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☆ Freed prisoners return to U.S. from Russia and the race to define Kamala Harris: Morning Rundown
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Elizabeth Robinson | Elizabeth Robinson Is A Newsletter Editor For Nbc News | Based In Los Angeles. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva make an emotional return to the U.S. Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky add to their Olympic medal collections. Jamie Squire / Getty ImagesBiles won gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics final, reclaiming her 2016 title and becoming the first American to win the Olympic all-around gold medal more than once. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won silver, and American Suni Lee, who won the all-around gold medal three years ago in Tokyo, took home the bronze. Katie Ledecky made Olympic history when she won a silver medal in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay final on Thursday. The battle intensifies to define HarrisIt goes without saying that Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to de-facto Democratic presidential nominee has been unprecedented.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Sonya Massey, Biden, Harris, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Alsu Kurmasheva, Whelan, Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, “, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Antony Blinken’s, Sergei Lavrov, Suni Lee, Jamie Squire, Biles, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, Maddie Meyer, Peacock, Read, rance, wimmer, ▶️, ure, Ana l, J uly, dow, ros, Pres, ena, Gray, ood, Joh, edd, maki, abou, , in Organizations: U.S, Russia, Marine, Joint Base Andrews, Wall Street, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Paris, unt, pla, us. Locations: Maryland, Germany, U.S, Russia, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Radio Free Europe, Berlin, Paris, American, Tokyo, Belgium

☆ Britain cancels $1.7 billion of computing projects in setback for global AI ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

(Photo by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)The U.K. government has canceled £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) worth of computing infrastructure projects, in a big setback to the country's ambitions to become a world leader in artificial intelligence. A government spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that two major taxpayer-funded spending commitments, worth £500 million and £800 million, respectively, were being dropped in order to prioritize other fiscal plans. Earlier this week, British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves announced a raft of spending cuts after revealing Labour had inherited a projected £22 billion ($28 billion) of unfunded pledges from the center-right Conservatives. The Labour government was widely expected to announce the introduction of the first-ever U.K. AI Bill in a speech delivered by King Charles III last month. A DSIT spokesperson instead told CNBC the government would consult on plans to regulate AI in due course.

Persons: Rasid Necati, Rishi Sunak's, Rachel Reeves, unfunded, codebreakers, Keir Starmer's, King Charles III Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, Getty, CNBC, Research, University of Edinburgh, Labour, Department for Science, Innovation, Technology, British Locations: London, United Kingdom, Anadolu, Bletchley, Nazi Germany

☆ Russian Dissident Says He Was Traded Against His Will in Inmate Swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Valerie Hopkins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ilya Yashin, one of the Russian opposition politicians traded to the West in Thursday’s prisoner exchange, expressed outrage on Friday that he had been sent into involuntary exile rather than left in his own country, even if that meant remaining in prison. “I will never make peace with the role of an emigrant,” Mr. Yashin, 41, said at a news conference with other dissidents in Bonn, Germany. He described a statement he wrote before he was moved from his penal colony, insisting that he did not consent to be exchanged, which he said included the declaration, “The Russian Constitution bans sending a citizen of the Russian Federation abroad without his consent. As a Russian citizen, I confirm that I do not give permission to be sent outside of Russia.”He said he was told that if he attempted to return, he would meet the same fate as Aleksei A. Navalny, the opposition leader who died in February in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving several sentences on what Western governments and human rights groups said were trumped-up charges.

Persons: Ilya Yashin, “, ” Mr, Yashin, ”, Aleksei A Organizations: Russian Federation Locations: Bonn, Germany, Russian, Russia

☆ Prisoner Deals Stoke Fears of Perverse ‘Incentive’ to Grab Americans
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

While loath to criticize any specific swap, current and former U.S. officials worry that strongmen like President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia are exploiting America’s willingness to horse-trade for its citizens. “I worry about the incentive this gives nations to abduct Americans,” said Adam Hickey, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the national security division of the U.S. Justice Department. Speaking of the trend toward hostage trades generally, he added: “I don’t see how this doesn’t lead to an escalation or increase” in the practice by foreign governments. But practical alternatives are hard to come by, Mr. Hickey and other experts concede. In response to Thursday’s deal, former President Donald J. Trump suggested that President Biden had set a “bad precedent” by paying too high a price to Mr. Putin.

