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☆ The man Putin wants to take over Wagner was once admitted to the hospital blind drunk with $60,000 cash, military maps of Syria, and receipts for weapons: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vladimir Putin wants to replace Yevgeny Prigozhin as head of Wagner, per The Telegraph. Troshev was once taken to the hospital blind drunk carrying cash, military maps, and receipts for weapons, it said. Troshev was admitted to the hospital blind drunk with some unusual items on him, per The Telegraph. Though Troshev had a placid call sign — "Grey Hair" — The Telegraph reported that he played a part in particularly brutal military operations. Troshev then worked for Omon, Russian riot police, which had the job of violently breaking up anti-government protests, The Telegraph reported.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Andrei Troshev —, Troshev, Putin, Andrei Troshev Organizations: Service, The Telegraph, Russian Federation, Islamic, Telegraph Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russian, Syria, Islamic State, Palmyra, St Petersburg, Soviet, Chechnya, Bakhmut, Ukraine

☆ Santiago Abascal: Who is Spain's far-right leader and what does he stand for?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Aislinn Laing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Spain's far-right Vox party leader Santiago Abascal gestures as he speaks during an opening campaign rally ahead of the July 23 snap election, in Puerto Almerimar, El Ejido, Spain July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File PhotoMADRID, July 17 (Reuters) - As could be expected of the head of a far-right party that puts nationalism at its core, Vox leader Santiago Abascal drapes himself in Spanish symbols, wearing designer shirts glorifying bullfighting or issuing Vox-branded hand fans to rally attendants. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsHowever, the frontrunning centre-right People's Party (PP), led by Alberto Nunez Feijoo, is unlikely to secure an outright majority, and may turn to Vox as a kingmaker. Abascal is the third generation of politicians in his family, his father and grandfather having also served in regional or local government. A sociology graduate from Spain's northern Basque Country, Abascal joined the PP at 18, was elected as a councillor at 23 and became a PP lawmaker in the Basque parliament.

Persons: Santiago Abascal, El, Jon Nazca, Abascal, Pedro Sanchez's, Vox, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Santi, Sanchez, Miguel Angel Murado, Ana Pedroza, Carlos Perez, Francisco Franco's, Giorgia Meloni, Viktor Orban, Italy's Meloni, Aislinn Laing, Catherine Macdonald, Andrei Khalip, Alex Richardson Organizations: Vox, REUTERS, Socialist, Reuters Graphics Reuters, People's Party, ETA, Italy's, Thomson Locations: Puerto Almerimar, El Ejido, Spain, MADRID, Spain's, Basque, Catalonia, Madrid, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Hungarian, Valencia

According to the main Spanish pollsters, which are barred from publishing surveys from Tuesday, PP would garner 131-151 seats in the 350-member lower house, falling short of an outright majority of 176. Vox is almost neck and neck with Sumar, a new alliance of far-left groups that includes Podemos, the junior ruling coalition partner. Sumar would fetch 25-39 seats, polls show. Sumar and PSOE have said they intend to recreate the ruling coalition. Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Andrei Khalip, Mike Harrison and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vox, pollsters GAD3, Pedro Sanchez's, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Francisco Franco's, Sumar, Sanchez, Feijoo, Inti Landauro, Andrei Khalip, Mike Harrison, Barbara Lewis Organizations: People's Party, Sigma, Vox, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics, Pedro Sanchez's Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, PSOE, Reuters Graphics Reuters, PP, coy, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spanish, Pedro Sanchez's Spanish, Brussels, Huesca, Sumar

☆ How the Russian officer elite has been decimated in Ukraine — here are the generals and top commanders killed in action
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Alia Shoaib | Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Vitaly GerasimovMaj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov became the second senior Russian commander reported to be killed after Ukrainian military intelligence claimed he was shot dead in Kharkiv. Andrey KolesnikovUkraine's military said in a tweet that they killed Russian Maj. Gen. Andrey Kolesnikov. Ivan GrishinColonel Ivan Grishin, commander of Russia's 49th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, died in Ukraine, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Vyacheslav SavinovLieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Savinov, who headed Russian artillery intelligence, was killed in Ukraine, a Russian artillery school confirmed. A damaged Russian military vehicle is seen after Russian Forces withdrawal as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on September 14, 2022.

