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☆ Putin says he thought Tucker Carlson would ask tougher questions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Sarah Gray | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewRussian President Vladimir Putin told Russian state TV presenter Pavel Zarubin that he expected tougher questions from Tucker Carlson, seemingly trolling the former Fox News host. Putin, for his part, "didn't get complete satisfaction" from the interview, according to Politico EU's translation. Putin's chief complaint was that he expected more "sharp" questions from Carlson, a commentator who at Fox News previously defended Russia. Carlson was the first Western journalist to interview Putin since the invasion of Ukraine two years ago. An attorney for Carlson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Putin, didn't, Max Seddon, Boris Johnson, Mr Carlson Organizations: Service, Fox News, Politico, Financial Times, Business, The Guardian, Guardian, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine

It does not participate in NATO’s nuclear planning group. Talk of a European nuclear umbrella has come from, among others, German members of the European Parliament. But Chancellor OIaf Scholz and other top security policy officials believe there is no alternative to NATO’s nuclear umbrella. NATO’s nuclear deterrence relies in part on U.S. warheads deployed in Europe using local infrastructure. NATO conducts a major nuclear exercise every year to ensure its readiness and to act as a deterrent to any would-be aggressor, primarily Russia.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jens Stoltenberg, that’s, ”, United Kingdom –, ” Stoltenberg, “, Emmanuel Macron, OIaf Scholz, Boris Pistorius, shouldn’t, who’s, Trump, Joe Biden, Stoltenberg, ” Pistorius, Robert Habeck, ___ Moulson, Sylvie Corbet Organizations: NATO, German, Republican, Welt, Washington, Associated Locations: BRUSSELS, United States, Europe, Ukraine, U.S, Brussels, North America, France, United Kingdom, Russia, European, Berlin

☆ In Russia, Putin’s Puppets Are Coming to Life - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Mikhail Zygar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This system has existed for a long time — at least since Mr. Putin’s first re-election in 2004 — and has always worked perfectly: It maintains the facade of Russia’s imitation democracy. Mr. Putin’s puppets have begun to come to life. Mr. Kiriyenko, who was prime minister for less than a year in 1998, forswore liberal politics to become a key figure in Mr. Putin’s administration. In his role, Mr. Kiriyenko has often relied on political puppets. Friends, including me, discouraged Ms. Sobchak from taking him up on the obviously suspect offer, but she agreed.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin’s, Boris Nadezhdin, Nadezhdin’s, Sergei Kiriyenko, Kiriyenko, Ksenia Sobchak, Sobchak, Kiriyenko’s, Nadezhdin, Putin Locations: St, Petersburg, Western, Russia

☆ Russia is now in a better position for attacking elsewhere in Europe, defense official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussia seems to be in a better position to launch a future attack on a NATO member state, despite its performance in Ukraine, a European defense official told Business Insider. Russia failed to take Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, early in its invasion, despite its much larger and better-supplied military. AdvertisementGermany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said last month that Russia could attack a NATO country within the next five to eight years. And Denmark's defense minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, also warned this month that Russia could attack a member within the next five years. Urbelis said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has strengthened NATO, but urged members to ramp up their defense efforts.

Persons: —, Vaidotas Urbelis, Urbelis, Boris Pistorius, Troels Lund Poulsen, it's Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, EU Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Russian, Kyiv, Soviet Union, Europe

☆ Germany Hits 2% NATO Target for First Time Since 1992, Reports Dpa
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The German government is allocating the equivalent of $73.41 billion for defence spending in the current year, dpa reported. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had this week stated that Germany would meet the NATO target, but the government has not divulged precise figures so far. NATO defence ministers are due to meet in Brussels on Thursday. A separate meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, hosted by the United States, takes place on Wednesday. Scholz's government has spotlighted its rising defence spending at an uncertain time for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Donald Trump, Boris Pistorius, Trump, Pistorius, Trump's, Alex Ratz, Matthias Williams, Miranda Murray, Ros Russell Organizations: BERLIN, NATO, dpa, Ukraine Defence Contact, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Former, WELT, German, America Locations: Germany, Ukraine, Brussels, United States

