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☆ An amateur astronomer caught one of the brightest fireballs ever seen on Jupiter. Watch the rare video footage.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Maiya Focht | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

About 14 seconds into the video below, you can see a bright flash appear in Jupiter's southern hemisphere. AdvertisementAdvertisementOne of the brightest, biggest Jupiter fireballs ever recordedKo Arimatsu, an astronomer at Kyoto University, confirmed to The New York Times that there were six reports of this flash on August 28. AdvertisementAdvertisementA fragment of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impacts Jupiter’s night side in 1994. Jupiter is the 'vacuum cleaner of the solar system'As the largest planet in our solar system, by far, Jupiter has a powerful gravity that pulls in comets and asteroids. In fact, Jupiter's appetite for asteroids and comets has earned it the nickname "vacuum cleaner of the solar system," according to NASA.

Persons: Tadao Ohsugi, It's, Arimatsu, Shoemaker, Levy, Peter Vereš, NASA's OSIRIS, NASA's, Leigh Fletcher Organizations: Service, Kyoto University, The New York Times, TNT, NASA, ESA, Space Science Institute, Jupiter, JPL Arimatsu, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, University of Arizona, University of Leicester, Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Japan, Boulder, Colo, Siberia

Adding Ukraine to NATO and the European Union would be the biggest geopolitical shift in our lifetime. If we bring Ukraine into that European Union, that would be one of the most consequential geopolitical tipping points since East Germany was united with West Germany. Who was the Russian spy in East Germany who was introduced to international relations by running the KGB there? It was Vladimir Putin whose big introduction to geopolitics was watching the magnet of the West melt down East Germany and lead to the unification of these two countries. The big decision point going forward is, when do we say to the Ukrainians we may have to settle for a dirty deal?

Persons: I’m Tom Friedman, they’re, Who, Vladimir Putin, Putin, we’re, I’ve, We’re, Peter the, It’s, Dostoevsky, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Sakharov Organizations: Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, Orthodox Church, European Union, NATO, EU, Union, East Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Saint, NATO, Russia, East Germany, West Germany, East Germany’s Germany, Russian, Germany, Siberia

Xie Xuguang, from CNOOC Gas and Power Group's research centre, told a conference on Thursday that China's total gas demand may reach 396.4 billion cubic metres (bcm) this year. "We're expecting industrial gas demand to recover in the second half. Gas demand growth this year was seen at between 5.7% and 7.4%, according to estimates this week by ICIS, Energy Aspects and SIA Energy. China's total gas demand was forecast to peak in 2040 at 700 bcm, Xie added, echoing a previous forecast by state major Sinopec. Imports of both piped gas and liquefied natural gas were both expected to increase to meet rising domestic demand.

Persons: Stringer, Xie Xuguang, Xie, CNOOC, Andrew Hayley, Chen Aizhu, Christian Schmollinger, Michael Perry Organizations: Sinopec, Inner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous, REUTERS, CNOOC Gas, Power, ICIS, SIA Energy, Imports, Thomson Locations: Erdos, Inner Mongolia, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, TIANJIN, Japan, Russia's, Siberia, Russia

☆ Crab dumplings, soup and sorbet: Putin and Kim dine on delicacies after two-hour meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shaking hands during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region on Sept. 13, 2023. There's nothing like a high-stakes, globally-watched meeting of geopolitical heavyweights to whet the appetite, especially in the case of Russian President Vladimir Putin's face-to-face talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Following their two-hour talks on Wednesday at a space rocket launch center in Russia's far east, the leaders are dining together, with a smorgasbord of local delicacies reportedly on the menu. For dessert, red bilberries from the taiga (Russia's vast forested Siberia region) with pine nuts and condensed milk is on the menu. Before proposing a toast to Putin's health ahead of the meal, Kim reportedly said that he was confident Russia would win in what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin's, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Kim Organizations: North, Vostochny, Kremlin, Reuters Locations: Amur, Russia's, Russian, White, Siberia, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Russian plane with 159 aboard makes emergency landing in Novosibirsk region - agencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/4] A view shows Russia's Ural Airlines plane flying from Sochi to Omsk after an emergency landing in western Siberia's Novosibirsk region, Russia, in this still image from video published September 12, 2023. Russian Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 12 (Reuters) - Russia's Ural Airlines plane with 159 people aboard and flying from Sochi to Omsk made an emergency landing in western Siberia's Novosibirsk region, Russian agencies reported on Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of injuries or the reason for the emergency landing. Russia's Interfax news agency reported that there were 159 people aboard. Earlier, TASS reported that the plane carried 156 people.

