DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Now, frontier AI has become the latest buzzword as concerns grow that the emerging technology has capabilities that could endanger humanity. The debate comes to a head Wednesday, when British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosts a two-day summit focused on frontier AI. In a speech last week, Sunak said only governments — not AI companies — can keep people safe from the technology’s risks. Frontier AI is shorthand for the latest and most powerful systems that go right up to the edge of AI’s capabilities. That makes frontier AI systems “dangerous because they’re not perfectly knowledgeable,” Clune said.

Persons: —, Rishi Sunak, It’s, Kamala Harris, Ursula von der Leyen, Google’s, Alan Turing, Sunak, ”, Jeff Clune, Clune, Elon, Sam Altman, He’s, Joe Biden, Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua, ” Clune, “, it's, Francine Bennett, Ada Lovelace, Deb Raji, ” Raji, it’s, shouldn’t, Raji, DeepMind, Anthropic, Dario Amodei, Jack Clark, ’, Carsten Jung, Jill Lawless Organizations: British, U.S, European, University of British, AI Safety, European Union, Clune, Ada, Ada Lovelace Institute, House, University of California, ” Tech, Microsoft, Institute for Public Policy Research, Regulators, Associated Press Locations: Bletchley, University of British Columbia, State, EU, Brussels, China, U.S, Beijing, London, Berkeley

☆ How the Putin family's 'blood sacrifice' may be driving the high Russian casualty rate in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | Julian Kossoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

People who study Russia say war and a glorious death are ingrained in the national psyche. The willingness of President Vladimir Putin and his generals to sacrifice thousands of soldiers in often-reckless assaults has become a blood-drenched hallmark of the war. "So in his own family, they've already paid that blood sacrifice, and he did his duty during the Cold War. "The official mantra of the Russian military is John 15:13, from the Bible," Carleton said. In Putin recruiting soldiers from villages in remote parts of Russia and among its non-Russian ethnic groups, Putin can avoid the perception of high casualty rates.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Gregory Carleton, Carleton, they've, Jaroslava Barbieri, Kremlin, Barbieri, Ben Soodavar, Kirill Organizations: Service, Avdiivka, UK Ministry of Defence, Tufts University, Birmingham University, Ukraine's Military Intelligence, King's College London, Nazi, Reuters, Russian Orthodox Church Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Germans, Kyiv, Nazi Germany, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Moscow, Donbas

☆ King Charles III will confront Britain’s colonial past when he visits Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Max Foster | Lauren Said-Moorhouse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Editor’s Note: This is a version of CNN’s Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on Britain’s royal family. CNN —When King Charles III visits Kenya next week, he’ll do something no other member of his family has done in the country. Next week’s royal visit will largely focus on the strong connection between the two countries. Kenya holds a special place for the British royal family. Unfortunately, King Charles’ jam-packed schedule during the trip will not permit him to visit the poignant location.

Persons: King Charles III, Charles, Queen Camilla, It’s, Chris Fitzgerald, Kenya’s, Nandi, Jomo Kenyatta, William Hague, “, ” Hague, William Ruto, Princess Elizabeth, King Charles ’ Organizations: CNN’s Royal, CNN, Kenya, British, Kenyan Human Rights, Kenyan, Nation, Keystone, Hulton Royals, British Government, Government, State, Commonwealth Locations: United Kingdom, Kenya, Buckingham, Britain, Nazi Germany, Gatundi, Nairobi, Commonwealth, British, Rwanda, Treetops

☆ EU's von der Leyen to attend Britain's AI summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Vera Jourova, a vice president, will attend the summit, according to an update to their official calendars published on Friday. While Sunak hopes to secure Britain's role as a world leader in AI regulation, some have questioned what the summit will achieve in practice. Last week, Bloomberg reported a number of world leaders - including Germany's Olaf Scholz and Canada's Justin Trudeau - would not be attending. While several world leaders, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, are expected to attend the summit, the full guest list has not been made public. Matt Clifford, a tech investor and one of two chief organisers of the event, recently told Reuters the aim of the summit was to kickstart international dialogue on AI regulation.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Vera Jourova, Rishi Sunak, Alan Turing, Sunak, Germany's Olaf Scholz, Canada's Justin Trudeau, Kamala Harris, Matt Clifford, Clifford, We're, Martin Coulter, Christina Fincher, Sharon Singleton Organizations: U.S, European Commission, British, Bletchley, Bloomberg, Reuters, Thomson Locations: England