The vast majority — nearly $40 million — went to law firms working on his personal legal problems. But significant portions of their donations went to law firms defending Trump in civil cases involving his real-estate empire and its top executives, including Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump. Only about $861,000 was spent on law firms working exclusively on political issues. Where there were gaps, we contacted law firms and individual lawyers who received money from the PACs. In 2021 and 2022 combined, Trump spent $16 million on legal fees through the Save America PAC.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, —, MAGA, Trump's, Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Stormy Daniels, Jean Carroll, Robert, Clifford S, Michael Cohen, — Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders, Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel, Frederick —, Madaio, Alina Habba, Michael Madaio, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Mary Trump, general's, Carroll, Trump —, Joe Tacopina, Chad Seigel, Christopher Kise, Jesus M, Suarez, Eli Bartov, Bryan Woolston, Silverman Thompson Slutkin, White, Evan Corcoran, Todd Blanche, Cadwalader, Taft, Blanche, Attorney Alvin Bragg's, Daniels, Susan Necheles, John Lauro, who's, Steven H, Drew Findling, Jennifer Little, Jesse R, it's, Jim, John Rowley, Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, Allen Weisselberg, Weisselberg, perjured, ArentFox Schiff, Jeff McConney, Stanley Woodward, Stanley Brand, Carlos de Oliveira, John S, Irving of, Boris Epshteyn, Kenneth Chesebro, Troutman Pepper, Ivanka, Newsmax, Harmeet, Dhillon, Bradley T, Morvillo Abramowitz, David Pecker, Elkan Abramowitz, Greenberg Traurig, Ballard Spahr, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Corey Lewandowski, Robert Mueller's, Jones, Andrew Kelly, It's, Forbes, defaming Carroll, he's Organizations: Service, Trump, Save America PAC, Make, Trump Organization, Politico, Reuters, New, Associates, Democratic National Committee, The New York Times, Times, Continental LLP, Inc, AP, Attorney, Capitol, Law, Taft, Brand Woodward Law, Irving of Earth & Water Law, Ivanka Trump, Republican National Committee, Save, MAGA, Curve Solutions, National Enquirer, Republican, MAGA PAC, Bloomberg Locations: New York, Georgia, Carroll, Manhattan, Florida, York, Washington, DC, Wickersham, Attorney Alvin Bragg's Manhattan, Fulton County , Georgia, codefendants, MAGAworld, Robert Mueller's Russia

Many worry that a second term for Trump would be an earthquake, but tremors already abound — and concerns are rising that the U.S. could grow less dependable regardless of who wins. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesBiden, in contrast, has made support for Ukraine a key priority and moral imperative. But many of America's European NATO allies are worried that with or without Trump, the U.S. is becoming less reliable. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was “currently on the phone a lot with my colleagues and asking them to do more” to support Ukraine. Dalton, a former U.K. ambassador to Iran, said prospects for the Middle East would be “slightly worse” under Trump than Biden.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron’s, Trump, Germany’s Angela Merkel, Britain’s Theresa May, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orbán “, ”, Biden, Richard Dalton, Olaf Scholz, “, Scholz, Macron, ” Macron, Boris Johnson, ” Johnson, Putin, Johnson, ” Bronwen Maddox, ” Trump, hasn't, —, Dalton, implore Biden, Itamar Ben, Israel, Turkey’s Erdogan, Sergey Lavrov, George W, Zhao Minghao, ” “, Jiwon, Kirsten Grieshaber, Dasha, Suzan Fraser, Nomaan Merchant Organizations: U.S, Trump, NATO, Congressional Republicans, Centre, Politics, University College London, Mail, Associated Press, Hamas, White, Russian, CBS, Biden, Fudan University Locations: U.S, gridlock, Congress, Ukraine, Europe, United States, British, German, Germany, ” Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Tehran, Dalton, Israel, Gaza, Turkey, Shanghai, Seoul, South Korea, Berlin, Dasha Litvinova, Tallinn, Estonia, Ankara, Washington