Persons: —, loath, Vladimir V, Putin, gunning, ”, Adam Hickey, Hickey, Donald J, Trump, Biden Organizations: U.S . Justice Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Germany, Berlin

☆ European stocks to extend declines after Bank of England rate cut as global sentiment sours
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Boris Roessler | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesLONDON — European stocks were set to open lower Friday, extending losses amid a global downturn as a busy week of market action draws to a close. Germany's DAX was on course to open 104 points lower at 17,984, according to IG data, with France's CAC 40 down 40 points at 7,325. The regional Stoxx 600 index on Thursday suffered its worst session since mid-June, pulled down by financials as French bank Societe Generale downgraded its outlook and the Bank of England cut interest rates for the first time since 2020. The central bank decision took its key interest rate to 5% from 5.25%, in a move that markets had not been fully convinced it would carry out. Asia-Pacific markets saw steep losses Friday, with Japan's benchmark indexes tanking as much as 5%.

Persons: Boris Roessler, Germany's DAX, BOE Governor Andrew Bailey, BOE, Joe Tuckey Organizations: Getty, France's CAC, Societe Generale, Bank of England, CNBC, Argentex, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of, Apple, Intel, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: Frankfurt, Bank of Japan, Europe, Asia, Pacific

☆ Linde extends its streak of earnings beats, flexes ability to handle any economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Linde Why we own it: The industrial gas supplier and engineering firm has a stellar track record of consistent earnings growth. We're not the only investors who have come to covet the company's ability to deliver steady earnings growth regardless of the economic conditions. But if there is a worsening of economic conditions, Lamba said Linde will take action quickly to protect profits. "That was just a very solid quarter," Jim Cramer said Friday. Guidance For the third quarter, Linde expects adjusted EPS in the range of $3.82 to $3.92, implying 5% to 8% growth compared with the year-ago period.

Persons: Linde, LSEG, . Linde, —, We're, South America —, Sanjiv Lamba, Lamba, Matthew White, White, Jim Cramer, Jim Cramer's, Lin, Jim, Rolf Schulten Organizations: Revenue, Products, Linde, LIN, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Linde's, CNBC, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: North America, America, South America, U.S, It's, Arizona, Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Linde's Asia, China, Leuna, Germany

☆ 11 of the most baffling archaeological finds of all time
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Humans were making rope nearly 40,000 years agoExperts think this ivory baton was used for rope making around 38,000 years ago. One artifact, an eight-inch piece of ivory with grooved holes, wasn't easy to identify. Archaeologists have found similar items, known as batons, in the UK and France. Made of ivory or antler, they have holes with grooves on the inside, and some have notches. Based on descriptions of rope-making with similar tools from the Middle Ages, the researchers recreated the process with a replica of the piece of ivory.

Persons: Nicholas Conard Organizations: of Tübingen Locations: Germany, France

☆ What to watch this weekend at the Paris Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Kyle Feldscher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Paris CNN —The first week of the 2024 Summer Olympics is very nearly in the books and business is about to pick up. Richardson comes into Paris looking to prove she is the fastest woman in the world. Track and field heats upAn overview shows athletes competing in the women's 5000m heat of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 2, 2024. Antonin Thuillier/AFP/Getty ImagesThe star of the second week of the Summer Olympics, track and field competition takes the stage this weekend. Mixed 4x100m medley relay, featuring the American team of Regan Smith, Charlie Swanson, Dressel and Abbey Weitzeil.

