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☆ Ukraine finally sends F-16s into the battle against Russia — but they might not be a game-changer
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Flanked by another two of the U.S.-made combat aircraft, Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that the country's air force had already started operations using the warplanes against Russia. A number of Ukraine's European allies have pledged to send F-16s to Ukraine, and the first batch arrived in the country in late July. Russia has dismissed the supply of F-16s, with Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying last Thursday that Russian forces were prepared to shoot down the F-16 jets. The first General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon received by Ukraine is seen on the Day of Ukrainian Air Force on August 4, 2024 in Unspecified, Ukraine. "The jets will considerably enhance Ukraine's ability to prevent Russian pilots entering Ukrainian air space, and can also target Russian cruise missiles in flight.

Persons: Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Ukraine's, Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Vitalii, Antony Blinken, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Mykola Bielieskov, Bielieskov Organizations: Falcons, Dynamics, Anadolu, Getty, Ukraine's Air Forces, Ukrainian, Ukrainian Air Force, Anadolu Agency, NATO, Defense, National Institute for Strategic Studies, Fighting Falcons, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, States, USSR, Kyiv, Ukrainian

☆ Russia Released 16 Prisoners. Hundreds of Others Were Left Behind.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the 16 people released from Russian captivity on Thursday in a landmark prisoner swap, the exchange brought a moment of momentous relief. Hundreds of prisoners in Russia — including Americans and prominent Russian political activists, journalists and artists — are still waiting, hoping that another diplomatic agreement or turn of events might secure their release. One of them is Marc Fogel, an American history teacher who worked for almost a decade at the Anglo-American school in Moscow. In 2021, when trying to enter Russia, Mr. Fogel was arrested and accused of smuggling drugs after a small amount of medical marijuana was discovered in his luggage. In June 2022, Mr. Fogel, a native of Western Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug smuggling.

Persons: —, Marc Fogel, Fogel Locations: Russia, Russian, Moscow, Western Pennsylvania

☆ Beyond Facials and Yoga: 6 Resorts With Next-Level Wellness Programs
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Stephanie Rosenbloom | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Take part in a ritual during which a temazcalero, or guide, will lead you through breathing exercises, chants and drumming with the aim of renewing your energy, followed by time in a temazcal dome, where steam rises from hot stones. Attend a class like singing bowl therapy or meditation. Learn how to make essential oils and herbal pillows at an aromatherapy workshop. Or take a contemplative walk in the labyrinth. There’s also a fitness studio, two hilltop pools and water-themed therapies, including an ice bath, at the hotel’s Desert Springs hydrotherapy facility.

Locations: U.S, Baja California

Now as a 30-year-old, he will compete in the 10,000-meter race, representing the International Olympic Committee’s refugee team for the second time in his career. It’s not for you.’ He couldn’t be here.”Abdelmaji left for a high-altitude training camp in Ethiopia for several weeks last fall before returning to Tel Aviv. "You represent the refugees around the world.”Jamal Abdelmaji, right, trains for Paris 2024 at a Tel Aviv running track. Stopped by Israeli soldiers, he spent the first days in a refugee camp before he was sent to Tel Aviv. Really, really looking forward to it.

Persons: Jamal Abdelmaji, Mohammed, Abdelmaji, “, ”, ” Abdelmaji, Hili Avinoam, It’s, it’s, ” Jamal Abdelmaji, Carlo Angerer, Rotem Genossar, ” Genossar, Avinoam, ” Avinoam, Asaf Roz, Roz, who's, “ We’ve, he’s Organizations: Olympic, IOC, Rio Games, NBC News, Paris, NBC, Alley, Olympic Games Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel, Darfur, Sudan, Israeli, Ethiopia, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Paris, Tokyo, Omdurman, Sudan’s, Khartoum, Canada, Cairo

☆ Man dies after contracting Ebola-like tick-borne disease in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A man has died from an Ebola-like disease named Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) after being bitten by a tick in Spain. The 74-year-old died of organ failure on Saturday in an isolation unit at the La Paz-Carlos III Hospital in the Spanish capital, Madrid, a spokesperson for the hospital told CNN on Monday. Spain has developed a national plan to deal with tick-borne diseases, including CCHF, but people should take action to avoid tick bites, Lorenzo-Morales said. Consuelo Giménez Pardo, a lecturer in medical parasitology at the University of Alcalá in Madrid, told CNN that “there will undoubtedly be more cases” of CCHF in Spain. “I expect that we will see more cases in the coming years,” Thomson told CNN on Monday.