Persons: , Oleg Tsokov, Andrei Sukhovetsky Maj, Andrei Sukhovetsky, Sukhovetsky, Vitaly Gerasimov Maj, Vitaly Gerasimov, Alexander Nevsky, Andrey Kolesnikov Ukraine's, Andrey Kolesnikov, Oleg Mityaev Russia, Oleg Mityaev, Anton Gerashchenko, Andrei Mordvichev, Oleksiy Arestovych, Ramzan Kadyrov, Yakov Rezantsev, Illia Ponomarenko, Zelenskyy, Rezantsev, Dmitry Safronov Ukraine's, Dmitry Safronov, Denis Glebov, Glebov, Courage, Konstantin Zizevsky, Mikhail Vedernikov, Yuri Agarkov, Agarkov, Andrei Zakharov, Sergei Porokhnya, Gleb Garanich, Reuters Magomed, Magomed Tushaev, Putin, Vladimir Zhonga, Vladimir Zhoga, Sergei Sukharev, Sergei Krylov, Sukharev, Alexei, Alexei Sharov, Sharov, Sergey Bratchuk, Dmitry Dormidontov, Dmitry Pavlovich Dormidontov, Igor Zharov, Igor Igoshin, Zharov, Denis Kurilo, Kurilo, Anton Kuprin, Kuprin, Anton Gerashenko, Stringer, Denis Mezhuev, Vladimir Petrovich Frolov Maj, Gen, Vladimir Petrovich Frolov, Alexander Beglov, Fontanka, Miras, Miras Bashakov, Ivan Grishin, Vyacheslav Savinov, Savinov, Metin Aktas, Denis Kozlov, Kozlov, Andrei Simonov, Simonov, Roman Kutuzov Major, Roman Kutuzov, Alexander Sladkov, Tsargrad, Roman, Roman Berdnikov, Kutuzov, Volya, Kanamat, Botashev, Artem Nasbulin Maj, Artem Nasbulin, Serhiy Bratchuk, Tsokov, Михаил Ведерников Organizations: UK Defence Ministry, Service, British Defence Ministry, West, Storm, Russian, 7th Airborne Division, Combined Arms Army, Russian Federal Security Service, Arms Army, Interior Ministry, The New York Times, 8th General Army, Southern Military District of, Armed Forces, Twitter, Telegraph, Dmitry Safronov Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Separate Marine Brigade, Russian Armed Forces, Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Airborne, 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment, Luhansk People's, 56th Air Assault Brigade, Guardian, 12th Engineer Brigade, Russian Armoured, Carrier, Reuters, The Daily Mail, Forces, Sparta Battalion, Donetsk People's, Daily Mail, 331st Guards Parachute, Ukraine, Ukraine's, Strategic Communication, Information Security, The Independent, 810th, Zhukov Brigade, Russian Marines, Evening, Local, 200th, Rifle Brigade, Black, Fleet, Russian Federation, Ukrainian, New York Times, 1st Guards, Banner, The Times, Kremlin, 8th Army, Aircraft Missile Brigade, Armed Forces of, Russian Missile Troops and Artillery, Russian Forces, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Separate Guards Engineers of Keningsbersko, Red Banner Brigade, Courage, Russian 2nd Army, Presidential, Russian Air Force, BBC, High Mobility Artillery, Southern Military District Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Chornobayivka, Kherson Airport, London, Yakov Rezantsev Ukraine, Kyiv, Chornobaivka, Ukrainian, Chuhuiv, Donbas, Donetsk, Luhansk, Pskov Region, Andrei Zakharov Ukraine, Ufa, Nova Husarivka, Chechen, Hostomel, Russia's Chechnya, Donetsk People's Republic, Volnovakha, Kostroma, Tatarstan, Pechenga, Sevastopol, St, Petersburg, St . Petersburg, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Izyum, Ukraine's Donbas, Severodonetsk, Kherson, Berdyansk

