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☆ Russia is relocating Ukrainian children to Belarus where they are subjected to military training and reeducation, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Sebastian Cahill | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In Belarus, some children have been re-educated by nationalists and given military training. AdvertisementA recent report from Yale University sheds new light on the plight of Ukrainian children who have been deported by Russia, many of whom the report says are being subjected to military training and reeducation. Belarusian troops have subjected Ukrainian children to military training that includes handling firearms, wearing body armor, and watching military parades, lectures, and combat demonstrations, according to the report. The total number of deported Ukrainian children is unknown. Some Ukrainian children say they have been put in Russian foster and adoptive families while others are being repatriated to the country.

Persons: —, Russia's, Maria Lvova, Belova, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Yale University, Yale School of Public, Research, Yale, Internal Troops, CNN, Criminal Court, International Locations: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine

☆ A 17-year-old Ukrainian stuck in Russia received call-up papers to fight in the Russian army, his lawyer said
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

His status in Russia surged to the fore after his lawyer said he was told to join the Russian army. AdvertisementA 17-year-old Ukrainian who was taken from Ukraine to Russia during the war received a call-up to enlist in the Kremlin's forces, the BBC reported. AdvertisementAs he was living in Russia, Yermokhin was issued a call-up order to report on December 13 for a military draft in Moscow, Bobrovska told Ukrainian media on November 7. The announcement comes after Russia said Yermokhin wanted to stay in Russia, a claim Bobrovska has repeatedly denied. But Bobrovska told Ukrainian media that Yermokhin said he was intimidated into signing the statement.

Persons: Bohdan Yermokhin, Yermokhin, —, Kateryna, Bobrovska, Irina Rudnitskaya, Rudnitskaya, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Yermokhin's, — Bobrovska, Maria Lvova, Dmytro Lubinets, Lubinets, Belova, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, BBC, Russian, Children's, Human Rights, Associated Press, United Nations Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Mariupol, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow, Belarus

☆ Thousands of Ukrainian children taken to Belarus -Yale research
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Anthony Deutsch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

More than 2,000 children Yale identified were transported to the Dubrava children's centre in Belarus' Minsk region between September 2022 and May 2023, it said, while 392 children were taken to 12 other facilities. "Russia's federal government and Belarus' regime have been working together to coordinate and fund the movement of children from Russia-occupied Ukraine through Russia to Belarus." Transports to Belarus through Russia were "ultimately coordinated" between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, it added. Lukashenko approved the use of state organizations to transport children from Ukraine to Belarus and finance their transportation, the Yale report said. Once in Belarus, children have been subjected to military training and re-education, it said.

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Pavel Bednyakov, Vladimir Putin, Russia's Putin, Maria Lvova, Lukashenko, David Ljunggren, Mike Collett, White, Alexandra Hudson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Commonwealth of Independent States, CIS, Sputnik, Rights, Yale University, Humanitarian, Yale School of Public Health, State Department, Reuters, U.S . State Department, Ukraine, Yale, Transports, Criminal, Thomson Locations: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Russian, United States, Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Minsk, The Hague

☆ Ukraine sinks two Russian landing boats in Crimea -military
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KYIV, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Ukrainian naval drones sank two small Russian landing boats in Crimea, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said on Friday, while troops braced for further Russian assaults in the east, particularly the shattered town of Avdiivka. An initial report from Ukraine's military intelligence said the two small, amphibious Russian ships had been hit overnight. A Friday evening update said the attack had been carried out by naval drones. The Ukrainian military said the vessels were crewed, and loaded with armoured vehicles. Russia's Defence Minister said early on Saturday its anti-aircraft units had downed Ukrainian drones over Moscow Region and near Smolensk, near the border with Belarus.