Persons: Carlos, Jacob Lorenzo, Morales, Lorenzo, ”, Consuelo Giménez Pardo, Giménez, CCHF, Emma Thomson, “, ” Thomson Organizations: CNN, La Paz, Carlos III Hospital, World Health Organization, WHO, Canary Islands, Health, University of La, University of Alcalá, London School of Hygiene, Medicine Locations: Crimean, Congo, Spain, Spanish, Madrid, Móstoles, Toledo, Africa, Balkans, East, University of La Laguna, Western Europe, CCHF, Europe, ”, France

☆ Russia creeps toward key eastern Ukrainian supply city
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russian forces are inching toward the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, threatening a vital Ukrainian supply line as Moscow continues its slow, grinding offensive. Russia has been stretching Ukrainian defenses across the entire eastern front line for months, trying to capture as much territory as possible before new Ukrainian recruits and fresh batches of Western weapons start arriving on the battlefield. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the difficult situation in his nightly address to the nation on Sunday, saying Ukrainian troops were facing “extremely challenging” realities in that area. But it serves as a key hub for the Ukrainian military, thanks to its easy access to Kostiantynivka, another military center. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces captured the Ukrainian villages of Lozuvatske over the weekend and Vovche on Monday.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Anatolii Stepanov, Svitlana Vlasova, Eve Brennan Organizations: CNN, Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Residents, Getty Locations: Pokrovsk, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, United States, Avdiivka, Dnipro, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kostiantynivka, Lozuvatske, Kyiv, AFP

☆ Melinda French Gates says MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos' ex, helped her with parenting kids that were raised 'down the street' from each other
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewMelinda French Gates and MacKenzie Scott have a lot in common besides once having been married to a billionaire tech titan. French Gates revealed in an interview with The New York Times published Sunday that she and Scott share similar parenting styles. French Gates told The Times that she and her then-husband, Bill Gates, didn't want their children to grow up spoilt and entitled. Both French Gates and Scott have gone all in with their activism and philanthropy after divorcing their ex-husbands, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos respectively. AdvertisementRepresentatives for French Gates and Scott did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: —, Melinda French Gates, MacKenzie Scott, Gates, Scott, Bill Gates, didn't, French Gates, MacKenzie, It's, Jeff Bezos, I've, — Elon, Musk, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Biden Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Times, Business, The Times, Democratic, Business Insider Locations: French

A Tuareg militant group spokesman said some Malian troops and Russian fighters had also been captured during the battle. According to some unofficial Russian Telegram channels, as many as 80 Russians were killed. The commander – call-sign Rusich – said on Telegram he was trying to convey a message to the Russian Defense Ministry. And in Syria five years ago, a disastrous attack by Russian mercenaries on an oil refinery led to dozens of casualties. One of them was an IED attack on a Russian vehicle in the same region of Mali as the latest devastating assault.

Persons: Nusrat al, JNIM, ”, Andriy Yusov, Yusov, Wagner, Wagner “, –, Sergei Shevchenko, Nikita Fedyanin, “, Korotkov, Africa Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Yunus, Bek, Yevkurov, al Organizations: CNN, Russian, Russian Telegram, Kremlin, Kyiv, Ukraine’s Security, Russian Defense Ministry, Corps, Grey, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Federation, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central African, Wagner PMC, Deputy, SITE Intelligence Group Locations: Mali, Algerian, Islam, Africa, Malian, Russian, London, Syria, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Bakhmut, Ukraine, Niger, Burkina Faso, Moscow, Togo

☆ Melinda French Gates weighs in on the generosity of billionaires like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel: 'I would not call those men philanthropists'
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewMelinda French Gates says the new generation of billionaires, like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, these days primarily use their "megaphones" instead of their bank accounts to effect change. "Well, the people you just named have not been very philanthropic yet," French Gates replied. French Gates has since endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the likely Democratic nominee after Biden left the race earlier this month. In her endorsement of Harris, French Gates emphasized the need for a leader who will advocate for abortion rights. Asked to elaborate, French Gates said she thinks tech CEOs frequently give advice on things with which they are not experts.

