, Ukraine

☆ Remembering Art Cashin’s most valuable stock market lessons – and the stories behind them
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-05 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Cashin was one of the great historians of the stock market, but he was not an academic. Tiffany, Cashin said, knew that J.P. Morgan loved diamond stickpins, which he used to put in his tie. For Cashin, that Merrill Lynch manager was the perfect stock market Sherlock Holmes: Don't just consider what you hear. How do you tell a story about the stock market? Let's get back to the story about J.P. Morgan, Tiffany and price discovery.

Persons: Cashin, Jack, Here's, Charles Lewis Tiffany, John Pierpont Morgan, Tiffany, J.P, Morgan, you've, Cashin Adam Jeffery, John F, Kennedy, Tommy McKinnon, Merrill Lynch, Tommy, Sherlock Holmes, Let's Organizations: NYSE, CNBC, UBS, New York Stock Exchange, Cuban Missile, Parkland Hospital, didn't, Merrill Lynch Dallas, Dow Jones Locations: Dallas, Parkland, Wall Street, U.S

☆ This CEO wants his airline to be the first to start flying to Ukraine again
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-05 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He told Business Insider it plans to be the first airline back into Ukraine when the conflict ends. AirBaltic plans to be the first airline to restart flights to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement, CEO Martin Gauss told Business Insider. Gauss told BI that the start of the war impacted airBaltic "very heavily" due to missing passenger flows from Ukraine and Russia. "Once that is too busy, we need to fly over Sweden into the south," Gauss added. "I had to come up, in a couple of weeks, with suggestions of what you could do with a technically bankrupt airline," Gauss told BI.

Persons: Martin Gauss, Gauss, airBaltic, AirBaltic, Nicolas Economou, It's, Elon Organizations: NATO, European Union, BI, Dubai —, Deutsche, British Airways, Airbus, Embraer, Getty Images Locations: Ukraine, Latvian, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, London, Baltic, —, Cyprus, Turkey, Dubai, Latvia, there's, Belarus, Russian, Kaliningrad, Sweden, airBaltic, Europe

☆ Why the Syrian conflict is so important for Russia and Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-04 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia and Iran have supported Syrian President Bashar Assad for years. AdvertisementRussia's gateway to the MediterraneanSyria holds strategic importance for Moscow and Tehran, which have both supported Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime. Advertisement"For Iran, Syria is absolutely essential in order to maintain its proxy network," Hall said. Speaking to NBC News, national security advisor Jake Sullivan said that Assad's three key backers, Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, had all "been distracted and weakened by conflicts elsewhere." AdvertisementFor Russia and Iran, the fall of Aleppo will nevertheless come as a humiliating blow, Hall said.

Persons: Bashar Assad, Hayat, Bashar Assad's, Wagner, Natasha Hall, Vladimir Putin, Riboua, Assad, Putin, Steven Cook, Enrico Mattei, Cook, Jake Sullivan, Hall Organizations: Middle, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Hudson Institute's Center for Peace, Security, Hezbollah, Africa Studies, Council, Foreign Relations, Russian Ministry of Defense, NBC News Locations: Russia, Syria, Iran, Here's, Moscow, Tehran, Aleppo, Africa, East, Saudi Arabia, Sahel, Libya, Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanese, Israel, Middle East, reimpose, Gaza, Ukraine

☆ UK, US clamp down on money laundering rings allegedly favored by Russian oligarchs and Western drug gangs
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-04 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —UK and US authorities on Wednesday announced a major crackdown on a pair of billion-dollar money laundering rings that officials say has cleaned money for Russia’s elite, cybercriminals and drug-runners around the world. The two alleged money-laundering networks offered Russian elites a financial lifeline, UK investigators allege. The Treasury Department on Wednesday announced sanctions on alleged senior leaders of one of the laundering rings, which is known as TGR. Pullman Global Solutions LLC, a Wyoming based entity owned by Bradens, was also sanctioned, Treasury said. NCA officials allege that the Kremlin has directly benefited from some of the money laundering, which the officials say has been used to fund Russian espionage operations.

