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☆ North Korea to mass produce self-detonating explosive drones, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Helen Regan | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Images published by North Korean state media show Kim and various officials at the launch site. State media reported that drones “of various types precisely hit the targets” as part of the test. Such self-detonating drones, also sometimes referred to as suicide drones, have been widely used to great effect on the battlefield in Russia’s war in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Images released from North Korean state media KCNA show what it said were self-detonating drone during a test of the unmanned aerial vehicles. KCNANorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks with officials as he oversees a test of self-detonating drones, according to state media KCNA.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim, Kim “, “, ”, Kim Jong, KCNA, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, North, US State Department, Russian, CNN North Korean, Korea’s Defense, Agency, South Locations: North Korean, Ukraine, West, Russia, Kursk, Korean, Ukrainian, Pyongyang, ” Moscow, North Korea, Russian, South Korea, Seoul, Korea’s, Ganghwa

☆ China is selling record numbers of cars in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Competition from European, Korean, and Japanese carmakers has vanished since Western sanctions were imposed on Russia. Chinese automakers face increasing tariffs in other regions. Chinese cars are selling at record levels in Russia, according to data from Russian analytics agency Autostat, reported by The Financial Times. AdvertisementIn the first nine months of 2024, Russia imported 849,951 vehicles from China, the FT reported, citing China Passenger Car Association data. The sales boom in Russia comes as Chinese automakers face rising obstacles in other regions.

Persons: carmakers, Ilya Frolov, didn't Organizations: The Financial Times, Chery, Geely, Russia, Lada, China Passenger Car Association, EU Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, China, Mexico, Brazil, Southeast Asia, Japan, Germany

☆ Russians focus on Musk as they assess incoming Trump administration
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —As US President-elect Donald Trump continues to make heads turn with nominations for key roles in his incoming administration, Russians are trying to understand the appointments and what impacts they might have for Moscow. Waltz also described Russia as “a gas station with nukes” in an interview with NPR on November 4. Asked about how they viewed the incoming administration and future relations between old adversaries, people were a little more divided. “Trump said that ‘I will do everything for America’, but he did not say a word about Russia,” Sergey told CNN. But I hope, that there will be a good agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

Persons: Donald Trump, Evgeny Popov, Mike Waltz, Donald Trump’s, Waltz, Vladimir Putin, Popov, Trump, Olga Skabeeva, Tulsi Gabbard, Gabbard, ” Skabeeva, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon, ” Elena, “ Trump, ‘, ” Sergey, Vladimir Kostyukevich, Joe Biden, Elena, “, ” Tatiyana, ”, Kostyukevich Organizations: CNN, TV, Duma, Ukraine, NPR, Republican, Kyiv, of, Twitter, America Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Israel, Palestine

☆ Georgia: Protesters storm parliament in breakaway region of Abkhazia over Russia deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Protesters stormed the parliament of the Russian-backed breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia on Friday and opposition politicians demanded the resignation of the self-styled president over an unpopular investment agreement with Moscow. Protesters used a truck to smash through the metal gates surrounding the parliament in the capital Sukhumi. Eshsou Kakalia, an opposition leader and former deputy prosecutor general, said the parliament building was under the control of the protesters. “We will now seek the resignation of the current president of Abkhazia,” he was quoted by Russia’s Interfax news agency as saying. Protesters also broke into the presidential administration offices located in the same building as the parliament.

Persons: Russia’s, Protesters, Maxim Reshetnikov, Kristina Ozgan, Aslan Bzhania, Alexander Ankvab, Raul Khadzhimba Organizations: CNN — Protesters, Protesters, Russia’s Interfax, Russian Economy, Abkhazian, Russian Locations: Russian, Georgian, Abkhazia, Moscow, Sukhumi, ”, Russia, South Ossetia, Georgia, Soviet

☆ Russia needed armor so badly that its biggest film studio donated 36 Soviet-era tanks that were used as props
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mosfilm's head told Putin that it donated 28 T-55 tanks and eight PT-76 tanks to the defense ministry. Mosfilm's website says the studio has over 190 armored vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and self-propelled guns, though it described them as being "disguised" as equipment from various periods. Still, Shakhnazarov's statement comes as Moscow has struggled to maintain its inventory of armored vehicles amid heavy losses in the last two years. Figures from Dutch open-source tracking group Oryx say that Russia has lost 10,888 armored vehicles since the war began, including 3,558 tanks. AdvertisementThe Russian Defense Ministry and Mosfilm did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.