Persons: Serna, Andriy Ryzhenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Barabash, Serhiy Zgurets, Bakhmut, Baza, Pavel Polityuk, Ron Popeski, Grant McCool Organizations: Reuters, Russia, Radio NV, Suspilne, Espreso, Russia's, Ministry of Defence, Thomson Locations: Crimea, Avdiivka, Russia, Ukraine, Crimean, Sevastopol, Vuzka, AVDIIVKA, Bakhmut, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow Region, Smolensk, Belarus, Kolomna, Moscow, Kotovsk

☆ Billionaire FBI informant Peter Thiel dished about two Kremlin invites to private Putin meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Hans-Martin Tillack | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

It was Angermayer who introduced Bisslinger to Thiel at the party, Thiel would later tell the FBI. After some small talk, Bisslinger made a pitch to Thiel: Thiel should travel to Russia to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. If Thiel chose to attend, Bisslinger said, Bisslinger would arrange for him to meet privately with Putin. "Even if Mr. Angermayer did introduce Mr. Thiel and Mr. Bisslinger," the lawyers wrote in another letter, "Mr. Angermayer is not—and cannot be—responsible for whatever Mr. Bisslinger and Mr. Thiel may or may not have discussed." At his 40th birthday, he connected Peter Thiel with a Russian diplomat, Thiel later told the FBI.

Persons: Peter Thiel, Christian Angermayer, Thiel, Daniil Bisslinger, Bisslinger, Vladimir Putin's, Angermayer, Putin, Maksim Konstantinov, —, Frank Figliuzzi, Vladimir Putin, — Charles Johnson —, Johnathan Buma, Johnson, Welt, Dmitry Peskov, John Lamparski, Donald Trump, — Thiel, Der Spiegel, he'd, Elon Musk, Musk, Thiel —, he's, Palantir, He's, Uma Thurman, Robbie Williams, Queen Latifah, Paul Kagame, Dan McCrum, John Kerry, Richard Grenell, Kerry, Sensei Biotherapeutics, Trump, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Maureen Dowd, Alexander Schütz, Eva Schütz, Schütz, — Heinz, Christian Strache, Markus Braun, Jan Marsalek, Marsalek, Caroline Haskins, Katherine Long, Jack Newsham, Mattathias Schwartz, Hans, Martin Tillack Organizations: Kremlin, Tech, Pentagon, CIA, Facebook, SpaceX, Kremlin's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Embassy, Thiel, St ., Economic, Getty, FBI, Atlantic, Bisslinger, Germany, Elon, Russia, NSA, US Special Operations Command, National Health Service, Apeiron Investment, Munich Security, intel, Trump, State Department, Angermayer's, PayPal, Nasdaq, Sciences, The New York Times, Deutsche Bank, Welt Locations: Silicon Valley, Schloss Neuwaldegg, Vienna, Silicon, Moscow, Russian, Berlin, Russia, St, St . Petersburg, Petersburg, Ukraine, Europe, Germany, NATO, Crimea, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Palantir, Washington, Rwanda, Baltic, Belarus, Iran, Angermayer's Malta, Munich, China, China's, Austrian, Austria, Exxpress, Wirecard, schwartz79@protonmail.com

☆ As the West courts Russia's neighbors, Putin shows he won't give up its backyard without a fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Eurasian Economic Summit on Nov. 9, 2022, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a joint news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Feb. 10, 2022. "Central Asia obviously has to keep a fine balance and tread that line," Hess said. Analysts note that while an economically isolated Russia wants and needs to keep Central Asia on side, it is gradually losing its grip on the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrive for a working breakfast of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2023.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Keen, Emmanuel Macron, Putin, Ilham Aliyev, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Emomali Rahmon, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Lavrov, —, it's, Max Hess, Hess, Kassym, Mikhail Klimentyev, Xi Jinping, Florence Lo, they've, Temur Umarov, Tokayev, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Vladimir Smirnov Organizations: Economic, Getty, Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Russian, Central Asia —, Central Asian, Kazakh, CIS, West, Georgia, Foreign Policy Research Institute, CNBC, Kremlin, Reuters Central, Central, Central Asia Summit, Afp, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Commonwealth of Independent, Sputnik Locations: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, Moscow, Russian, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakh, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China, Soviet, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Baltic States, Soviet Union, Moldova, Ukraine, U.S, Afghanistan, Asia, Xian, Shaanxi