Russia has issued carefully calibrated criticism of both sides in the war between Israel and Hamas. It also expects the Israel-Hamas war to distract attention from the fighting in Ukraine and erode support for Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on towns in southern Israel. Unlike Putin, who carefully balanced his statements, other Russian officials were more blunt in their criticism of Israeli strikes on Gaza. But this position also threatens Russia's friendly ties with Israel, which hasn’t joined Western sanctions against Moscow or given weapons to Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Israel, ”, Putin, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Konstantin Kosachev, Ramzan Kadyrov, assailing, hasn’t, Andrei Kortunov, Amir Weitmann, “, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Solovyov, Yevgeny Satanovsky, Mikhail Bogdanov, Maria Zakharova detests, ” Alexander Baunov, ” Izabella Tabarovsky Organizations: Kyiv, Washington, Security, U.S, British, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Moscow, Russian International Affairs Council, The, Likud, Kremlin, RT, Ukraine, Foreign, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Kennan Institute Locations: Russia, Israel, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Gaza, Nazi, Leningrad, Palestinian, China, Beijing, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Chechnya, assailing Israel, Maria Zakharova detests Israel, israel, russia, ukraine

Magnus Mæland, the municipality mayor, then angrily removed the Russian wreath — only to have a woman, described by Norwegian public broadcaster NRK as being Russian, put it back. In 2019, on the 75th anniversary, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov laid wreaths at the monument and stood side-by-side with Norway’s foreign minister. On Saturday, Konygin gave a speech at the war memorial in the same Norwegian border town. Visiting locals from the Russian border town of Nikel faced the diplomat while residents from Kirkenes silently turned their back to him, according to the online outlet the Barents Observer. Locals had already placed a wreath at the monument before Konygin arrived, with the text “to our Ukrainian heroes from 1944 and 2022," according to the Barents Observer.

Persons: Magnus Mæland, ” Mæland, Marit Bjerkeng, Harald Sunde, Sergei Lavrov, Nikolai Konygin, Konygin Organizations: NRK, Russia’s, Observer, Locals, Barents Observer, Soviet Union Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Russian, Kirkenes, Norway, Soviet, Norwegian, Russia, Ukraine, Nazi Germany, Nikel

☆ Holocaust survivor visiting Israel flees for safety as war breaks out
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Nick Watt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Los Angeles CNN —“It went from wonderful to horrible in an instant,” Charlotte Hauptman said of that fateful Saturday morning. A photo of Mercedes Virgili, left, and Charlotte Hauptman is seen on Hauptman's phone. The framed photo is on display in the Virgili family home in Secchiano, Italy. Charlotte Hauptman shows off her mother's ring, which was returned to her years after her family traded it for food in Italy. Panic.”Her daughter, Hauptman would later find out, was panicking on the inside.

Persons: Charlotte Hauptman, “, ”, “ I’m, she’d, ” Hauptman, ‘ Heil, “ Let’s, Hauptman, ‘, Myriam Lanternari, Virgilio, Daria Virgili, Charlotte Hauptman's, Elizabeth Weinberg, Wolf, Esther, Charlotte, “ Virgilio Virgili, ” Virgilio, Mercedes, Madonna, “ Virgilio, Mercedes Virgili, Esther Fullenbaum, ’, Charlotte –, He’d, …, Michele Goldman, ’ ”, We’re, “ It’s, Israel Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, CNN, Nazi, Allies, Partisans, Charlotte, Gestapo, IDF Locations: Jerusalem, Southern California, Israel, Italy, Cagli, Italian, Secchiano, Nazi, Hanover, Milan, Calabria, Venice, Charlotte, Auschwitz, Los Angeles, American, San Francisco, America, LA, Gaza, Bethlehem

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Escalating tensions between Colombia and Israel over the Gaza war could undo decades of close military ties between them and hamper Colombia’s ability to fight drug traffickers and rebels, security analysts say. Israel has been one of Colombia’s main suppliers of war planes, surveillance equipment and assault rifles since the 1990s. “It will be debilitating and extremely costly,” said Jorge Restrepo, the director of CERAC, a security think tank in Bogota. “Colombia continues to face a plethora of internal security challenges, and they need a strong military with various capabilities” Sánchez said. “If we must suspend relations with Israel, then that is what we will do,” Petro wrote on the social media platform X.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, ”, Jorge Restrepo, Erich Saumeth Cadavid, Cadavid, Wilder Alejandro Sánchez, ” Sánchez, Sánchez, ” Petro, Petro’s, Diego Molano, “ Petro, Sergio Guzmán, Petro Organizations: Analysts, Colombia’s Defense Ministry, IAI, Boeing, Revolutionary Armed Forces, EMC Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Israel, Gaza, Nazi Germany, Bogota, “, Colombian, France, Sweden, United States, Gulf, Washington, Palestine, America, Caribbean