☆ Russia investigating if this week's North Korean test missile crashed in its waters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is launched from an undisclosed location in North Korea in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on July 13, 2023. KCNA via REUTERSJuly 15 (Reuters) - Russia is investigating whether a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile crashed in its waters during a test launch on Wednesday, state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying. The test was condemned by the United States, South Korea and Japan, but Russia's Rudenko said it was a reaction to actions by Washington and its allies which "actually provoke North Korea to build up its defence power". U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said on Thursday that the latest North Korean missile flight lasted about 74 minutes and travelled over 1,000 km (625 miles). Khiari said it crashed into the sea within Russia's exclusive economic zone but close to Japanese waters.

Persons: Andrei Rudenko, Russia's Rudenko, U.N, Khaled Khiari, Khiari, David Evans Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, North Korean, RIA, TASS, United Nations, . Security, Korean, Reuters, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Russia, United States, South Korea, Japan, Washington, China

* "Sedoi" is the nom de guerre of Andrei Troshev, a senior Wagner commander, according to European Union sanctions documents, French official documents, sources with knowledge of the matter and Russian media reports. * The EU described him as the "executive director (chief of staff) of the Wagner Group" in its 2021 document which also says he was a founding member of the group. "Andrei Troshev is directly involved in the military operations of the Wagner Group in Syria," the EU said. Britain also described him in its Syria sanctions documents as the chief executive of Wagner. Western sanctions documents list his date of birth as April 5, 1953.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andrei Troshev, Wagner, France's, Dmitry Utkin, Troshev, Putin, Bashar al, of, Guy Faulconbridge, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Wagner Group, France's Treasury, Kommersant, Wagner, St, Red Star, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, EU, Syria, Deir, Britain, Leningrad, Soviet, St Petersburg, Afghanistan, Soviet Union, North Caucasus, SOBR, Russian, of Russia, Palmyra, Utkin

☆ Russia's military leaders are at each other's throats at a crucial time in the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian military leaders are at each other's throats amid continued losses in the Ukraine war. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has been accused of treason by a general in the Russian military claiming he was fired for raising concerns. But at this critical juncture in the war and while Russia's army continues facing losses, Russian military leaders appear to have more pressing targets in mind: each other. But even after Prigozhin all but disappeared following the Wagner revolt, concerns about Russia's military leadership persist. Popov claimed he was removed from his post after flagging issues that Russian forces were facing on the front lines in Ukraine.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Putin, Prigozhin, Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Ivan Popov, Popov, Andrey Gurulyov, vilely, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Andrei Kartapolov, Gerasimov, Gen, Viktor Afzalov Organizations: Defense, Service, Russian, Wagner, Bakhmut, Politico, Arms Army, Street Journal, Prigozhin, The New York Times, Times, Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Syria

☆ One of Russia's most senior generals in Ukraine said he was fired for questioning the Kremlin's war management, and accused his bosses of backstabbing his men and 'decapitating' the army
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top Russian general in Ukraine is accusing the Kremlin of "decapitating" the war effort. Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov said he was giving honest feedback to his bosses, and was immediately fired. In his voice note, Popov said he was faced with the choice of either telling his bosses what they wanted to hear or to "call a spade a spade." As of Wednesday evening, neither the Russian state media nor the Defense Ministry has commented on Popov's remarks, whether he has been fired, or on the circumstances of such a dismissal. Gurulyov, the state duma member who published Popov's voice note, confirmed to Russian state TV on Wednesday that Tsokov was killed.

