Links 25/02/2024: New Rants About 'Hey Hi' Hype and JavaScript Bloat
Contents
- Leftovers
- Science
- Education
- Hardware
- Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
- Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Security
- Defence/Aggression
- Environment
- Finance
- AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
- Censorship/Free Speech
- Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
- Civil Rights/Policing
- Internet Policy/Net Neutrality Monopolies/Monopsonies
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Leftovers
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YLE ☛ Many couples wed on 'special' Saturday
24 February — 24022024 — is proving a popular day to tie the knot in Finland.
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Ruben Schade ☛ Crowd dynamics at coffee shops
But it gets stranger. These waves of people aren’t predictable; or at least, in the timescales I’m working from. The time of day, day of the week, holidays, specials, number of people already there, Wi-Fi signal, none of it correlates whatsoever with the number of people choosing to sit here. Or does it, but I haven’t cracked it yet?
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Matt Ehler ☛ Feature Shoutout: PDFEXpert’s “Export Annotation Summary” – Ehler
I don’t do much with annotations in general in PDFs, but I recently received a massive document from the people who designed our new auditorium’s A/V system. It was over 1600 pages long, and all the manuals for every piece of equipment in a single file with annotations referencing the relevant equipment in the header. It didn’t have a table of ocntents, and was the first step in getting an actual listing out of everything in this A/V package, so I went through it with PDFExpert and tagged everything in the PDF “outline”2 (which renders as a table of contents in Preview).
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Michal Zelazny ☛ Connection
Unfortunately, there’s also a timeline. Chronological timeline, without any algorithm, it’s less addictive, it wasn’t built to addict us, but it still exploits (consciously or not) the same mechanism of our brains. And even there, there are people I don’t want to engage with. I can block them, but that can happen after we meet, not before. And there is news I don’t always want to see.
Last week I tried something new for me. I tried to move all valuable connections to other channels. I started a group chat with some friends. With some I chat more on Signal and iMessage, with some I exchange more emails. Some are new to my life and I already like them a lot. Last week I spent a lot more time with people I like, people I care about, people who make my day better every time I talk to them, even when we talk about difficult experiences.
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Johnny Decimal ☛ 22.00.0029 People and organisations • Johnny.Decimal
Some things are not better sorted by number.
For some things, the alphabet is the best way. ‘People and organisations’ fit in to this category.
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Manuel Moreale ☛ P&B: Herman Martinus
This is the 26th edition of People and Blogs, the series where I ask interesting people to talk about themselves and their blogs. Today we have Herman Martinus and his blog, herman.bearblog.dev
Herman is the creator of the super minimal blog platform bearblog.dev—it was included in my recent list of blog platforms—and he's based in Cape Town like my long time friend Rob and they actually know each-other, something I didn't know when I first contacted Herman to be part of the series. I love how small the web world can feel at times.
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The New Leaf Journal ☛ Tomozaki Anime and Big Tech Social Media
Last year, I wrote an article jokingly suggesting that an anime character (Akane in My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999) was making a mistake by running Windows instead of Linux and that she could fix her life problems my making the switch. Today, I tackle an even more serious anime-tech character flaw in the same vein: The second season use by Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki-kun’s of proprietary, data-grabbing, social media. Anime promotion of Pinstagram is dark indeed, not least because the made up name could be read as inadvertently promoting two bad social media platforms at once. After introducing the problem and making jokes, I will offer a more serious take on the series’ use of a subpar proprietary social media platform.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Doom comes to lawnmowers — Husqvarna offers Doom as a free update on robotic lawnmowers starting April
Episode 1 of Doom, Knee-Deep in the Dead, will be provided in a free software update for owners of the Husqvarna Automower. However, an update in September will remove the game eventually.
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Science
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The Register UK ☛ NASA warns of strong solar flare
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned that the X6.3 event could mean “temporary degradation or complete loss of signal” for operators of high frequency radios – at least on the sunlit side of the planet at the time of the flare – and added that the event “poses no significant threat to the general public”.
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Daniel Lemire ☛ Book review: Theft of Fire by Devon Eriksen
When I was young, science fiction was the genre of choice for many engineers and scientists. But the genre declined significantly in recent years. Part of the problem is the rise dystopian fiction.
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Science Alert ☛ New Discovery Crushes Hopes of Finding Alien Life on Titan
There's only one way to know for sure.
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Science Alert ☛ Shock Discovery Reveals The Giant Anaconda Is More Than One Species
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Science Alert ☛ Strange Phase of Matter That Only Existed in Theory Turns Out to Be Real
Not quite a crystal, not quite a glass.
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Science Alert ☛ Ultrasound Can Probe Deep Into The Brain to Relieve Pain
A new way to heal pain is emerging.
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Science Alert ☛ Ancient Megalith Found in Peru Is One of The Oldest in The Americas
Still standing after thousands of years.
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Hackaday ☛ Want To Learn Binary? Draw Space Invaders!
This was the week that I accidentally taught my nearly ten-year-old son binary. And I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear.
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Hackaday ☛ Tiny Motion Detection Alarm Does The Trick
If you have mischievous children or forgetful elderly in your life, you might want to build a couple of these tiny motion detection alarms to help keep them out of harm’s way. Maybe you want to keep yourself out of the cookie jar. We say good for you.
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Education
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The Hindu ☛ How the father of the modern Bengali alphabet made English compulsory in Kolkata’s historic Sanskrit College
That Raja Ram Mohan Roy had objected to the setting up of Sanskrit College because he believed education should be Western, and that it was Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, the father of the modern Bengali alphabet, who insisted that English be taught in that college — these are some of the lesser-known facts that emerged during the translation of a book containing the history of the institution that is completing 200 years.
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Society for Scholarly Publishing ☛ AI, Translations, and the Dominance of the English Language
As we move toward an automatically translated future, a look back at the past below. How did English become the dominant global language, replacing French in the 20th Century? And when we think about systems to translate other languages to English, which of the 160 different “Englishes” do we mean?
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Hardware
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Hackaday ☛ Tetris Goes Round And Round
You’ve probably played some version of Tetris, but [the Center for Creative Learning] has a different take on it. Their latest version features a cylindrical playing field. While it wouldn’t be simple to wire up all those LEDs, it is a little easier, thanks to LED strips. You can find the code for the game on GitHub.
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Unmitigated Risk ☛ Tenement Farming and Cloud HSMs
While it’s fair to say that using a Cloud HSM means your keys are protected by a device meeting FIPS 140-3 standards, assuming the HSM in use has this certification, it’s important to realize this doesn’t guarantee the security you might expect. The security model of HSMs was built for the threats of the 1980s. These devices were not network-connected and were single-tenant — if they were “online” it was usually via HSMs attached to physical computers running an application on a machine connected to private networks — not connected to a globally reachable endpoint.