☆ Britain aims for global leadership role with AI safety summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Britain will host the world's first global artificial intelligence (AI) safety summit next month, aiming to carve out a role following Brexit as an arbiter between the United States, China, and the European Union in a key tech sector. The Nov. 1-2 summit will focus heavily on the existential threat some lawmakers, including Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, fear AI poses. Sunak, who wants the UK to become a hub for AI safety, has warned the technology could be used by criminals and terrorists to create weapons of mass destruction. Critics question why Britain has appointed itself the centre of AI safety. "We are now reflecting on potential EU participation," a spokesperson told Reuters.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Alan Turing, Kamala Harris, Demis, Matt Clifford, Clifford, we're, Stephanie Hare, Elon Musk, Geoffrey Hinton, Britain, OpenAI, Marc Warner, it's, Vera Jourova, Brando Benifei, Dragos Tudorache, Benifei, Jeremy Hunt, Martin Coulter, Matt Scuffham, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Britain's, EU, Bletchley, Google, San, Reuters, China . Finance, Politico, Thomson Locations: Britain, United States, China, England, British, France, Germany, London, U.S, San Francisco, Beijing, Europe

☆ Israel can't yield to Hamas threat to kill hostages, says Henry Kissinger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Henry Kissinger said that Israel should not give in to Hamas' threat to hostages. Hamas recently said it would kill hostages if Israel strikes Gaza homes without warning. AdvertisementAdvertisementFormer US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said that Israel cannot give in to Hamas' threats to kill Israeli hostages, but called it a "heartbreaking decision" for any leader to have to make. Asked by Döpfner how he would handle Hamas' threat to hostages, Kissinger said: "Sitting on the outside, it is not possible for me to state a complete answer." AdvertisementAdvertisementSpeaking of the threat to hostages, Kissinger said that "there has to be some penalty, there has to be some serious limitation of their capability of taking this kind of action."

Persons: Henry Kissinger, —, Israel, Mathias Döpfner, Axel Springer, Abu Ubaida, Döpfner, Kissinger, Richard Nixon, Anwar Sadat, aren't Organizations: Israel, Service, Welt, Palestinian Ministry of Health, State Locations: Israel, Gaza, Nazi Germany, Egypt, Syria, Hamas, Ukraine

☆ Putin Offers Muted Response to Attack on Israel. That Speaks Volumes.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Anton Troianovski | More About Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has long cast himself as a friend of Israel and the Jewish people. But amid the worst attack on Israel in 50 years, the high regard that Mr. Putin has shown for Israel in the past appears remarkably absent. More than three days after the start of the incursion by Hamas, there has been no message of condolence from the Kremlin, even though Mr. Putin previously published such notes of sympathy in the wake of terrorist attacks in Israel. And he has not yet called Mr. Netanyahu, even though he spoke with Israeli leaders at least 11 times in 2022 and developed a close relationship with Mr. Netanyahu over more than a decade of meetings and phone calls. Instead, Mr. Putin’s spokesman on Monday struck a neutral stance, saying that Russia was “extremely concerned” and calling for an immediate halt to the fighting.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Putin’s Organizations: Moscow Jewish Museum, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Israel, Moscow, Jerusalem, Nazi, Leningrad

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia’s U.N. ambassador alleged Monday that “neo-Nazis” and military-age men were at the wake for a Ukrainian soldier in a village café where a missile last week killed 52 people, even as Security Council members retorted that Russia was responsible for starting the war and committing crimes. The café, which had reopened for the wake, was obliterated, and whole families perished. He insisted, as Moscow has in the past, that the Russian military doesn’t target civilians and civilian facilities. According to Ukrainian news reports, he was initially laid to rest elsewhere in Ukraine, as his native village remained under Russian occupation. Kozyr’s family decided to rebury him in Hroza more than 15 months after his death, following DNA tests that confirmed his identity.