Persons: Ivan Popov, Popov, Andrey Gurulev, Valery Gerasimov, vilely, Popov's, Oleg Tsokov, Tsokov, Sergei Surovikin, Wagner, Gerasimov, Surovikin, Andrei Kartapolov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Defense, Arms Army, Telegram, duma, CNN, Defense Ministry, Russia's Defense Ministry, Reuters, Kyiv's, Russia's, Army, The New York Times, Times Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, Russia, Balakliya, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Berdiansk

The Kremlin said on Monday that Putin had held talks with Wagner commanders and Prigozhin at a meeting on June 29, five days after the mutiny. But Kommersant, one of Russia's top newspapers, published Putin's remarks to its most experienced Kremlin correspondent, Andrei Kolesnikov, which suggested the future of Prigozhin and Wagner was in doubt. "But Wagner does not exist," Putin told Kommersant when asked if it would be preserved as a fighting unit. "All of them could have gathered in one place and continued to serve," Kommersant quoted Putin as saying. "'No, the boys won't agree with such a decision'," Putin quoted Prigozhin as saying.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Prigozhin Biden, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andrei Kolesnikov, Prigozhin, Joe Biden, I’d, Biden, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Rosalba O'Brien, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Kommersant, Kremlin, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Belarus, Afghanistan, Chechnya, St Petersburg, Russian, Rostov, United States, Russia

Summary Russian general says has been dismissedSays top brass betrayed Russian soldiersDefence ministry silent on general's fateSoldiers dying due to lack of artillery, general saysMOSCOW, July 13 (Reuters) - A Russian general said he had been dismissed as a commander after telling the military leadership about the dire situation at the front in Ukraine where he said Russian soldiers had been stabbed in the back by the failings of the top military brass. Popov, who commanded Russian units in southern Ukraine, explicitly raised the deaths of Russian soldiers from Ukrainian artillery and said the army lacked proper counter artillery systems and reconnaissance of enemy artillery. There was no immediate comment from the defence ministry and Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the voice message. Neither Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin nor General Sergei Surovikin, a deputy commander of Russia's military operations in Ukraine, have been seen in public since the day of the mutiny. For months Prigozhin had been openly insulting Putin's most senior military men, using a variety of crude expletives and prison slang that shocked top Russian officials but that were left unanswered in public by Putin, Shoigu or Gerasimov.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Ivan Popov, Andrei Gurulyov, Popov, Gurulyov, Russia's, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Russian, Defence, Staff, Arms Army, Reuters, RUSSIAN ARMY Putin, Telegram, Gerasimov, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Europe, Russia

Early Tuesday, a Ukrainian missile slammed into a hotel in the coastal town of Berdyansk that had been taken over by the Russian military. ‘Colossal support’Russian military bloggers have suggested that both Tsokov and Popov were capable soldiers who inspired loyalty among their men. Tsokov, 51, appears to have been a rising star in the Russian military. Senior Russian general, Ivan Popov, raised questions about the mass deaths and injuries of Russian military personnel. The loss of more capable commanders is another sign that Russia’s “special military operation” is looking less special by the week.

Persons: CNN —, Oleg Tsokov, Tsokov, Ivan Popov, Popov, Valery Gerasimov, vilely, Sergei Shoigu, ”, Vladimir Putin, Rybar, “ Popov, General Popov, “, Wagner, Oleg Surovikin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Surovikin, Prigozhin, Defense Andrei Kartapolov, Kartapolov, specter, OGPU –, Gerasimov, “ alarmism, Shoigu, George Hall, Russia Dara Massicot, Tweeting, Massicot, ” Rybar, upbraided, viscerally, Putin Organizations: CNN, Ukraine –, Southern Military District, Arms Army, Kremlin Press, Major, Institute for, Ukrainian, of Defense, Kremlin, Russia’s Aerospace Forces, State, Defense, Defense Ministry, Senior, Ministry of Defense, Surovik, George Hall of, RAND Corporation, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Armed Forces Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Berdyansk, Russian, Svatove, frontlines, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Senior Russian, St, Russia, Vuhledar