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Ruben Schade ☛ SD cards became the ubiquitous superfloppy
The term superfloppy was popular among the tech press for describing such devices, in part because regular 3.5-inch floppy disks were also still in widespread use. It was a bit of a chicken and egg situation: people used 3.5-inch floppies because they were ubiquitous, and they were ubiquitous because people kept using them. But while they offered huge benefits over the literal floppy disks they replaced, they were frustratingly limited by the mid to late 1990s. My homework assignments rarely fit on one, and I was often helping my old man use a tool like WinZip to split projects across multiple disks to pass to clients.
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Hackaday ☛ Recreating The Pop Ball
Those who were kids in the 80s may remember a sweet little toy called the Pop Ball. A simple rubber hemisphere, this rubber cup could be turned inside out and thrown on the ground, where it would hit and bounce sky high whilst knocking itself right side out. The black ones worked particularly well, and were the first to be banned from [electrosync]’s school along with yo-yos, slap bracelets, and any number of toys that eventually became weaponized by enterprising children.
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Hackaday ☛ Bit-Serial CPU: Ultra-Tiny VHDL-Based CPU With Forth Interpreter
Soft cores for FPGAs come in many different flavors, covering a wide range of applications. The Bit-Serial CPU (bcpu) soft core presented by [Richard James Howe] is interesting for taking up just about the most minimal amount of resources (23 slices, 76 LUTs) while providing the means to run a Forth-based (eForth dialect) interpreter. To this CPU core a UART can be added (92 LUTs), as well as other peripherals.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Chinese researchers tout optical disk format with up to 125TB capacity
Researchers in China have developed a super-high capacity optical disk format which is claimed to be able to hold up to 125TB of data and hope they will be commercialized to address any upcoming data crunch.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ U.S. Government to provide update on CHIPS Act: multi-billion dollar payouts to Intel, TSMC, Samsung expected [Ed: Bailout from Biden to non-US companies]
The U.S. government plans to provide an update on CHIPS Act implementation on February 26.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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Jacobin Magazine ☛ Big Pharma Is Cheating Americans Out of Publicly Funded Drugs
But the government, and by extension taxpayers, heavily subsidizes the development of drugs in this country. Now a bombshell new report reveals that Americans funded the development of all ten drugs up for price negotiations, shelling out a total of $11.7 billion on their research. In 2022 alone, Big Pharma made $70 billion selling those same drugs — and now it wants to keep their prices sky high.
According to the new study out of the Center for Integration of Science and Industry at Bentley University, which has not yet been published, the ten selected prescription drugs received anywhere from $227 million to $6.5 billion in funding from the government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) for crucial, foundational research.
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Science Alert ☛ Simple Experiment Reveals Why Your Next Antibiotics May Prove Useless
In 1943, microbiologist Salvador Luria and physicist turned biologist Max Delbrück invented an experiment to argue that bacteria mutated aimlessly. Using their test, other scientists showed that bacteria could acquire resistance to antibiotics they hadn't encountered before.
The Luria–Delbrück experiment has had a significant effect on science. The findings helped Luria and Delbruck win the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1969, and students today learn this experiment in biology classrooms. I have been studying this experiment in my work as a biostatistician for over 20 years.
Decades later, this experiment offers lessons still relevant today, because it implies that bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics that haven't been developed yet.
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New York Times ☛ Gaza Toilet Shortage Creates Sanitation Crisis
“It is a public health concern,” one U.N. official said of the lack of toilets for displaced people in the territory. “But the second thing is simply just dignity.”
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Off Guardian ☛ What’s So Bad About World Rule?
The goals of the UN’s sustainable development agenda are rather pie-in-the-sky targets. But who in their right mind would give them a thumbs down if there was reason to believe they could be achieved? Here they are if you are not familiar with them: No poverty. Zero hunger. Good health and well-being.
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Covering Up Dead People or Covering Up for Pandemic Profiteers
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Futurism ☛ Tyler Perry Nixes Huge Film Studio Expansion, Says He Can Just Green Screen in Backgrounds From OpenAI's Sora
"I no longer would have to travel to locations," Perry rhapsodized. "If I wanted to be in the snow in Colorado, it’s text. If I wanted to write a scene on the moon, it’s text, and this AI can generate it like nothing."
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Hollywood Reporter ☛ Tyler Perry Raises Alarm on AI, Puts $800M Studio Expansion on Hold
Over the past four years, Tyler Perry had been planning an $800 million expansion of his studio in Atlanta, which would have added 12 soundstages to the 330-acre property. Now, however, those ambitions are on hold — thanks to the rapid developments he’s seeing in the realm of artificial intelligence, including OpenAI’s text-to-video model Sora, which debuted Feb. 15 and stunned observers with its cinematic video outputs.
“Being told that it can do all of these things is one thing, but actually seeing the capabilities, it was mind-blowing,” he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, noting that his productions might not have to travel to locations or build sets with the assistance of the technology.
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Bitdefender ☛ Prescription orders delayed as US pharmacies grapple with "nation-state" cyber attack
US media reports that pharmacies have warned that the cyber attack has disrupted their ability to fulfil orders from patients paying for medicines through their insurance.
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The Register UK ☛ Judge not okay with law firm using ChatGPT to justify fees
The legal eagles at New York-based Cuddy Law tried using OpenAI's chatbot, despite its penchant for lying and spouting nonsense, to help justify their hefty fees for a recently won trial, a sum the losing side is expected to pay.
NYC federal district Judge Paul Engelmayer, however, rejected the submitted amount, awarded less than half of what Cuddy requested, and added a sharp rebuke to the lawyers for using ChatGPT to cross-check the figures. The briefs basically cited ChatGPT's output to support their stated hourly rate, which does depend on things like the level and amount of research, preparation, and other work involved.
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Quartz ☛ OpenAI ChatGPT and Google Gemini mistakes show how new AI is
AI chatbots made headlines this week with a range of glaring flubs that were hard to look past. Tech companies are rushing to show off their non-offensive, error-free AI chatbots. They’re hoping to show investors that the billions of dollars spent on this technology was a good investment. This week, AI chatbots showed they are not ready for the spotlight just yet.
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Silicon Angle ☛ Dissecting the Hey Hi (AI) boom through the dotcom lens
Many people question whether the current artificial intelligence boom will end in the same way that the dotcom bubble burst. It’s understandable, as there are many similarities, especially with the exuberance seen this past week in the stock market following Nvidia Corp.’s earnings print.
