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[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T12:53:08 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Faugust-1991-muscovites-remember-the-failed-coup-in-a-new-exhibition-55116.json | en | null | August 1991: Muscovites Remember the Failed Coup in a New Exhibition | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | On the morning of Aug. 19, 1991, Muscovites woke to the sight of tanks in the street. On television, normal programming was replaced by an unexpected showing of “Swan Lake,” while Ekho Moskvy, the only independent radio station, was cut off the air. It was the start of a failed coup by hard-line members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to seize power from Mikhail Gorbachev. This dramatic episode is now immortalized in a new exhibition at the Museum of Moscow, which aims give a human face to the historic events. “August 1991. Muscovites Remember” combines photojournalism, first person narrative and documentary film to offer a panoramic perspective on the events during and following the attempted coup. Opened on the 25th anniversary of the unsuccessful putsch, the exhibition anchors ordinary Muscovites in the extraordinary circumstances in which they found themselves. "The Museum of Moscow shows the events of August 1991 through the prism of human emotions, relationships and recorded memories. The phenomenon of the putsch appears here as an episode of the urban community’s collective memory,” Alina Saprykina, the director of the Museum of Moscow, told The Moscow Times. The list of photojournalists who contributed to the project includes some of the most illustrious individuals to have emerged from the field in the last 50 years: Gueorgui Pinkhassov, famed for his art-reportage shots, Igor Mukhin, widely considered to be one of Russia’s greatest contemporary photographers, and Yury Lizunov, whose photograph of Mikhail Gorbachev and his family returning from Crimea won the 1992 World Press Photo contest in the category “People in the News.” Other photographers involved in the project include Mikhail Dashevsky, Alexander Zemlyanichenko, Sergei Leontyev, Valery Shchekoldin and Igor Gavrilov.
A Cultural Legacy Walking through the exhibition you see the events of August 1991 unfold before your eyes: thousands of people gathering around the Russian White House, young men hoisting themselves onto the statue of KGB Founder Felix Dzerzhinsky just before it was toppled and a woman defiantly holding hands with her neighbors to create a human chain against tanks approaching the White House. The exhibition, though relatively small in scale, is a poignant reminder of the unprecedented, spontaneous mass reaction against the putsch. Perhaps it is particularly important this year, the first time Moscow City Hall refused activists permission to hold a remembrance rally outside the White House. “It’s surprising that these events which were so remarkable for our country are so little documented or remembered,” said Igor Gavrilov, one of the exhibition’s contributing photographers, at the exhibition’s opening. “What you see in the exhibition are photographs that are both a document of a specific time, and artworks— they are part of a cultural legacy,” said Yevgenia Kikodze, who curated the exhibition with Irina Chmyreva. This is certainly true of Mikhail Dashevsky’s striking black and white photography “Stop,” which captures the crowds descending on the statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky under a “stop” traffic sign. The contributing photographers were themselves witnesses to the failed coup. Like the rest of the population, they were caught off guard by the speed of the events unfolding. Alexander Zemlyanichenko, a Russian photojournalist, had a ticket to Cyprus for a family vacation for Aug. 19. But after a phone call from a friend, he sent his wife and son off to the airport, rushed to the center and began photographing events. “Those two days seemed to me to be endless—it was as if I worked day and night for a week. And then there was victory, and fireworks over Red Square and great joy. I didn’t think about prizes or awards, I just worked.” To this day he says that people joke that he swapped his holiday for his first Pulitzer photography prize. | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/august-1991-muscovites-remember-the-failed-coup-in-a-new-exhibition-55116 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/328d3646848cff7f5eda23c06ac564a8df0ec5b791e61ee72f987a325eece77c.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:15:19 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Frussia-showing-off-with-air-base-publicity-tehran-55059.json | en | null | Tehran Says Russia 'Showing Off' With Air Base Publicity | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Iranian officials said Monday that Russia was no longing using an air base in Iran for bombing raids in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad and criticized Moscow for publicizing the military collaboration between the two countries.
