Tag: Russia

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Entertainment News

The bizarre images of Kim Jong-Un in Russia stun the world

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un traveled by train to Russia to meet Vladimir Putin.

It was the first meeting between the two in four years.

A visit that raised a few eyebrows… and set off passions quickly when the news was confirmed, with CNN switching from its nightly standby mode to live coverage early last night to analyze the doings of the two tyrants.

CaptureCNN

There are many questions about what’s next for these two ostracized nations, but two facts are clear.

Kim Jong-Un is looking for international friendship and support wherever he can find it, and Vladimir Putin seems determined to give it to him… because he needs weapons to continue his invasion of Ukraine, which almost nobody else in the world supports.

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Entertainment Gossip News

Yevgeny Prigozhin presumed dead after a plane crash in Russia

The name of Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the now-famous Wagner military group, is reportedly among the ten victims of a plane crash in northern Russia, reports CNN, citing Russian news agencies.

The head of the mercenary group had helped the Russians advance into Ukraine since the start of the invasion, then organized a full-scale rebellion against the Kremlin, claiming that Russian troops were targeting the mercenaries.

However, Yevgeny Prigozhin decided to turn back when he entered Moscow, citing an agreement between him and Vladimir Putin, negotiated by the Belarus president.

Russian state media also reportedly confirmed the news.

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Hockey Feed

Heartbreaking message from Matvei Michkov following his father’s suspicious death in Russia

Instagram

On Tuesday, disturbing news out of Russia emerged that the father of top 2023 NHL Draft prospect Matvei Michkov was found dead at age 51.

The report explained how Andrei Michkov had been missing since April 2 only to be found in a pond near Sochi. Matvei’s dad had reportedly left his home Sunday night, saying he’d be right back, but never returned.

On Wednesday, Matvei Michkov shared a heartbreaking and moving message on his Instagram account which reads “You were the best Dad. I’m proud of you … I love you.” He posted a lovely picture of the two of them close to a hockey rink. There are many more photos of the father/son duo and the family in the Instagram post. 

Matvei Michkov is considered among the top prospects ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. He’s scored nine goals and 20 points in 27 games after he was loaned to Sochi’s KHL club earlier this season. He last played with Kapitan Stupino in the Russian junior league playoffs, putting up four goals and seven points across five contests.

The 18-year-old is under contract with SKA St. Petersburg through 2026, though, meaning his NHL debut likely won’t transpire until his current deal expires.

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Mobile Syrup

Seven-year-old boy has finger crushed by a chess-playing robot

Robots are great on your team, but not so much on the opposite, especially in a chess match. And while chess-playing robots might seem harmless at first, this seven-year-old boy from Moscow (as seen in the video below) would tell you differently.

As reported by The Guardian, the incident took place on  Tuesday, July 19th, and saw the robot get a hold of the seven-year-old boy’s finger. The robot subsequently broke his finger.

“The robot was rented by us, it has been exhibited in many places by specialists for a long time. Apparently, the operators overlooked some flaws. The child made a move, and after that it is necessary to give time for the robot to respond, but the boy hurried, the robot grabbed him. We have nothing to do with the robot,” said Sergey Lazarev, Moscow Chess Federation president, in an interview with The Guardian.

The robot held onto the boy’s finger for several seconds before people rushed in to free him. The report suggests that the boy got a cast on his finger, and returned the next day to finish off the tournament, with volunteers helping him record the moves.

“We will coordinate to understand what happened and try to help [the family] in any way we can. And the robot’s operators, apparently, will have to think about strengthening protection so that such a situation does not happen again,” said Lazarev.

In other robot-related news, Malmesbury, England-based Dyson recently announced that it’s working on three robot prototypes and aims to hire over 700 engineers over the course of the next five years to polish its robotics technology.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: The Guardian

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Mobile Syrup

Russia to restrict access to Instagram on March 14th

Following Russia’s media state agency blocking access to Meta-owned Facebook within the nation earlier this month as a response to the social networking restricting multiple state-owned media accounts, Instagram was left unscathed.

Now, according to Russia’s communication and mass media state regulator Roskomnadzor, Instagram will soon suffer the same fate in the country, quoting a temporary change in the platform’s hate speech policy that allows people from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine to publish posts that call for violence against Russian troops along with the Russian and Belarusian presidents.

Russia will implement a ban on Instagram on March 14th, according to a Telegram message from Roskomnadzor, as seen below:

Roskomnadzor says that the nation hasn’t banned Instagram right yet, and users have been given 48 hours to retrieve their photos and videos from the platform. After 12am Russian time on March 14th however, the platform will be inaccessible.

Meta hasn’t released an official statement regarding the upcoming ban of its photo-sharing service yet. Meta-owned WhatsApp is still expected to work in the country.

