Section: Business Insider (USA)
5 facts that explain cyber warfare
America has spent decades and trillions of dollars building up the greatest military force the world has ever seen. But the biggest threat to national security these days comes from not from aircraft carriers or infantry divisions, but a computer with a simple Internet connection. That much became clear after the catastrophic hack—most likely by...
A new look at how Russians view Russia and the West
Pew Research recently did some digging around in Russia to find out how Russians view their own country and their place in the world at large. In April, Pew performed face-to-face interviews with some 1,000 Russian adults of varying gender, age, and location. Here is what they found out: Russians don’t feel great about their economy...
Putin keeps saying Ukrainians and Russians are the same — here’s the main reason why they’re not
Ever since his aggressive annexation of Crimea began in March 2014, Russian president Vladimir Putin has tried to defend his actions as simple unification. “People who have their own views on history and the history of our country may argue with me, but it seems to me that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are practically one people,”...
Two hundred years on, guns roar anew at Waterloo
Waterloo (Belgium) (AFP) – Under the same leaden skies and the same damp Belgian fields, the Battle of Waterloo was fought again 200 years on Friday — this time with pyrotechnics and blaring classical music.Six thousand history enthusiasts from 52 countries in full costume acted out the attack by French emperor Napoleon’s forces...
Ukraine vows to pay Russia despite default threat
Kiev (AFP) – Cash-strapped Ukraine promised on Friday to make the next payment on a disputed Russian loan it had threatened to stop servicing due to Moscow’s rejection of more lenient terms.The decision should help ease some of the tensions building between the two neighbours throughout Ukraine’s 14-month separatist revolt that...
Greece is now officially a part of Russia big new gas plan
Russia signed a preliminary $2.27 billion (2 billion euro) agreement on building a pipeline through Greece, according to Bloomberg. The section of the Turkish Stream in Greece will have annual capacity of 47 billion cubic meters. Construction will start in 2016 and is expected to be completed set for 2019, according to Russian Energy Minister...
Russia built one of the most alarming anti-aircraft systems in history — and won’t say who it’s sending it to
One of Russia’s most alarming new weapons capabilities may be on the move soon. Jane’s reports that KBM, a state-owned armament company specializing in missile systems, recently presented its 9K333 Verba man-portable air defense system (MANPADS). At an arms fair this week, the company announced that the weapon had been cleared for...
12 strange photos that will make you look twice
Sometimes, your brain just doesn’t believe what your eyes are seeing. When that happens what’s occurring is commonly known as a optical illusion. While Photoshop has made it easy to manipulate images, there’s still nothing like a good-ol’ photograph taken at just the right angle to deceive your mind and create an...
Greece seals Russia pipeline plan as Putin pledges to work with West
Saint Petersburg (AFP) – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who is locked in bitter bailout negotiations with the EU and IMF, sealed an agreement to build a pipeline with sanctions-hit Russia Friday in a deal likely to irritate European leaders.The deal was done on the sidelines of an economic forum in St Petersburg, attended by the...
Putin to Russian business leaders: It could be worse
Russian President Vladimir Putin is giving a keynote speech and speaking with Charlie Rose on Bloomberg TV at the three-day Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday. “We have managed to stabilize the situation,” Putin said, according to a translator. “We are successful in going through the difficulties.”...