Persons: Lidia Kelly, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Airlines, Russian Emergencies Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, TASS, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Omsk, Siberia's Novosibirsk, Russia, Melbourne

☆ Vietnam Chases Secret Russian Arms Deal, Even as It Deepens U.S. Ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Hannah Beech | More About Hannah Beech | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When President Biden is greeted by Vietnamese officials in Hanoi on Sunday, he will be celebrating the prospect of adding another friend in Asia to a coalition that his administration hopes will side with American interests rather than China’s and Russia’s. During Mr. Biden’s visit, the two nations will underscore their commitment to “increase peace, prosperity, and stability in the region,” a White House press statement said. Nguyen Phu Trong, the top Vietnamese leader, is expected to confer upon the United States an upgrade of strategic ties. The Biden administration has reciprocated early, glossing over the Communist Party of Vietnam’s intensifying human rights crackdown. Signed by a Vietnamese deputy finance minister, the document notes that Vietnam is negotiating a new arms deal with Russia that would “strengthen strategic trust” at a time when “Russia is being embargoed by Western countries in all aspects.”

Persons: Biden, Biden’s, Phu Trong, glossing Organizations: White, Communist Party of, Finance Locations: Hanoi, Asia, United States, Vietnam, Russia, Siberia

Political Cartoons View All 1148 Images“The Russian authorities are trying hard to pretend that everything is going according to plan, everything is fine. In the occupied regions, early voting kicked off last week as election officials went door to door or set up makeshift polling stations in public places to attract passersby. As a result, Moscow has maintained control of about 70% of the Kherson region. “It looks like the Russian authorities know the result (of the election) already,” Fyodorov said. In the end, said Gallyamov, the Russian analyst, Russian authorities will not get “anything good in terms of boosting their legitimacy” in the occupied regions.

Persons: Russia “, Abbas Gallyamov, ”, Gallyamov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, we’ve, ” Sergei, we’re, Konstantin, ” Kostantin, Weeks, Yevgeny Balitsky, “, Ivan Fyodorov, Fyodorov, ” Fyodorov, —, Pavlo Lysianskyi Organizations: Russian, Kyiv, of Europe, Kremlin, United, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic, Associated Press, AP, Eastern Human Rights Locations: TALLINN, Estonia, Ukraine, Moscow, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, “, Russia, United Russia, Russian, Zaporizhzhia, Siberia, Melitopol, Ukrainian

☆ Russia will sell natural gas to China at almost a 50% discount compared to European buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia expects to sell gas to China at almost half the price compared to European buyers, Bloomberg reported. Gas for China will average $271.6 per 1,000 cubic meters in 2024, versus $481.7 for buyers in Europe and Turkey. Buyers in Europe and Turkey, on the other hand, will face an average price of $481.7. AdvertisementAdvertisementThis year, meanwhile, Russia expects to sell gas to China at an average of $297.3 per 1,000 cubic meters, while the remaining clients in Europe and Turkey will pay an average of $500.6. Meanwhile, Moscow anticipates state-run energy giant Gazprom to supply natural gas to China on a $400 billion contract, via the Power of Siberia connection.

Persons: Mikhail Mishustin, Vladimir Putin, —, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Buyers, Gazprom, Yale Locations: Russia, China, Gas, Europe, Turkey, Wall, Silicon, Moscow, Siberia, Ukraine

☆ Three rescued after sharks attack inflatable yacht off Australian coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Vincent Thomas Etienne, Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin, the three people rescued after sharks attacked a yacht off the Australian coast, pose for a photo in Vanua Levu Island, Fiji July 31, 2023. Satellite photos and a video on the AMSA website showed a large part of the stern of the yacht torn away. Rescue crews responded to an emergency positioning beacon registered to the Tion, a nine-metre inflatable catamaran on a round-the-world expedition, early on Wednesday morning. "The only thing is that the balloons of the inflatable catamaran were blown away." The crew continued the expedition on an inflatable catamaran by the same manufacturer that had been stored on the island for several years.