Image credit: Shutterstock, Telegram

Source: Telegram Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Elon Musk says Starlink won’t block Russian media ‘unless at gunpoint’

Elon Musk said SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband service won’t block Russian news sources “unless at gunpoint” and apologized for being a “free speech absolutist.”

In a tweet (it’s always a tweet), Musk claimed some governments asked Starlink to block Russian news sources. Musk didn’t say which governments but noted the request didn’t come from Ukraine.

It’s an interesting stance to take considering Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent crackdown on media outlets that share information contrary to the Russian government’s narrative about the invasion. Those who do could face prison sentences of up to 15 years.

Musk’s claim to be a “free speech absolutist” is especially interesting given his track record of harassing people who disagree with him, not to mention his repeated efforts to bust unions at Tesla.

Oh, and who could forget when Musk compared Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Adolf Hitler. Yea, definitely the person I want championing free speech.

Musk’s stance puts SpaceX at odds with the growing list of tech companies taking action against Russia following its illegal invasion of Ukraine. It also comes after Musk tweeted excessively about efforts to deploy Starlink in Ukraine to help keep the country connected amid the invasion.

On that note, Musk also tweeted that SpaceX would reprioritize “to cyber defense & overcoming signal jamming,” which would cause “slight delays in Starship & Starlink V2.”

Source: Elon Musk Via: Engadget

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Mobile Syrup

Russian state agency blocks Twitter

Russia’s communication and mass media state regulator Roskomnadzor has blocked social media giant Twitter.

This news comes from military & intelligence correspondent at Reuters, Phil Stewart.

This past week Russia started restricting Twitter access for certain users, according to the social media company. A Reuters reporter in Moscow on Saturday said the site was slow and had difficulties sending tweets.

Following that, Russia’s Roskomnadzor said that the country had reinstated a slowdown of Twitter’s traffic on computers because of fake posts about the country’s “special operation” in Ukraine.

Earlier today, the Kremlin also passed a law threatening lengthy jail sentences for spreading “fake information” and also blocked the social media platform, Facebook.

The White House says that Russia’s decision to block Facebook is to silence its citizens.

Severa;l tech giants have already restricted activity in Russia, including Microsoft, Apple, Nintendo and Google’s ad sales business. 

Source: Reuters (@phildstewart)

 

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Mobile Syrup

Russian state agency blocks Facebook

Russia’s communication and mass media state regulator Roskomnadzor has blocked social media giant Facebook.

The agency says Facebook has restricted access to various accounts on the platform associated with news backed by the Russian State, including Russia Today and Sputnik.

The statement goes on to say the restriction of Facebook is “to prevent violations of the key principles of the free flow of information and unhindered access Russian users to Russian media on foreign internet platforms.”

Many tech platforms have already restricted activity in Russia. Google has paused its ad sales, and Microsoft and Apple have restricted sales of their services.

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Mobile Syrup

Google pauses ad sales in Russia

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada – September 30, 2019: Google sign in the Google Canada Kitchener-Waterloo office.

Google has put its ad sales in Russia on hold as its war on Ukraine continues.

A Google spokesperson told The Verge, “the situation is evolving quickly,” and it will provide more information “when appropriate.”

The company did not provide details on potential financial losses. Google also blocked RT, an English-language news channel funded by the state government, from earning ad dollars on its associated websites.

Google was previously criticized by Roskomnadzor, a Russian agency responsible for monitoring media, for displaying ads about the conflict, a report from The Wall Street Journal states. The agency said the ads were “false political information” about Ukraine.

The move comes after several tech companies pulled their services from Russia. Microsoft and Apple paused sales in Russia, and Netflix halted future projects connected to the country.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft halts new sales in Russia amid invasion of Ukraine

Microsoft president Brad Smith announced that the company will “suspend all new sales” in Russia in a blog post published on March 4th.

The company behind Windows and Xbox is just the latest to announce a stop to some services in Russia amid the ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The announcement specifically addresses new sales and doesn’t mention existing service contracts, nor did it address why. The Verge points out that Microsoft has recently focused on cloud and support services — cutting off existing contracts would be “devastating” for both organizations and individuals using Windows, Office, Microsoft 365, Azure, and Xbox products in Russia.

“We are coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, and we are stopping many aspects of our business in Russia in compliance with governmental sanctions decisions,” Smith wrote.

Moreover, Smith wrote that Microsoft would “continue to work proactively to help cybersecurity officials in Ukraine defend against Russian attacks, including most recently a cyberattack against a major Ukrainian broadcaster.”

The move comes after Ukraine asked Sony and Microsoft to pause operations in Russia and Belarus. Microsoft’s ban on new sales in Russia also comes amid restrictions from several tech giants, including Apple and Netflix.

Source: Microsoft Via: The Verge