Persons: Paris CNN —, Simone Biles, Biles, she’s, She’s, ‘ I’m Simone Biles, ”, Noah Lyles, Sha’carri Richardson, Richardson, Jamacia’s Kishane Thompson, Thompson’s countryman, Usain Bolt, Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson, Australia's Bree Masters, Canada's Jacqueline Madogo, Denis, Jewel Samad, Xander Schauffele, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, Great, Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Schauffele, hasn’t, Sophia Smith, Pascal Guyot, Trinity Rodman, Rose Lavelle, Alyssa Naeher, LeBron James, –, it’s Jose Alvarado, James, Pierre, Sameer Al Doumy, Antonin Thuillier, Katie Ledecky, Bradley Kanaris, Caeleb Dressel, Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Summer McIntosh, Paige Madden, Ariarne Titmus, Regan Smith, Charlie Swanson, Dressel, Gretchen Walsh, Sarah Sjoestroem, Bobby Finke Organizations: Paris CNN, Olympic Games, Tokyo Olympics, Stade de France, Games, Paris, Getty, Le National, PGA, British, Women’s National, Japan, women’s, Marseille, US, Serbia, Puerto Ricans, USA, Belgian, FIBA’s, Summer, Paris La Defense Locations: Paris, France, American, Spring , Texas, Lyles, Saint, AFP, Tokyo, Australia, USA, Marseille, New Zealand, Japan, Sudan, Puerto Rico, Puerto, South Sudan, Mauroy, Villeneuve, d'Ascq, Belgium, Germany, Barcelona, Nanterre, Swedish

☆ Atlantic Ocean currents could collapse as early as the 2030s, new research suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Angela Dewan | Angela Fritz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A vital system of Atlantic Ocean currents that influences weather across the world could collapse as soon as the late 2030s, scientists have suggested in a new study — a planetary-scale disaster that would transform weather and climate. This research suggests it’s more likely than not to collapse by 2050. The impacts of an AMOC collapse would leave parts of the world unrecognizable. The emphasis in ocean research on the timing of the collapse is a relatively new development, said Rahmstorf. This research gap means the predictions could underestimate how soon or fast a collapse would happen, Rahmstof said.

Persons: ”, René van Westen, Stefan Rahmstorf, ” Rahmstorf, “ There’s, ” Rahmstof, “, You’re, Rahmstof Organizations: CNN, University of Utrecht, Southern, Northern, Potsdam University, “ Locations: Netherlands, England, Germany, Utrecht

☆ Children of Russian spy couple in prisoner swap only learned their nationality on flight to Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Anna Chernova | Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The children of two Russian intelligence agents, who were among the detainees released as part of a historic prisoner swap, only discovered their nationality when they were being flown to Moscow, the Kremlin said Friday. The pair had been posing as an Argentine couple in Slovenia where they were convicted of spying. Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted them on the tarmac in Spanish as they didn’t speak Russian and didn’t even know who Putin was, according to Peskov. “When the children came down the plane’s steps – they don’t speak Russian – and Putin greeted them in Spanish, he said ‘Buenas noches,’” Peskov said. While living undercover in Slovenia, Dultsev posed as an IT businessman named Ludvig Gisch.

Persons: Artem Dultsev, Anna Dultseva, “, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, –, ‘ Buenas, ” Peskov, ”, Dultseva, bouquets, Dultsev, Vadim Krasikov, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Ludvig Gisch, Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, Peskov Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, CIA Locations: Moscow, Argentine, Slovenia, Turkey, Russian, Ankara, ”, Spanish, Russia, Belarus, Germany, Berlin, Ljubljana, United States

☆ Joint Base Andrews: Three freed Americans back on US soil in Maryland after historic prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Elizabeth Whelan hugs her brother Paul Whelan at Joint Base Andrews following his release from a Russian prison. Alex Brandon/APPresident Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk with family members of the returning Americans to greet them at Joint Base Andrews. Today, their agony is over,” said Biden, who hosted the families of Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva and Kara-Murza at the White House. Whelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva flew roughly 10 hours from Ankara, Turkey, on top of a three hour and 45 minute flight from Moscow to Ankara. This is typical protocol for wrongfully detained Americans who return home.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Whelan, Gershkovich, Harris, Biden, Kurmasheva, “, ”, ” Biden, Feedback Biden, CNN Whelan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, –, Vadim Krasikov, Elizabeth Whelan, Joint Base Andrews, Alex Brandon, Base Andrews, Brittney Griner Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Joint Base Andrews, Street Journal, US State Department, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Washington Post, Joint Base, Base, AP, White, National Security Council, State Department, Brooke Army Medical Center, Defense Department Locations: American, United States, Russia, Maryland, Moscow, Radio Free Europe, Germany, Poland, Norway, Slovenia, Gershkovich, Kara, Ankara, Turkey, San Antonio, PISA