Persons: U.N, ”, Vassily Nebenzia, Albania’s U.N, Ferit Hoxha, Robert Wood, Geng Shuang, Dmitry Peskov, we’ve, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ukraine’s U.N, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Andriy Kozyr, Hroza, Kozyr’s, Dmytro Kozyr, Nina, Nebenzia, ” Nebenzia, “, Jennifer Peltz Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Security, Ukrainian, ”, “, Nazi, Associated, United Nations Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Hroza, Kharkiv, Beijing, ”, Moscow

Putin on Thursday said Russia's nuclear doctrine did not need updating but that he was not yet ready to say whether or not Russia needed to resume nuclear tests. The Kremlin chief said that Russia should look at revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as the United States had signed it but not ratified. Just hours after Putin's words, Russia's top lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, said the legislature's bosses would swiftly consider the need to revoke Russia's ratification for the treaty. "At the next meeting of the State Duma Council, we will definitely discuss the issue of revoking the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty," Volodin said. Putin's words, followed by Volodin's, indicate that Russia is almost certain to revoke ratification of the treaty, which bans nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere.

Persons: Vyacheslav Volodin, Maxim Shemetov, Putin, Vladimir Putin, peaker Volodin, Volodin, Volodin's, Guy Faulconbridge, Sonali Paul, Stephen Coates Organizations: Nazi, REUTERS, Soviet Union, Comprehensive, Cuban Missile Crisis, Kremlin, State Duma Council, Soviet, United Nations, United, United States Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Thomson Locations: Russia's, Nazi Germany, Red, Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, United States, Washington, Brussels, State, Ban, Soviet Union, India, Pakistan, North Korea

☆ Elon Musk attacked German support for migrants and promoted a call to support a far-right extremist political party
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Germany has responded to an attack from Elon Musk, saying it's "saving lives" by helping migrants. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementElon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, attacked Germany's center-left governing coalition for supporting migrants on Friday and boosted a call for the German people to support a far-right extremist party instead. In the post shared by Musk, the account lamented the presence of humanitarian groups in the Mediterranean Sea that rescue migrants from distressed vessels. AdvertisementAdvertisementGermany alone has accepted more than 6 million migrants since 2013, many having arrived by sea from countries such as Libya and Turkey.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Germany's, Giorgia Meloni, Olaf Sholz —, Musk, Der Spiegel, Chancellor Sholz's, Lukas Kaldenhoff, Kaldenhoff, Musk's, Tony Gonazales Organizations: Service, SpaceX, UN, DW, Social Democrat Party, United Nations, European Union, SOS, SOS Humanity, Republican Party, White House, Republican Locations: Germany, Europe, Berlin, Italy's, Nazi, Nazi Germany, Africa, Italy, Libya, Turkey, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine, Starlink, Kyiv, United States, Eagle, , Texas, Mexico

☆ The scandal over a standing ovation for a Nazi veteran is now raising questions about a cemetery monument in Canada that honors his Waffen SS unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The gaffe rekindled calls for a monument honoring his unit to be removed from a Canadian cemetery. Yaroslav Hunka served in the 14th Waffen SS Division, a voluntary unit of mostly Ukrainians. Now a monument honoring Hunka's unit in Oakville's St Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery is under fire again after his appearance made headlines. It was vandalized with graffiti in 2020, when someone spray-painted the words "Nazi war monument" on its face, reported The Ottawa Citizen. "The bottom line is that this unit, the 14th SS unit, were Nazis," B'nai Brith Canada leader Michael Mostyn told the outlet.

Persons: Yaroslav Hunka, —, Justin Trudeau, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dan Panneton, Simon Wiesenthal, David Marples, Michael Mostyn, Marples, Hunka Organizations: Waffen SS Division, Service, Grenadier Division, Waffen SS, Oakville's St Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Holocaust Studies, Canadian, Global, 14th SS Division, Ottawa Citizen, Russian Embassy, B'nai, Galicia Division, University of Alberta, BBC, 14th SS Locations: Nazi Germany, Nazi, Oakville's St Volodymyr, Toronto, Galicia, Russian, Ottawa, Canada, Russia, Eastern, Ukraine, Polish, Poland

☆ Russia scrambled fighter to intercept U.S. patrol plane over Barents Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A Russian MiG-31 fighter jet equipped with a Kinzhal hypersonic missile flies over Red Square during a rehearsal for a flypast, part of a military parade marking the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in central Moscow, Russia May 7, 2022. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

Persons: Maxim Organizations: Nazi, REUTERS Locations: Russian, Nazi Germany, Moscow, Russia