☆ A Missing Russian General Is ‘Taking a Rest’ a Top Lawmaker Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Paul Sonne | More About Paul Sonne | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gen. Sergei Surovikin of Russia, a onetime ally of the Wagner chief who hasn’t been seen publicly since a short-lived mutiny last month, is “taking a rest,” one of the country’s top lawmakers said Wednesday, when pressed by a reporter. “He is unavailable right now,” the lawmaker, Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the Russian Duma’s defense committee, added in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app before hurrying away from the reporter. General Surovikin, the chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, was considered to be an ally of Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary company, whose forces mounted the brief insurrection in June aimed at toppling Russia’s military leadership, before standing down in a deal with the Kremlin. In the days since then, intense speculation has surrounded General Surovikin, who skillfully pulled out Russian forces from Kherson amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive last year and has often been dubbed “General Armageddon” for his ruthless tactics.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Wagner, hasn’t, Andrei Kartapolov, General Surovikin, Yevgeny V, Surovikin, ” Organizations: Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Russia, Russian, Kherson

MOSCOW, July 12 (Reuters) - Russia is decaying in a potent brew of absurdity and repression that is comparable to the Leonid Brezhnev-era of the Soviet Union, Oleg Orlov, one of the Russia's most respected human rights campaigners, told Reuters. One of the leaders of the Memorial rights group, which won a share of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 a year after being banned and dissolved in Russia, Orlov stood by his articles and cast Russia as a country gripped by the demons of history. "Russia is going backwards," Orlov told Reuters in his Moscow flat over a glass of the traditional fermented kvas. "For Putin, war is his political technology," Orlov said. Current Russian levels of repression, he said, could be compared to the Brezhnev era of the Soviet Union after the arrest of writers Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuli Daniel in 1965.

Persons: Leonid Brezhnev, Oleg Orlov, Orlov, Wagner, Russia, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Brezhnev, Andrei Sinyavsky, Yuli Daniel, unpatriotic, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's, William Faulkner, Fyodor Dostoevsky's, Tatiana, Guy Faulconbridge, Filipp Lebedev, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Memorial, Solidarity, West, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, Afghanistan, Chechen, Russian, Tbilisi

☆ Top Russian general not seen since mutiny is 'resting', lawmaker says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 12 (Reuters) - General Sergei Surovikin, a deputy commander of Russia's military operations in Ukraine who has not been seen in public since last month's armed mutiny by mercenary fighters, is "resting", a lawmaker from the ruling party said on Wednesday. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defence Committee, is heard saying in a video posted on social media: "Surovikin is currently resting. Surovikin, dubbed "General Armageddon" by the Russian press for his aggressive tactics in the Syria conflict, was last seen publicly when he issued a video appeal urging a halt to the June 23-24 mutiny by fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group while it was still underway. A New York Times report based on a U.S. intelligence briefing said last month that Surovikin had advance knowledge of the mutiny and that Russian authorities were checking whether he was complicit. Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Andrei Kartapolov, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Surovikin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Vladimir Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: State Duma Defence Committee, Staff, New York Times, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Syria

Another 25% will come from "next-generation" materials in which the group is investing, and the remaining 10% from other sustainable sources, the company said. The new targets come as the European Commission is drawing up regulations to make clothing retailers pay for the waste they produce, arguing that fast-fashion companies "encourage customers to shop impulsively and incentivise purchasing larger quantities of clothes". Inditex previously had targets to use more sustainable cotton, linen, polyester, and fibres made from wood pulp, but did not have an overall goal for recycled fibres. Shoppers walk past a Zara clothes store, part of the Spanish group Inditex, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, December 13, 2022. REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo"Moving forward on sustainability is natural for us," said Inditex Non-Executive Chair, Marta Ortega, in brief comments to investors at the AGM.