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Security Week ☛ White House Wades Into Debate on ‘Open’ Versus ‘Closed’ Artificial Intelligence Systems
The White House is seeking public comment on the risks and benefits of having an Hey Hi (AI) system’s key components publicly available for anyone to use and modify.
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Cloudbooklet ☛ Is Gmail Shutting Down? Here the Truth Behind this Rumors
Is Gmail Shutting Down? Don’t panic, it’s just a rumor. Find out the truth behind the buzz and what Surveillance Giant Google has to say about it.
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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Engadget ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] FTC concludes Twitter didn’t violate data security rules, in spite of Musk's orders
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Hackaday ☛ Apple AirTag: Antitheft Or Antistalking?
Occasionally, the extra features added to a product can negate some of the reasons you wanted to buy the thing in the first place. Take, for example, Apple’s AirTag — billed as an affordable way to link your physical stuff to your phone. If some light-fingered ne’er-do-well wanders by and half-inches your gear, you get notified. The thing is, the AirTag also has an anti-stalking measure, which after a while, notifies nearby iPhones, should the tag move but not be near your iPhone!
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The Conversation ☛ Your smart watch isn’t a medical device – but it is tracking all your health data
There’s something else to consider too. Users of devices and digital tools regularly hand over their personal data. Businesses must ensure compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).
Personal health data is a “special category of data”. This would fall under the application of Articles 6 and 9 of the UK GDPR and Schedule 1 of the DPA. This means that more stringent standards are imposed for the collection and use of such data (in its processing), including potentially an obligation to conduct an extensive data impact assessment.
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India Times ☛ third-party cookies: When the third-party cookie crumbles: A new privacy-centric [Internet] emerges
For the last six months, Rinku Ghosh has been fielding queries like these from clients panicking about the phasing out of third-party cookies. Ghosh is the COO of Lemnisk, a Bengaluru-based customer data platform. In her line of work, a cookie isn’t a sweet treat; it is a text file spawned by a web browser when a user visits a site, capturing their login details, preferences and browsing history.
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J D Supra LLC ☛ NIST Publishes Final “Cybersecurity Resource Guide” on Implementing the HIPAA Security Rule
In an important development for HIPAA-regulated entities looking for practical assistance in understanding, implementing, and enhancing compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has finalized its comprehensive guidance, Implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule: A Cybersecurity Resource Guide (Resource Guide). This release follows the initial draft that NIST published for public comment in July 2022 and builds on NIST’s foundational 2008 publication. The updated Resource Guide comes at the heels of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) releasing voluntary performance goals to enhance cybersecurity across the health sector last month and a Department-wide Cybersecurity strategy for the health care sector in December of 2023.
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JURIST ☛ Mexico president defends publicizing NYT reporter’s phone number
Mexican President Andres Manuel Obrador defended on Friday his decision to reveal a New York Times (NYT) reporter’s phone number, saying that the privacy protection laws governing personal data and information do not apply to him.
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Defence/Aggression
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Pro Publica ☛ Iditarod Disqualifies Former Champion Brent Sass Amid Sex Assault Allegations
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Thursday voted to disqualify a former champion from this year’s event following accusations he sexually assaulted multiple women.
The decision on Brent Sass, 44, came nearly four months after the race received a letter from an official at Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Alaska on behalf of women who the letter writer said had accused Sass of sexual assault. The unanimous vote by the Iditarod Trail Committee Board also came a week after Alaska Public Media, the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica first asked it about sexual assault allegations against Sass. The news organizations sent the Iditarod additional questions on Wednesday, and other outlets have made inquiries.
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The Straits Times ☛ Fake cops in Malaysia nabbed after robbing foreigners at home
The men have been charged with gang robbery and posing as a public officer.
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New York Times ☛ U.S. Warns of Environmental Damage if Vessel Struck by Houthis Sinks
The damaged ship, called the Rubymar, is carrying a large amount of fertilizer and is slowly taking on water, the military said.
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New York Times ☛ U.S. and British Warplanes Again Strike Houthi-Linked Targets in Yemen
The Iran-backed group, which has been targeting global shipping routes, has proved especially difficult for the United States and its allies to restrain.
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The Straits Times ☛ Yemen's Houthi Al Masirah TV: US, UK forces carry out a series of strikes in Sanaa
Al Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, said on Saturday that U.S. and British forces carried out a series of airstrikes in the capital, Sanaa.
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New York Times ☛ Human Rights Atrocities Mount in Sudan as War Spirals, U.N. Says
Rape, killing, torture: A stark report offers new evidence of horrific abuses carried out by Sudan’s military and its enemy, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
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JURIST ☛ India Supreme Court to hear appeal of case ordering young girls to take ‘cautionary’ measures to avoid sexual assault
The Supreme Court of India scheduled on Friday the hearing of In Re: Right to Privacy of Adolescents after the Calcutta High Court last year ordered that “young adolescent girls are obligated to control their sexual urges” under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
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France24 ☛ Israeli leaders to discuss possible Gaza truce proposal on Saturday
The Israeli war cabinet will on Saturday be briefed by negotiators who held mediated talks in Paris on a possible Gaza truce, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser said. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
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JURIST ☛ UK woman who joined ISIS loses appeal over revocation of citizenship
Former ISIS affiliate Shamima Begum on Friday lost her appeal regarding the British government’s 2019 decision to strip her of British citizenship. Begum left the UK aged 15 to travel to Syria and join the Islamic State. The ruling from the Court of Appeal was unanimous, and as such, Begum must remain in Syria.
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] EU probes TikTok for youth protection, addiction regulations
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Engadget ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] The EU opens a wide-ranging probe into TikTok
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] TikTok Faces European Union Scrutiny for Possible Breaches of Strict New Digital Rulebook
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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Meduza ☛ Russian officials release Alexey Navalny’s body to his mother — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ One of Russia’s largest steel plants hit by drone attack — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ At least 75,000 dead Russian soldiers Meduza calculates that Moscow loses 120 men per day in Ukraine, and the rate isn’t slowing after two years of war
Meduza is now updating that research at the full-scale invasion’s two-year mark, drawing on data that covers the period between February 24, 2022, and late 2023. Using this information and our previous methodology, we estimate that roughly 75,000 Russian combatants have been killed in Ukraine, and Russia’s rate of losses is not slowing.
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Can Yulia Navalnaya unite the Russian opposition?
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-23 [Older] Ukraine updates: US to impose 'major sanction package' on Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-23 [Older] Armenia Freezes Participation in Russia-Led Security Bloc - Prime Minister
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Russia and the G5 Sahel Group’s Indivisible Security Relationship
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The Local SE ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Sweden warns of growing threat from Russia, as well as China and Iran
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] US Warns Iran Against Providing Ballistic Missiles to Russia
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Vox ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Are Ukraine’s defenses starting to crumble?