☆ Germany Grapples With ‘Difficult Decision’ in Prisoner Swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The convicted Russian killer bounded off a plane in Moscow on Thursday, hours after Germany freed him in a wide-ranging prison exchange with Russia. Zurab Khangoshvili, the brother of the Chechen exile shot by the assassin, repeatedly scrolled through the video of the scene, watching from his home in Germany with profound sadness, he said. “That man killed someone here, and then he went back to Russia to a welcoming ceremony with this huge red carpet. It was unfair.”Germany played a critical role in the complicated trade that on Thursday secured the release of 16 prisoners to the West in exchange for eight prisoners to Russia. No part of that deal was more fraught than agreeing to release Vadim Krasikov, sentenced to life in prison in 2021 for killing Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Chechen separatist commander who had sought asylum in Germany.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Zurab Khangoshvili, ”, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili Locations: Moscow, Russia, Germany, ” Germany, Chechen

☆ How Aleksei Navalny’s Death Restored Evan Gershkovich’s Life - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( M. Gessen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A few days ago, Russian political prisoners started vanishing from their prison colonies: Their lawyers would come to see them only to be told their clients were no longer there. The disappearance of an inmate is often bad news — it can mean a move to a more remote colony, illness or death. “A trade,” a prominent Russian in exile posted on his Facebook page, without bothering to explain the reference. “Definitely a trade,” posted a young Russian activist in exile, a day later. On Thursday, Russia released the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, along with 15 other inmates.

Persons: ”, “, Evan Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, Christo Grozev, Maria Pevchikh, Aleksei Navalny Organizations: Street Locations: Russian, Russia, Germany, United States, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Vienna, Los Angeles

☆ Convicted Assassin Is a Russian Security Agent, Kremlin Acknowledges
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The convicted assassin who was the linchpin of the biggest prisoner swap in decades is a member of the most powerful security agency in Russia, the Kremlin acknowledged on Friday, and had served in a special unit with some agents who now guard President Vladimir V. Putin. The ties help explain Mr. Putin’s determination to free the assassin, Vadim Krasikov, from the German prison where he was serving time for murder. The effort culminated on Thursday when Mr. Krasikov and seven other former prisoners returned to Moscow after an exchange with Western nations that involved 24 adults and seven countries. Mr. Putin has not hid his admiration for Mr. Krasikov, who had been jailed in Germany since 2019 for the murder of a Chechen former separatist fighter in Berlin. In an interview in February, Mr. Putin referred to Mr. Krasikov as “a patriot” who was doing his duty by eliminating an enemy of the Russian state.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Dmitri S, Mr, ” Organizations: Kremlin, Federal Security Service, Mr Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Soviet, Germany, Chechen, Berlin

☆ Olympics recap: What you may have missed in gymnastics, swimming, rowing and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Rohan Nadkarni | Rohan Nadkarni Is A Sports Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Day 6 of the Olympics saw continued brilliance in women’s gymnastics and women’s swimming, a dominant women’s team given a scare, a banner day for rowing and more. Maddie Meyer / Getty ImagesMen’s rowingThe U.S. men’s rowing team won gold in the four rowing event, the Americans' first Olympic gold in the race since 1960. During the last Olympics in Tokyo, the U.S. men’s rowing team failed to medal in any event for the first time in its history, so Thursday was also about redemption. Three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals and 41 weeks as the world No. 1 — all in the greatest era in the history of men’s tennis along with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Persons: Simone Biles, Biles, Kevin Durant, ” Biles, Suni Lee, “, ” Lee, Katie Ledecky, Larisa Latynina, Maddie Meyer, that’ve, Michael Grady, Emma Meesseman, Zach Randolph, USA’s, Meessemen, Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson, Andy Murray’s, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Murray, Dan Evans, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, “ I’m, ” Murray, I’ve, What’s, Victor Wembanyama Organizations: American, Soviet, Olympic, U.S, Zealand, Social Network, Federer, Wimbledon, U.S ., Laver, NBA Locations: American, Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles, Nanterre, France, U.S, USA, Belgium, United States, Germany