☆ Russia Closes Presidential Race Candidate Registration With Putin, 3 Others -TASS
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russia's registration of candidates for the March presidential election has closed, TASS reported on Sunday, with a list including President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to win, and three politicians who all support Moscow's war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has said it does not see him as a serious rival to Putin. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesNadezhdin said on Thursday he would challenge the CEC's decision in Russia's Supreme Court. The war, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation", is nearing the end of its second year. It has killed thousands on both sides, displaced millions of Ukrainians, and turned scores of cities and villages into rubble.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Boris Nadezhdin, Vladislav Davankov, Leonid Slutsky, Nikolai Kharitonov, Putin, Nadezhdin, Elaine Monaghan, Lidia Kelly, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Reuters, Commission, CEC, Russian Duma, New People, Kremlin, Liberal Democratic Party, Communist Party, United Russia, Putin Locations: Ukraine, Russian

☆ Boris Johnson calls out Tucker Carlson for 2-hour Putin interview: 'Bum-sucking servility to a tyrant'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewFormer UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called out Tucker Carlson after he went to Moscow to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin. “When Tucker Carlson went to the Kremlin, he had a function well known to history. He was to be the stooge of the tyrant, the dictaphone to the dictator and a traitor to journalism,” Johnson wrote in an op-ed for the Daily Mail on Friday. “In his fawning, guffawing, slack-jawed happiness at having a ‘scoop,’ he betrayed his viewers and listeners around the world,” Johnson wrote. Using British slang for buttocks, Johnson called the interview "bum-sucking servility to a tyrant."

Persons: —, Boris Johnson, Tucker Carlson, Vladimir Putin, “, ” Johnson, Putin, Carlson, Johnson, ”, Adolf Hitler Organizations: Service, UK, Kremlin, Daily, Business, UN Human Rights, Ukraine, GOP, Fox News Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, American, France, Western

☆ Russian forces push into Ukraine’s Avdiivka, piling pressure on new army chief
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Andrew Carey | Maria Kostenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Avdiivka, to the northwest of Donetsk city, remains the scene of some of the heaviest fighting as Russian forces continue their push from the north into the center of town. Even so, the DeepState mapping site suggests Russian forces are perhaps no more than several hundred meters away from the main supply route into town. Serhii Tsekhotskyi, an officer with the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, told Ukrainian television that Russia was deploying large numbers of troop into the battle for Avdiivka. Lying just a few kilometers north of Donetsk airport, captured by Russian forces in early 2015 after months of periodically heavy fighting, Avdiivka has been firmly in Moscow’s crosshairs ever since. East of Kupiansk and the Oskil river, along the northernmost stretch of the battle, an army spokesman told Ukrainian television on Saturday that Russian forces were pressing.

Persons: Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Serhii, “, ”, Boris Rozhin, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Moscow’s crosshairs, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Syrskyi, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Chasiv Yar Organizations: CNN, Russian, Motorized Infantry Brigade, Avdiivka, Presidential Press Service, Reuters, Land Forces, Storm Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Donetsk, Russia, Avdiivka, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Kupiansk, Bakhmut

In the past, leading opposition figures in Putin’s Russia who stood up to him and who questioned his authority have tended to be dealt with harshly. Life in Putin's Russia View All 14 ImagesThe liberal Boris Nemtsov was killed, for instance, in 2015 outside the Kremlin (supposedly by agents linked to Putin’s FSB). He needs the election to be seen as “clean” as a means of cementing his legacy as Russian state leader. As leader, Putin has regularly been recorded as enjoying popular support. While Putin does appear now to enjoy a high degree of popularity in Russia (albeit largely media-engineered), this may not last.