☆ Private jets of Russian oligarchs keep flying but not to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Gleb Stolyarov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

A view shows the Boeing 737-700 BBJ (plane number RA-73890) private aircraft on the tarmac of the Pulkovo International Airport in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 14, 2023. The Boeing linked to Yevtushenkov was among at least 50 private jets re-registered under the Russian flag since the February 2022 invasion, according to previously unreported national aircraft registry data up to early August reviewed by Reuters. Several of the repatriated private jets were associated with prominent politicians and business figures, according to two senior Russian aviation industry sources, who were not authorised to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. Because of sanctions, Russian planes are prohibited from entering the 27-country European Union, where Russia's oligarchs previously flew frequently for business and leisure and where many private jets linked to them were registered before the war, tail numbers show. VEB, Uralkali and Mazepin did not respond to requests for comment on the registration of the jets in Russia.

Persons: Luba, Vladimir Yevtushenkov, Yevtushenkov, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Mazepin, Putin, Igor Shuvalov, Mazepin, Gleb Stolyarov, Mike Collett, White, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Boeing, Pulkovo, REUTERS, Soviet, Reuters, Sistema, Ministry, Transport, JETS, Russian, Union, Bombardier Challenger, Uralkali, Bombardier, VEB.RF, VEB, EU, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Riviera, Belarus, oligarch, Ukraine, Turkey, Dubai, China, Russian, Maldives, Seychelles, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Yevtushenkov, United Kingdom, Aruba, of, Uralkali, UAE, Prague, Bishkek, States, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Latvia, Britain, Oman, Soviet

☆ Russia is trying to buy back weapons it sold other countries because it needs them in Ukraine: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is secretly trying buy back military tech that it sold other countries, the WSJ reported. The report comes as Russia ramps up domestic military production for its war in Ukraine. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia has approached several countries asking to buy back weapons it sold them, hoping to deploy them in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported. Russia also asked for four engines it sold to Pakistan, six from Belarus, and 12 from Brazil, the outlet reported. While Pakistan denied being approached, two unnamed sources told the outlet that Belarus — a strong ally of Russia — had agreed.

Persons: —, Russia —, Chris Murphy, Vladimir Putin ramped, Katherine Tangalakis Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Russian Ministry of Defense, US, Egypt Independent, Washington Post, Senate Foreign Relations Locations: Russia, Egypt, Ukraine, Belarus, Brazil, Pakistan, North Korea, Syria, Estonia

☆ Russia Turns to Longtime Arms Customers to Boost War Arsenal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Thomas Grove | Summer Said | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russia has sought to retrieve parts from defense systems it had exported to countries such as Pakistan, Egypt, Belarus and Brazil, as it tries to replenish the enormous stocks of weapons being expended for the war in Ukraine. Last April, a delegation of Russian officials visiting Cairo asked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to give back more than a hundred engines from Russian helicopters that Moscow needed for Ukraine, three people with knowledge of the incident said. Sisi agreed and deliveries of about 150 engines are likely to start next month, say the people.

Persons: Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, Sisi Locations: Russia, Pakistan, Egypt, Belarus, Brazil, Ukraine, Cairo, Moscow

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia claims Kyiv attacked 3 nuclear power plants; Putin says post-Soviet space is being weakened
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN - OCTOBER 13 Russian President Vladimir Putin speeches during his press conference at the Commonwealth of Independent States's Head of States Meeting at the Ala-Archa State Residence, October 13,2023, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that a number of countries are acting in a way that is "directly aimed" at weakening power the post-Soviet space. Russia called on the CIS, a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia, to beef up collective security. Putin said Russia and its neighbors faced common threats of terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking and illegal migration, as well as radicalism and extremism. The CIS includes Russia and former Soviet republics including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, formely Pishpek, Putin, Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Commonwealth, Independent, Indendent, CIS, Commonwealth of Independent States, RIA Novosti, EU, Georgia Locations: BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, formely, Frunze, Central Asia, Commonwealth, Russian, Moscow, Russia, Eurasia, Soviet, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Baltic, Moldova, Ukraine

