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☆ Russia's McDonald's successor applies for trademark in Kazakhstan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ASTANA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Vkusno & tochka, the Russian successor brand to McDonald's (MCD.N), has applied to have its trademarks registered in neighbouring Kazakhstan following the U.S. company's exit from its market, the Kazakh government said on Monday. McDonald's and its Kazakh licensee terminated their agreement this month, citing supply issues. Sources earlier told Reuters McDonald's Kazakhstan had stopped buying supplies from Russia and had trouble replacing them. McDonald's closed its Russian restaurants soon after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine last February, eventually selling to a local licensee, Alexander Govor, who unveiled the Vkusno & tochka brand in June. Reporting by Tamara Vaal; writing by Olzhas Auyezov; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried’s Supersized Bet: $1 Billion for a Bitcoin Miner on the Kazakh Steppe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Eliot Brown | Yuliya Chernova | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Just before crypto markets plunged last year, Sam Bankman-Fried ’s hedge fund made a $1 billion bet on Genesis Digital Assets, a Cyprus-registered bitcoin miner rigged to consume a small city’s worth of electricity in Kazakhstan. The cash injection from Mr. Bankman-Fried’s Alameda Research LLC was supersized even for the red-hot crypto startup world, and it dwarfed the FTX founder’s other investments in private companies.

The leak came from a tiny puncture - less than 1 millimetre wide - on the external cooling system of the Soyuz MS-22 capsule, one of two return capsules docked to the ISS that can bring crew members home. Russia said a new capsule, Soyuz MS-23, would be sent up on Feb. 20 to replace the damaged Soyuz MS-22, which will be brought back to Earth empty. If there is an emergency in the meantime, Roscosmos said it will look at whether the MS-22 spacecraft can be used to rescue the crew. The U.S. agency said last month it was exploring whether SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft could offer an alternative ride home for some ISS crew members, in case Russia was unable to launch another Soyuz. Both NASA and Roscosmos believe the leak was caused by a micrometeoroid - a small particle of space rock - hitting the capsule at high velocity.

☆ English resort counts down to western Europe’s first satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

NEWQUAY, England, — An English surfing resort was counting down to the first launch of orbital satellites into space from western Europe on Monday, when Virgin Orbit’s mission will transform the Cornish town of Newquay into the country’s first spaceport. The “horizontal” launch will catapult the resort in southwest England, population 20,000 and famous for its reliable waves rolling off the Atlantic, into the limelight as western Europe’s go-to destination for small satellites. Virgin Orbit, part-owned by billionaire Richard Branson, said nine satellites would be deployed into lower Earth orbit (LEO) from its LauncherOne rocket in its first mission outside its United States base. “Assuming that everything continues to look good we’re currently tracking well for launch,” a Virgin Orbit spokeswoman said on Sunday. The LEO sector is growing rapidly, spurred by satellite broadband companies such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, Amazon and London-headquartered OneWeb.

☆ English resort counts down to western Europe's first satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Henry Nicholls | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Henry NichollsNEWQUAY, England, Jan 9 (Reuters) - An English surfing resort was counting down to the first launch of orbital satellites into space from western Europe on Monday, when Virgin Orbit's mission will transform the Cornish town of Newquay into the country's first spaceport. The "horizontal" launch will catapult the resort in southwest England, population 20,000 and famous for its reliable waves rolling off the Atlantic, into the limelight as western Europe's go-to destination for small satellites. The European Space Agency's (ESA) Ariane 6 rocket, designed to carry large satellites, has also had delays. "Assuming that everything continues to look good we're currently tracking well for launch," a Virgin Orbit spokeswoman said on Sunday. The LEO sector is growing rapidly, spurred by satellite broadband companies such as Elon Musk's Starlink, Amazon and London-headquartered OneWeb.

☆ ATP roundup: Jenson Brooksby rallies in Auckland
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

January 9 - Jenson Brooksby dropped a set but charged back to beat Italian Fabio Fognini 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-3 in the first round of the ASB Classic on Monday in Auckland, New Zealand. Brooksby led the first set 5-3 before Fognini rallied to force a tiebreak. Fognini won six straight points to take that set, but from there it was all Brooksby, who finished the match with six aces and saved six of eight break points while converting six of 14. 5 seed Daniel Evans of Great Britain 7-5, 7-5 in the first round in Australia. Sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia, seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Great Britain's Jack Draper also won Monday.

