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☆ Crimea Bridge: why is it important and what happened to it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A cargo ship sails next to the Crimea bridge in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, March 14, 2023. The RBC-Ukraine news agency reported that explosions were heard on the bridge, with Russian military bloggers reporting two strikes. The bridge is a crucial supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine. In October, the bridge was damaged in a powerful blast, with Russian officials saying the explosion was caused by a truck that blew up while crossing the bridge, killing three people. CRIMEA AND RUSSIA LINKThe 19-km (12-mile) Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait is the only direct link between the transport network of Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in2014.

Persons: Alexey Pavlishak, Sergei Aksyonov, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Putin, Arkady Rotenberg, Lidia Kelly, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, RBC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Crimea, Kerch, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kyiv, CRIMEA, RUSSIA, Moscow, Sevastopol, Ukraine's Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Melbourne

Public prosecutors in Japan have not released information regarding the case and did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. Rina Gonoi, a former member of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, checks old photos on her phone. “That makes it hard for people to speak out.”Rina Gonoi says she endured physical and verbal sexual abuse while she served in Japan's Self-Defense Forces. In 1992, Japan’s National Defense Academy finally began accepting women, which made it possible for them to become senior officers. “We are aware that the perpetrators of sexual harassment cases are scheduled to be punished severely.

Persons: Tokyo CNN — Rina Gonoi, Gonoi, “, ”, Rina Gonoi Gonoi’s, Staff Yoshihide Yoshida, dishonorably, Rina Gonoi, Philip Fong, Japan’s, Fumika Sato, ” Sato, Sato, ” Rina Gonoi, Rina, Shinzo Abe, Richard A, Brooks, –, ” Gonoi, Gonoi’s, I’d, Yasukazu Hamada, Fumio Kishida, hasn’t, you’ve, “ I’m Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Defense Force, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, Staff, Defense Forces, NHK, Public, Getty, Hitotsubashi University, Defense Ministry, CNN, National Press Club, Japan’s National Defense Academy, Defense, Japan’s, Self - Defense Force, Ministry of Defense, ”, “, SDF Locations: Japan’s, Japan, AFP, Japan's, North Korea, China, Tokyo, Higashi, Miyagi, Fukushima

☆ A ‘Cage Match’ Between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg May Be No Joke
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Ryan Mac | Mike Isaac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Zuckerberg has sought out martial arts experts, including Dave Camarillo, James Terry and Khai Wu. In May, he competed in his first public martial arts tournament in Redwood City, Calif., which he attended undercover — up until the moment he took off his hat and sunglasses to fight. to bring mixed martial arts fights to Horizon Worlds, its virtual reality app. Mr. White said Mr. Zuckerberg was truly dedicated to the sport. This month, he said he had trained in “judo, Kyokushin (full contact)” — two Japanese martial arts — and “no rules streetfighting.”

Persons: Zuckerberg, Dave Camarillo, James Terry, Khai Wu, Meta, White, I’ve, ”, Mr Organizations: Meta Locations: Redwood City, Calif

☆ Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg's cage fight vow is the latest example of how martial arts are taking hold of Silicon Valley tech bros
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tech executives including Mark Zuckerberg and PayPal's Dan Schulman have taken up martial arts. Zuckerberg is now sizing up Elon Musk as his latest opponent, as the pair agreed to go head-to-head in a cagefight. Danny Zelig trains PayPal CEO Dan Schulman in Krav Maga, which was developed by the Israeli army. Zelig said that in sparring sessions, Schulman would often wait to for him to strike, which let Zelig dictate the fight. She added that the training helped her to focus on the present and develop distance from her work in her "own version of mindfulness."

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, PayPal's Dan Schulman, Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Joris Merks, Benjaminsen, Danny Zelig, Dan Schulman, Krav Maga, Zelig, Dan, Maga, Schulman, Joanna Pineda, Bob Rosin, it's, Rosin Organizations: Morning, Big Tech, Facebook, UFC, Forbes, Matrix Group, hapkido, Microsoft, Skype Locations: Redwood City , California