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CPJ ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Russia bans Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as ‘undesirable’
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Ex-FBI Source Accused of Lying About Bidens and Having Russian Contacts Is Returned to US Custody
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Russian Drone Strike in Ukraine's Odessa Kills One, Military Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] New US Russia Sanctions to Target Banks, Weapons Components - Diplomat
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] US to Impose Sanctions on Over 500 Targets in Russia Action on Friday
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Jacobin Magazine ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Alexei Navalny Taught Russia’s Opposition How to Mobilize
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Russia Says It is About to Have a Vaccine Against Cancer
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Russia-Ukraine international armed conflict: 23,000 people reported missing
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TruthOut ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] GOP’s Biden Informant Was Fed Information by Russian Officials, Prosecutors Say
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CBC ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Navalny was Russia's highest-profile political prisoner. But there are more than 1,000 others
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CBC ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Prosecutors say major Hunter Biden source a liar, tied to Russian intelligence. Now what?
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CNN ☛ 2024-02-21 ? [Older] Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appeals against arrest, Russian state media says
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CNN ☛ 2024-02-21 ? [Older] Video shows moment of deadly explosion at cafe in Russia
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CNN ☛ 2024-02-21 ? [Older] 'Scary, cold, hungry and lonely': Volunteer soldier shares experience on front line
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] EU agrees on more Russia sanctions — but do they work?
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] G20: Baerbock tells Russia's Lavrov to end Ukraine war 'now'
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Ukraine updates: EU approves new sanctions against Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Senate Panel to Hold Hearing on US Microchips Use in Russian Weapons Systems
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Russia Says G20 Ukraine Discussion Is 'Destructive'
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Trump Says Navalny Was 'Brave,' but Should Not Have Returned to Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Russian Court Upholds Barring of Anti-War Presidential Candidate Nadezhdin
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Yandex Co-Founder Arkady Volozh to Be Removed From EU Russian Sanctions List, Sources Say
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The Kent Stater ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Report: North Korean missile fired by Russia against Ukraine contained US and European components
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] UAE banks limit business with Russia and Russian clients
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Counter Punch ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Russia: Why Navalny, and What’s Next?
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Estonia detains 10 Russians suspected in 'sabotage' plot
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Russia detains US dual national for treason, reports say
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Ukraine updates: Defected Russian pilot found dead in Spain
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The Local DK ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Denmark says Russian authorities are responsible for Navalny death
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Ex-FBI Informant Charged With Lying About Bidens Had Russian Intelligence Contacts, Prosecutors Say
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] EU Summons Russian Envoy, Demands Independent Investigation Into Navalny's Death
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Kyiv Begins New Probe Into Alleged Russian Shooting of Ukrainian PoWs
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Russia Says It Shipped 200,000 Tonnes of Free Grain to Six African Countries
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Ukraine Military Dismisses Russian Claim to Hold Village in Southern Kherson Region
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] US Believes Russia Developing Space-Based Nuclear Weapon, Says Source
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Vox ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Where does the fight for a free Russia go now?
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The Conversation ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Russia’s space weapon: anti-satellite systems are indiscriminate, posing a risk to everyone’s spacecraft
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CBC ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Navalny's widow urges Russians to fight 'to get our country back'
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CBC ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Lack of ammunition threatens Ukraine's hold on front line
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Alexei Navalny's death: EU mulls fresh sanctions on Russia
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Germany seeks new EU sanctions on Russia over Navalny's death
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Ukraine updates: Russia claims full control of Avdiivka plant
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Ukraine war: Russia's economy beats the odds — can it last?
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The Age AU ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Tributes flow for Russian opposition Alexei Navalny
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Stalled US Aid for Ukraine Underscores GOP's Shift Away From Confronting Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Exclusive-Turkish-Russian Trade Hit by Fresh US Sanctions Threat
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Russia Takes Full Control of Avdiivka Coke Plant, Defence Ministry Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Germany Leads EU Call for More Sanctions Against Russia Over Navalny
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Navalny's Widow Yulia Calls on Russians to Fight Putin for Freedom
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Navalny's Widow Yulia Calls on Russians to Fight Putin for Freedom
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Navalny's Widow Vows to Continue His Fight Against the Kremlin and Punish Putin for His Death
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Russia Says It Has Crushed the Last Pocket of Resistance in Avdiivka to Complete the City's Capture
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Russia Says Ukraine Poisoned Governors of Two Annexed Ukrainian Provinces
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Most of Russia’s Opposition Is Either Dead, in Exile Abroad or in Prison at Home. What Happens Now?
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Who Are Other Russian Dissidents Besides the Late Alexei Navalny?
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Battling bytes: The digital evolution of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Russia: Are soldiers' protesting wives a threat to Kremlin?
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Russia: Navalny's wife pays tribute as crackdown continues
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Ukraine updates: Russian bomber destroyed by air defenses
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The Age AU ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Russia’s bid for an orbiting nuclear weapon jolts public, even if details remain hazy
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Over 300 Detained in Russia as Country Mourns the Death of Alexei Navalny, Putin's Fiercest Foe
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Russia Will Not Intimidate Me, Estonia's Kallas Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Ukraine Accuses Russia of Executing Injured Prisoners at Avdiivka, Vesele
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Ukraine Military Says It Repelled Russian Offensive on Southern Front
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] How are Russians reacting to Alexei Navalny’s death?
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] While land war is frozen in stalemate, Ukraine still achieves victories against Russia at sea
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The Age AU ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Why Alexey Navalny was Putin’s number one enemy in Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Navalny Was Struck Down With 'Sudden Death Syndrome', His Mother Was Told at Russian Prison
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] At Least Three Dead in Russian Assaults on Ukraine Cities, Officials Say
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] In Russia’s Arctic, Alexei Navalny’s Mother Searches for Her Son’s Body
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Navalny's Mother Travelling to Russian Prison Where He Died - Novaya Gazeta
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Only Morgue in Salekhard, Russia, Has Not Received Navalny's Body - Employee Tells Reuters
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] More Than 400 Detained in Russia at Events in Memory of Navalny, Rights Group Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Russian President Putin Congratulates Servicemen for Capture of Ukraine's Avdiivka
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Russia Says Its Forces Move Forward After Ukraine Withdraws From Avdiivka
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Ukraine Shoots Down Three Russian Warplanes, Air Force Chief Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] US VP Harris: Will Work to Ensure Russia Pays Damages to Ukraine
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NL Times ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Dutch PM Rutte blames Russia for opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death at 47
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CBC ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Without Navalny, 'hope dies' for opposition in Russia's dangerous political landscape
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CBC ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Navalny death must spur U.S. lawmakers to act against Russia, Biden says
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Alexei Navalny dies in Russian prison aged 47 — authorities
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] 'Toxic' Russian passport increasingly less attractive to foreigners
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HRW ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Russia: Navalny Dies in Prison
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] 'No Evidence' Russia Has Decided What to Do With Emerging Anti-Satellite Weapon, Biden Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Exclusive-Mondelez Revamps European Operations After Boycotts Over Russian Business, Internal Memos Show
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Analysis-Navalny's Death Deprives Russia's Opposition of a Leader and Hope
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Factbox-Who Are the Other Opposition Activists Jailed in Russia?