Persons: Inditex, Oscar Garcia Maceiras, Borja Suarez, Marta Ortega, Ortega, Adam Gofton, Corina Pons, David Latona, Helen Reid, Andrei Khalip, Mark Potter, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Companies Zara, European Commission, Las Palmas de, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, REUTERS, Mackenzie Investments, Thomson Locations: MADRID, LONDON, Zara, Spanish, A Coruna, Spain, Las Palmas, Las Palmas de Gran, Toronto, Inditex, Madrid, London

☆ Conservative Feijoo emerges as winner from debate ahead of Spanish election
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MADRID, July 11 (Reuters) - Spanish opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the conservative People's Party (PP), won an ill-tempered televised debate on Monday night ahead of an election later this month, a poll published by El Mundo newspaper indicated on Tuesday. With Feijoo leading in polls before the July 23 election, the onus was on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a Socialist, to go on the attack. About 54% of voters thought Feijoo won the debate compared to 46% for Sanchez, according to the Sigma Dos survey for El Mundo. It found that 22% of people who voted for the Socialists in the past election felt Feijoo had won the debate while only 6% of PP voters assigned the victory to Sanchez. The expectation is that the election at the height of the summer holiday season will also suffer from a lack of engagement.

Persons: Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Feijoo, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Josep Marti Blanch, Vox, Spain's, GAD3, Barlovento Comunicacion, Charlie Devereux, Andrei Khalip, Angus MacSwan Organizations: People's Party, El Mundo, Sigma, Socialists, ABC, Atresmedia, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spanish, La Vanguardia, Europe, Italy, Spain

A slow-moving storm system brought heavy rain across a wide section of New York State on Sunday evening, flooding streets and prompting rescues for drivers whose vehicles were stranded on inundated roads, the authorities said. Two areas appeared to be most affected, according to the National Weather Service: Rensselaer County and nearby towns, and farther south in the Hudson Valley, including Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties. County officials, police departments and other agencies were fielding dozens of emergency calls prompted by the flooding. In Saratoga County, near the town of Waterford, Routes 4 and 32 were flooded with up to two feet of water, said Andrei Evbuoma, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Albany.

Persons: Andrei Evbuoma Organizations: New York, National Weather Service, Ulster Counties ., Weather Service Locations: New, New York State, Rensselaer County, Hudson, Dutchess , Orange, Saratoga County, Waterford, Albany

☆ Opinion: The election that couldn’t happen in high school
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —In the classic 1999 film, “Election,” the high school student government vote has everything: naked ambition, campaign poster shredding, ballot manipulation, infidelity and more. But what the gifted writer Tom Perotta likely couldn’t imagine was an election in which two unpopular candidates square off for president. That doesn’t happen in high school, even in a satirical movie. The president supports stripping that state of its first-in-the-nation primary status in favor of South Carolina, the state that energized Biden’s 2020 campaign. “In the runup to the 2024 elections, Democrats plan to put the Supreme Court on trial,” wrote David Mark.

Persons: Reese Witherspoon, Tracy Flick, ” Matthew Broderick, Jim McAllister, Tracy, Tom Perotta, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Harry Enten, “, Julian Zelizer, ” Biden, Biden, specter, … ” Dana Summers, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, — Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, George H.W, Bush —, Kennedy, ”, MAGA, Sen, Lindsey Graham’s, Trump’s, Dean Obeidallah, Graham, Michael Flynn, Flynn, Peter Bergen, Erik German, Bill Bramhall, ” “ Flynn, ‘, America’s, …, Geoff Duncan, Drew Sheneman, Roe, Wade, David Mark, … ” Lisa Benson, GoComics.com, Biden romped, Jack Ohman, Kara Alaimo, Coles Whalen, ’, Alice Driver, Clay Jones, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Meta, David Zurawik, Victoria, Olesya Khromeychuk, Victoria Amelina, Andrei Kartapolov, Sharp, ” Khromeychuk, ” Don’t, Sheikh Mohammed Al, Issa, David A, Nicole Hemmer, Jill Filipovic, Sonia Pruitt, Lynda Lin Grigsby, Sara Stewart, Jharrel Jerome, Boots Riley, Holly Thomas, Phoebe Waller, Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford, He’s, goddaughter Helena, Archimedes, Jones, Waller Organizations: CNN, Capitol, Trump, Biden, Agency, Republicans, RFK Jr, New, ”, FBI, Economic, Republican National, Republican Party, GOP, Democratic, McKinsey & Company, Twitter, Facebook, Russian Duma Defense, Hollywood, “, Indy Locations: New Hampshire, South Carolina, ” Bergen, German, Davos, Georgia, California, “, Russian, Ukrainian, Kramatorsk, Ukraine, New York, Donetsk, Auschwitz, Here’s, Oakland , California