Persons: ” Will Lyne, NCA’s, ” Rob Jones, George Rossi, Elena Chirkinyan, Andrejs Bradens, Ekaterina Zhdanova, Matthew Miller Organizations: CNN —, Wednesday, US Treasury Department, CNN, Agency, Britain’s, Treasury Department, Pullman Global Solutions, Bradens, Treasury, Cybercriminals, South, State Department, University of Vermont Health Network, IRS Locations: France, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Latvian, Wyoming, Dubai, Dublin, South American, London

☆ Netanyahu arrest warrant tests Western commitment to international law
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-04 | by ( Tim Lister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The reach and credibility of international law is at its lowest in years as governments dismiss arrest warrants in some of the most high-profile cases to come before the International Criminal Court. Paris had fervently supported the Putin warrant, and reiterated its “longstanding commitment to supporting international justice” after the Netanyahu warrant was issued. The founding treaty of the ICC obliges the 124 signatory countries to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant, according to James Joseph, managing editor at Jurist News. The Biden administration’s criticism of the Israel warrants was as emphatic as its support for the Putin warrant. South Africa, an ICC member, ignored a warrant for the arrest of then-Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir in 2015 when he visited.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, Israel, Paris, Putin, ”, Gallant, James Joseph, Josep Borrell, Germany demurred, Viktor Orban, Biden, Joe Biden, “, He’s, Milosevic, France’s, Fadi El Abdallah, Matthew Miller, Omar al, Bashir, Tom Cotton, Leah Millis, John Thune, Donald Trump, Mike Waltz, ” It’s Organizations: CNN, Criminal, Hamas, ICC, “, Amnesty, US State Department, National Security, Reuters, Republican, UN, ” Locations: Hague, Israel, “ States, Mongolia, Rome, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, Hungary, Hungarian, “ France, Lebanon, France, Russia, China, Africa, South Africa, Afghanistan

☆ As global defense spending surges, South Korean arms makers look like a clear winner
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-04 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Now, a new facet from South Korea is poised to make a splash in investors' portfolios — defense stocks. Sang Hun Seok, who is an Indo-Pacific visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a U.K.-based policy think tank, explained to CNBC that a steady increase in global expenditure, combined with growing geopolitical uncertainties has provided South Korean arms makers with larger global markets. Chosun Ilbo said that just four countries were importing South Korean arms in 2022, but this number rose to 12 in 2023. The appetite for South Korean arms can be explained by the mantra of "cheaper, better, faster." RUSI's Seok said simply: "South Korean exports are highly cost-efficient."

Persons: Wojtek Radwanski, Hun Seok, RUSI's Seok, Bruce Bennett, Hoshik Nam, KAI, Defense Mariusz Blaszczak, JSU's Nam Organizations: Afp, Getty, Hanwha Aerospace, Korea Aerospace Industries, Hyundai Rotem, LIG, Statistics, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Royal United Services Institute, CNBC, Italian Institute for International Political Studies, Chosun Ilbo, CNBC South, U.S ., Center for Strategic, International Studies, RAND Corporation, Jacksonville State University, FA, Defense, U.S Locations: Korean, Torun, Korea, South Korea, Stockholm, Indo, Pacific, U.K, South Korean, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, U.S, North Korea, Poland, Soviet, South

A small asteroid sped toward Earth before burning out above far northeastern Russia on Tuesday night, sparking a natural light show for residents in that remote corner of the planet, officials said. A "nice fireball in the sky over northern Siberia" was reportedly spotted at 5:15 p.m. CET (11:15 a.m. ET) by residents in the Russian republic of Yakutia, ESA said. An asteroid lights up the sky over the Russian republic of Yakutia early Wednesday. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the asteroid, which was dubbed C0WEPC5.

Organizations: European Space Agency, ESA, Sakha, Sakha Republic Ministry of Internal Affairs, Reuters NASA, University of Arizona’s Locations: Russia, Siberia, Russian, Yakutia, Sakha Republic

A dozen Moscow clubgoers were found guilty of “petty hooliganism” and detained following anti-LGBTQ "propaganda" raids by Russian security forces, according to Russian court documents and local news reports. The raids were executed exactly a year after Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that LGBTQ activists and the LGBTQ “movement” should be designated as extremists. Clubgoers who were not brought into custody were allowed to leave Arma roughly three hours after the raid began, according to Baza. Notably, the Russian government passed legislation in 2013 known as the “gay propaganda law,” making it illegal “to spread information about nontraditional sexual behavior” to minors. The law was expanded to apply to adults, effectively banning public symbols or gestures of “nontraditional sexual relations.” Russians who violate the so-called propaganda law could face up to 400,000 rubles ($6,500) in fines.