"Russia has no base in Iran and is not stationed here. They performed this [operation] and it is finished for now," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency Monday, according to the Reuters news agency.
The Iranian statements come after Russia announced last week that long-range bombers used Iran’s Nojeh air base in the north-west of the country to launch strikes in Syria. The move was widely interpreted as a sign of warming ties between Tehran and Moscow.
Both Iran and Russia back Assad in Syria’s bloody civil war, which has lasted for over five years. Russia began military intervention in support of Assad last year.
The remarks by the Iranian Foreign Ministry follow comments by the Iranian Defense Minister General Hossein Dehghan over the weekend when he reportedly accused Russia of being a “show-off and ungentlemanly” during a questioning in parliament.
"The Russians are interested showing that they are a superpower to guarantee their share in political future of Syria,” Dehghan said, the AP news agency reported Monday. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russia-showing-off-with-air-base-publicity-tehran-55059 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/4368d5dae3f78d94910acbe8abce773592f4d32c31ba85e38305e745e7422a40.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T12:55:32 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fukrainian-army-pushes-further-westernization-with-new-uniforms-55091.json | en | null | Ukrainian Army Moves Further West With New NATO-Style Uniforms | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Approved by Poroshenko in July, the uniforms were scheduled to debut at the independence celebrations. Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak first posted an image of himself in the new uniform on his Facebook page last week.
For Ukrainian soldiers, the parade was also the first occasion to wear their new uniforms: part of the ongoing westernization of the country's armed forces.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told spectators that despite the deaths of 2,500 Ukrainian servicemen since the conflict's outbreak in April 2014, “the enemy has failed to bring Ukraine to its knees.”
Four thousand Ukrainian soldiers marched through Kiev to celebrate 25 years of the country's independence. The parade is part of a campaign to boost the military's morale amid fierce fighting in the east of the country and unusual military buildups within Russian-occupied Crimea.
The new uniforms symbolizes a break with the dominance of Soviet military traditions.
Reportedly modeled on British-style military outfits, the new uniforms have adopted motifs of the Ukrainian Liberation Army, which existed from 1917-19 during Ukraine's brief period of independence.
“We had to break from any kind of Sovietism,” said Ukrainian military expert Svatyslav Stetsenko. “Why does Moscow keep these Soviet traditions in its army? To underline their right to return these lands and to mentally prepare veterans who still remember the Soviet era,” he added.
Although military experts have praised the uniforms, calling them both classical and practical, some Ukrainian soldiers have given them a lukewarm reception.
Many members of the Ukrainian special forces took exception to the inclusion of a wolf logo, arguing on social media that wolves traditionally represent treachery in Ukrainian culture.
The uniform's designers have argued that the wolf was inspired by the legends of the Ukrainian Cossacks, who are said to have been as agile as the animal itself.
Defense Minister Poltorak promised to look into the debate and has given the uniforms a three-month trial period.
Some Ukrainian soldiers remain skeptical. Writing in an open letter on Facebook, they argue that the symbol should be replaced with a sword and dagger. “No NATO or western country uses a wolf as a symbol for its special operatives,” they wrote. | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/ukrainian-army-pushes-further-westernization-with-new-uniforms-55091 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/96db59f65184392e9c3233e51bd09ffa91977df6cff214d0d4b604e20d432779.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T14:49:02 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fweekend-in-moscow-film-night-a-latin-culture-festival-and-more-55128.json | en | null | Weekend in Moscow: Film Night, a Latin Culture Festival and More | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | 1 day ago
Best of Moscow: Eight Ways to Enjoy the Last Gasp of Summer
A Moscow winter may not carry quite the same connotations as one in “Game of Thrones,” but it certainly signals the end of ... | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/weekend-in-moscow-film-night-a-latin-culture-festival-and-more-55128 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/7141df1a994c4980b4427ac2735fa729ef9056d05e99993b30fb4b1663705c5f.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:08:16 | null | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fthe-battle-behind-bashnefts-delayed-privatization-55019.json | en | null | The Battle Behind Bashneft's Delayed Privatization | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Russia’s privatization process is like a scratched record: the same endless story, the same screeching sounds. Since it was launched under then-President Dmitry Medvedev in 2009, Russia’s freemarket oriented officials have pushed for the sale of state assets. And they have repeatedly failed.