Persons: —, Melinda French Gates, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Gates, Jack Dorsey, Bill Ackman, Bill Gates, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Biden, Harris, Roe, Wade Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Tesla, Twitter, PayPal, Business, Gates Foundation, Democratic, Times Locations: United States

☆ The Illicit Flow of Technology to Russia Goes Through This Hong Kong Address
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Aaron Krolik | Paul Mozur | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

From a nondescript seventh-floor office at 135 Bonham Strand near Hong Kong’s financial district, at least four companies are operating with a shadowy mission: facilitating the illicit trade of Western technology to Russia. Shell companies at that address have acquired millions of restricted chips and sensors for military technology companies in Russia, many of which have been placed under sanctions by the U.S. government, according to an examination by The New York Times. The companies have names like Olax Finance and Rikkon Holding. Their office, with a faded 704 number on the door, appears unoccupied. An ad for air-conditioning hung in the crack of the door.

Organizations: Shell, U.S ., New York Times, Olax Finance, Rikkon Locations: Hong, Russia

☆ What the West's foes may be learning from the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementShe explained that from a tactical perspective, Ukraine and Russia are learning much about each other, and in response, the cycles of adaptation and countermeasures are rapidly compressing. "Russia's allies and their partners are learning from them, and this is now a currency that Russia has to give to Iran, China, North Korea — that learning of our equipment." Iran and North Korea have collectively outfitted Russia with a bunch of lethal aid, including missiles, rockets, artillery shells, and drones. Photo by ANONYMOUS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty ImagesChina's support for Russia as it wages war in Ukraine has been more discreet. Experts and officials have also said that North Korea is likely learning about how its weapons perform in actual combat conditions.

Persons: —, Dara Massicot, Massicot, Baiba Braže, Alina Smutko, Tehran's, Abrams, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, It's, Luke Coffey, Iran's Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Carnegie Endowment, International, Latvia's, Mechanized Brigade, REUTERS, Getty, CNN, Russian, Army Tactical Missile, West, Ukraine —, Hudson Institute, North, General Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Institute for, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Washington, Iran, China, North Korea, Moscow, Iranian, Kermanshah, Beijing, Tehran, Pyongyang, AFP, Israel, Korea, Ukrainian, X

Four years ago, Jack Ma was the embodiment of China’s spectacular economic rise. Already the country’s wealthiest and most famous businessman, he was poised to become one of the richest in the world. The expected initial public offering of Mr. Ma’s fintech company, Ant Group, was projected to surpass the record-shattering launch of his e-commerce giant, Alibaba. At the same time, another wealthy Chinese businessman was awaiting a very different fate. Mr. Xiao had amassed a fortune manipulating markets and cultivating close ties to relatives of top Chinese officials, and he was about to be made an example.

Persons: Jack Ma, Ma’s, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Xiao Jianhua, Xiao Organizations: Ant, The New York Times Locations: China

☆ Funeral for Man Slain at Trump Rally to Be Held in Pennsylvania
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Isabelle Taft | Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mourners prepared to gather on Friday in a corner of western Pennsylvania to say their final goodbyes to Corey Comperatore, the father of two who was killed during an attempt to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump at a rally last weekend. The funeral was set to take place at 11 a.m. at the church in Cabot, Pa., where Mr. Comperatore, 50, was a longtime member. Mr. Comperatore’s life revolved around this small pocket of Pennsylvania: He grew up in Sarver and still lived there with his high school sweetheart and two daughters. He attended church in Cabot and graduated from high school in nearby Freeport. People here are not accustomed to crowds, but crowds are what they have spent the week preparing for as Mr. Comperatore has been thrust into the national spotlight.

Persons: Corey Comperatore, Donald J, Trump, Comperatore Organizations: Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company Locations: Pennsylvania, Cabot, Pa, Florida, Texas, Buffalo, Sarver, Freeport, People