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Russian Emigres Gather Across Europe to Mourn Navalny, Denounce Putin
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Russia Labels Businessman Tinkov as 'Foreign Agent'
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Ukraine's Zelenskiy Tells Russians a Vote for Putin Is a Vote for a Murderer
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Vox ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death, explained
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Vox ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] US officials are always talking about “deterring” Iran. What does that really mean?
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The Washington Post ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Putin Rival Alexei Navalny Dies in Siberian Prison
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Counter Punch ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] 500,000 Dead and Maimed in Ukraine, Enough Already
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Ukraine: How the war is poisoning the environment
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The Age AU ☛ 2024-02-23 [Older] After two years of war, Ukrainians are becoming pessimistic
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Counter Punch ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Cult of the Drone: Lessons From the War in Ukraine
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Germany's Bundestag votes against Taurus missiles to Ukraine
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Ukraine updates: UN decries 'horrific human cost' of war
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Ukrainian refugees in Germany: Why few work for a living
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The Local DK ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Denmark signs 10-year security agreement with Ukraine
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] Debris From North Korean Missile in Ukraine Could Expose Procurement Networks
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-22 [Older] France’s Macron to Host Ukraine Summit in Paris on Monday
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] The Humanitarian Appeal for Ukraine Is Only 10% Funded for 2024, UN Envoy Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-21 [Older] Ukraine, IMF Working Toward Deal on $890 Million Disbursement, Source Says
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Polish farmers block Ukraine border in grain import protest
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The Local SE ☛ 2024-02-20 [Older] Sweden to send its largest-yet military aid package to Ukraine
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NL Times ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Netherlands also struggling to shelter Ukrainian refugees
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International Business Times ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Putin's 'Only Options': Face Court Or Be Killed By Accomplice, Says Ukrainian President Zelensky
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Truthdig ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Nearly 70% of Americans Want War in Ukraine to End
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] AP Wins the Best-Documentary Prize at the BAFTA Awards for Ukraine Film '20 Days in Mariupol'
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] 75th George Polk Awards Honor Coverage of Middle East and Ukraine Wars, Supreme Court and Elon Musk
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Japan Hosts Ukraine Reconstruction Meeting, Pledges New Tax Treaty
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Japan to Host Ukraine Reconstruction Conference to Showcase Support for War-Torn Country
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Dutch Nationalist Wilders Lashes Out Against Ukrainian Refugees
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Ukrainian President Zelenskiy Visits Northeastern Front Line
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-19 [Older] Why Is Japan Hosting a Conference for Ukraine Reconstruction When It's Still at War? AP Explains.
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Western aid to Ukraine exceeds Marshall Plan
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] MSC24 ends with ongoing indecision for Ukraine
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The Age AU ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] ‘So much on the line’: Biden warns that more Ukrainian cities will fall without US aid
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Britain Lets Ukrainian Refugees Stay for Another 18 Months
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Analysis-Europe Seeks to Sway Trump Camp on NATO, Ukraine Aid
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Republican Opponent of US Aid to Ukraine Brings His Case to an International Conference
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Sunak, Von Der Leyen Express Outrage at Navalny's Death, Discuss Mideast, Ukraine
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] Weather Damages Only 1-2% of Ukraine 2024 Winter Wheat Crop, Ministry Says
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Scheerpost ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Ray McGovern: Throwing Good Money After Bad in Ukraine?
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] MSC 2024: Ukraine's Zelenskyy rallies leaders for support
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Ukraine updates: Kyiv's forces withdraw from Avdiivka
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Italy Foreign Minister Sees Ukraine Joining EU and NATO Once War Ends
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Italy 'Ready to Do More' on Military Aid for Ukraine, Foreign Minister Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Rheinmetall to Open Ammo Factory in Ukraine in Joint Project
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Ukraine's Zelenskyy Warns of an 'Artificial Deficit' of Weapons After Withdrawal From Avdiivka
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-17 [Older] Ukrainian Foreign Minister Discusses Peace Prospects With Chinese Counterpart
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Germany, Ukraine sign bilateral security agreement
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CBC ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Ukraine withdraws troops from Avdiivka, the biggest change in the front lines since 2023
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European Commission ☛ G7 Leaders' Statement 24 February 2024
European Commission Statement Kyiv, 24 Feb 2024
We the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) met today with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine...
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European Commission ☛ Remarks by Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis at the Informal ECOFIN Press conference in Ghent
European Commission Statement Brussels, 24 Feb 2024 Thank you, minister. Good afternoon, everyone.
I would like to start with some words on Ukraine.
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European Commission ☛ Statement by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
European Commission Statement Kyiv, 24 Feb 2024 Dear Volodymyr,
Thank you for hosting my fellow leaders and me here in Kyiv.
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy inks French, German defense pacts
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Despite Navalny, It Will Be Weeks Before US House Considers Ukraine Aid
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Biden Says Navalny's Reported Death Brings New Urgency to the Need for More US Aid to Ukraine
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] France Pledges to Send up to 3 Billion Eur in Military Aid to Ukraine This Year - Elysee
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-02-16 [Older] Ukraine's Zelenskiy Says Security Deal With France Is Ambitious, Substantive
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European Commission ☛ Speech by President von der Leyen at the Antonov Airport
European Commission Speech Kyiv, 24 Feb 2024 This airport has witnessed Ukraine's darkest hour. Those fateful moments are etched forever in our collective memory.
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European Commission ☛ President von der Leyen hands over cars to Ukraine's security forces to enhance stability and reinforce war crime investigations in de-occupied territories
European Commission Press release Kyiv, 24 Feb 2024 Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen handed over 50 cars provided by the EU to the National Police of Ukraine (NPU) and Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) of Ukraine.
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Latvia ☛ VIDEO: 'Road of Light for Ukraine'
On Saturday, February 24, Riga will host a commemorative and support event “Road of Light for Ukraine”.