The government announced that the privatization of 50.1 percent stake in the state oil company Bashneft will be delayed until further notice. The next day, Bashneft shares fell as much as 15 percent. They closed the day down 8.2 percent.
The postponement will have serious consequences. The sale should have brought in up to 315 billion rubles ($4.9 billion) to the state treasury — a significant source of income for Russia’s budget in 2016. Instead, the postponed privatization will speed up the depletion of Russia’s rainyday Reserve Fund. According to the Vedomosti newspaper, this will now happen before the end of the year.
According to the RBC newspaper, the formal reason for delaying the sale was an appeal by the republic of Bashkortostan’s president Rustem Khamitov. The republic currently has a 25 percent stake in the company, and supposedly raised concerns over whether it would be able to fulfill its social obligations to the republic postsale.
But insiders and observers doubt this was the real reason. Instead, they point to the fact that the two major contenders for the state stake of Bashneft were private oil giant Lukoil and state oil company Rosneft.
Many in government had doubts over the participation of latter. After all, what privatization can take place without the transition of state-owned property into private-owned property?
“It is nonsense, how can a state-owned company buy another state company? This is not a privatization,” presidential aide Andrei Belousov said at the end of July. The comments were in response to Rosneft officially applying to take part in the tender.
In fact, Russia’s laws forbid state companies from taking part in privatization. But, for Rosneft, semantics provide wiggle room. As Rosneft stressed, the government does not own it directly, but via stateowned company, Rosneftegaz.
“Technically speaking, Rosneft is not a state company,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed when asked about the matter.
Rosneft has had an interest in Bashneft since Bashneft was de-privatized in 2014 and taken over from its previous owner, Russia’s billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov. Yevtushenkov was charged with money laundering. The charges were dropped when he lost the company.
Acquiring Bashneft and its untapped oil assets in Russia’s far north would allow Rosneft to improve its own financial situation, experts noted. There was little surprise when Rosneft announced it would take part in the privatization of Bashneft with Lukoil as its only competitor.
By early August, it was clear a big struggle was taking behind the scenes. Government officials apparently stood firm, according to the Kommersant newspaper. “Lukoil looked like the preferred customer,” the paper alleged. A source close to the government confirmed an official consensus had been reached, and that “everyone understands Bashneft should not be owned by Rosneft — it’s against the rules and common sense.”
That said, Russia’s leadership is indecisive, as it often is when it comes to privatization of natural resources. Handing the assets to private hands would simply mean giving big profits to individuals.
From this perspective, the postponement of the Bashneft sale perfectly fits the history of Russia’s privatization program in recent years. They all start with big ambitions and forceful announcements. And they end up, ultimately, with nothing. | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/the-battle-behind-bashnefts-delayed-privatization-55019 | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/c66bdb6fa0e3085e0f6fe6429f34524320364fcf8457ca7e399a417691980721.json | |
[
"David Patrikarakos",
"Putin",
"The Ayatollah",
"A Bromance To Watch",
"Of All Today S Political Bromances",
"Perhaps The Most Interesting Is Between Russian President Vladimir Putin",
"Iran S Supreme Leader",
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Russia",
"Iran Have Enjoyed Strong Economic Links Since",
"When... | 2016-08-31T00:52:02 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fkremlin-tolerating-tyranny-in-chechnya-says-human-rights-group-55158.json | en | null | Kremlin Tolerating ‘Tyranny’ in Chechnya, Says Human Rights Group | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Leading NGO Human Rights Watch has published a damning new report on the extent of the crackdown on dissent in Ramzan Kadyrov's republic of Chechnya.
The report, titled “Like Walking a Minefield — Vicious Crackdown in Russia's Chechen Republic,” claims that government critics in Chechnya are routinely threatened, detained (“including through abductions and enforced disappearances”), and subjected to death threats.