☆ Putin looks set to run for president in 2024 — and there's no one who can oppose him right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the concert marking the City Day on September 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images) Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly decided to run in the March 2024 presidential election and he's likely to win another six-year term in office, essentially because there's no one that can oppose him. Analysts say that the bitter truth in modern Russia is that there is no one who can oppose Putin, for now. In this pool image distributed by Sputnik agency, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the regional head of Inigushetia in Moscow's Kremlin, on August 15, 2023. MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the concert marking the City Day on September 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sobyanin, he's, —, Vladimir Milov, Alexander Kazakov, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Alexei Navalny, Yulia Morozova, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Sergei Medvedev, Mikhail Svetlov, Medvedev, deigning, Prigozhin's Wagner, Wagner, Kirill Shamiev, Milov Organizations: Moscow's, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, CNBC, Sputnik, AFP, Kremlin's, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Russia, IK, Wagner Group, Analysts, Saint Petersburg, Economic, Prigozhin's Wagner Group, Anadolu Agency, European Council, Foreign Relations, Putin Locations: MOSCOW, RUSSIA, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Moscow's Kremlin, Ukraine, Vladimir, Iran, North Korea, SAINT PETERSBURG, Concord, Saint Petersburg, Belarus, Prigozhin, Russia's, Tver

☆ Swiatek swats aside rival Sabalenka to reach WTA Finals title match
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tennis - WTA Finals - Cancun, Mexico - November 5, 2023 Poland's Iga Swiatek in action during her semi final match against Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka REUTERS/Henry Romero Acquire Licensing RightsNov 5 (Reuters) - Poland's Iga Swiatek knocked out rival Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 6-2 in the semi-final of the season-ending WTA Finals in Cancun on Sunday, putting the world number one ranking within her reach ahead of Monday's title match. The current number one Sabalenka ended Swiatek's WTA Finals campaign in the penultimate stage a year ago but lacked her usual lethal power in Cancun, as a flurry of forehand errors undermined her best efforts. The four-time major winner Swiatek wrested the momentum immediately when play resumed on Sunday, and broke Sabalenka's serve in the fourth game. The 22-year-old pumped her fists and cheered wildly as the Australian Open champion Sabalenka sent one into the net on match point. She faces a tough challenge against an in-form Pegula, who shredded the U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff 6-2 6-1 to reach the title match on Saturday.

Persons: Iga, Aryna Sabalenka, Henry Romero, Iga Swiatek, Aryna, Jessica Pegula, Swiatek, Sabalenka's, Sabalenka, I'm, Coco Gauff, Jessie, Amy Tennery, Pearl Josephine Nazare, Shri Navaratnam, Josie Kao, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Belarus, Aryna Sabalenka REUTERS, WTA, China, Swiatek, Montreal, Thomson Locations: Cancun, Mexico, U.S, Pegula, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Trump waited until after he left office to disclose trademarks he owns in China and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Donald Trump disclosed that he owns hundreds of foreign trademarks in his ethics filings this year. Trump owns 114 trademarks in China — more than any other country by far, including the US. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)The final form Trump submitted during his presidency, dated January 15, 2021, disclosed Trump's financial interests in numerous overseas companies. The only indication of trademark holdings noted is his ownership of a company called "CHINA TRADEMARK LLC." AdvertisementAdvertisementIn his following OGE Form 278e form, filed on April 2023, as a presidential candidate, Trump disclosed a long list of foreign trademarks.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, —, Donald, Forbes, Alex Brandon, Joe Biden, Richard Painter, George W, Bush, Painter, who's, Joe Raedle, Ivanka Trump Organizations: Service, Hartsfield, Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Trump, Drinks Israel, United Arab Emirates, LLCs, The New York Times, Trump Tower, Times, Associated Press, Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Locations: China, Russia, Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, Belarus, United States, CHINA, United Kingdom, Ukraine, El Salvador, Mexico, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Albania, sweeten, Saudi