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Latvia ☛ VIDEO: Rally for Ukraine 'Together until Victory!'
On February 24 Rīga will host a rally “Together until victory!” by the Freedom Monument.
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Latvia ☛ Latvian officials offer messages of support for Ukraine
Several of Latvia's senior officials took to social control media February 24 with special video messages marking two years since Russia waged full-scale war with its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
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The Kent Stater ☛ University reflects on Russo-Ukrainian war with ‘Stand With Ukraine Through Film: The Guide’ event
With the second-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaching, several Kent State departments highlighted the history of the invasion through a screening of Ukrainian-made film “The Guide” Thursday. The film is set in early 1930s Ukraine amid the Holodomor, a man-made famine engineered by the Soviet government.
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Reason ☛ Why I Don't Buy the Idea that You Can't Kill an Idea
Contrary to popular belief, ideas can in fact be killed. And that reality has important implications for how we should handle various conflicts, including those involving Israel and Ukraine.
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France24 ☛ ‘We are not in a position to make plans’: The uncertain exile of Ukrainians in France
Two years after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the end of the war is nowhere in sight. Ukrainian refugees in France are each adapting in their own way, with many preparing to stay for the long term.
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France24 ☛ Ukraine vows triumph over Russian 'darkness' on two-year anniversary of war
Ukraine on Saturday vowed to triumph over Russian "darkness" as it entered a new year of war weakened by a lack of Western aid and with Moscow emboldened by fresh gains. To mark the second anniversary, a virtual summit of G7 leaders was set to take place at Kyiv's Saint Sophia Cathedral Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attending. Read FRANCE 24's coverage of the day's events.
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France24 ☛ A Ukrainian soldier in France speaks about writing and recovery
Ahead of the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Ukrainian soldier and author Oleksandr “Teren” Budko spoke to FRANCE 24 about his path to recovery after losing both legs, his approach to writing and his patriotism.
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JURIST ☛ Ukraine investigating over 120,000 alleged Russia war crimes
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced Friday at the War Crimes Conference 2024, a day before the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that Ukraine is in the process of investigating 120,000 potential Russian war crimes.
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JURIST ☛ India asks Russia for early release of nationals in Russia army ‘support jobs’
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reported Friday that it has asked Russia for the early release of Indian nationals working in “support jobs” for the Russian army. The MEA also cautioned Indian nationals to stay away from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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LRT ☛ Radarom! campaign raises over €8m for Ukrainian soldiers
On the occasion of the second anniversary of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Radarom! fundraising campaign has collected 8.288 million euros to purchase Lithuanian-made safe soldier kits for Ukrainian troops.
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LRT ☛ Two years of Russia’s war in Ukraine: mistakes made and lessons learned
Saturday marks two years since the fateful February 24 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These years have taught the West many lessons about warfare and geopolitics, but not all of them have been learned, according to experts interviewed by LRT.lt.
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RFERL ☛ G7 Leaders Hold Virtual Summit On Anniversary Of Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) vowed on February 24 to support Ukraine for as long as needed in its war against Russia and said they would look for ways to make Moscow pay for the damage inflicted by its invasion.
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RFERL ☛ March In Belgrade To Mark War Anniversary Calls For Continued Support For Ukraine
People gathered in the center of Belgrade on February 24 and marched to Republic Square, where they lit candles and held a minute of silence for the victims of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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RFERL ☛ Ukrainians Honor Fallen Soldiers With Exhibition, Religious Service
An ecumenical prayer service was held in Zaporizhzhya on February 24. Locals joined church dignitaries near an outdoor exhibition that features photos and names of soldiers killed in the defense of Ukraine. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, the eastern city of Zaporizhzhya was near the front line. Russia controls a nearby nuclear power plant to this day.
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RFERL ☛ Ukraine Signs Bilateral Security Agreement With Canada, Zelenskiy Says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on February 24 said he signed a bilateral security agreement with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kyiv.
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RFERL ☛ Ukraine And Italy Sign Bilateral Security Agreement, Zelenskiy Says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on February 24 signed a bilateral security agreement with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
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RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Aide Downplays Prospect Of Early Peace Talks, Swiss Say Russia Unlikely At Start
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's senior aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said on February 24 that it's impossible to predict when the war might end and suggested Zelenskiy's office is not currently in favor of peace talks with Russia as it would mean the "gradual death of Ukraine."
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RFERL ☛ Ex-President Medvedev Says Moscow Will Seek 'Revenge' For Western Sanctions
Russia's ex-President Dmitry Medvedev, a leading hawk on the Ukraine offensive, said on February 24 that Moscow will seek "revenge" for massive Western sanctions.
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RFERL ☛ U.K. Pledges 245 Million Pounds To Boost Ukraine Artillery Reserves
Britain announced on February 24 a new 245 million-pound ($311 million) defense package to help boost the production of "urgently needed artillery ammunition" for Ukraine, two years after war broke out with Russia.
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RFERL ☛ U.S. Senators Promise To Pressure House Speaker To Bring Aid Bill Up For Vote During Visit To Ukraine
A U.S. Senate delegation led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promised to pressure the leader of the House of Representatives to bring a bill that includes military aid for Ukraine up for a vote.
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RFERL ☛ At Invasion's Two-Year Mark, Kyiv And West Pledge Ongoing Resistance To Russian Aggression
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv early on February 24 along with other foreign leaders and dignitaries eager to send a defiant message on the second anniversary of Russia's launch of its all-out invasion of Ukraine.
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The Straits Times ☛ Germany still discussing supplying long-range weapons to Ukraine, foreign minister says
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa on Saturday, said Germany was still discussing whether to supply long-range weapons to Ukraine.
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YLE ☛ Finnish politicians react to Ukraine war anniversary
Finnish leaders vowed that Finland stands by Ukraine now and in the future.
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YLE ☛ Niinistö: Ukraine deserves our full support
Saturday marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine.
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New York Times ☛ Two Years After Russia’s Invasion, Ukraine Faces Deepening Fog of War
Two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian leaders are seeking a path forward in the face of ferocious assaults and daunting unknowns.
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New York Times ☛ Fire in Valencia, Spain, Leaves Residents Homeless After Panicked Escapes
A fire that killed at least 10 people left many refugees from Ukraine without a home and others scrambling to rebuild their lives.
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New York Times ☛ Ukraine Marks 2nd Anniversary of Russian Invasion, Determined Despite Setbacks
European and other Western leaders gathered in Kyiv to pledge support for Ukraine amid U.S. reluctance, while its troops suffer growing losses on the battlefield, where the Russians have been gaining ground.