☆ Political assassinations are on the rise. It's a symptom of growing global instability.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementA wave of violence against political leadersAround the world, politics has been rocked by a wave of assassinations of political leaders, dissidents, and other high-profile figures. In the UK, political assassinations were once rare, but two members of parliament were assassinated in five years. Political violence is on the riseA 2018 protest in Turkey against the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident. Bruce Hoffman, an expert on terrorism at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Business Insider that rising political violence is the outcome of increasing global instability. - Getty ImagesAnother factor behind the spike in assassinations is the increasing instability of the global political order.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, It's, Jo Cox, Sir David Amess, Robert Fico, Alexander Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Shinzo Abe, Fernando Villavicencio, Zoran Djindjic, Jamal Khashoggi, Mohammed bin Salman, Emrah, Bruce Hoffman, Hoffman, Trump, Joe Biden, General Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, Gretchen Whitmer, Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi, who'd, Tommy Mair, John Bolton, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Nicholas Maduro, Abe, Jacob Ware Organizations: Service, CNN, Business, Slovakian, Kremlin, Serbian, CIA, University of Maryland's, Council, Foreign Relations, Trump, New York Times Locations: Pennsylvania, Saudi Arabian, Saudi, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Michigan, Washington , DC, Slovakia, India, Iran

CNN —Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen was sentenced to eight years in prison by a Moscow court Monday for criticizing the Russian military, becoming the latest target of a crackdown on critics of the Kremlin. Gessen was convicted in absentia on charges of disseminating “false information” about the Russian armed forces, according to the Moscow court statement. My statements are based on data collected during my journalistic work,” Gessen said, highlighting a series of interviews they conducted in Bucha, Irpin, Kyiv, and Kryvyi Rih in 2022, as well as their previous journalistic work in Chechnya. While the Russian military has conducted its invasion, the Kremlin has sought to stifle criticism of its strategy at home. “I am outside the Russian Federation, so the so-called court can ‘consider’ my case, ‘arrest,’ and ‘sentence’ me only in absentia.

Persons: Masha Gessen, Gessen, ” Gessen, Vladimir Putin’s, “, Yuri, Kryvyi, ”, Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, The New York Times, Facebook, YouTube, “, Russian Armed Forces, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian Federation, Wall Street, CIA, WSJ, US State Department Locations: American, Moscow, Russian, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Bucha, Irpin, Kyiv, Chechnya, Sverdlovsk, Yekaterinburg

☆ The West finally allowed Ukraine to strike back at Russia — and it seems to be working
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The newly granted permission by the United States and other allies to use Western weapons to strike inside Russia has had a huge impact, Bankir said. While Kyiv hasn’t managed to reclaim large swathes of territory, it has successfully averted what could have been a disaster: The occupation of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city. “(Russia) knew that Ukraine did not have the capacity to strike these targets on the Russian territory,” Melnyk said. While Ukraine was previously able to strike targets inside Russia using Ukraine-made drones, ATACMS make these strikes far more efficient. However, Ukraine can still use the F-16 to deny Russia control over the skies – and push away Russian aircraft delivering bombs.

Persons: CNN — Bankir, Bankir, “, ” Ivan, Kyiv hasn’t, Valentyn Ogirenko, Oleksiy Melnyk, ”, ” Melnyk, wasn’t, Melnyk, Konrad Muzyka, Rochan, –, Muzyka, it’s, ” Muzyka, Ukraine’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump, Maria Kostenko, Daria Tarasova, Markina Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Security, Artillery, 148th, Kyiv, 148th Separate Artillery Brigade, Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, United Nations, Human Rights, Razumkov, Rochan Consulting, People, Reuters, US, NATO Locations: United States, Russia, Russian, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Izium, Balakliia, Moscow, Kharkiv –, Ukrainian, “, Belgorod, Voronezh, Krasnodar, Bryansk, Crimea, Washington , DC, –

Villagers watch the sunset over a small lagoon near the village of Tangintebu on South Tarawa in the central Pacific island nation of Kiribati May 25, 2013. CHINESE INTEREST AS WESTERN BANKS EXIT"The proposed World Bank project is a creative way of addressing the challenge of de-risking and small scale in Pacific Island countries," said Lalita Moorty, the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific director for prosperity. Without access to overseas banks, Pacific countries would struggle to receive remittances - a key component of their economies - welcome holidaymakers or trade with the wider world. "It can create instability for the financial system," said Denton Rarawa, senior economics adviser at the Pacific Islands Forum. "What we're saying is that if you're not going to address concerns and issues we have, Pacific countries will start looking elsewhere for support."