Persons: Putin, —, Mosfilm, Karen Shakhnazarov, Vladimir Putin, Shakhnazarov Organizations: Service, Warner Bros, Kremlin, Armed Forces, Royal United Services Institute, Russian Defense Ministry, Business Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

CNN —President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is bypassing traditional FBI background checks for at least some of his Cabinet picks while using private companies to conduct vetting of potential candidates for administration jobs, people close to the transition planning say. It also reflects Trump’s deep mistrust of the national security establishment, which he derides as the Deep State. If Gaetz does not participate in the vetting process, the FBI could still try to do a basic investigation at the request of the Senate. Instead, Trump’s transition team has been focused on conducting its own internal vetting of candidates for top administration jobs. So if Trump’s team continues to skirt the vetting process, those tapped for key roles wouldn’t be able to receive briefings until then.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Matt Gaetz, Tulsi Gabbard, Dan Meyer, “, ”, Trump’s, Gaetz, Gabbard, Bashar al, Vladimir Putin’s, Biden, Jared Kushner, won’t, wouldn’t, Mike Waltz Organizations: CNN, Trump, FBI, Justice Department, NATO Locations: Washington, Washington ,, Florida, Syria, Russia, Assad, United States, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Democratic senators call for probe into Musk's Russia calls: Reuters
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Reports that billionaire Elon Musk has held multiple calls with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, should be investigated by the Pentagon and law-enforcement agencies on national-security grounds, two senior Democratic senators said in a letter seen by Reuters on Friday. Musk, who has been appointed to a senior government role by Republican President-elect Donald Trump, oversees billions of dollars in Pentagon and intelligence-community contracts as CEO of aerospace company SpaceX. Several Democratic lawmakers have publicly called for a probe into Musk's communications with Moscow since a Wall Street Journal report last month on the alleged contact, but the letter to the U.S. officials who could launch such an investigation has not been previously reported. SpaceX, Musk and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Pentagon and Justice Department did not immediately respond to similar requests.

Persons: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Musk, Jeanne Shaheen, Jack Reed, General Merrick Garland, Shaheen, Reed, Trump Organizations: Republican, Pentagon, Democratic, Reuters, SpaceX, Foreign Relations, Senate Armed Services, U.S, White, of Government Efficiency, Justice Locations: Butler , Pennsylvania, Moscow

☆ South Korean president takes up golf again to prepare for Trump’s second term
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —As countries around the globe prepare for a second Trump presidency, one world leader is teeing up a carefully calibrated diplomatic strategy. In South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol “recently began practicing golf again for the first time in eight years, in preparation for ‘golf diplomacy’ with President-elect Trump,” the presidential office told CNN on Tuesday. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech in Seongnam, South Korea, on October 1, 2024. Another potential headache for Yoon once Trump is in office is the future of the 28,500 US troops in South Korea. The troops serve as both a means to deter any potential attack from North Korea and to counter China’s aggression.

Persons: Yoon Suk, “, Trump, Yoon, Donald Trump, scrutinizing, Japan’s, Shinzo Abe, Kim Hong, Moon Jae, Kim Jong, ”, –, Kim Organizations: South Korea CNN, Trump, CNN, Reuters, South, North Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Trump, Florida , New Jersey, Virginia, Manhattan, Florida, Japan, Seongnam, Korea, North Korea, Russia, Pyongyang, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ How Trump could exploit a looming global struggle for rare-earth minerals
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The power grab over rare-earth minerals in Central Asia could be among the issues he will seek to exploit. AdvertisementA power struggle over rare-earth mineralsAt stake for the US in Central Asia is not just political power but access to the region's reserves of rare-earth minerals such as uranium, lithium, and tantalum. Rare-earth minerals are needed to make all sorts of products, from F-35 stealth fighters and smartphones to internet fiber-optic cables and MRI machines. It produces around 60% of the world's rare-earth minerals and processes nearly 90%, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "There are rare-earth minerals worth exploring/exploiting, and if the US/EU could strike a major deal with [Kazakhstan's capital] Astana, this would certainly contribute to breaking China's monopoly," said Wolff.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, Putin, he'd, Wilder Alejandro Sánchez, ALEXANDER RYUMIN, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, John Herbst, Stefan Wolff, Wolff, Herbst, Trump Organizations: Service, Putin, The Republican, Biden, Getty Images, Center for Strategic, International Studies, University of Birmingham, BI, Trump, EU, Astana, Central Asia Summit, Getty Images Central, Central, China Locations: Russia, China, Central Asia, Mongolia, Saudi, Getty Images China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Xian, Shaanxi, FLORENCE, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Washington, Moscow, Beijing