Persons: Rod Thornton, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Tsar Peter the Great, Nikolai Kharitonov, Putin –, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nemtsov, Alexei Navalny, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, –, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Communist, Kremlin, St, International Studies , Defense, Security, King's College Locations: Russia, Soviet, Ukraine, Putin’s Russia, Siberia, Navalny, London, Russian, Moscow, St Petersburg

☆ How the mystery of electricity helped 18-year-old Mary Shelley create 'Frankenstein'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In 1818 Mary Shelley published “Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus.”In the novel, Frankenstein brings a creature to life with a "spark of being." Both scientists influenced “Frankenstein.” Shelley incorporated some of Davy’s writings into her novel, and the 1818 and 1831 prefaces both reference Darwin. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley wrote "Frankenstein" when she was 18 years old. Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesPoet Percy Bysshe Shelley, whom Mary Shelley married the same year she started "Frankenstein," was also fascinated with science. “Could it be electricity?”The electrical experimentsIn her 1831 revised edition of "Frankenstein," Shelley removed the part about lightning and instead referenced galvanism.

Persons: Mary Shelley, “, ”, Frankenstein, Shelley, —, Lisa Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein, Shelley doesn’t, Mary Shelley’s, William Godwin, Erasmus Darwin, Charles ’, Humphry Davy, “ Frankenstein, ” Shelley, Darwin, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Erasmus Darwin’s, she’d, Byron, Boris Karloff, reenacted Benjamin Franklin ’, Franklin, Michael Faraday, Georg Ohm, Juliet Burba, he'd, Luigi Galvani, he’d, Alessandro Volta, Dominique Jean Larrey, Galvani’s, Giovanni Aldini, Aldini, Thomas Forster, Shelley’s Organizations: Service, Getty, Universal, Obscura Locations: Hulton, Lake Geneva

CNN —Anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin has been barred from standing in Russia’s presidential election next month, in a move that further clears the country’s political landscape of opponents to Vladimir Putin. According to the CEC, Nadezhdin only collected 95,587 legitimate signatures, 5,000 short of 100,000 benchmark. Nadezhdin has disputed the CEC claims regarding the signatures and said he will appeal the refusal of his registration to the Supreme Court. Boris Nadezhdin speaks to journalists following the Central Election Commission ruling. Boris Nadezhdin/TelegramThe Kremlin leader is running for a fifth term as Russia’s president in next month’s election.

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Vladimir Putin, ” Nadezhdin, Natalia Koleasnikova, Nadezhdin, Dmitry Peskov, ”, Putin, “, Nadezhdin’s, –, Boris Nadezdhin, – Putin, Vladislav Davankov, Nikolai Kharitonov, Leonid Slutsky, Joseph Stalin, Yekaterina Duntsova, Duntsova Organizations: CNN, Central, CEC, Supreme, Commission, Getty, Duma, Civic Initiative Locations: Russia, Moscow, AFP, Ukraine, Europe, London, Paris, Georgia’s, Tbilisi, Soviet

☆ Russian Anti-War Putin Rival Nadezhdin Says He Has Been Barred From Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian anti-war presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin said on Thursday that the Central Election Commission (CEC) had refused to register him as a candidate for a March election in which he wanted to challenge incumbent Vladimir Putin. The CEC had previously said that it had found flaws in signatures he and his allies had collected in support of his candidacy. Nadezhdin said on his official Telegram channel that he did not agree with the CEC's decision and would challenge it in Russia's Supreme Court. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Vladimir Putin, Nadezhdin, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Commission, CEC, Telegram, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russian

☆ Russia Bars Antiwar Candidate in Election Putin Is All But Sure of Winning
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russian authorities on Thursday banned from the presidential race the only candidate who had openly contested President Vladimir V. Putin’s hold on power in Russia, and who made his opposition to the war in Ukraine central to his campaign. The move by Russia’s Central Electoral Commission, the body that administers elections in Russia, was the latest predictable twist in a campaign that few doubt will result in Mr. Putin’s re-election in March. Mr. Putin’s expected victory in the March 15-17 presidential election would secure him a fifth term in the Kremlin, cementing his rule as one of the longest and most consequential in Russian history. The commission’s dismissal of the antiwar candidate, Boris B. Nadezhdin, demonstrated how the Kremlin has decided to remove all contenders who deviate from the party line. Mr. Nadezhdin, who has attracted thousands of supporters across Russia, has called the decision to invade Ukraine a “fatal mistake.”