Persons: ”, clubgoers, Clubgoers, Critics, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Moscow, Tass, Russia’s Locations: Russian, ”, Moscow, Arma, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Kursk offensive: Ukraine’s soldiers fight to hold onto Russian region
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-03 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Sumy, Ukraine CNN —The dawn assault inside Russia’s Kursk region never even got to a gunfight, yet betrayed the intensity of the battle in Kremlin territory. They provide a rare insight into the nearly four-month-long Ukrainian occupation of Kursk. A funeral ceremony in Irpin, Ukraine, is held last month for Serhii Solovyov, a soldier who died during the Kursk offensive. Recent Russian assaults in his area of Kursk have proven as ineffective as costly, he said. His drone commander, callsign “JS” for Java Script, said the unit killed 50 Russians that day.

Persons: “, ”, Oleksandr, ” Oleksandr, –, Donald Trump, Serhii Solovyov, Evgeniy, you’re, Chasiv Yar, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” JS Organizations: Ukraine CNN, 225th, Kyiv, US, Trump, United, 76th Brigade, Korean, Pentagon, Kyodo, Kremlin, ”, Java Locations: Sumy, Ukraine, Russia’s Kursk, Kremlin, Ukrainian, Kursk, Irpin, Budapest, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Belarus, Kazakhstan, England, Bakhmut

☆ Putin makes it official: Russia is all in on defense spending
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-03 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementPutin has signed off on a record defense budget for 2025 amid the ongoing Ukraine war. Defense spending will rise to 13.5 trillion rubles, making up a third of the country's budget. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off a federal budget that will boost defense spending to a record level next year. However, Russia's economy is under pressure, with wartime activities driving the economy so hot that inflation has spiked. Russia's economy ministry forecasts that the country's economy will grow by 3.9% this year and 2.5% next year.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Russia's, Andrei Kostin, VTB —, —, Kostin Organizations: Putin, Defense, Russian, Russia, Institute for, Reuters, Monetary, IMF Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Russia's

☆ Russia's sky-high interest rates will struggle to fight inflation in the sanctions-stricken economy, top Russian bank CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-03 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementRussia's interest rate hikes might not be an effective tool to fight inflation, the head of VTB bank said. The chief of VTB, Russia's second-largest bank, delivered the remarks after the Russian central bank raised its benchmark interest rate to 21% in October. High borrowing costs are the central bank's leading plan to curb stubborn price growth, with Russia's annual inflation rate approaching 8.7%. According to Carnegie Politika, it developed a proposal to give the government some oversight of monetary policy, pressuring the central bank to defend its approach. AdvertisementThe bank chief also predicted a slowdown in Russia's GDP growth to 1.9% next year, down from this year's government-estimated 3.9% expansion.

Persons: Russia's, Andrei Kostin, Kostin, Critics, Elvira Nabiullina Organizations: The Bank of, Reuters, Industrialists, Entrepreneurs, Carnegie Politika, Bank of Russia Locations: The Bank of Russia, Russian, Russia, Russian Union

☆ Russia wants its pro-war bloggers to identify themselves by 2025. Only about 10% of its top channels are complying, analysis says.
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But Kremlin-affiliated and pro-war accounts aren't playing ball, independent Russian media reported. A new analysis found that only 10 of the top 82 political pro-government Telegram channels had registered. Nearly 90% of Russia's top pro-war Telegram channels have been ignoring a government directive to identify themselves in an official registry, per an analysis by independent media outlet Vertska. But the move was originally unpopular with pro-Kremlin military bloggers, who often maintain anonymity and sometimes post analyses and criticism of Russian war leaders. Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of Russia's State Duma, runs the most popular registered channel.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Vertska, Rybar, Ramzan Kadyrov, Dmitry Medvedev, Sergei Sobyanin, Boris Rozhin, Cassad, Dmitry Nikotin, Vyacheslav Volodin, Roskomnadzor Organizations: Kremlin, Security Council, Russian Defense, Duma, Business, YouTube Locations: Russia, Russian, Moscow's, Washington, Ukraine, Moscow

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