Persons: Vincent Thomas Etienne, Evgeny Kovalevsky, Stanislav Berezkin, AMSA, Anna Kosikhina, Kosikhina, Renju Jose, Wang Jiawei, Mahezabin Sayed, Alasdair Pal, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Thomson Locations: Vanua Levu, Fiji, Australia, Vanuatu, Cairns, Panama, Brisbane, Russia, Siberia, Chile, Easter, Sydney

☆ Sinopec sets up new entity to expand refinery investment abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Chen Aizhu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The company logo of China’s Sinopec Corp is displayed at a news conference in Hong Kong, China March 26, 2018. After a quiet launch in late June of Sinopec Overseas Investment Holding as its sole platform for investing, building and operating refineries abroad, Sinopec is building up the team and setting the budget for the new entity, two company officials told Reuters. One such investment could be in Sri Lanka, where Sinopec was shortlisted to bid for an export-oriented refinery in Hambantota potentially worth billions of dollars. Sinopec is also among companies reviewing Shell's Singapore refinery and petrochemical assets, Reuters reported recently, although its president this week denied such interest. Sinopec declined to comment on that matter.

Persons: Bobby Yip, Zhao Dong, Sinopec, Sushant Gupta, Wood Mackenzie, Gupta, Russia's, PetroChina, Exxon Mobil's, Glencore, CNPC, Chen Aizhu, Tony Munroe, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Sinopec Overseas Investment Holding, Reuters, China Petrochemical Corp, Saudi Aramco, Wood, Gas Chemical, Russia's Sibur, Exxon, Sinopec, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, Sri Lanka, Hambantota, Singapore, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, East Siberia, France, Scotland, Japan, XOM.N, Altona, Australia, Brazil, Beijing, South Africa

☆ Russian tourism in Crimea is down, but many still shrug off risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Summary This content was produced in Russian-annexed Crimea, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. They said it was all calm here with no problems on the Crimea Bridge. Fewer visitors to Crimea have meant more for Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea and Dagestan in Russia's north Caucasus region, he said. FATAL CROSSINGFor one Russian couple, the choice of Crimea as a holiday destination proved fatal. "The goal of our trip is, of course, to have a rest, and support Russian tour operators, hoteliers, and Russian tourism, no doubt."

Persons: Siberian Viktor Motorin, Olga Morskova, Alexei Volkov, Volkov, Vasyl Maliuk, Alexander Semashko, Sergei Lenkov, Mark Trevelyan, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Sharon Singleton Organizations: National Union of Hospitality Industries, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Crimea, Ukraine, YALTA, Siberian, Moscow, Russia, Khanty, Siberia, Turkey, Thailand, Rybinsk, Sochi, Novorossiysk, Kaliningrad, Dagestan, Russia's, Caucasus, Stavropol, Vologda

☆ Nerve agents, poison and window falls: Over the years, Kremlin foes have been attacked or killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Over the years, Kremlin political critics, turncoat spies and investigative journalists have been killed or assaulted in a variety of ways. Assassination attempts against foes of President Vladimir Putin have been common during his nearly quarter century in power. watch nowHis allies almost immediately said he was poisoned, but Russian officials denied it. A British inquiry found that Russian agents had killed Litvinenko, probably with Putin's approval, but the Kremlin denied any involvement. JournalistsNumerous journalists critical of authorities in Russia have been killed or suffered mysterious deaths, which their colleagues in some cases blamed on someone in the political hierarchy.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, —, turncoat, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Pyotr Verzilov, Verzilov, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Boris Nemtsov, Boris Yeltsin, Nemtsov, Putin, Alexander Litvinenko, Anna Politkovskaya, service's, Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, Novichok, Yuri Shchekochikhin, Shchekochikhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Sputnik, AFP, Getty, Kremlin, KGB, Authorities, Novaya Gazeta Locations: Moscow, Russia, Siberia, Omsk, Berlin, Germany, France, Sweden, Soviet, Russian, Chechnya, London, Britain, Salisbury, British, Novaya

☆ A mysterious 40,000-year-old hip bone suggests human ancestors and Neanderthals shared a cave — and perhaps a culture
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The bone could mean modern humans shared the cave with Neanderthals. The early human bone was found in a cave at the center of a debate about Neanderthal culture. Maureille is an author of the study about the hip bone, and an archaeologist from the University of Bordeaux. This raises a controversial hypothesis: that modern humans and Neanderthals shared the mysterious Châtelperronien culture, which has long baffled scientists. Research there suggests modern humans shared a cave with Neanderthals and Denisovans about 45,000 years ago.