☆ Mixed emotions as McDonald's leaves Kazakhstan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Workers remove the logo signage from a restaurant of McDonald's in Almaty, Kazakhstan, January 6, 2023. Food Solutions KZ, the Kazakh licensee of McDonald's Corp, will no longer operate under the U.S. corporation's brand due to supply issues. "I doubt any other company will be able to compete with McDonald's in Kazakhstan at the moment as no other fast food chain can replicate the menu that McDonald's had for the same price." Many Kazakhs, proud of their meat-focused cuisine, expressed incredulity that McDonald's Kazakh licensee, Food Solutions KZ, could not source its beef patties locally and imported them from Russia until the war forced it to stop and ultimately shut down. Food Solutions did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

☆ Fact Check-Video of frozen deer on highway dates back to March 2021
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Contrary to claims on social media, a video showing deer partially frozen onto a highway was not filmed during the arctic blast that affected the United States in Dec. 2022. This crazy footage shows two walkers who spotted a Deer with its mouth, eyes & ears completely frozen over rescuing it. !”Through a reverse image search, Reuters found that the video has been circulating since at least March 2021. Russia's state-run RT shared the clip on March 4 that year, saying it was filmed in Kazakhstan by "Nurjan Makaev" (here). A video showing deer partially frozen onto a highway dates to March 2021.

☆ Iranian chess player was warned not to return to Iran after competing without hijab -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Elwely Elwelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Chess - FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships - Rapid Women - Almaty, Kazakhstan - December 28, 2022. Sara Khadem of Iran sits in front of a chess board. REUTERS/Pavel MikheyevDUBAI, Jan 3 (Reuters) - An Iranian chess player arrived in Spain on Tuesday after receiving what a source close to her said were warnings not to return to Iran for competing without a hijab at an international tournament in Kazakhstan. Sara Khadem, born in 1997, took part in last week's FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty without the hijab - a headscarf mandatory under Iran's strict dress codes. The source also said Khadem's relatives and parents, who are in Iran, had also received threats, without giving further details.

☆ Navratilova diagnosed with throat and breast cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Czech-born Navratilova, who became a U.S. citizen in 1981, was also diagnosed and beat breast cancer back in 2010. Navratilova added that the cancer was in Stage 1, and the prognosis are good, with treatments to begin next week. The cancer was first discovered in early November during the WTA finals when Navratilova noticed a swelling in her neck that did not go down. "When it didn't do down, a biopsy was performed, the results came back as Stage 1 throat cancer. "At the same time as Martina was undergoing the tests for the throat, a suspicious form was found in her breast, which was subsequently diagnosed as cancer, completely unrelated to the throat cancer.

☆ Magnitude 5.7 earthquake strikes Kyrgyzstan- EMSC
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 28 (Reuters) - A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck northeastern Kyrgyzstan, near the border with Kazakhstan, the European-Mediterranean Siesmological Centre (EMSC) said on Wednesday. The quake was at a depth of 40 km (24.85 miles), EMSC said. (This Dec. 28 story has been corrected to fix location to remove reference to 'Almaty region' in the first paragraph)Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Oil trims losses as softer dollar offsets Chinese demand fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Rowena Edwards | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Oil prices pared losses after falling by over $2 earlier in the session, as a weaker dollar partially offset demand fears resulting from surging COVID-19 cases in China. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $1.07, or 1.36%, to $77.89 a barrel, after reaching session lows of $76.79. A weaker dollar makes oil cheaper for holders of other currencies and can boost demand. U.S. crude oil inventories fell less than expected, by about 1.3 million barrels, in the week ended Dec. 23, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures. Markets, however, drew some support from Russian President Vladimir Putin's ban on exports of crude oil and oil products from Feb. 1 for five months to nations that abide by a Western price cap.