☆ Russia fumes at the West's charm offensive in its backyard, saying it's 'luring' its friends away
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

One top official in Moscow was fuming as he claimed the West was "luring" its "neighbours, friends, and allies" away from Russia. Moscow's disdainThe French leader's comments are likely to have enraged Moscow, which is already watching Western efforts to court Central Asia with suspicion and disdain. "Look at how Western powers are wooing Central Asia," Lavrov told the BelTA news agency, in comments published by Russia's Foreign Ministry. "They have created numerous formats such as 'Central Asia plus' involving the United States, the EU, and Japan ... On top of the Central Asia plus EU format, the Germans have created their own format. China's roleThere's certainly a tussle for influence that's taking place in Central Asia, with China also "courting" the region to a certain extent.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Kassym, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Ilham Aliyev, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Emomali Rahmon, Alexander Lukashenko, Mark Galeotti, Galeotti, we've, Ed Jones, There's, Joe Biden, Jim Watson, Alexander Titov, Russia's, Xi Jinping, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov Organizations: Getty, Ukraine, Kazakh, CNBC, Russian, Central, Russia's Foreign Ministry, EU, Commonwealth of Independent States, Central Asia's, West, General, Afp, Georgia —, Queen's University of Belfast, U.S, Analysts, of, Forum, International Cooperation, Xinhua News Agency Locations: 13,2023, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Moscow, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Soviet, Astana, France, Uzbekistan, United States, Japan, Turkmenistan, Russian, London, Europe, China, Central, Ukraine, Central Asian, Tajikistan, New York City, Belarus, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, North Korea, Nicaragua, Syria, South Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova, Afghanistan, Beijing, People's, of Turkmenistan

☆ Opinion | Seeing the Big Picture in Two Big Wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Step back far enough, and you can see exactly what is driving so much geopolitics today: Ukraine is trying to join the West. Or they would have agreed to Lend-Lease assistance for the allies only if President Franklin Roosevelt would eliminate the I.R.S. That’s why today America must help Israel and Ukraine to blunt the Russia-Iran axis in their theaters. But the morning after their wars, Israel and Ukraine are going to have to face some very hard choices. Because while we may write big checks to both today, they will not be blank checks.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Biden, Johnson, Franklin Roosevelt, G.O.P, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Leon Aron, Vladimir Putin’s, “, ”, gunning, ” Aron, Israel, Donald Trump, —, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Internal Revenue, Lease, Fox News, NATO, European, Palestinian Authority, “, West Bank, Hamas, Putin, Iran’s, U.S, Patriot, Republicans, Palestinian, European Union Locations: Ukraine, West, Israel, Russia, Iran, cheaters, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Tehran, Moscow, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Belarus, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Gaza, It’s, Kyiv, Gaza City, U.S, Ramallah, America

☆ Jessica Pegula: US star defeats world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach semifinals of WTA Finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jessica Pegula defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets to advance past the group stage and reach the semifinals of the WTA Finals. Rybakina defeated Maria Sakkari 6-0 6-7 7-6 in Tuesday’s other match, meaning the Greek player has been eliminated after losing her second straight match. Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays American Jessica Pegula of United States during day 3 of the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. It is only the fourth time since 2000 that a player on the WTA Tour has recorded three wins over world No.

Persons: Jessica Pegula, Sabalenka, Pegula, Elena Rybakina, Rybakina, Maria Sakkari, “, ”, I’ve, Aryna, Clive Brunskill, Sakkari Organizations: CNN, WTA Locations: Cancun , Mexico, Kazakh, Belarus, United States

☆ Nutrien misses quarterly profit estimates as potash prices plummet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 1 (Reuters) - Nutrien (NTR.TO) fell short of analysts' estimates for third-quarter profit on Wednesday, as lower potash prices weighed on the world's biggest fertilizer producer. Potash prices have been falling after shipments from Belarus and Russia resumed. Demand for fertilizers was also weak during much of the year, analysts have said, as farmers waited for prices to settle down. Potash prices averaged $250 per tonne during the reported quarter, the company said, compared with $633 per tonne a year earlier. Nutrien said potash sales volumes, however, climbed 23% on strong sales in North America.