Persons: David Gray, Solomon, Lalita Moorty, Denton Rarawa, Mark Brown, Janet Yellen, Ariff Ali, Lewis Jackson, Lucy Craymer, Ziyi Tang, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Villagers, WELLINGTON, Bank, U.S, Pacific Islands, World Bank, Pacific, ANZ Bank, Westpac, Bendigo Bank, Bank of China, Reuters, Cook, U.S . Treasury, Federal Reserve, Reserve Bank of Fiji, Thomson Locations: Tangintebu, South, Pacific, Kiribati, SYDNEY, Australia, China, Washington, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Beijing, U.S, East Asia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Brisbane, Pacific Islands, Sydney, Wellington

☆ Russia's showing NATO its hand in the air war over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

Experts told Business Insider the Ukraine war has underscored how some elements of modern air combat are radically changing. And in fights like Desert Storm and the Iraq War, the West established air superiority by taking out its opponent's air defenses. The Russian air force can't meet Western air forces air to air in a major attack without being "shot to pieces," Bronk said. "Nobody really wants an air war with Russia," said John Baum, a Mitchell Institute expert and retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel. "It is not a highly desirable thing, I think, from either side, to want to have this air war."

Persons: It's, Justin Bronk, hasn't, DIMITAR DILKOFF, Bronk, Andrew Curtis, Mark Cancian, Guy Snodgrass, Hoshang, Giorgio Di Mizio, David Allvin, it's, James Hecker, NATO hadn't, " Hecker, that's, Maxim Shemetov, Fabian Hinz, Riivo Valge, Mattias Eken, They're, Paula Bronstein, Anthony Sweeney, US Army Cancian, REUTERS Lockheed Martin, Timothy Wright, disaggregation, Schmuelgen Jarmo Lindberg, Evelyn Hockstein Valge, John Baum Organizations: Kyiv, NATO, Business, Royal United Services Institute, Western, Getty, US Air Force, Storm, Marine, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Russian Defense Ministry Press, AP Russia, AP, Hudson Institute nonresident, International Institute for Strategic Studies, REUTERS, RAND Corp, Patriots, US Army, West, Patriot, Ukraine, REUTERS Lockheed, Finnish Defense Forces, Eurofighter Typhoons, Mitchell Institute Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, AFP, Iraq, Europe, West, Afghanistan, Baltic, Western Europe, Estonian, Finnish, Finland, Washington

☆ What NATO’s Warning to China About Russia Means
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

China’s tight bond with Russia is facing renewed condemnation from Washington and its allies after NATO issued its strongest accusation yet that Chinese technology is sustaining Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Leaders from the NATO alliance, meeting in Washington, declared that Beijing “cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history” without facing repercussions. Despite a widening web of Western bans and restrictions, Chinese semiconductors, machine tools and other parts have become vital to Russia’s arms industries, helping Moscow to keep up its grinding war, say American and European officials, intelligence agencies and security experts.

Organizations: NATO Locations: Russia, Washington, Ukraine, Beijing, Europe, Moscow

☆ NATO is taking greater control of Western efforts to back Ukraine's fight as US politics raise questions about its reliability
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewNATO is moving forward with a new initiative that will see it take greater control over Western efforts to arm and train Ukraine's military. The move comes as the alliance aims to solidify the long-term support for Kyiv as it battles the Russian invasion. Growing concern about the potential change in US leadership has hung over the highly consequential NATO summit in Washington this week. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Joe Biden at the 2024 NATO summit. "There are 32 countries in the alliance," the NATO official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Thursday.

Persons: —, Donald Trump —, Donald Trump, NICHOLAS KAMM, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, Susan Walsh, Trump, Ivo Daalder, Laurynas Organizations: Service, Kyiv, NATO, Ukraine —, Business, Wednesday, Assistance, Training, White, Getty, Ukraine Defense Contact, AP, Ukraine, Russian, Trump, Wall Street, Kiel Institute, Politico, Republican, Democratic Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Washington, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Kyiv, Russia, Europe, NATO

☆ As NATO Convenes, Leaders Worry About a Hole in Its Center
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( David E. Sanger | Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When President Biden and his aides planned the 75th anniversary of NATO, which opens on Tuesday evening in Washington, it was intended to create an aura of confidence. But as 38 world leaders began arriving here on Monday, that confidence seems at risk. Even before the summit formally begins, it has been overshadowed by the uncertainty about whether Mr. Biden will remain in the race for a second term, and the looming possibility of the return of former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump once declared NATO “obsolete,” threatened to exit the alliance and more recently said he would let the Russians do “whatever the hell they want” to any member country he deemed to be insufficiently contributing to the alliance. In recent days, as Mr. Trump has edged up in post-debate polls, key European allies have begun discussing what a second Trump term might mean for the alliance — and whether it could take on Russia without American arms, money and intelligence-gathering at its center.