☆ Doctor accused of criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine sentenced to more than 5 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

TALLINN, Estonia Associated Press —A doctor accused of criticizing the war in Ukraine in front of a patient was convicted Tuesday of spreading false information about the Russian military and sentenced to 5 and a half years in prison, part of an unrelenting Kremlin crackdown on dissent. Akinshina alleged that Buyanova told her and her son that his father, a Russian soldier who apparently was killed in Ukraine, was a legitimate target for Kyiv’s troops and had blamed Moscow for the war. A video of the outraged Akinshina complaining about Buyanova was widely publicized, and chief of Russia’s Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin personally demanded a criminal case be brought against the doctor. Buyanova, who was born in western Ukraine, denied the accusation, insisting she never said what she was accused of saying. In her closing statement to the court, Buyanova said it was “painful” to read the accusations in the indictment, and broke down.

Persons: Dr, Nadezhda Buyanova, Anastasia Akinshina, Akinshina, Buyanova, Alexander Bastrykin, “, ” Mediazona, Buyanova’s, Oscar Cherdzhyev, ” Organizations: Press, Russia’s, Authorities Locations: TALLINN, Estonia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Russia

☆ Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is funding free IVF for women who have his children
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is funding IVF treatments for women using his sperm. AltraVita IVF Clinic in Moscow confirmed the program, which it said is open to Russian women. AdvertisementPavel Durov, the billionaire CEO of Telegram, funded fertility treatment for women using his sperm to conceive. Related VideoAltraVita IVF Clinic in Moscow has been advertising the service since at least this summer. In a phone call with Business Insider, a clinic spokesman confirmed the free IVF program, which he said was only open to Russian women.

Persons: Pavel Durov, Durov, —, AltraVita, Elon Musk, Musk, Justine Musk, Grimes, Shivon Zillis, Sam Altman, Altman, Peter Thiel, JD Vance Organizations: Service, Business, PayPal, University of Cambridge Locations: Moscow, France, Paris, Ukraine

☆ Ukraine hoped to force Russia to pick between 2 fronts. Putin chose both.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's big move this year was to invade Russia's Kursk region, hoping to divert Russia's main invasion. While it took ground in Kursk, Russia was also able to keep up its advance into eastern Ukraine. Russia is now amassing troops in Kursk, hoping to retake it without having compromised its main invasion. AdvertisementWhen Ukraine began its audacious incursion into Russia's Kursk region in August, it hoped to force a choice. That force amassed even as Russia kept up a steady advance on the main front line in eastern Ukraine.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin, Andrii Kovalenko Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Moscow Times, Ukraine's Center, North Korean Locations: Russia's Kursk, Kursk, Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, The

☆ Russia masses troops for Kursk offensive; Putin-Trump call denied by Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Freddie Clayton | Freddie Clayton Is A Freelance Journalist Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The Kremlin on Monday denied that Trump had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine and its allies have warned a counteroffensive in Kursk was likely for weeks, and said that thousands of North Korean troops were among the force assembled by the Kremlin in Kursk. As Russia continues its offensive, Ukraine is also reckoning with a shifting political landscape as its biggest backer elects a new president. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday denied a Washington Post report, citing multiple unnamed sources, that Trump had spoken with Putin. Ukrainian officials said that at least two people were injured and buildings were damaged by Russian drone strikes on the southern region of Odesa.