The report also found that authorities threaten or physically abuse the family members of “anyone whose total loyalty to Kadyrov they deem questionable.” In an another case reported by the organization, police officials beat a mother and her 17-year-old daughter “in an effort to force them to persuade the father to retract his critical comments.”
Five of the victims HRW spoke to were later “forced to publicly apologize to the Chechen leadership.”
HRW warns that the extent of the crackdown in Chechnya will never see the light of day “because the climate of fear in the region is overwhelming and local residents have largely been intimidated into silence.”
Journalism, the report found, is the most dangerous profession in Chechnya. Kadyrov's authorities have fostered a climate in which “few people dare to talk to journalists, except to compliment the Chechen leadership.” In March this year, masked men attacked a group of Russian and foreign journalists on their way from Ingushetia to Chechnya. The story made the headlines in Russia and even provoked a reaction from Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov, who called it “absolutely outrageous.”
The reaction from Moscow is inadequate. The Kremlin, HRW says, is clearly aware of the extent of the crackdown in Chechnya, but “has done little more than issue words of concern.”
Human Rights Watch calls for a more resolute reaction from the West and recommends the Council of Europe to hold a public debate on the situation in the region.
Ramzan Kadyrov, a former warlord, has ruled Chechnya since 2007. He is the son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in May 2004. The Kadyrovs came to power following two bloody wars in Chechnya.
In the report, HRW quotes a resident of Chechnya. “When I think back to the war,” the resident says, “we were not as frightened as now.” | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/kremlin-tolerating-tyranny-in-chechnya-says-human-rights-group-55158 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/c3240ec3efdf4247a459ec912e2f8947c22f1293f1af1bfec92ef3cf2c4b2020.json | |
[
"David Patrikarakos",
"Putin",
"The Ayatollah",
"A Bromance To Watch",
"Of All Today S Political Bromances",
"Perhaps The Most Interesting Is Between Russian President Vladimir Putin",
"Iran S Supreme Leader",
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Russia",
"Iran Have Enjoyed Strong Economic Links Since",
"When... | 2016-08-29T10:51:12 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Funited-russia-targets-moscow-in-election-telephone-campaign-55140.json | en | null | United Russia Canvasses Moscow Voters in Telephone Campaign | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Russia's ruling United Russia Party is targeting Moscow voters in a telephone canvassing campaign, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday.
Tens of thousands of Muscovites have already received calls urging them to “support the president” during the parliamentary elections on Sept. 18.
Call center employees tell potential voters that “it's very important to support Russia. Do you agree that at this difficult time for our country, we all must vote for United Russia?”
Those who disagree are then asked if they support the policies of President Vladimir Putin.
The campaign is part of a movement to boost United Russia's standing in the capital, where the party has traditionally received less support than in more rural areas. While 40 percent of Russian voters have “positive views” towards United Russia across the county as a whole, that number falls to just 27 percent within Moscow, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation (POF). | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/united-russia-targets-moscow-in-election-telephone-campaign-55140 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/9768dde34cc14540a8aa37d4191449f5efa95066bd423893ee3138a1f202454b.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:13:44 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fmedvedev-rallies-against-politically-motivated-ban-on-russias-paralympians-55078.json | en | null | Medvedev Slams 'Politically Motivated' Russian Paralympic Ban | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has condemned the decision to ban all Russian athletes from this year's Paralympic Games as “politically motivated” and "discriminatory."
The Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS) ruled Tuesday that it would uphold the ban against the Russian squad made by the the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on Aug. 7. The IPC first announced their decision to exclude Russian athletes following reports of state-backed doping in the country.
Writing on Facebook, Medvedev claimed that the ban was “20 percent related to doping and 80 percent politics.”
The ban was engineered by “politicians targeting Russian sport, Russian athletes and the Russian state,” Medvedev said, claiming that some international sporting bodies were “paralyzed with fear” by the transnational reach of American justice.
.“A number of states and their sporting establishments were looking for a traditional enemy, and they found one,” he wrote.