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin’s, Boris B, Nadezhdin, ” Organizations: Russia’s, Electoral Commission, Mr, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Russian war critic Boris Nadezhdin barred from running in presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Boris Nadezhdin, a representative of Civil Initiative political party who plans to run for Russian president in the March 2024 election, visits an office of the Central Election Commission in Moscow, Russia February 8, 2024. Russia's electoral authorities have barred war critic Boris Nadezhdin from running in the presidential election next month, saying that he had submitted too many defective signatures in support of his bid. CEC Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said Thursday that "the decision has been made," Russian state-owned news agency Tass reported. Nadezhdin." The decision to bar his candidacy will come as no surprise to close watchers of Russian politics and Kremlin critics.

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Nadezhdin, Ella Pamfilova, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Peskov Organizations: Civil Initiative, Commission, Russia's, CEC, Kremlin, Reuters, CNBC Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian

☆ Nikki Haley goes after Trump and Biden as ‘grumpy old men’ even as she courts older voters in South Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Aaron Pellish | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

But the Haley campaign is also courting the support of South Carolina retirees, a growing portion of the Republican primary voter pool. She said on Twitter that this was her first Christmas card when she announced she would be running for the South Carolina state legislature. Nikki Haley/Twitter Haley celebrates with her family after being elected governor of South Carolina in November 2010. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Haley and her family walk back into the South Carolina State House after her inauguration in 2011. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post/Getty Images Haley visits a farm during a campaign stop in Grand Mound, Iowa, in September 2023.

Persons: Hilton, Nikki Haley, ” Haley, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Joe Biden, Haley, Maureen Bulger, intently, ” Bulger, “, ”, Biden, NBC’s, Ron DeSantis, Anna Memmo, it’s, ” Memmo, Ray Makalous, he’s, ” Makalous, Laura Holtzman, “ Trump, ” Holtzman, ” ‘, ’ Haley, aren’t, Larry Greenwold, ” Greenwold, Greenwold, he’d, Travis Dove, Michael, Nalin, Rena, Twitter Haley, Gerry Melendez, AP Haley, Chip Somodevilla, Tim Dominick, Getty Images Haley, Mitt Romney, Justin Sullivan, Alex Wong, Michael Haley, Rainier Ehrhardt, Jaswinder Singh, Narinder Nanu, Bobby Jindal, Jindal, Win McNamee, Sean Rayford, Saul Loeb, Mike Pence, Drew Angerer, State Rex Tillerson, Matthew Rycroft, Boris Johnson, Bryan R, Smith, Raad Adayleh, Brendan Smialowski, Spencer Platt, Evan Vucci, Kevin Lamarque, Don Bolduc, Brian Snyder, Jonathan Ernst, Jake Tapper, Will Lanzoni, Demetrius Freeman, Rachel Mummey, Jonathan Newton, Ed Spears, Spears, ” Spears, Carol Carty, ” Carty, “ It’s, that’s, “ I’ve, Trumper Organizations: , South Carolina CNN, South, Republican, Census Bureau, Biden, Hilton Head, New, Democratic, Republican Party, Trump, Florida Gov, Washington Post, Monmouth University, United Nations, CNN, State House, New York Times, Twitter, AP, Capitol, South Carolina State House, Getty Images, Conservative Political, Conference, Army National Guard, Getty, Louisiana Gov, National Governors Association, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, United Nations Security Council, UN, State, British, Norwegian Refugee Council, Gali Tibbon, UN Security, West Bank, The United States, Anadolu Agency, Republican National Convention Locations: , South Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, United States, New Hampshire, Trump, Iowa, Virginia, Hilton Head, Kansas, New York, CNN’s New Hampshire, Columbia , South Carolina, Afghanistan, Amritsar, India, AFP, Charleston , South Carolina, Columbia, State, Syrian, Jerusalem, Gali, Kuwait, Gaza, Londonderry , New Hampshire, Des Moines , Iowa, Grand Mound , Iowa, Miami