☆ How the Russian prisoner swap that freed Evan Gershkovich unfolded over two years
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Carol E. Lee | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The effort took on extra urgency in March 2023, when the Russians arrested Gershkovich, a senior administration official said. Days later, NBC News reported that a deal that could have sprung Navalny, Gershkovich and Whelan had been in the works. After Biden and Scholz met on Feb. 9, Scholz told Biden he was on board. Vice President Kamala Harris also discussed the prisoner swap with Scholz, telling him that Krasikov was a critical component of getting a prisoner swap with Russia, a White House official said. That was when he called the Slovenian prime minister to make sure his country was ready to release the Russian in their custody.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Brittney Griner, Biden, Viktor Bout, Paul Whelan ’, Whelan, Paul Whelan, Antony Blinken, “, ” Blinken, Sergei Lavrov, Gershkovich, Blinken, Lavrov, ” Lavrov, ”, ” Gershkovich, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Olaf Scholz, Krasikov, Griner, Whalen, Joe Biden, Scholz, Kamala Harris, Jake Sullivan, Elizabeth Whelan, Sullivan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kurmasheva, ” Biden Organizations: Wall Street, Marine, AP, NBC News, Berlin, White, Biden Locations: Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Berlin, Moscow, Germany, Chechen, Russian, U.S, Nevada, Slovenian

☆ Germany’s doctors can prescribe four-week spa breaks to frazzled parents
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Those lucky parents may leave with doctor’s orders for a four-week spa break by the sea or in the mountains. Germany has around 350 designated spa towns, with many designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites. ‘I had severe sleeping problems’Focused on preventative as well as restorative care, a Kur is frequently aimed at burned-out parents. The proportion of single parents in MGW clinics is disproportionately high in relation to the overall share in society. “Together, solutions are developed that will help patients to cope with everyday life again and prevent (further) health problems,” Gerstkamp explained.

Persons: ”, They’ve, Cécile Poirot, ” Poirot, “, Müttergenesungswerk, Petra Gerstkamp, Gerstkamp, Poirot, ” Gerstkamp Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, Heritage, “ Locations: Germany, Baden, Wiesbaden, Bad, Europe, Elmshorn, Hamburg

☆ Biden celebrates prisoner deal and importance of allies in key moment for his legacy
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Biden also had multiple conversations about the deal with his German counterpart Olaf Scholz, including when the chancellor visited the Oval Office in February. Convicted Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, who was jailed in Germany, was critical to getting Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a deal. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, will do that for me, but not for anyone else, and WE WILL BE PAYING NOTHING!” Trump said. “Why didn’t he do it when he was president?” Biden said before turning to leave the room. A senior administration official defended the release of Krasikov as part of the deal.

Persons: Russia –, Joe Biden, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Kamala Harris, Biden, Donald Trump’s, Harris, “, ” Biden, ” Trump, ”, They’re, Olaf Scholz, Vadim Krasikov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, CNN’s Steve Contorno, Trump, Gershkovich, Whelan, Scholz, Krasikov, Paul, Evan, Alsu, Vladimir, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alsu Kurmasheva, CNN’s MJ Lee, Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, Ivana Kottasova, Alex Marquardt, Betsy Klein, Donald Judd, Sam Fossum, Steve Contorno, Kit Maher, Jeff Zeleny Organizations: CNN, Russia, Wall Street, NATO, Slovenian, HOME, WE, White, Munich, Conference, “ Locations: United States of America, Russia, Israel, Ukraine, Germany, Ohio, Berlin, American, Russian

In addition to Mr. Gershkovich, the prisoners freed by Russia included Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine arrested in 2018, and the Russian dissident Ilya Yashin, the official said. The prisoners freed by the West included Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian assassin, the Turkish official said. The deal seemed sure to prompt jubilation among Western nations that had condemned the charges against Mr. Gershkovich and others as baseless and politically motivated. And it represented a political leap for Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, whose government agreed to release Mr. Krasikov as part of the deal. Mr. Putin has referred to Mr. Krasikov as a patriot for his killing of a Chechen former separatist fighter in Berlin in 2019.

Persons: Anton TroianovskiMark Mazzetti, Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Ilya Yashin, Vadim Krasikov, Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Krasikov, Ivan Nechepurenko Organizations: Street Journal, U.S . Marine, West, Turkish Locations: Turkey, Russia, Russian, Ankara, U.S, Chechen, Berlin

☆ European markets head for mixed open ahead of Bank of England decision
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — European markets are set to open mixed on Thursday as investors process a raft of central bank action. The Bank of England announces its latest monetary policy decision at midday London time. Market pricing slightly favors a 25 basis point interest rate cut from the U.K. central bank, kicking off its path of monetary easing. Investors are still processing Wednesday's surprise move from the Bank of Japan, which raised its benchmark interest rate to around 0.25%, its highest level since 2008, and hinted at more tightening to come. The decision powered the yen to a four-and-a-half month high against the U.S. dollar, as Japanese stocks tumbled.