In the war-torn Chechnya region, Mr. Kadyrov built up a private fiefdom while professing loyalty to no official but Mr. Putin himself. A judo sparring partner from Mr. Putin’s youth became a construction billionaire and built Mr. Putin’s landmark bridge to Crimea. And then there was Mr. Prigozhin, who has said that he met Mr. Putin in 2000 as a St. Petersburg restaurateur. In Ukraine, as Mr. Prigozhin tells it, Wagner troops were only called in after Mr. Putin’s initial invasion plan failed. But Mr. Putin seemed to vacillate on his own support for Mr. Prigozhin.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Putin’s, “, ”, —, “ Putin, Tatiana Stanovaya, ” Mr, Ramzan Kadyrov, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Mr, Wagner, tycoons, Boris N, Yeltsin, Kadyrov, Prigozhin’s, K.G.B, Donald J, Trump, Weeks, ’, Putin “, Andrei Soldatov, Prigozhin “, ” Mark Galeotti, ” Neil MacFarquhar, Valerie Hopkins Organizations: Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, ., Reuters, Federal Security Service, Kremlin, Television, Defense, Defense Ministry, Center for Locations: Russia, Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Chechnya, Belarus, Russia’s, Don, Ukraine, Putin’s, Crimea, St, Petersburg, United States, Syria, Africa, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ Musk picks Vegas for Zuckerberg 'cage match' challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)Twitter owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested Vegas for the location of a "cage match" after reportedly being challenged to a fight by Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. Another user cautioned Musk saying, "Better be careful @elonmusk I heard he does the ju jitsu now." Zuckerberg reportedly has a white belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. That sparked a comment from Musk that suggested he is up for a fight with the Zuckerberg. The Verge tech publication confirmed that Zuckerberg is "serious about fighting Elon Musk and is now waiting on the details" if Musk decides to follow through.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Alain JOCARD, ALAIN JOCARD, Mark Zuckerberg, Musk, Zuckerberg, Mario Nawfal, Dave Camarillo Organizations: SpaceX, Twitter, Porte de, Getty, Facebook, UFC, Blockchain Consulting, Meta, Guerilla Jiu Jitsu, CNBC Locations: Paris, AFP, Vegas

☆ Big Tech execs like Mark Zuckerberg are swapping the boardroom for the dojo. Here's why martial arts are taking hold of Silicon Valley.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tech executives including Mark Zuckerberg and PayPal's Dan Schulman have taken up martial arts. The combat techniques mirror the pace and intensity of the tech industry, one former exec said. Zelig added that Krav Maga helped to build self-awareness, which is important when it comes to decision-making, especially under stress. She added that the training helped her to focus on the present and develop distance from her work in her "own version of mindfulness." He said it's been "invaluable" in helping him negotiate complex partnerships in his former business-development roles at LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Skype.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, PayPal's Dan Schulman, Zuckerberg, Joe Rogan, Joris Merks, Benjaminsen, Danny Zelig, Dan Schulman, Krav Maga, Zelig, Dan, Maga, Schulman, Joanna Pineda, Bob Rosin, it's, Rosin Organizations: Morning, Big Tech, Facebook, Forbes, Matrix Group, hapkido, Microsoft, Skype Locations: Redwood City , California

☆ Victor Wembanyama: How ‘Wembymania’ gripped France due to the most exciting draft prospect since LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

There have been few players whose journey to the pinnacle of basketball have been as highly followed; in figures released by the NBA, Wembanyama is No. And I keep having to explain to them that having a sold-out, 15,000-people crowd for a regular French professional basketball game is not normal at all,” she said. His father was a high jumper, his mother was a former basketball player who is now a coach and his two siblings – older sister Eve and younger brother Oscar – are basketball players. And the French basketball system where he has been nurtured has helped develop his unique talent, says Krasnoff. “And it certainly has driven US interest in French basketball, at least as far as Wembanyama is concerned.

☆ Russian, Belarusian golfers allowed to return as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 6 (Reuters) - The International Golf Federation (IGF) has said Russian and Belarusian athletes can return to competing in international competitions as neutrals. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sanctioned Russia and its ally Belarus after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022 but in March recommended that their athletes be allowed to return to international competition as neutrals. Table tennis, pentathlon, fencing, judo and taekwondo are among the Olympic sports to have readmitted athletes from the two countries. The field for men's and women's golf at the Olympics consists of 60 players with qualification determined through the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR). There are no Russians or Belarusians in the top 60 of the men's or women's rankings.