Persons: ”, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Vladimir Putin, ” Syrskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin, Zelenskyy, Elon Musk, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov Organizations: Monday, Kremlin, Korean, Ukrainian, Pentagon, Tech, Elon, Washington Post Locations: Russia, Kursk, Ukraine, U.S, United States, Moscow, Russian, Odesa

☆ Ukraine is fighting 50,000 troops in Russia’s Kursk region, Zelensky says
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | Svitlana Vlasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday Russia has deployed nearly 50,000 troops to Kursk, the southern Russian region where Kyiv launched its surprise counteroffensive in the summer. Kyiv launched its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August, taking by surprise not just Moscow, but also its allies. The Kremlin has not commented on the presence of North Korean troops on its territory. Zelensky said last week that 11,000 North Korean soldiers were now in the region. North Korean troops deployed to Russia’s Kursk region have fought Kyiv’s forces on the battlefield, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, adding that the clashes resulted in fatalities.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “, Zelensky, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump’s, Trump, ” Organizations: CNN, Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine’s Armed Forces, UN Security, TASS, CNN Sunday, Trump, Ukraine Locations: Kursk, Russian, Russia’s Kursk, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, North Korea, Belgorod, North

☆ Ukraine says it cracked open a Russian decoy drone used to fool air defenses and found Western parts inside
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine said Monday that Russia has been using decoy drones to try and overwhelm its air defenses. Ukraine said it examined a Russian decoy drone and found Western-made parts inside of it. AdvertisementThe Ukrainian military said on Monday that it found Western-made parts inside a Russian decoy drone that was used in an attack over the weekend. However, the decoy drone — which Ukraine calls "Parody" — can apparently mimic the radar signature of a Shahed in a bid to confuse Kyiv's air defenses with fake targets. AdvertisementA look inside a Russian decoy drone.

Persons: —, HUR, Mihai Popșoi Organizations: Monday, Service, Defense Intelligence, Ministry of Defense, Ukraine, Telegram Russia, Getty Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, NATO, Europe, Iran, Tehran, Belarus, Moldovan

CNN —Since September 1, the Ukrainian capital Kyiv has been spared from Russian drone attacks on just one night – October 14. On Saturday night, Ukrainian air defenses detected a record 145 incoming Shahed drones. “We have been doing this for over two years,” he said, but the intensity of drone attacks had peaked over the past two to three months. The drone attacks seem calculated to instil fear rather than cause mass casualties, but several people have been killed in recent weeks. Russian forces already occupy almost all of Luhansk and substantial parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – altogether some 20% of Ukraine.

Persons: Viktoria Kovalchuk, Teo, ” Kovalchuk, Victoria Kovalchuk, Kovalchuk, Maksym, ”, Bridges, Konstantin Usov, don’t, Usov, Yuriy Chumak, Chumak, “, Mariya Troyanivska, Oleksander Syrskyi, Genya Savilov, Konrad Muzyka, Muzyka, Syrskyi, ” Muzyka, Lloyd Austin, Stringer, Reuters Rym, Montaz, Richard Haass, ” Haas, Andrii Sybiha, Donald Trump’s, Trump, JD Vance, Volodymyr Zelensky, hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 43 Artillery Brigade, Getty, Rochan Consulting, US, Reuters, Carnegie Endowment, International, Kyiv, Russian, Foreign Affairs, Kherson –, NATO Locations: Ukrainian, Kyiv, Ukraine, Europe, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Donetsk, Dnipro, Pokrovsk, AFP, Kursk, Russia, Toretsk, Washington, Luhansk, Kherson, “, Moscow

☆ I chose Europe over the US for my startup. The Silicon Valley startup benchmark is unparalleled, but I still prefer Berlin.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ivan Maryasin founded Monite after moving from Silicon Valley to Berlin. Here's how its startup ecosystem compares to Silicon Valley. It's hard to find people with the same values or who'll know what you're talking about when you say, "Silicon Valley benchmark." AdvertisementI like living in Europe, but wouldn't rule out returning to AmericaMost people in Silicon Valley are focused on startups and innovation. If you're all about work and want to focus 24/7, Silicon Valley is the place to be.

Persons: Ivan Maryasin, —, I'd, that's, I've Organizations: Service, Hult International Business School, San Francisco, EU, LinkedIn, Facebook, MIT, Harvard, Business Locations: Silicon Valley, Berlin, Germany, Russia, Massachusetts, America, Moscow, Europe, it's, Zurich, Barcelona, London, San Francisco, California, Monite, Silicon

☆ Siberia: Why mysterious craters exploded in the Russian Arctic permafrost, according to scientists
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Their findings, set out in a study published last month, suggest it’s a mix of human-caused climate change and the region’s unusual geology. Graphic shows the process by which warming temperatures and the region's unique geography can lead to explosive craters, according to new research. Vladimir Pushkare/Russian Centre of Arctic Exploration/AFP/Getty ImagesWhat most scientists do agree on, however, is that climate change is playing a role, and may lead to an increase in these explosive craters in the future. As climate change accelerates, he added, it may lead to more permafrost degradation, powerful gas blowouts and new craters. Not only are the craters affected by climate change, they also contribute to it.