☆ Oil falls as China COVID spike dampens demand outlook
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Rowena Edwards | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell by over 2% on Thursday as surging COVID-19 cases in China dimmed hopes of a recovery in fuel demand for the world's largest crude oil importer. U.S. crude oil inventories fell less than expected, by about 1.3 million barrels, in the week ended Dec. 23, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures. Markets, however, drew some support from Russian President Vladimir Putin's ban on exports of crude oil and oil products from Feb. 1 for five months to nations that abide by a Western price cap. Germany said the ban has "no practical significance" as the country has been working since spring to replace Russian oil supplies and ensure security of supply. Russian oil pipeline operator Transneft said Kazakhstan's KazTransOil had requested an additional 1.2 million tonnes of capacity on the Druzhba pipeline for 2023 to facilitate extra oil shipments to Germany, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

☆ Kazakhstan to deport Russian major who fled his country over war
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ALMATY, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan is preparing to deport a Russian security officer who fled his country because he objected to the invasion of Ukraine and hoped to find refuge in the West, his wife said on Thursday. Hundreds of thousands of Russians fled to Kazakhstan and other neighbouring states after the war started. Many of them were civilians, crossing legally as they sought to avoid mobilisation. His wife Yekaterina travelled to Kazakhstan legally with their two children at the same time. Zhilin was detained in Kazakhstan and sentenced to deportation which he tried to preempt by flying to Armenia, only to get detained again before he could board the plane.

☆ Iranian chess player appears at Kazakhstan tournament without hijab for second day -Reuters witness
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ALMATY, Dec 28 (Reuters) - An Iranian chess player on Wednesday took part in an international tournament in Kazakhstan without a hijab for the second day running, according to a Reuters journalist present. A Reuters witness at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, saw Sara Khadem competing without a headscarf, a violation of Iran's laws governing female dress code. Khadem, born in 1997 and also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, is ranked 804 in the world, according to the International Chess Federation website. The website for the Dec. 25-30 event listed her as a participant in both the Rapid and Blitz competitions. Iranian news outlets Khabarvarzeshi and Etemad in reports on Monday said that Khadem had competed at the championship in Almaty without a hijab.

☆ Iranian woman competes at chess tournament without hijab- media reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, Dec 27 (Reuters) - An Iranian chess player has taken part in an international tournament without a hijab, according to media reports, the latest of several Iranian sportswomen to appear at competitions without one since anti-government protests began. Iranian news outlets Khabarvarzeshi and Etemad, in reports on Monday, said Sara Khadem had competed at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, without the hijab - a headscarf mandatory under Iran's strict dress codes. Photos posted by both outlets appeared to show her with no headscarf during the tournament. There was no comment on Khadem's Instagram page about the tournament or the reports, and she did not immediately respond to a direct message from Reuters. In October, Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi competed in South Korea without a headscarf, later saying she had done so unintentionally.

☆ The tragic story of the only 3 cosmonauts who died in space
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

This Soviet crew had spent 23 days in space, setting a new record for human space flight endurance, and were finally coming home. They gathered existing equipment and hastily put together a space station that was launched on April 19, 1971. A treadmill was installed on the Salyut 1 and the cosmonauts forwent their space suits in the space station and Soyuz. But a few missteps on the ship and by the Soviet space program led to the tragic deaths of the cosmonauts. According to Siddiqi, the death of the three cosmonauts had a lasting impact on the Soviet space program afterward.

☆ Russia's former deputy PM said he was injured by a shell blast in occupied Ukraine after his location was leaked
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Bethany Dawson | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former Russian space chief said he was wounded by an exploding artillery shell in a Donetsk hotel. The former head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos said that he was wounded on his shoulder and needed surgery. FILE PHOTO: Russia's Roscosmos former space agency Director General Dmitry Rogozin looks on at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan July 20, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File PhotoWriting on Telegram, Rogozin suggested that his location had been "leaked," resulting in what he says was a "targeted attack." Rogozin now appears to lead a volunteer unit that supports Russia's proxy forces in eastern Ukraine, the BBC reported.