Medvedev also reserved special criticism for doping whistle blowers, calling them “scum.” His comments are believed to refer to former head of Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov, who fled Russia for the United States in November last year. His testimony was used heavily by the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) when investigating doping in Russian sport.
“[They] firstly inject athletes with drugs which they bring into the country, and they then run away overseas and testify in court in return for witness protection and future rewards,” Medvedev said. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/medvedev-rallies-against-politically-motivated-ban-on-russias-paralympians-55078 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/9b7978ff2c1cf0781d04b964aa69f14579228ff30a339bc6bc6cfda0144668ec.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T12:56:00 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fprepare-to-be-dazzled-at-vdnkhs-festival-of-music-and-light-55086.json | en | null | Prepare to be Dazzled at VDNKh's Festival of Music and Light | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | If you're on the hunt for a midweek pick-me-up look no further than the festival of music and light at Moscow's VDNKh. The city's famous exhibition center is hosting an innovative project over the coming two days which will allow audiences to experience music in a way they never have before.
The open air performance at the architecturally domineering Zeleny Teatr (Green Theater) will combine classical music with 3D mapping technology to create a visual representation of aural masterpieces from the 20th century to the present day.
Music will be performed by the Russian National Orchestra, arguably Russia's best ensemble — look out for Vladislav Lavrik and Timur Zangiev behind the podium. This is an event that music aficionados will not want to miss.
Tickets cost from 1000 rubles and can be booked at vdnh.ru +7 (495) 544-34-00 Zelyony Teatr, VDNKh. Metro VDNKh. August 24-25. | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/prepare-to-be-dazzled-at-vdnkhs-festival-of-music-and-light-55086 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/7514f2bb7253e1b01f5276cb12034a48fbf9f6a4b5747e79a639153694b2d269.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:03:50 | null | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fangry-farmers-stage-tractor-march-on-moscow-55067.json | en | null | Angry Farmers Stage Tractor March on Moscow | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | “The aim is to move the problem from a regional to a national level,” said Alexei Titkov, a political analyst at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.
The farmers have said they want to drive all the way to Moscow to meet with members of the government to air their grievances — a journey that would take another five or six days.
The demonstration is a rare example of public dissent outside Russia’s large cities, and its form echoes widespread protests by lorry drivers earlier this year. Those truckers attempted to block the imposition of a controversial new lorry taxation system. Their tactics also included convoys that sought to block roads around the Russian capital.
“We don’t know what to do. We want to go to Moscow but there has been so much police and FSB presence. It’s scary,” said Petrov.
In the space of 24 hours, their convoy of tractors and cars was stopped 17 times by police and security service officers, Oleg Petrov, one of the farmers taking part, told The Moscow Times.
Several hundred farmers from southern Russia complained of intense police harassment Monday as they entered the second day of a drive towards Moscow they are staging to raise awareness about the problem of local corruption.
The protest comes during a sensitive political period as Russia prepares for Sept. 18 elections to the lower house of parliament, the State Duma.
Another protest organizer, Alexei Volchenko, told The Moscow Times by telephone Monday evening that the convoy had been blockaded by police vehicles and riot police just outside the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
“In essence we are now being held hostage,” said Volchenko, who added that the protest had been agreed in advance with the traffic police. By organizers’ estimates, about 200 people and 20 tractors were taking part in the protest.
The convoy began their journey Sunday after a rally in the Kavkazsky District of Russia’s southern Krasnodar Region. Placards at the demonstration included “Give Our Land Back.” Lorry drivers, active in protests earlier this year, also appeared to be present.
Organizer Volchenko said he became involved when his land was seized overnight and he had not been able to obtain its return via the courts. In his despair, he took to social media and managed to find other farmers with similar problems.
Plans by Volchenko and other activists to dispatch a tractor column to Moscow in March were cancelled at the last minute after an offer from the All-Russian People’s Front, a group loyal to President Vladimir Putin, to mediate the conflict.
“They promised to help solve all our problems but didn’t solve anything,” said Volchenko.
There has not yet been any reaction from officials, although activists said on Monday they were approached by a deputy of regional Presidential Envoy Vladimir Ustinov, who offered to act as a go-between the demonstrators and the government in Moscow. His overtures were rebuffed.