☆ New Vatican letter suggests Pope Pius XII knew about the Holocaust as early as 1942
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A newly-uncovered Vatican 1942 letter suggests that then-Pope Pius XII likely knew about Nazi genocide. Pope Pius XII had already been scrutinized for his negotiations with Nazi Germany. Pope Pius XII was afraid Hitler would winGalerie Bilderwelt/Getty ImagesThe relationship between Pope Pius XII and Nazi leadership, especially Adolf Hitler, has long been uncovered and brought Pius under scrutiny, suggesting the pontiff was probably aware of Leiber's correspondence with König. "Pius XII was afraid of, certainly in the first years of the war, that the Nazis were going to win. The beatification process for Pius XII, which started in 1967, has been delayed because of his controversial choices during World War II.

Persons: Pope Pius XII, Sera, Pope, Pius, David Kertzer's, Giovanni Coco, Corriere, Robert Leiber, Lothar König, Hitler, Adolf Hitler, Pius XII, Mussolini, David Kertzer Organizations: Nazi, Service, The Guardian, Nazi Jesuit, Galerie, PBS Locations: Nazi Germany, Wall, Silicon, Germany, German, Polish, Rava, Ukraine, Belzec, Nazi, Poland, Auschwitz, Dachau, There's, Europe

☆ Ukraine may be cracking Russia's frontlines, but now it has to get Russian troops to crack as well
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But Russian troops have been fighting fiercely trenches behind extensive obstacles and minefields. Ukrainian troops have managed to penetrate the first of three Russian fortified belts in southern Ukraine, but for now, the Russian military hasn't cracked. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu exits a trench as he inspects troops in Ukraine in a photo released in December 2022. Russian troops are dug into elaborate trench systems shielded by millions of mines and supported by artillery and attack helicopters. Ukrainian troops work on a US-made Bradley armored vehicle at a secret workshop in the Zaporizhzhia region in July.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, George Patton —, Bradley, Ed Ram, France —, Alexey Malgavko, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Kyiv, Russian, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Royal United Services Institute, Washington, Getty, Sedan, REUTERS, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Nazi Germany, British, France, economize, Zaporizhzhia, American, Russia, Omsk, Forbes

☆ Putin and Kim meet in Russia, but what are the main takeaways?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Video Ad Feedback See moment Putin greets Kim at Russian space port 00:46 - Source: CNNAnd there’s potential of something in return for Pyongyang. Kim’s regime is heavily isolated: Multiple rounds of sanctions have targeted North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Even Russia has signed on to North Korean sanctions in the past. So we are still dealing with a major unknown when it comes to a potential technology exchange between North Korea and Russia. The US believes Pyongyang has already been a player in the Ukraine war, providing the Russian mercenary group Wagner with arms.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Putin, Kim, ” –, Sergei Shoigu, Russia –, It’s, “, ” Putin, Mort Sahl, Wernher von Braun, Reuters Von, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, North, Vostochny, North Korean, Ukraine, Russian, NATO, North Korea “, Nazi, Reuters Locations: Amur, Russia, Russia’s Far, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Korea, North Korea, England, ”, Russian, Europe

☆ Ukraine is stepping up its drone war against Russia, and now it's Moscow turn to reassemble decades-old air-defense weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia is building air-defense towers that some observers liken to the "flak towers" used by Nazi Germany. The air-defense towers are not the first decades-old weapon to be used during the war in Ukraine. In 1940, Hitler demanded flak towers after British bombers conducted a small raid on Berlin. Yet there isn't that much resemblance between German flak towers and Russia's new air-defense structures, according to Edward Westermann, author of "Flak: German Anti-Aircraft Defenses 1941-1945." Most of the German flak towers were destroyed after 1945, though a few remain today as tourist attractions — or because they're simply too difficult to blow up.

Persons: liken, Pantsir, Vladimir Putin, Hitler, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Edward Westermann, Westermann, they're, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Allied, Kremlin, NATO, British, AP, Russian Defense Ministry, Getty, Aircraft, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Nazi Germany, Crimea, Ukrainian, St, Petersburg, It's, Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, AFP, Forbes

☆ Hitler didn't stop when he was given land, and nor would Putin, says Ukraine's former defense minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's former defense minister said a peace deal where Ukraine gives up land won't stop Russia. Reznikov said a similar deal didn't stop Hitler in the 1930s and "Putin's actions follow a similar pattern." Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said they will not accept a peace deal that includes giving up land to Russia. Ukraine has also told China, which has expressed interest in brokering a peace deal, that it won't accept a deal that involves giving Russia territory. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this year that a peace agreement can't include giving land to Russia, or else it wouldn't be a "just peace and a durable peace."