Persons: Steve Byrne, Nutrien, Sourasis Bose, Sriraj Organizations: BofA Global, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, North America, Borger, Bengaluru

☆ Democracy Under Threat Around the World -Intergovernmental Watchdog
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Half of the world's countries are suffering democratic decline, ranging from flawed elections to curtailed rights including freedoms of expression and assembly, an intergovernmental watchdog group said on Thursday. "In short, democracy is still in trouble, stagnant at best, and declining in many places," IDEA Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora said in the report. IDEA bases its Global State of Democracy Indices on more than 100 variables and is using four main categories - Representation, Rights, Rule of Law and Participation - to categorise performance. It also said Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia and Turkey had drifted away from the rest of Europe, performing well below the European average across most indicators of democracy. However, the think-tank said there were some green shoots, with surprisingly high rates of political participation and decreasing levels of corruption, especially in Africa.

Persons: Kevin Casas, Zamora, Johan Ahlander, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Institute for Democracy, Electoral, IDEA, Global State, Democracy, Law Locations: STOCKHOLM, Stockholm, Ukraine, Europe, Austria, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Turkey, Americas, El Salvador, Guatemala, Africa

☆ China and Russia take aim at US at Chinese military forum
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Chinese and Russian military chiefs targeted the United States for criticism at a security forum in Beijing on Monday, even as China's second-most-senior military commander vowed to boost defence ties with Washington. Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu warned the West that its involvement in the Ukraine war created grave danger. China's defence minister delivered the keynote speech in previous years. China and the U.S. have had no high-level military-to-military communications since the Washington-sanctioned former Chinese defence minister, Li Shangfu, was appointed in March. It is not yet known whether the U.S. team will meet separately with Chinese military officials.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Zhang Youxia, Xi Jinping, Zhang, Li Shangfu, Li, Cynthia Xanthi, Joe Biden, Wang Yi, Biden, Yew Lun Tian, Lidia Kelly, Laurie Chen, Greg Torode, Gerry Doyle, Tom Hogue Organizations: Washington, Beijing Xiangshan, Russia's, TASS, China's, Military Commission, Communist, U.S, Reuters, Defense, U.S ., Thomson Locations: BEIJING, United States, Beijing, Ukraine, Russia, China, Taiwan, South China, Washington, U.S, Cynthia Xanthi Carras, Singapore, Laos, Mongolia, Belarus, East Timor, Myanmar, Sydney

☆ Russia to simplify inward investment for 'friendly' countries -prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin delivers a speech during a session of the Moscow Financial Forum in the city of Moscow, Russia, September 28, 2023. Sputnik/Alexander Astafyev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 30 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Monday that Russia would create a simplified procedure for citizens and companies from "friendly" countries to invest there. Mishustin said entities from a list of 25 countries would be allowed to open bank accounts in Russia and make deposits via a simplified procedure. It said the procedure would apply to 25 "friendly" countries including China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Moscow defines "unfriendly" countries as those that have joined a barrage of Western-led economic sanctions in response to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Persons: Mikhail Mishustin, Alexander Astafyev, Mishustin, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Russian, Sputnik, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine

☆ Belarus' Lukashenko says Ukraine-Russia war at stalemate, urges talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows a multi-storey residential building damaged in recent shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, October 26, 2023. "There are enough problems on both sides and in general the situation is now seriously stalemate: no one can do anything and substantively strengthen or advance their position," Lukashenko said. "We need to sit down at the negotiating table and come to an agreement," Lukashenko said in a question and answer video posted on the website of the Belarusian state news agency BelTA. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reiterated on Saturday at a gathering of over 60 national security advisers that his 10-point peace plan, which includes calls for the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, is the only way to end the war. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Lidia Kelly, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . White, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Russian, Belarus, U.S, Belarusian, Melbourne