Persons: Bruno Maureille, Will Oliver, Maureille Organizations: Service, University of Bordeaux, Sci Locations: Wall, Silicon, Arcy, France, London, Europe, Spain, Renne, Siberia

Online, the Defense Ministry published a splashy video ad focusing on two central motivations: machismo, and money. It defines military service as more meaningful — and manly — than what’s depicted as the Russian man’s typical, humdrum existence. Since the invasion’s beginning, state television newscasts have been offering viewers a sanitized view of the war. “I got all the payments that contract servicemen are entitled to if they’re wounded,” the veteran, Nikolai Karpenko, says. “Contract military service, Nikolai says, gave him the chance to show that he’s a real defender of the fatherland,” the reporter intones.

Persons: “, Nikolai Karpenko, Nikolai, intones Organizations: Defense Ministry, Russian Defense Locations: Russian, Irkutsk, Siberia, Ukraine

☆ Putin foes who, like Prigozhin, have suffered mysterious fates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses participants of the international military-technical forum Army-2023 via a video link in Moscow, Russia, in this picture released August 14, 2023. Prigozhin, 62, spearheaded a mutiny against Russia's top army brass on June 23-24, which President Vladimir Putin said could have tipped Russia into civil war. Moscow denied involvement. Russia denied involvement. Russia denied any involvement.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, ALEXEI NAVALNY Russia's, Alexei Navalny, Novichok, Navalny, SERGEI SKRIPAL, Sergei Skripal, Yulia, VLADIMIR KARA, MURZA, Vladimir Kara, Murza, ALEXANDER LITVINENKO Alexander Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoy, Dmitry Kovtun, Litvinenko, ALEXANDER PEREPILICHNY, Alexander Perepilichny, Perepilichny, VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO Viktor Yushchenko, Viktor Yanukovich, Yanukovich, ANNA POLITKOVSKAYA Anna Politkovskaya, Politkovskaya, Lisa Shumaker, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Russia's, Reuters, Kremlin, Russia's Federal Security Service, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine's, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Germany, Siberia, Russian, English, Salisbury, Soviet, Britain, British, London, Ukrainian

☆ Russia has lost more than 2,200 tanks in Ukraine, and it may be reaching the limit of its ability to 'rebuild' older ones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( David Hambling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Russia has lost more than 2,200 main battle tanks since invading Ukraine in February last year. Russian storage depots are deep, but they don't have an unlimited supply of armor to throw into a new fight. In fact, Russia is rebuilding tanks rather than building them, and their capacity to do so may be reaching its limit. Russia has vast stockpiles of old tanks, from T-90s barely 20 years old to rusting T-62s from the 1960s. More importantly, Russia's supply of old tanks for rebuilding is showing signs of running down.

Persons: Alexander Zemlianichenko, Stalin, UVZ, Sergio Miller, Abrams, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Shoigu, Putin's, Dmitry Medvedev, OLGA MALTSEVA, Jakub Janovsky, Medvedev, Nobody, Putin, David Hambling Organizations: Service, Russia, Victory Day, AP, Stalin Ural Tank, British Army, Sierra Army, Omsk Transport Machine Factory, —, Getty, Defence, Moscow Times, Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, Aviation, Forbes, The, New, Popular Mechanics, WIRED Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, AP Russia, Nizhny Tagil, Moscow, Stalin Ural, Doyle , California, Omsk, St Petersburg, Siberia, Venezuela, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Russian, Rostov, Izyum, AFP, OmskTransMash, Laos, St . Petersburg, Buryatia, Mongolia, Urals, USSR, Germany, Kremlin, London

☆ New study warns against risks of ‘time-traveling pathogens’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Ava Loomar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Through tens of thousands of iterations, the study team tracked how the virus affected species diversity of a bacterial community. About 1% of the ancient viruses caused major disruptions to the digital ecosystems. The pathogen either increased diversity by up to 12% or, conversely, decreased species diversity by 32%. The role of carbon emissionsModern organisms, including humans, have few, if any, natural defense mechanisms for ancient pathogens. If ancient pathogens did somehow manage to escape, they would have trouble finding people to infect.