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New York Times ☛ Hard Lessons Make for Hard Choices 2 Years Into the War in Ukraine
Western sanctions haven’t worked. Weapons from allies are running low. Pressure may build on Kyiv to seek a settlement, even from a weakened position.
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New York Times ☛ Ukrainian Family Holds Out Hope Son Will Be Released by Russians
After nearly two years and only scraps of information, a Ukrainian family still hopes their son, a marine captured by the Russians in Mariupol, will come home soon.
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Meduza ☛ Kremlin-installed ‘head’ of annexed Zaporizhzhia region says Ukrainians who spoke out against Russia were forcibly deported — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ Ukrainian media says 10 Russian military personnel killed after radar plane reportedly shot down over Azov Sea — Meduza
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RFERL ☛ Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Challenges U.S. Buzz On Possible Nuclear Space Weapon
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov says the United States has not shown any evidence for accusations that Moscow wants to put nuclear weapons in space, following U.S. media reports and official hints of concern at emerging Russian capabilities in space-based weapons.
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RFERL ☛ U.S. Sanctions Russia's Largest Shipper As It Says Oil Price Cap Enforcement Bearing Fruit
The U.S. said it is targeting Russia’s largest state-owned shipping company and fleet operator for sanctions, saying a price cap on Russian sea-borne oil imposed in December 2022 is serving its "twin goals" of limiting Kremlin profits from the sale of oil while promoting stable energy markets.
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Reason ☛ Two Years of Writings on the Russia-Ukraine War
A compilation of my work on this topic, on the two-year anniversary of the start of Vladimir Putin's full-blown attempt to conquer Ukraine. Almost all of it remains relevant.
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Meduza ☛ At least 32 people detained across Russia in protests against war and in honor of Navalny — Meduza
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New York Times ☛ Aleksei Navalny’s Body Was Returned to His Mother, Allies Say
The Russian authorities have transferred the body, ending a grim battle for custody of his remains.
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RFERL ☛ Daughter Of Assassinated Kremlin Foe Nemtsov Says Putin Fears 'Dead Navalny No Less Than Living Navalny'
The exiled daughter of assassinated Kremlin political foe Boris Nemtsov says the treatment of the body of recently deceased opposition leader Aleksei Navalny by Russian officials demonstrates just how deeply President Vladimir Putin fears Navalny's legacy of dissent.
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JURIST ☛ Russia investigative committee refuses to surrender Navalny’s body to family unless private funeral held
Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson said Friday that Navalny’s body is being withheld from his family unless his mother agrees to a private, closed-casket funeral.
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France24 ☛ Body of Kremlin-critic Alexis Navalny has been handed over to his mother, aide says
The body of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed to his mother, more than a week after he died in an Arctic penal colony, his spokesperson said on Saturday.
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Environment
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Omicron Limited ☛ Wetlands, parks and botanical gardens the best ways to cool cities during heat waves, finds study
Botanical gardens are not just beautiful—they can cool the city air by 5°C during heat waves, according to the most comprehensive review of its kind led by the University of Surrey. Parks and wetlands have a similar effect.
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Science Alert ☛ Cars in One Country Are Emitting Way More CO2 Than Elsewhere
Australian passenger vehicles are emitting 50% more carbon dioxide (CO₂) than the average of the world's major markets. And the real-world situation is even worse than official figures show.
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Energy/Transportation
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Martin Gunnarsson ☛ Bicycle commuting premiere
Commuting by bike is a very feasible alternative for me. With some good rain clothes and waterproof shoes I could probably ride in almost any weather without too much hassle, but I'll try to stick to nice days to begin with. I'm very happy that I just got going instead of waiting to have the perfect gear and perfect weather. It was a bit risky to get sucked into articles and videos about bikepacking and adventure bikes when in reality I have very modest needs. It's not like I'm crossing the African continent or anything, I'm just riding my bike to work.
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Nikita Prokopov ☛ JavaScript Bloat in 2024
It’s not just about download sizes. I welcome high-speed [Internet] as much as the next guy. But code — JavaScript — is something that your browser has to parse, keep in memory, execute. It’s not free. And these people talk about performance and battery life...
Call me old-fashioned, but I firmly believe content should outweigh code size. If you are writing a blog post for 10K characters, you don’t need 1000× more JavaScript to render it.
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Hackaday ☛ You Got Fusion In My Coal Plant!
While coal was predominant in the past for energy generation, plants are shutting down worldwide to improve air quality and because they aren’t cost-competitive. It’s possible that idle infrastructure could be put to good use with fusion instead.
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YLE ☛ Energy authority probes suspicion electricity price was manipulated during January cold snap
The price of electricity in Finland rose to record high levels during the first week of this year.
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Ruben Schade ☛ Discovering TT scale trainsets
Clara and I were at HobbyCo at the Queen Victoria Building recently, and discovered that TT scale trains were a thing. Not only that, Hornby make tracks and trains for it!
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Wildlife/Nature
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El País ☛ Whale song is no match for ship noise
“We believe they have evolved new structures because the vocal cords would hinder rapid breathing at the surface,” explains Professor Coen Elemans, from the sound communication and behavior group at the University of Southern Denmark, who is the lead author of this groundbreaking research. “Using these structures, whales can emit very low-frequency sounds that they all make,” he adds.
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Finance
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The Age AU ☛ 2024-02-18 [Older] D-day looms for $4.9 billion ANZ-Suncorp deal
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France24 ☛ Eiffel Tower to reopen Sunday as workers end strike
France’s Eiffel Tower that had been closed for five days by a strike will reopen Sunday after the monument’s management announced a deal had been struck with unions.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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India Times ☛ OpenAI: Bezos, Nvidia join OpenAI in funding humanoid robot startup: report
Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, Nvidia and other big technology names are investing in startup Figure AI that develops human-like robots, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the situation.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Nvidia, Intel, and Jeff Bezos invest millions in Hey Hi (AI) humanoid robot company
Figure Hey Hi (AI) raises $675 million to build human-like robots.
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Cloudbooklet ☛ Reddit IPO and Revenue Deals Shocks Internet [Ed: It's only losing money and now be someone else's problem]
Reddit IPO, the social control media platform with millions of users and communities, is going public in March 2024.
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India Times ☛ Sam Altman: OpenAI’s Sam Altman stands to rake in over $400 million from Reddit IPO
According to Bloomberg estimates, Altman is the third-largest shareholder in Reddit owning an 8.7% stake comprising 789,456 Class A shares and 11.4 million supervoting Class B shares. If Reddit hits the $5-billion valuation in the IPO, Altman’s stake would be valued at about $435 million.