☆ Russia may be moving to pull the plug on letting the only anti-war candidate run for president because the Kremlin's worried he might take too many votes from Putin, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia appears poised to bar the only remaining anti-war candidate from presidential election. Election officials rejected almost 10,000 of the signatures Nadezhdin needed to run. Nadezhdin's popularity appears larger than expected, experts say, and may hurt perceptions of Putin and the war. AdvertisementAhead of next month's presidential election, Russian officials appear poised to bar the only anti-war candidate, Boris Nadezhdin, from running. Russian election law states that candidates have to gather 100,000 signatures to run.

Persons: Putin, —, Boris Nadezhdin, Nadezhdin, Vladimir Putin, didn't, it'll, ISW, Alexei Navalny's, Ivan Zhdanov, Zhdanov Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Commission, Russian, Washington Post, Putin, Institute Locations: Russia, Ukraine, US

☆ Germany Braces for Decades of Confrontation With Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Steven Erlanger | David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has begun warning Germans that they should prepare for decades of confrontation with Russia — and that they must speedily rebuild the country’s military in case Vladimir V. Putin does not plan to stop at the border with Ukraine. Russia’s military, he has said in a series of recent interviews with German news media, is fully occupied with Ukraine. But if there is a truce, and Mr. Putin, Russia’s president, has a few years to reset, he thinks the Russian leader will consider testing NATO’s unity. “Nobody knows how or whether this will last,” Mr. Pistorius said of the current war, arguing for a rapid buildup in the size of the German military and a restocking of its arsenal. The alarm is growing louder, but the German public remains unconvinced that the security of Germany and Europe has been fundamentally threatened by a newly aggressive Russia.

Persons: Boris Pistorius, Russia —, Vladimir V, Putin, ” Mr, Pistorius Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Germany, Europe

☆ Russian war critic poses an awkward challenge for Putin and the Kremlin as the election nears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The Kremlin has sought to dismiss Nadezhdin's potential to upset an election whose win for Putin is seen as a done deal. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told CNBC Thursday that "we are not inclined to exaggerate the level of support for Mr. However, Nadezhdin's recent growing popularity and prominence has changed that, political analysts say, and he now poses a challenge and a dilemma for the Kremlin as the election nears. Nadezhdin has said in interviews that he would end the war with Ukraine, describing the war as a "fatal mistake." Stanovaya believed it was likely that the CEC would not recognize a portion of the signatures that Nadezhdin has garnered.

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Vera Savina, Vladimir Putin's, Nadezhdin, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, isn't, Putin's, Tatiana Stanovaya, he's, Stanovaya, András, Czifra, Peskov Organizations: Civic Initiative, Central, Commission, Afp, Getty, Kremlin, CNBC, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Duma, Ukraine, Moscow, Election Commission, CEC, Eurasia, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Boris Nadezhdin Press, Central Electoral, Putin, Kremlin's Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Mar, today's Russia, Anadolu

☆ Russian Commission Finds Problems in Anti-War Election Candidate's Supporter List - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's election commission has found irregularities in the list of signatures that anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin submitted to back his bid to run against Vladimir Putin in an upcoming election, the TASS news agency said on Friday. Nobody expects Nadezhdin, 60, to win if he is allowed to run given Putin's long dominance and control of the state. But Nadezhdin had become the preferred candidate of some Russians who oppose Moscow's war in Ukraine, something it calls a special military operation. Nadezhdin needs the Central Election Commission to approve signatures he submitted on Wednesday from more than 100,000 supporters across Russia in order to get his name on the ballot for the March 15-17 election. The electoral commission met on Friday and its deputy chairman, Nikolai Bulayev, said some voter lists submitted by candidates contained the names of dead people.