Persons: Giovanni Strona, Corey Bradshaw, Jean, Michel Claverie’s, Claverie, Bradshaw, ”, Strona, Kimberley Miner, Miner Organizations: CNN, Asahi Shimbun, NASA, Marseille University School of Medicine, Laboratory, Flinders University, Commission’s, Research, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Locations: Greenland, Alaska, Siberia, Tibetan, Canada, Barrow , Alaska, Aix, Australia, Pasadena , California

☆ Someone hacked a news ticker in Russia to insult Putin after the value of the ruble plunged
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A news ticker was hacked in Siberia to insult Vladimir Putin, reports said. Putin is a "thief', said the hijacked news ticker in Siberian oil town Surgut. It came after the value of the ruble plunged against the dollar. 100 rubles to the dollar – you've lost your fucking mind," read the news ticker in Surgut, an oil town in Siberia, reported Max Seddon, the Financial Times' Moscow bureau chief. According to Russian independent outlet The Insider, the news ticker was run by the Russian news agency SIA-Press.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, you've, Max Seddon, Taras Samborsky Organizations: Service, Financial Times, SIA, Press Locations: Siberia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian

☆ China's attendance at Saudi peace talks is 'bad news' for Putin — but Xi Jinping is still 'well served' by his friendship with Russia, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese diplomats attended Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia, signaling a possible rift with Russia. While China's attendance is notable, the country is still benefiting from its relationship with Russia. Chinese leader Xi Jinping wants to be seen as an international stakeholder, an expert said. Participants in the talks, however, saw China's presence as a major win for Ukraine, the Financial Times reported. "So Xi wants to be seen as a responsible stakeholder — even as he rattles his saber towards Taiwan," Miles said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Russia's, —, Putin, Simon Miles, Vladimir Putin, China's, Wang Yi, Sergei Lavrov, Miles, Xi, Ukraine's, Sergey Radchenko Organizations: Service, Privacy, China, Ukraine, Financial Times, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, Russian, CNN, Kremlin, Johns Hopkins University, The New York Times Locations: Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Wall, Silicon, China, Moscow, Saudi, Soviet, Siberia, Taiwan, South China, Beijing

☆ A rift is growing between Xi and Putin after Russia mocked a Ukraine peace plan backed by China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Xi is frustrated that Putin won't seek peace in Ukraine, reports say. China has touted a 12-point peace plan for Ukraine that Russia hasn't pursued. China recently attended a peace summit in Saudi Arabia that was described by Russia as "doomed to fail." A European diplomat present at the discussions told the FT that the "mere presence of China shows Russia is more and more isolated." But Wyne cautioned against excessive faith in China's intervention to secure peace in Ukraine.

Persons: Xi, Putin, Russia hasn't, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin's, it's, Siberia that'd, June's Wagner, Ali Wyne, Wyne Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Putin, Kremlin, Eurasia Group, Saudi, Kyiv, Analysts Locations: Ukraine, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Moscow, Jeddah, European, Siberia, Beijing, Denmark, Iran

☆ Long before whales, pioneering marine reptile was a filter-feeder
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Artist's reconstruction shows the Triassic Period marine reptile Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, based on fossils unearthed in China's Hubei Province. Hupehsuchus is believed to have been a filter-feeder, akin to some of today's baleen whales. "Baleen whales are mammals and Hupehsuchus are reptiles. Marine reptiles asserted themselves. Two other ancient marine reptiles - Paludidraco, which lived about 230 million years ago, and Morturneria, which lived about 70 million years ago - appear to have used some type of filter-feeding.