Persons: Germany's DAX, Jerome Powell, Powell Organizations: CAC, Bank of England, U.S, Bank of Japan, U.S . Locations: U.S . Federal, —

☆ This Filmmaker Saw War Everywhere, and So Can You
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Travis Diehl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

For Harun Farocki, even as visual media raced from film strips to computers, one thing remained constant: Pictures reveal more than they intend to. Naming the ideologies embedded in workaday images was Farocki’s life’s work. The German filmmaker and artist was born in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1944 to an Indian father and German mother, lived in a divided Germany, and died in 2014, in a booming, unified Berlin. His meticulous style of essay film, combining found images and formidably researched texts, has become essential to the cinematic tool kit. Eight of his works on the perennial theme of war, curated by Antje Ehmann, an artist and Farocki’s widow, are on view at Greene Naftali.

Persons: Harun Farocki, Antje Ehmann, Greene Naftali Locations: Nazi, Czechoslovakia, Indian, Germany, Berlin

☆ Russia's war pushed Europe to a tipping point on wind and solar
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

For the first time, wind and solar generated more of the European Union's electricity than fossil fuels during the first half of the year. Wind and solar accounted for an all-time high of 30% of the region's energy needs, according to an analysis by the think tank Ember . In a separate report , Ember forecasted a global LNG supply glut by 2026 and a substantial drop in EU gas demand by 2030. But the rush to increase LNG exports from places like the US ignores the reality of rapidly declining gas demand in Europe, she added. Ember's report said that while it's unclear how swiftly fossil-fuel use will drop across Europe, a pipeline of solar and wind projects suggests this tipping point could be permanent.

Persons: it's, Chris Rosslowe, Ember, Sarah Brown, Brown, Rosslowe Organizations: Service, Business, US Energy Information Administration Locations: Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Germany, Spain, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, Qatar, Asia

☆ Who was freed in major prisoner swap between Russia and the West?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The German court that convicted Krasikov in 2021 said he acted on behalf of the Russian state, shooting Khangoshvili “execution style” in broad daylight. Vadim Konoshchenok, 48An undated photo of Vadim Konoshchenok included in a 2022 court document. He was arrested in February 2022, according to the Polish state news agency PAP. Lilia Chanysheva, 42Lilia Chanysheva stands is seen during a hearing at the Kirovskiy District Court in Ufa, Russia, on June 14, 2023. He was sentenced to four years in a penal colony in July 2022, according to Amnesty International.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Vadim Krasikov, Vadim Krasikov Berlin Police Krasikov, Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Khangoshvili, Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin, Viktor Bout, Whelan, Brittney, Biden, Alexey Navalny, Vadim Konoshchenok, Konoshchenok, Vladislav Klyushin, Klyushin, Roman Seleznev, US Department of Justice Roman Seleznev, Seleznev, Artem Dultsev, Ludvig Gish, Anna Dultseva, Dultsev, Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, Mikhail Mikushin, Pavel Rubtsov, Pablo Gonzalez, Oihana Goiriena, Vincent West, Pablo Gonzales, Natalia Kolesnikova, Kirill Kudryavtsev, US Marine Whelan, Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, Liberty Alsu Kurmasheva, Alexey Nasyrov, Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kara, Vladimir Putin’s “, ”, Rico Krieger, Krieger, Alexander Lukashenko, Kevin Lik, Lick, Dieter, Voronin, Ivan Safronov, Roscosmos, Demuri Voronin, Safronov, Herman Moyzhes, Moyzhes, Patrick Schoebel, Schoebel, Ilya Yashin, Yuri Kochetkov, ” Alexandra Skochilenko, Alexandra Skochilenko, Anton Vaganov, Skochilenko, “, ” Oleg Orlov, Oleg Orlov, Lilia Chanysheva, Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeeva, Maxim Shemetov, Fadeeva, Vadim Ostanin, Alexei Navalny’s, Ostanin, Andrei Pivovarov, Pivovarov Organizations: CNN, Vadim Krasikov Berlin Police, Chechen, Russian, Krasikov, US Department of Justice, US, Office, Eastern, of, Attorney's, University of Tromsø, Reuters, Court, Getty, Street, US Marine, US State Department, Radio Free, Liberty, AP, Belarusian TV, Belteleradio, Human Rights, German Red Cross, TASS, German Federal Intelligence Service, Pulkovo, Ukraine, Amnesty International Locations: American, Russia, Moscow, Berlin’s Kleiner, Russian, Georgia, Estonia, of New York, Boston, Sion , Switzerland, United States, Maldives, Slovenia, Ljubljana, Norway, Brazilian, Nabarniz, Spain, Poland, Spanish, Sverdlovsk, AFP, Irish, Radio Free Europe, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Belarusian, German, Belarus, Berlin, Germany, Europe, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Meshansky, Bucha, Kyiv, Saint Petersburg, Kirovskiy, Ufa, Bashkortostan, Tomsk, Krasnodar