☆ Russia to launch Friendship Games after 40-year gap, sports minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 4 (Reuters) - Russia plans to relaunch the multi-sport Friendship Games next year, 40 years after its first edition, Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin has told President Vladimir Putin. Matytsin said the event would be held after the Paris Olympics, which will run from July 26-Aug. 11 next year. "We continue to fulfil your (Putin's) instruction to organise the World Friendship Games in the autumn of 2024. FRIENDLY TIESLast year, Russia held a competition called the Solidarity Games with the aim of "strengthening of international friendly ties between states". The Friendship Games were first organised in 1984 in the Soviet Union and eight other socialist states which boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

☆ Russian, Belarusian cyclists allowed to return as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian cyclists will be allowed to compete in international competitions as neutrals after being banned last year, the sport's governing body (UCI) said on Wednesday. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in which Belarus has been used as a staging post, most international sports federations adopted recommendations by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes. But last month the IOC recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to return to international competition as neutrals. The UCI said in a statement that it had decided "to authorise, under strict conditions, the participation of athletes of Russian and Belarusian sporting nationality... as neutral individual athletes". Table tennis, pentathlon, fencing, judo, taekwondo, archery, and canoeing are among the Olympic sports to have readmitted athletes from the two countries.

☆ Russians approved for world championships, Ukraine pulls out in protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, May 2 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian judokas can take part as neutrals at this month's world championships in Doha, the International Judo Federation (IJF) said, prompting Ukraine to pull out of the May 7-14 event in protest. Ukraine has barred its national sports teams from competing in events that include competitors from Russia and Belarus while Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues. "The Executive Committee of the IJF has voted to permit neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the World Judo Championships 2023 in Doha, Qatar, as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN)," the IJF said in a statement on Tuesday. Athletes must not have links to the Russian military or have made pro-war statements. The Ukrainian federation alleged on its website that many of the Russian judoka registered for the championships are from the army.

☆ Russian athletes say IOC participation plan 'excessive and discriminatory'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 30 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) recommendation to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international competition as neutrals is "excessive and discriminatory", the Russian Olympic Committee's (ROC) athletes' commission said. The recommendations include that Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete with no flag or anthem, while athletes who support the war or are contracted to military or national security agencies are excluded. In March, ROC head Stanislav Pozdnyakov denounced the recommendations, a position backed by the athletes commission chaired by former Olympic 800 metres champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy. The IOC is to decide separately on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Games at a later date, while Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Games if Russians are allowed to compete there. Though the Russian athletes' commission believes the IOC's recommendations to be excessive, others have argued that they are too lenient.

☆ Russian and Belarusian archers to be allowed to return as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 21 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian archers will be allowed to compete in individual international competitions as neutrals this year, the sport's global federation said on Friday. The World Archery Federation (WA) first banned Russian and Belarusian competitors in March last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, initially using its ally Belarus as a staging ground in what Russia called a "special military operation". In March, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus be allowed to return to competition as neutrals, if they did not support the war or were not affiliated to the military. "The board expressed its support and agreed to explore a timeline for the return of these athletes under strict conditions of eligibility," WA said in a statement. Table tennis, pentathlon, fencing, judo and taekwondo are among other Olympic sports which have readmitted athletes from Russia and Belarus as neutrals.

☆ ‘Other People’s Children’ Review: True Romance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Manohla Dargis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

When a woman falls in love in the sensitive French slice of life “Other People’s Children,” you may fall, too. She also has time for other pursuits, including guitar lessons, which is how she meets Ali (Roschdy Zem), a car designer. Things between Rachel and Ali progress rapidly in brief, viscerally lived-in scenes humming with cheerful energy. Just 4½, Leila is a charming pixie and, after some friction, she and Rachel take to each other. She gets stoned, goes to parties, works diligently; at school, she flirts with a colleague and supports a troubled student.

☆ Pentathlon-Russian and Belarusian pentathletes allowed to return as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian athletes can return to international pentathlon events as neutrals after being banned last year in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the sport's global federation (UIPM) said on Thursday. In the wake of the invasion, most international sports federations adopted recommendations by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes. However last month the IOC issued new guidelines for a gradual return to international competitions by Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals. "UIPM will now work to develop the necessary independent review processes to facilitate the return of these athletes, in consultation with the IOC and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations." Table tennis, fencing, judo and taekwondo are among other Olympic sports which have readmitted athletes from Russia and Belarus as neutrals.

☆ Badminton federation extends ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 20 (Reuters) - The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has maintained its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes participating in international tournaments, the governing body said on Thursday. The BWF first banned Russian and Belarusian athletes in March last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, initially using its ally Belarus as a staging ground in what Russia called a "special military operation". Table tennis, fencing, judo and taekwondo are among the Olympic sports which have readmitted athletes from the two countries as neutrals. The BWF said in a statement that the decision to extend the ban was taken at its council meeting on Tuesday. "However... BWF is not convinced there is satisfactory justification to lift the suspensions on Russian and Belarussian players and officials at this time.