Persons: Reznikov, didn't, Hitler, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Adolf Hitler, Oleksii Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Antony Blinken, Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: Service, Guardian, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, NATO, Soviet Union Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Wall, Silicon, Nazi Germany, Germany, Czechoslovakia, China, Soviet

☆ Opinion | The Subtlety of J.R.R. Tolkien
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

The devil appears to some people as Lucifer the light-bringer, yes — but his darker visage finds worshipers as well. Ours is no longer the world in which Tolkien grew up, nor even the one in which he spent his last years. Tolkien himself was very careful to note that the Shire is not self-sustaining, dependent as it is on outsiders for security. I obviously endorse this point, but I think the last line undersells how much Tolkien subjected his own pastoral nostalgia to critique. Because Tolkien is a reactionary, the solution to that sickness is the return of a king of ancient lineage.

Persons: Tolkien, Soviet Union didn’t, Adolf Hitler’s, Joseph Stalin, Hitler, Lucifer, unrealism —, Tolkien’s, Philip Larkin, “, King Charles III’s, Niall Gooch, Hobbitism, Bilbo, It’s, Gondor, Anárion, that’s Organizations: Gorgoroth, Jackson Locations: Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, England, Tolkien’s, Isengard, Shire, Britain

☆ Ava DuVernay makes history with Venice premiere of 'Origin'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

VENICE, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Award-winning director Ava DuVernay on Wednesday became the first African American woman to present a movie in competition at the Venice Film Festival, overcoming sceptics who had tried to talk her out of applying. "I can't tell you how many times I have been told: 'Don't apply for Venice, you won't get in'. Something happened that hadn't happened in eight decades before, an African American women in competition." DuVernay said it would have been impossible to put together such a cast with a studio in charge. "Origin" is one of 23 movie competing for the coveted Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, which ends on Sept. 9.

Persons: Ava DuVernay, sceptics, DuVernay, Isabel Wilkerson, Jim Crow, Wilkerson, Suraj Yengde, Selma, Martin Luther King's, Aunjanue Ellis, Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Crispian Balmer, Nick Macfie Organizations: Venice Film, Blacks, Golden, Thomson Locations: VENICE, American, Venice, African American, Nazi Germany, United States, India, Indian

☆ Christie’s cancels auction of jewelry linked to Nazi-era fortune
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The sale of over 400 pieces of jewelry once owned by late art collector Heidi Horten broke records at a series of auctions earlier this year. But amid ongoing criticism from Jewish advocacy groups and human rights organizations over the source of the Austrian billionaire’s wealth, Christie’s auction house announced Thursday that it has canceled the final part of the controversial sale. (Christie’s had initially predicted that Horten’s entire collection, featuring over 700 jewels, would sell for over $150 million.) Prior to May’s sales, the American Jewish Committee had called for the auction to be put on hold until “a serious effort” was made to investigate the Hortens’ wealth. The Heidi Horten Collection did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Persons: Heidi Horten, Helmut, ” Christie’s, ”, ” Anthea Peers, Christie’s, Van, Helmut Horten, Forbes Organizations: CNN, American Jewish Committee, Twitter, Washington D.C, ” Locations: Austrian, Nazi Germany, German, Europe, East, Africa, Geneva, Switzerland, Nazi, Washington, Vienna, Austria

☆ 3 Bullets, 2 Wars, 1 Village
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Thomas Gibbons-Neff | More About Thomas Gibbons-Neff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the spring of that year German forces counterattacked around Izium and the city of Kharkiv to the northwest. The Soviet and German forces arrayed against each other, on just a portion of World War II’s sprawling eastern front, involved hundreds of thousands of men more than the Ukrainian and Russian armies fighting today. The roughly two-week battle resulted in roughly 300,000 casualties on both sides and a crushing Soviet defeat. But World War II’s relevance is not just buried in the soil of Ukraine, it also serves as an undercurrent of Russia’s present-day invasion. He falsely claimed the country was overrun by the same type of adversaries millions of Soviet soldiers had died fighting during World War II, or what Russians call the Great Patriotic War.

Persons: ” Mr, Glantz, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Soviet, denazify Locations: Izium, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Germany

Search resuls for: "Nazi Germany"

25 mentions found