☆ In the ultimate irony, Russia's obsession with Ukraine may have weakened its power over its other neighbors
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a press conference at the Commonwealth of Independent States' head of states meeting on Oct. 13, 2023, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. This pool photograph distributed by Russian state owned agency Sputnik shows Russia's President Vladimir Putin and his Kyrgyz counterpart Sadyr Japarov attending a welcoming ceremony prior to their talks in Bishkek on October 12, 2023. In fact, she said, Kyiv's resistance highlighted to Russia's neighbors and partners that "Russian power is a bubble with only a nuclear button in its center." Russian President Vladimir Putin enters the hall during Russian-Uzbek talks at the Grand Kremlin Palace on Oct. 6, 2023. So it's fair to say that if you do not control Ukraine, you do not control the post-Soviet space," he told CNBC.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, —, Georgia —, It's, Emmanuel Dunand, Sadyr Japarov, Sergei Karpukhin, Vladimir Putin's, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Vira Konstantinova, Vladimir Milov, Putin, Milov, Milov —, — Putin, Igor Semivolos, Ilham Aliyev Organizations: Commonwealth of Independent States, Getty, Afp, Azerbaijan, Sputnik, Kyrgyz, AFP, CNBC, Russian, West, Center for Middle East Studies, Anadolu Agency Locations: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Moscow, Soviet Union, South Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Karabakh, Lachin, Nagorno, Kyiv, Transnistria, Moldova, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, USA, Turkey, Baku

☆ North Korea is sending massive amounts of munitions to Russia and is on track to be one of its biggest weapons suppliers, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

North Korea has shipped Russia more than 1,000 containers of munitions in recent weeks, intel suggests. North Korea is now on track to become one of Russia's biggest foreign arms suppliers alongside Iran and Belarus, the UK's defense ministry said. The White House is also closely monitoring the situation and said a military alliance between Russia and North Korea could destabilize the region. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe UK's defense ministry said Thursday that North Korea has sent a huge amount of munitions to Russia recently and is on track to become one of Russia's biggest foreign arms suppliers. North Korea has sent Russia more than 1,000 containers of munitions over the last several weeks, the UK's Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence dispatch on X.

Persons: —, John Kirby, Kirby Organizations: intel, Service, UK's Ministry of Defence, White, Security, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine Locations: Korea, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Belarus, DPRK, North

☆ Partner nations on China's lunar research station programme
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Belarus this week joined China's International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) programme, the third country to sign up this month for a plan to eventually set up a permanently inhabited outpost on the moon's south pole. Earlier in October, Pakistan and Azerbaijan joined the ILRS, a project jointly initiated by China and Russia in 2021 and widely seen as a rival to the U.S.-led Artemis programme. Lunar missions this decade will establish a "basic" version of the research station, followed by more missions in the 2030s to construct a "full" version of the base. By 2050, the ILRS is expected to be a fully operational station for lunar research, and potentially also a launch pad for crewed missions to other planets in the solar system. Note: (*) denotes founding memberReporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Artemis, Ryan Woo, Emelia Sithole Organizations: China's, Research, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Belarus, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, China, Russia, U.S

Beijing CNN —China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu was fired on Tuesday two months after he disappeared from public view, becoming the second high-profile minister to lose his job recently without any official explanation. Li, who was appointed defense minister in March, has not been seen in public since late August, fueling intense speculation about his fate. Li’s ousting, ironically, has removed a major roadblock for the resumption of high-level military talks between China and the United States. The Financial Times also reported that the US government believes the defense minister has been placed under investigation, citing American officials. Li is believed to be a protege of General Zhang Youxia, Xi’s childhood friend and closest ally in the military.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Li, Xi Jinping, –, outranks, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi, Li’s, won’t, “, General Zhang Youxia, Zhang Organizations: Beijing CNN — China’s, Central Military, National People’s Congress, Foreign, Qin, Communist, of, People, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, PLA Rocket Force, Street Journal, The Financial Times, Defense Ministry, Central Military Commission, Development Department, Rocket Force, Equipment Development Department, Security Forum Locations: Beijing, China, United States, Sichuan, Africa, Russia, Belarus

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