Persons: Biden, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Donald J, Trump Organizations: NATO, Trump Locations: Washington, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Russia looks to have changed tactics in the missile strikes that wrecked a children's hospital, leaving Ukraine's air defenders with almost no time to respond
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussia seems to have changed tactics in a Monday missile strike that struck targets across Ukraine, including a children's hospital, to "maximize damage," war analysts said. Rescuers are working at Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital that is strongly damaged during a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 08, 2024. He said that out of the 44 Russian missiles launched, Ukraine was able to shoot down 33. Rescuers are continuing to work at the Okhmatdyt children's hospital. AdvertisementRussia's missiles struck targets in several cities, including the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv, on Monday, killing at least 39 people, per the latest figures.

Persons: —, Yuriy Ihnat, Ihnat, Maxym, ISW Organizations: Service, Monday missile, Ukrainian Air Force, Facebook, Business, Ohmatdyt, Ukraine, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Kyiv, Washington, Ukrainian

☆ France's Macron wanted to leave his mark on Europe — he may have just ruined his legacy
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

He's credited with creating the European Political Community, bringing leaders from across 50 states in the region to discuss shared challenges and to coordinate joint responses. For now, Macron has rejected his current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's resignation and on Monday asked him to stay in the post "to ensure the country's stability." Subran stressed that it was vital that Macron was aligned with the future prime minister. It hasn't paid off, and France's uncertain political outlook will likely perturb France's European partners, one French political scientist told CNBC. French President Emmanuel Macron reviews troops that will take part in the Bastille Day parade, July 2, 2024 in Paris, France.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Sebastien Salom, Emmanuel Macron's, Macron, —, Tina Fordham, it'll, Fordham, Francois Hollande, Angela Merkel, He's, Germany —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Hollande, Gabriel Attal's, Ludovic Subran, Subran, Donald, Trump, — we're, CNBC's Charlotte Reed, it's, Macron's, hasn't, Philippe Marlière, France isn't, Aurelien Organizations: Afp, Getty Images, Fordham Global Foresight, CNBC, NATO, European Union, Socialist, Political, Russia, Ukrainian, Reuters, NFP, Monday, Allianz, U.S, Republican, NurPhoto, EU, University College London Locations: gomis, Europe, France, Washington, Ukraine, Germany, Kyiv, Paris, China, Brussels, Strasbourg, Russia

☆ New Plan to Target Russia’s Oil Revenue Brings Debate in White House
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Jim Tankersley | Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Officials in President Biden’s Treasury Department have proposed new actions aimed at crippling a fleet of aging oil tankers that are helping deliver Russian oil to buyers around the world in defiance of Western sanctions. Their effort is aimed at punishing Russia but it has stalled amid White House concerns over how it would affect energy prices ahead of the November election. In an attempt to drain Russia of money needed to continue fighting its war in Ukraine, the United States and its allies have imposed penalties and taken other novel steps to limit how much Moscow earns from selling oil abroad. But Russia has increasingly found ways around those limits, raising pressure on the Biden administration to tighten its enforcement efforts. Treasury officials want to do that, in part, by targeting a so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers that is allowing Russia to sell oil above a $60-per-barrel price cap that the United States and its allies imposed in 2022.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Biden’s Treasury Department, Treasury Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Moscow

☆ Much of Western U.S. Is Broiling Under Record-Breaking Heat
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Jack Healy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Millions of people across the Western United States were broiling under record-breaking heat on Saturday, with little relief in sight over the coming days, according to forecasters. From Oregon to California to the deserts of Arizona, several cities have seen stifling temperatures in recent days. In Portland, Ore., temperatures were forecast to hover around 100 degrees for five straight days starting Friday, conditions that once would have been considered unusual for a region where summers were so mild that people rarely needed air-conditioners. The sweltering temperatures prompted Gov. Tina Kotek to declare a statewide heat emergency, warning that the extreme heat represented a “new normal” of a changing climate.

Persons: Jacob Asherman, Tina Kotek Organizations: Western, Prediction, Gov Locations: Western United States, Oregon, California, Arizona, Las Vegas, Portland

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