☆ Taekwondo-Russians, Belarusians set to return at world championships
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 4 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian taekwondo athletes are set to compete at next month's world championships after the sport's global governing body said it would allow them back as neutrals following the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) guidance. Table tennis, fencing and judo are the other Olympic sports which have readmitted Russians and Belarusians as neutrals. World Taekwondo said a review committee will oversee a verification process to "ensure strict neutrality" of individual athletes and support personnel after its ruling council met remotely for an extraordinary meeting on Monday. "World Taekwondo will continue to support Ukrainian athletes in ensuring they can participate in taekwondo events," the organisation said. The world championships are scheduled to begin on May 29 in Baku.

☆ Peace, love, and Hitler: How Lex Fridman's podcast became a safe space for the anti-woke tech elite
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

Seemingly overnight, episodes of Fridman's podcast began racking up millions of views. YouTube/Lex FridmanIn his podcast, Fridman asks world-renowned scientists, historians, artists, and engineers a series of wide-eyed questions ("Who is God? But recently, "The Lex Fridman Podcast" has become a haven for a growing — and powerful — sector looking to dismantle years of "wokeness" and cancel culture. Twitter"The Lex Fridman Podcast" offered a rare opportunity to listen to four-hour conversations with luminaries of tech and science. Bhaskar Sunkara, the founder and publisher of the socialist magazine Jacobin who appeared on Fridman's podcast in December, praised Fridman's interviewing style.

Life has become solitary confinement.” Some women went into hiding, fearing retribution after the Taliban seized power. When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women were among the most profoundly affected. A Wrenching Change Afifa, 47, wishes more Afghan men would fight for women’s rights KABUL, Afghanistan — Walk around the capital, Kabul, and it often feels as if women have been airbrushed out of the city. When the Taliban seized power, girls’ schools remained open in a kind of limbo — neither officially sanctioned nor forbidden — for months. Zubaida, 20, teaches high school girls in secret “Regimes come and go all the time in Afghanistan.

View of the Yarra River flowing through Melbourne city centre in Australia. Asia-Pacific markets are set to fall on Tuesday as investors await regional private surveys for factory activity. The PMI index encompasses services and manufacturing, and is seen as a reliable gauge of economic health. Reserve Bank of Australia will release minutes from its February policy meeting, when it hiked interest rates by 25 basis points to 3.35%. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell 0.16% and the Topix was marginally lower ahead of the au Jibun Bank Flash Japan Manufacturing PMI.

☆ Latvia threatens Olympic boycott if Russians compete
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Latvian Olympic Committee is the first national Olympic body other than Ukraine which has threatened to boycott rather than compete against Russia. He broadened that position Wednesday by saying Latvia should boycott Olympic qualifying competitions, which are already under way in some sports, if Russians or Belarusians are allowed in. The Ukrainian National Olympic Committee has threatened to boycott and is due to hold talks Friday on the issue. Ukraine boycotted some sports competitions, including Olympic judo qualifiers, last year when Russians competed. Other national Olympic sports bodies, including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, back the IOC efforts to find a path for Russians to compete.

☆ Thieves try to steal Banksy mural from scorched wall in Ukrainian town
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A group of thieves were thwarted after they attempted to steal a mural by the renowned street artist Banksy on the outskirts of Kyiv, a Ukrainian official said Friday. He said the thieves “were detained at the scene,” and the image was “undamaged” and under the protection of law enforcement officers. A vocal anti-war activist, Banksy has also painted murals in Gaza and the West Bank. His work, normally sprayed on the sides of buildings, has been threatened by thieves before. In June, eight were convicted in Paris over the 2019 theft of a Banksy mural at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris which commemorated the victims of a 2015 terror attack at the venue.

☆ Ali Daei: Iranian football legend refuses to attend World Cup in solidarity with protesters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Iran’s record international goalscorer Ali Daei said on Monday that he refused an invitation to attend the World Cup in Qatar next week to stand in solidarity with Iranian protesters. “I rejected the official invitation of FIFA and Qatar Football Federation to attend the World Cup with my wife and daughters,” he wrote on Instagram. The 53-year-old Iranian football legend scored 109 goals for Iran between 1993 and 2006, a record broken by Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo last year. Football player Sardar Azmoun also potentially risked missing out on being selected for the World Cup after criticizing the government. Long live Iranian women.”However, Azmoun was named in Iran’s World Cup squad on Sunday.

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