☆ Opinion: Victoria Amelina, the sharp and witty Ukrainian writer whose story must be told
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Opinion Olesya Khromeychuk | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —“I really wanted to be the founder of a literature festival in New York,” Victoria Amelina, Ukrainian writer and activist, once told a roomful of Londoners. Her life of late was dedicated to documenting Russian war crimes. Documenting stories of people she met in liberated territories, Victoria found a diary written by the writer and poet Volodymyr Vakulenko. A woman mourns the death of Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina during her memorial service at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, Kyiv. “Ukrainian manuscripts burn all too well.”Many Ukrainian manuscripts have already burned in the fires caused by Russian shelling.

Persons: “, Read, CNN — “, Victoria Amelina, Olesya, Sharp, Victoria, Andrei Kartapolov, ”, Volodymyr Vakulenko, Volodymyr, Kyiv’s, Michael's, Mikhail Bulgakov, Bulgakov’s Stalin, Margarita, ” “, Volodya Organizations: Ukrainian Institute London, CNN, Russian Duma Defence, New York Literature, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Arsenal, PEN Ukraine, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Central Europe, Khromeychuk, New York, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Russian, York, Yorks, Victoria, Kharkiv, Paris, Soviet, St, Kyiv, London, Popasna

☆ Spain's Pamplona bull-running festival kicks off with a bang
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, July 6 (Reuters) - The northern Spanish city of Pamplona on Thursday marked the start of its iconic nine-day Running of the Bulls festival with the ceremonial launching of a firework known as the "chupinazo". After the highly awaited bang, the crowds cheered "Long live St Fermin! ", in reference to Pamplona's patron saint, as bands playing the traditional txistu flute and drums led them off the square in a jovial march. This year marks the 100th anniversary of American author Ernest Hemingway's first visit to the festival, which he made internationally famous in his 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises". Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: St Fermin, Ernest Hemingway's, David Latona, Andrei Khalip Organizations: Bulls, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spanish, Pamplona

☆ Third quarter is a key time for extreme weather events. Here's what to expect for exposed stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The third quarter is a key time for extreme weather events. An El Niño weather pattern is widely expected for 2023. "Following three years of La Niña, climate scientists expect 2023 to have El Niño conditions with near-100% certainty given current signals," Karp said in a note to clients last month. Insurers are also among the stocks to typically move in relation to extreme weather events. This year should be a fairly typical one for hurricanes, as El Niño is typically linked to a less severe season.

Persons: Nature, —, Sophie Karp, La, Karp, El, bode, Morgan Stanley, Andrei Stadnik, Stadnik, Matthew Carletti doesn't, hasn't, Jefferies, Yaron Kinar, Brown, Arthur J, Gallagher, Aon, Niño, Generac, Aaron Jagdfeld, Bob Huang, bullish, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Energy, DTE Energy, WEC Energy, CNBC Pro's, WEC, Xcel Energy, Portland General Electric, Edison International, CenterPoint, Southern Company, Duke Energy, Nextera Energy, El, Insurance Australia Group, Suncorp, Arch Capital, Everest Re, Bloomberg, Arch Locations: El, Canada, U.S, Gulf, Pacific Northwest, California, Michigan, Avista, Portland, American, Mexico, CenterPoint Energy, Bermuda, Texas