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RFA ☛ INTERVIEW: How the West has been misreading China for years
Xi Jinping is faithfully implementing the policies of his predecessors, historian Frank Dikötter says.
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New York Times ☛ Prominent Republican Seeks to Shield the Party From Paying Trump’s Legal Bills
Henry Barbour, a veteran R.N.C. member, is mounting a long-shot bid to keep the former president from taking control of the committee in order to block it from paying for his lawsuits.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s chief auditor should stick to accounting and steer clear of security
Regular readers will recall that a couple of months ago I complained that the director of audit had devoted the resources of his department to some nit-picking criticisms of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
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Stanford University ☛ Pro-Palestine students interrupt Family Weekend welcome session
18 students were escorted out by security at the Family Weekend event and cited with misdemeanors.
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New York Times ☛ Nikki Haley Vows to Stay in the Race After Losing to Trump in South Carolina
Striking a more serious tone, Ms. Haley said she would continue her campaign despite a heavy defeat to Donald Trump in South Carolina, her home state.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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India Times ☛ Farmers' protest: Mobile [Internet] services restored in seven Haryana districts
According to an earlier order issued by the Home Department, the curbs were imposed "to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order in jurisdictions of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa, including Dabwali, districts in Haryana".
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The Verge ☛ A lot of Redditors hate the Reddit IPO
This isn’t just bellyaching. There are serious questions about Reddit as a business. Reddit isn’t profitable. Reddit has never been profitable. Reddit’s risk factors section of its IPO is, as Bloomberg Opinion’s Dave Lee points out, longer than Twitter’s and Facebook’s IPO risk factors combined.
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RFERL ☛ Three Tajik Public Figures Handed Prison Terms Over Book
Lawyers and relatives of the three defendants refused to comment, while Supreme Court officials confirmed to RFE/RL that the trial session was held on February 22, but they could not comment, saying the trial judge was not available for comment.
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JURIST ☛ Pakistan court orders authorities to restore access to social control media platform X
The Sindh High Court issued a directive on Wednesday to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to restore access to social control media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) which has been blocked by the orders of PTA since February 17, 2024.
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RFA ☛ Why the new security law is a 'sword of Damocles' over Hong Kong
The law is the culmination of decades of deep-seated mistrust of Hong Kong's freedoms in Beijing.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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Axios ☛ WAMU lays off 15 staffers, shuts down DCist to focus on audio
Details: Fifteen positions will be eliminated as part of the changes, but new positions — mostly audio specialists and producers — will be added.
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[Repeat] Tedium ☛ Ownership: The Creative Person’s Greatest Weapon Against Layoffs
Today in Tedium: One of the first full-length articles I published for public consumption on the broader [Internet]—rather than the visual blurbs I posted on my old site, ShortFormBlog—has become something of a mission statement for the career I’ve built since that day. It was on Medium, at a point where Medium was brand new, and it was titled “Sure, write stuff for free. But write for yourself.” The piece, dating to 2013, discusses how the mere discussion of turning a design into a T-shirt got me thinking more carefully about ownership in the digital age. Since then, most of my work has appeared on sites I own. One of the sites it semi-frequently appeared on that I didn’t own, the Vice-operated Motherboard, randomly shuttered this week, the victim of a slow-motion corporate end-run that tried to turn something cool into something it wasn’t. I stand behind my little rant from 2013, but the current moment, full of journalistic disruption, has me pensive. We can’t trust that even giant content apparatuses with 30-year track records have a chance of staying online. So with that said, I want to discuss the importance of content ownership in the era we’re in now—when the chances of your hard work disappearing randomly one day are more than theoretical. Today’s Tedium still thinks you should write for yourself, even if it’s for free. — Ernie @ Tedium
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[Repeat] IT Wire ☛ iTWire - US claims WikiLeaks founder's case not politically motivated
This hearing is to decide whether Assange will be allowed to present his full case against extradition to the US. A verdict will be known after 5 March.
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ABC ☛ Mexican president defends disclosing a reporter's phone number
Mexico is one of the deadliest places in the world for reporters outside of war zones. The Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, has documented the killings of at least 55 journalists in Mexico since 2018, when López Obrador took office.
Jan-Albert Hootsen, the Mexico representative for the CPJ, noted the publication of a reporter's phone number in Mexico can be dangerous.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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US News And World Report ☛ India's Assam Scraps Colonial-Era Muslim Marriage Law
"This act contained provisions allowing marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not reached the legal ages of 18 and 21... This move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam."
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[Repeat] RFA ☛ China arrests more than 1,000 Tibetans protesting dam project
Police on Friday arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans, including monks from at least two local monasteries, in southwestern China’s Sichuan province after they protested the construction of a dam expected to destroy six monasteries and force the relocation of two villages, two sources from inside Tibet told Radio Free Asia.
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Quartz ☛ Elon Musk's Sweden labor fight to hit Tesla charging stations
This week, yet another humiliation was visited upon the firm: An additional labor union has decided to take action against the car manufacturer, and this time the end result could be the stifling of Tesla charging stations throughout the country. The Swedish Union for Service and Communications Employees, or Seko, published a statement Wednesday, announcing it would be initiating a “sympathy” action against Tesla over its anti-union policies: [...]
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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Broadband Breakfast ☛ Content Delivery Networks Want to Be Excluded From Net Neutrality Rules
One of the leading Content Delivery Network met on Tuesday with the office of Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in an effort to convince the agency that CDNs should remain outside net neutrality rules.
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Patents
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JURIST ☛ DC dispatch: senators push for prescription patent monopoly reform at Capitol Hill panel [Ed: Bribed lobbyists of the litigation industry get free publicity from a clueless media; this person gives publicity to a response]
Marissa Zupancic is JURIST’s Washington DC Correspondent, a JURIST Senior Editor and a 3L at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She’s stationed in Washington during her Semester in DC.
[...]
The legislation focuses on what are known as “patent thickets,” or when a company asserts a myriad of different patents on the same prescription drug, often in an effort to extend the limited monopoly offered by the patent system beyond the normal 20-year life span of a patent. During the February 6 panel, Dr. S. Sean Tu explained that companies will assert “offspring” patents on the color or name of the drug to extend their original patents. Tu even stated that one prescription drug used to treat dry eye disease, Restasis, had a patent for use for dry eye disease and a separate patent for the other medical term for dry eye disease.
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Copyrights
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Torrent Freak ☛ 'Movie-Web' Domain Shut Down By Hollywood Complaint
Open source movie streaming project Movie-Web has lost its public-facing demo site. The domain name was seemingly suspended by registrar Namecheap, following a legal complaint from several major movie studios. The developers have no intention of fighting back, but the app's code remains available on GitHub for others to use.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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