Persons: wilder, Ana Morgado, Morgado, Igor Bogoyavlensky, there’s, ” Morgado, Evgeny Chuvilin, Lauren Schurmeier, Vladimir Pushkare, Chuvilin, ”, Schurmeier, “, Vasily Bogoyavlensky, “ it’s Organizations: CNN, University of Cambridge, American Geophysical, Skolkovo Institute of Science, Technology, University of Hawaii, of Arctic Exploration, Getty, Global, Oil and Gas Research Institute of, Russian Academy of Sciences Locations: Russian, Siberia’s Yamal, Moscow, Siberia, AFP

☆ Ukraine launches drone attack on Moscow, shutting down airports
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-10 | by ( Freddie Clayton | Freddie Clayton Is A Freelance Journalist Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on the Russian capital city of Moscow since the war began in 2022, injuring one person and forcing three major airports to divert flights, as Russia fired an unprecedented 145 drones against Ukraine. Russia’s ministry of defense said it “intercepted and destroyed” 34 drones over Moscow following the latest strikes on the capital. Rescuers at the site of a drone attack in the village of Stanovoye, Moscow region, on Sunday. OLEKSANDR GIMANOV / AFP - Getty ImagesAcross the border, Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia launched "a record 145 Shaheds and other strike drones against Ukraine" on Saturday night. Ukrainian officials said at least two people were injured and buildings were damaged as Russia launched an overnight attack on the southern region of Odesa.

Persons: Andrei Vorobyov, Russia’s, “, TATYANA MAKEYEVA, Moscow’s, Sir Tony Radakin, Radakin, OLEKSANDR GIMANOV, Vlodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, ” Alexander Bogomaz, Zelenksyy Organizations: Rescuers, Getty, United, BBC, State Emergency Service of, Sunday, Pentagon, Korean, Ukrainian Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Stanovoye, AFP, ”, Russian, Odesa, Ukrainian, State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Ukraine's, Donetsk, Kaluga, Bryansk, Oryol, Kursk, “, United States

☆ Russia and Ukraine exchange record numbers of drone strikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-10 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Maria Kostenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Russia and Ukraine have exchanged record numbers of drone strikes, with Moscow launching a total of 145 drones on Saturday night – the most ever in a single night-time attack of the war. “Last night, Russia launched a record 145 Shaheds and other strike drones against Ukraine,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. Shahed drones are cheap, one-way attack drones. The UAVs were shot down over the Moscow regions of Ramenskoye, Kolomna and Domodedovo, Andrey Vorobyov, governor of Moscow region, said. The previous largest drone attack on Moscow was in September, when Russia said it destroyed at least 20 Ukrainian attack drones.

Persons: “, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia “, ”, Andrey Vorobyov, Tatyana Makeyeva, ” Vorobyov, Zhukovsky Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Air Force Command, Air Force, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian MOD, Getty, TASS, Ukrainian Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Moldova, Belarus, ” Ukraine, Ramenskoye, Stanovoye, AFP, Domodedovo

☆ Large group of Russian and North Korean forces prepared to retake Russia’s Kursk region from Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-10 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that about 11,000 North Korean soldiers are in the region, where Ukraine’s three-month military incursion into Russian territory has stalled. The New York Times reported Sunday that some 50,000 Russia and North Korean troops are set to take part in the assault. Reports that North Korea was sending troops to Russia began appearing last month, though both countries dismissed the allegations at the time. Russia and North Korea, both pariahs in the West, have forged increasingly friendly ties since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine invaded the Kursk region over the summer, shocking Russia, in the first invasion of the country since World War II.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, hasn’t, Donald Trump, Trump, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, Vladimir Putin, ” Trump, Zelensky, Elon Musk, Biden, CNN’s Jack Forrest, Helen Regan, Svitlana Vlasova, Tara John, Victoria Butenko, Nic Robertson, Kristen Holmes, Natasha Bertrand, Haley Britzky, Oren Liebermann Organizations: CNN, Russia, Sunday, The New York Times, Ukraine, US, NATO, Republican, Pentagon Locations: Russia’s Kursk, Russia, North, Korea, North Korea, Ukraine, Kursk, Moscow, Budapest, Kyiv, “, Ukrainian

☆ Iran has developed fentanyl-based chemical weapons
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-10 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

These chemical weapons affect a victim's central nervous system. AdvertisementIran has developed chemical weapons based on synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, warns a US expert, powerful agents that could incapacitate soldiers or civilians when added to grenades or artillery. (The US, in contrast, completed the destruction of its chemical weapons in 2023.) Nonetheless, chemical weapons do have a frightening aura, even if fentanyl gas is nowhere near as deadly as nerve gas. "I think that many, many people would see it that way because you're talking about chemical weapons," Levitt said.