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Vladimir Putin, Nadezhdin, Nikolai Bulayev, Sergei Malinkovich, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn Organizations: TASS, Commission, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russia, Nadezhdin

☆ Ukraine says it can't fire more than 2,000 shells a day as Western allies fail to meet pledges: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine is limited to firing 2,000 artillery shells a day, roughly one-third of Russia's capacity, the country's defense minister, Rustem Umerov, said in a letter seen by Bloomberg. While Ukraine's Western allies stall, and US military aid is held up in Congress, Russia has ramped up production. AdvertisementMartin Herem, commander of Estonia's defense forces, told Bloomberg last week that he believes Russia is now capable of producing several million shells a year. Shell hunger is not a new problem for Ukraine — throughout the last year, soldiers often reported having to husband their ammunition supplies. Alongside further appeals to its allies, Ukraine has, in recent months, been refocusing on its domestic military production capacities.

Persons: Rustem Umerov, Umerov, Boris Pistorius, Celeste Wallander, Martin Herem Organizations: Bloomberg, EU, Politico, Ukraine —, Times, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Congress, Russia, London

☆ Walmart just split its stock. History shows what will happen next with the megacap
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart 's plan to split its stock into three pieces should do nothing for the underlying strength of the retail giant's business, but history suggests the move might make shareholders richer anyway. "Stocks have historically outperformed the market immediately following the split announcement, as well as 6-months following the split effective date. In the six months after the effective date, the newly split shares outperformed the index by 4.7%. Walmart stock closed at $165.59 per share on Tuesday, less than $5 from its all-time high. For Walmart specifically, Oppenheimer analyst Rupesh Parikh said in a note to clients on Wednesday that the stock split is just a reassurance that the company is on the right track.

Persons: Outperformance, Morgan Stanley, Boris Lerner, Lerner, Oppenheimer, Rupesh Parikh, Parikh, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Walmart

Nicola Sturgeon told the United Kingdom's public inquiry into the pandemic that she didn't use informal messaging such as WhatsApp to make decisions. Although Scotland is part of the U.K., its government has powers over matters relating to public health. Sturgeon's standing has been further dented by the recent revelation that her WhatsApp messages had been deleted, which has led to questions about her trustworthiness or whether she has anything to hide. Last week, Sturgeon's successor as first minister, Humza Yousaf, offered an “unreserved” apology for the Scottish government’s “frankly poor” handling of requests for WhatsApp messages. Johnson agreed in late 2021 to hold a public inquiry after heavy pressure from bereaved families, who have hit out at the evidence emerging about his actions.

Persons: —, policymaking, Nicola Sturgeon, ”, Sturgeon, Boris Johnson, hadn't, hasn't, WhatsApp, “, Humza Yousaf, Heather Hallett, Johnson Organizations: United, Scotland, Scottish National Party, Scottish Locations: Scotland, Edinburgh, England, Wales, Northern Ireland

CNN —Boris Nadezhdin, an anti-war candidate vying for the Russian presidency, said Wednesday he had submitted the signatures required to be listed on the presidential election ballot, potentially allowing him to stand against Vladimir Putin in March. Nadezhdin announced he had delivered 105,000 signatures, the maximum allowed by law, to the Central Election Commission in Moscow, which now has 10 days to review the signatures. Many thanks to those dozens, even hundreds of thousands of people who stood in queues throughout our huge country, in 75 regions of the country, in more than 120 or 130 cities, collecting signatures,” Nadezhdin said at a press conference. Dozens line up to give their signatures in support of Nadezhdin, who hopes to run against Putin in the Russia's March presidential election. He has garnered the support of other prominent Russian opposition figures, including members of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s team and exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who urged Russian citizens to add their signatures for Nadezhdin.

Persons: Boris Nadezhdin, Vladimir Putin, Nadezhdin, ” Nadezhdin, Putin, ”, Anatoly, Evgenia Novozhenina, “, I’m, Alexey Navalny’s, oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Yekaterina Duntsova, Duntsova Organizations: CNN, Commission, Putin, Duma, Civic Initiative Party, Russia’s CEC, CEC, Central Locations: Moscow, Russia, Europe, London, Paris, Georgia’s, Tbilisi, Ukraine, Russian

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