☆ Russian army deserter sentenced to seven years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 3 (Reuters) - A Russian soldier has been sentenced to seven years in prison for twice escaping from his army unit, a military court in the Siberian city of Tomsk said on Monday. Siberia.Realities, a local project of U.S. government-funded news outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, identified the soldier as Ivan Klester. Last month a military court in Russia’s Far East sentenced a soldier to nine years for deserting three times. The man pleaded guilty, saying that he had to care for his sick wife, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported. President Vladimir Putin signed a law last September to toughen punishments for a host of crimes such as desertion, damage to military property and insubordination if they are committed during military mobilisation or combat situations.

Persons: Ivan Klester, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, General Andrei Kartapolov, Lucy Papachristou, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Russia’s Far, Kommersant, Ukrainian, TASS, Thomson Locations: Siberian, Tomsk, Siberia.Realities, U.S, Radio Free Europe, Russia’s, Russian

☆ Russian 'troll factory' accused of interfering in US elections shuts down after exile of Wagner boss
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's "troll factory," accused of interfering in US elections, has been shut down. The factory was created by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the now-exiled leader of the Wagner mercenary group. The Moscow Times reported last week that — with Prigozhin gone — the Internet Research Agency was looking for new management. "I was never just a financier of the Internet Research Agency," he said. Nevskiye Novosti, a Patriot Media Group newspaper located in St. Petersburg, announced it shut down on Friday.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, —, Prigozhin, Yevgeny Zubarev —, Patriot Media Group —, Aleksandr Beglov, Andrei Krasnobayev, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Service, Internet Research Agency, Moscow Times, Reuters, US Treasury Department, RIA, Patriot Media Group, Kremlin, Petersburg Gov, Radio Free, Novosti, Putin, Catering, Concord Catering, Time Locations: Russia, Moscow, Belarus, United States, St, Petersburg, Nevskiye Novosti, St . Petersburg, Russian, Concord, Prague

☆ Russian ex-arms dealer freed for Brittney Griner to run for far-right party in local vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 2 (Reuters) - A Russian arms dealer freed last December in a prisoner swap for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been chosen as the candidate of a far-right party for a seat in a Russian regional legislature, state news agency RIA reported on Sunday. RIA cited an official in Russia's ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR)'s local organisation as saying that Bout had been nominated as a candidate for the legislative assembly of the Ulyanovsk region in central Russia. Bout publicly joined the LDPR following his return to Russia. Despite its name, the LDPR holds far-right, ultra-nationalist views and strongly supports President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Lugovoi has served as an LDPR member of Russia's national parliament since 2007.

Persons: Brittney Griner, Viktor Bout, RIA, Bout, Griner, Vladimir Putin's, Andrei Lugovoi, Alexander Litvinenko, Lugovoi, Felix Light, Gareth Jones Organizations: U.S, Liberal Democratic Party, U.S . Department of Justice, Thomson Locations: Russian, United States, Ulyanovsk, Russia, Thailand, Washington, Ukraine, Britain

☆ Ready, try to stay steady, go! Men in high heels race at Madrid Pride
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Contestants take part in the annual race on high heels during Pride celebrations in the quarter of Chueca in Madrid, Spain, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Juan MedinaMADRID, June 29 (Reuters) - Dozens of people sporting high heels, most of them men, raced down a cobbled street in the centre of the Spanish capital on Thursday as part of Madrid Pride, one of the world's largest LGBT celebrations. It was the 24th edition of the annual race in Chueca, a gay-friendly neighbourhood, which draws competitors from abroad and is one of the most eagerly awaited parts of the festival of the LGBT community. Heels must be at least 10 cm (4 inches) high, and the shoes are measured before the race. Madrid Pride will culminate in a parade in the city centre on Saturday.

Persons: Juan Medina MADRID, Silvio Catellanos, Marco Trujillo, Andrei Khalip, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Chueca, Madrid, Spain

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