Persons: —, Iran's, Matthew Levitt, Levitt, they've, Iran —, Hossein University, Israel, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Pharmaceutical, PBA, Combatting Terrorism, The U.S, Government, Washington Institute, Convention, Iran's Chemistry Department, IHU, Department, State Department, Commandos, CTC, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Iran, West, The, Iraq, Israel, Syrian, —, Iranian, Moscow, Vietnam, Tehran, Galilee, Lebanon, Forbes

☆ North Korean GPS manipulation disrupted dozens of planes and vessels, South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

South Korea’s military said North Korea disrupted GPS signals from border areas for the second-straight day on Saturday, affecting an unspecified number of flights and vessel operations. While warning aircraft and vessels near western border areas, South Korea’s military did not specify how North Korea was interfering with GPS signals or detail the extent of disruptions. North Korea’s GPS signal disruptions and balloon campaigns highlight the vulnerability of South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, its main transportation gateway, analyst Sukjoon Yoon recently wrote on the North Korea-focused 38 North website. He said that in 2024, North Korean trash balloons halted the airport’s runway operations 12 different times for a total of 265 minutes. South Korean officials say North Korean activities to disrupt GPS signals from western border regions increased as the country began launching trash-carrying balloons toward the South in late May, which the North described as a retaliation against South Korean civilian activists flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border.

Persons: Koreas, Kim Jong Un, Sukjoon Yoon, ” Yoon, Kim, Vladimir Putin’s Organizations: Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, North, South Korea’s, International Airport, Pyongyang —, Washington ., South Korean Locations: North Korea, South, Kaesong, Haeju, Korea, North Korean, Pyongyang, South Korea, Seoul, Washington, Washington . South, Korean, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Hong Kong: Why Russians with wads of cash flock to Apple stores in this Asian hub
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —When the new iPhone 16 went on sale, locals couldn’t help but notice some less familiar faces flocking to Hong Kong’s Apple stores: Russians holding piles of cash. “We want to buy as many as possible,” one Russian buyer, Nick Alexenkov, told CNN outside the Apple store in Tsim Sha Tsui, a busy shopping district in Hong Kong. Alexenkov, the iPhone purchaser in Hong Kong, said he expected to turn a profit of up to 25% for each phone despite offering to pay 12% above the retail price to acquire those phones in Hong Kong. A man holds an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max ahead of the launch of sales of the new iPhone 16 series smartphones in a store in Moscow, Russia September 20, 2024. A man from Hong Kong, who tried to sell two 1-terabyte Pro Maxes, complained that, at $2,027 each, the Russian buyers weren’t offering enough.

Persons: Nick Alexenkov, Vladimir Putin, ”, Max, Alexenkov, Evgenia Novozhenina Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Kong’s Apple, CNN, Apple, Mobile, MTS, ” Reuters, Reuters Locations: Hong Kong, Tsim Sha, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Eldorado, Russian, Central

☆ Russia's daily attacks on Ukraine have intensified by 10x, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russian missile and drone strikes are becoming more intense, a new study found. These attacks comprised 36 different models of missiles and drones, including Iskander ballistic missiles, Kh-59 cruise missiles and Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones. Related storiesNonetheless, there is a wide variation in the intensity of Russian strikes that seems to shift according to Moscow's priorities. "There were 17 days during the study period when missile launches exceeded 82 missiles in a single day," CSIS said. "Keeping this intercept rate high will require continued Western support for Ukraine," CSIS said.

Persons: —, shivering, Yasir Atalan, Atalan, Michael Peck Organizations: Russian, Service, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, Ukraine, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Washington, Ukrainian, Russian, Gaza, Iranian, Israel, Moscow, Kyiv, Iran, North Korea, China, United States, Forbes

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