Persons: Shi Shunyi, Long Cheng, Handout, Hupehsuchus, Mike Benton, Cheng, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, University of Bristol, BMC, Wuhan Center, China Geological Survey, Hupehsuchus, Thomson Locations: Hubei Province, Hupehsuchus, England, Siberia, Washington

Putin’s Forever WarVladimir Putin wants to lead Russians into a civilizational conflict with the West far larger than Ukraine. Far from the Potemkin paradise of Moscow, the war is ever visible. On the eastern shore of the lake, where white-winged gulls plunge into the steel-blue water, Yulia Rolikova, 35, runs an inn that doubles as a children’s summer camp. She is some 3,500 miles from the front, yet the war reverberates in her family and in her head. “I said, ‘No, you have an 8-year-old daughter, and it’s a much more important duty to be a father to her.’”

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Will, Yulia Rolikova, “, —, ”, ‘, ’ Locations: Ukraine, Lake Baikal, Siberia, Moscow

CNN —Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is facing an even longer stint in jail after being sentenced to 19 years in prison on extremism charges, Russian media report, a fresh blow to a fierce critic of Russia’s President Putin that comes amid an intensifying crackdown on dissent. Navalny was accused of creating an extremist community, financing extremist activities and a number of other crimes. Navalny is already serving sentences totaling 11-and-a-half years in a maximum security facility on fraud and other charges that he says were trumped up. Putin himself said in December 2020 that if Russian security services had wanted to kill Navalny, they “would have finished” the job. Peaceful protests were quickly shut down and thousands arrested after Moscow’s invasion.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Russia’s, Putin, Navalny, Mr Navalny, ” Navalny, Novichok, ” Organizations: CNN, IK, European Union, Reuters, Russian Security Service, Facebook Locations: Russian, Melekhovo, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Soviet, Berlin, Siberian, Omsk, Navalny, Siberia

Russia's gas, in contrast to its oil, is not subject to Western sanctions, although Brussels is considering extending its embargo on Russian fuel. Gazprom's gas exports, mainly to Europe, almost halved last year because of the political crisis over Ukraine and after undersea Nord Stream pipelines were damaged by unexplained blasts last September. Timchenko had long challenged Gazprom's monopoly on Russian gas exports, saying in 2012 that Europeans wanted to have an alternative to Gazprom. "I believe that Gazprom Export's marketing campaign led to its European share decrease ... Liquefied natural gas has already come to the market. In essence, a new, cheaper gas market is emerging; one has to see such things," Timchenko told the Forbes magazine in 2012.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, Russia's, Ronald Smith of, Novatek, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Miller, Putin, Miller, Gennady Timchenko, Timchenko, Oksana Kobzeva, Vladimir Soldatkin, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Gazprom, REUTERS, Stream, EU, Kremlin, European Union, Novatek, BCS, Forbes, Thomson Locations: Russia, Europe, MOSCOW, Ukraine, Brussels, Siberia, LNG, Ronald Smith of Moscow, Germany, Italy, Soviet, St Petersburg, Moscow, Russian

☆ Get ready to make a deal for your ride. InDrive is bringing its ride-hailing-haggling business to the US again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

InDrive is a ride-hailing app that lets customers haggle with drivers for fares. Many drivers are Uber and Lyft contractors eager to check out inDrive's promise of letting drivers and passengers negotiate ride prices, Arsen Tomsky, inDrive's CEO and founder, said. In 2022, inDrive was the second most downloaded ride-hailing app globally, behind Uber, according to Data.AI. Though it started in Russia, inDrive fully separated from its Russian business last year after the country invaded Ukraine, the company said. In addition to ride-hailing, inDrive in other global markets has added new business segments, including freight delivery, task assistance, and package delivery.

Persons: Arsen, Tomsky, InDrive, haggle, inDrive, Arsen Tomsky, Siberia Tomsky, Uber, Catalyst, verticals Organizations: Service, Fort Lauderdale , West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Taxi, Tomsky, Insight Partners, Bond Locations: Siberia, South Florida, Wall, Silicon, America, Asia, Miami, South Beach, Brickell, Fort Lauderdale , West Palm, New York City, New Yorkers, Pacific, Africa, haggling, Yakutsk, Siberian, Florida, Russia, Ukraine

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