☆ The Armenian dram is the world's top-performing currency as the mass exodus of Russians fleeing Putin's war drives big increase in money transfers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A mass fleeing of Russian citizens into neighboring countries has sent their native currencies soaring. Armenia, Georgia, and Tajikistan in Central Asia are among the world's top performers against the dollar. The Armenian dram has gained 22% in 2022 and is the top global currency. A large portion of the currency growth is due to money transfers, specifically from non-commercial transfers from out-of-country workers, with the equivalent of $1.75 billion entering Georgia from Russia, according to Bloomberg. The currency appreciation in countries surrounding Russia is a stark reversal of expectations.

☆ Ukraine shelling attack injures two top pro-Russia officials in Donetsk - agencies
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/PoolDec 21 (Reuters) - A former Russian deputy prime minister and a pro-Moscow official were injured when Ukrainian forces shelled the eastern city of Donetsk on Wednesday, Russian news agencies said. Donetsk, controlled by pro-Moscow troops, is in the industrial Donbas region, epicentre of recent bitter fighting between Russia and Ukraine. Also hurt was Vitaly Khotsenko, the head of government of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, his press secretary told Russian news agencies. The two men were injured when a hotel on the outskirts of Donetsk came under fire from high-precision weapons, aides told Russian agencies. Rogozin used to head Russia's space agency but was replaced in July.

London Metal Exchange (LME) warehouse stocks of the galvanising metal total 36,525 tonnes, the lowest amount this century. LME zinc price, spread and stocks; Shanghai Futures Exchange stocksSMELTER DISRUPTIONGlobal refined zinc output fell by 3.2% in January-October, according to the ILZSG, matching the drop-off in usage. Shanghai Metal Market (SMM) estimates total "social" inventories of zinc ingot across seven domestic markets at a low 56,000 tonnes. The longer-term question-mark over Europe's power-hungry smelters hasn't gone away, injecting a whole new twist in the zinc market narrative. In the short term the zinc market is going to remain beholden to the European power market.

☆ Russia's Transneft receives Polish and German requests for oil
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The EU has pledged to stop buying Russian oil via maritime routes from Dec. 5, with Western nations also imposing price caps on Russian crude oil, but the Druzhba pipeline remains exempt from sanctions. And now we have received requests from Polish consumers: give us 3 million tonnes next year, and 360,000 tonnes for December, and Germany has already submitted a request for the first quarter," Transneft head Nikolay Tokarev said on Tuesday. Transneft, which handles more than 80% of total oil produced in Russia, has cranked up oil exports by a fifth this year, he added. Tokarev also said that oil supplies via the southern spur of Druzhba, which transports oil through Ukraine to Slovakia and the Czech Republic, will remain unchanged next year thanks to a ssanctions exception. Exports via the far eastern port of Kozmino are expected to total 42 million tonnes this year, exceeding usual annual capacity of 30 million tonnes, Tokarev said.

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

☆ Robotic arm to inspect leaky Soyuz spacecraft, Russia says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Dec 18 (Reuters) - A 17-metre-long Canadian-made robotic arm on the International Space Station will inspect a docked Soyuz spacecraft after a leak was noticed just before a spacewalk last week, Russia's state space corporation said on Sunday. After the spacewalk was called off on Dec. 15, Roscosmos said there had been damage to the outer skin of an instrument assembly compartment of the Soyuz MS-22 capsule. Roscosmos said cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and Anna Kikina were enjoying a day of rest on the Space Station and would then watch the final of the World Cup. "The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft will be inspected with cameras of the SSRMS, the Space Station Remote Manipulator System," Roskosmos said in a statement. Preparations are underway for the launch of the Soyuz MS-23 from Baikonur in Kazakhstan, and Russia's space agency said that launch could be accelerated if needed.

Nikita Chibrin says he still remembers his fellow Russian soldiers running away after allegedly raping two Ukrainian women during their deployment northwest of Kyiv in March. He deserted from the Russian military in September and fled to Europe via Belarus and Kazakhstan. Chibrin’s military documents, seen by CNN, show his commander was Azatbek Omurbekov, the officer in charge of the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. Omurbekov, known as the “Butcher of Bucha” is under sanctions by the European Union and the United Kingdom. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the mass killings while reiterating baseless claims that the images of civilian bodies were fake.

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