The Russian officials took the proposal back to Moscow. It was a remarkably swift conclusion to years of painstaking negotiations between the US and more than half a dozen countries. Key to the deal was President Biden’s ability to persuade German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to release Krasikov, the Russian prisoner most keenly sought by Putin. Officials worked quietly throughout this year to get the German government to agree to release Krasikov — including entreaties from both Biden and Harris. President Biden sent a letter to Scholz in April, and the Germans at last agreed to release Krasikov in early June.

Persons: CNN —, Vadim Krasikov, who’d, who’s, Vladimir Putin, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Bill Burns, Gershkovich, Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Biden, Kamala Harris, Serdar Ozsoy, Biden’s, Olaf Scholz, Putin, Krasikov, Brittney Griner, Burns, –, Viktor Bout, Alexey Navalny, Brendan Smialowski, Antony Blinken, James Rubin, Blinken, Annalena Baerbock, Jake Sullivan, Harris, Scholz, “ Chancellor Scholz, “, Jake, ‘, ’, Sullivan, Navalny, Paul, Evan, ”, Ronald Wittek, Kara, Robert Golob, Kurmasheva’s, Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Carstens, Jeff Flake, ” Flake, Flake, ” Sullivan Organizations: CNN, CIA, Wall Street, White, Base Andrews, Aircraft, Ankara Esenboga Airport, US Marine, WNBA, State Department, National Security Council, Krasikov, Getty, German, National, Biden, Munich, Conference, US, Munich Security, Aspen Security, Street, Hostage Affairs Locations: Eastern, Russia, Russian, Berlin, Moscow, American, Turkey, Ankara, Chechen, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Washington , DC, AFP, Germany, ”, Munich, Washington, Slovenian, Mordovia, “

☆ WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, ex-Marine Whelan released in U.S., Russia prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowWall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were released Thursday by Russia as part of a major, multi-nation swap of two dozen prisoners. "All four have been imprisoned unjustly in Russia," President Joe Biden said in a televised address from the White House, where he was flanked by their family members. Eight Russians, including the spy and convicted hitman Vadim Krasikov, are being returned to Russia from the United States, Slovenia, Norway, Poland and Germany. "The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy," Biden said in a statement released by the White House, where Biden planned to meet family members of the released Americans. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the release of Americans detained in Russia during brief remarks from the White House in Washington, U.S., August 1, 2024.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Joe Biden, Vadim Krasikov, Paul Whelan, Krasikov, Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva, Kara, Biden, we've, Jake Sullivan, " Sullivan, Nathan Howard, Reuters Gershkovich, Dieter Voronin, Kevin Lick, Rico Krieger, Patrick Schoebel, Herman Moyzhes, Ilya Yashin, Liliya, Kseniya Fadeyeva, Vadim Ostanin, Andrey Pivovarov, Oleg Orlov, Sasha Skochilenko, Artem Viktorovich Dultsev, Anna Valerevna Dultseva, Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin, Pavel Alekseyevich Rubtsov, Roman Seleznev, Vladislav Klyushin, Vadim Konoshchenock Organizations: Wall Street, U.S . Marine, White, Biden, National, Reuters Locations: Russia, American, Russian, Turkey, United States, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Washington , U.S, Moscow

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