Some analysts said the farmers’ protest was rooted in the local politics of this area of southern Russia, known as the Kuban, where disputes over land have flared for years. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, each resident of the region was handed a small parcel of land as a part of the process of breaking up huge collective farms.
The Kuban is one of Russia’s most fertile grain producing regions, and farmers are coming to the end of harvesting a predicted bumper crop.
“These sorts of protests are often based on strong emotions or the work of active leaders who are ready to put themselves forward,” said Mikhail Vinogradov, an analyst who tracks regional politics with the Peterburgskaya Politika think tank.
The history of the lorry drivers would indicate that there is little chance of the farmers achieving their goals. Despite months of rolling protests, the Platon tax system, which was the chief grudge for the lorry drivers, was imposed nationwide earlier this year.
“The president and the government do not concede when they are presented with direct demands,” said analyst Titkov. “The farmers’ chances of success are not great.” | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/angry-farmers-stage-tractor-march-on-moscow-55067 | en | 2016-08-23T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/17f3610395134f5f3f9d787acf5278e6fbbcd2d49a623e5b9416ab9ef78aae7a.json | |
[
"David Patrikarakos",
"Putin",
"The Ayatollah",
"A Bromance To Watch",
"Of All Today S Political Bromances",
"Perhaps The Most Interesting Is Between Russian President Vladimir Putin",
"Iran S Supreme Leader",
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Russia",
"Iran Have Enjoyed Strong Economic Links Since",
"When... | 2016-08-29T18:51:27 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Frussia-charges-ukrainian-religious-leader-under-controversial-anti-terror-law-55148.json | en | null | Russia Charges Ukrainian Religious Leader Under Controversial Anti-Terror Law | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Russia has brought an administrative case against a religious leader under the country’s controversial new package of anti-terrorist laws.
Sergei Zhuravlyov, a representative of the Ukrainian Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior, stands accused of spreading hate speech and maintaining ties to an illegal organization.
According to an Aug. 27 blog post by Zhuravlyov, he was arrested while preaching before the St. Petersburg Messianic Jewish community and accused of violating a provision of Russian anti-terrorist legislation that bans illegal missionary activity.
A law enforcement official quoted by the Interfax news agency claimed that Zhuravlyov was fomenting negative attitudes toward the Russian Orthodox Church and that he maintains ties with individuals connected to the Ukrainian nationalist political party “Right Sector,” which is banned in the Russian Federation.
Zhuravlyov was released on bail, and the case was sent to court.
The anti-terrorist laws were proposed by conservative lawmaker Irina Yarovaya of the Duma Committee for Security and supported by Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense. President Vladimir Putin signed the package into law on July 7.
Critics charge that the laws aggressively expand state power and undermine the Russian Constitution. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russia-charges-ukrainian-religious-leader-under-controversial-anti-terror-law-55148 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/8795e94a701b5b9d54c7839ee187c17e36af960480240222484de94c92a09798.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:08:03 | null | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fits-the-security-stupid-54982.json | en | null | It's Security, Stupid: How Putin Manipulates National Emergencies | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Vladimir Putin is both feared and admired for his signature move of creating suspense to keep everybody on their toes. He knows how to make sure his next move is unpredictable. And yet, he is one of the most consistent political actors we know.
Whenever he feels things are not going his way, he jumps at the security issue closest at hand and makes it his next showstopper.
The Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s main security agency, reported last week that a shootout occurred between its forces and two groups of Ukrainian “saboteurs,” who had planned terror attacks in Crimea before the September parliamentary elections. Russia said it captured seven men. One FSB employee and one military serviceman were reported to have died in the clashes.
Ukrainian officials repeatedly denied that any such incidents took place at the Crimean border. Yet guerilla-style attacks from the Ukrainian side have happened before and a new episode would not be unimaginable.
Whatever the truth, President Putin has already said that talks about the status of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, slated for the G20 summit in China next month, would now be “pointless.”
This does not really mean the negotiating process will stop. It means that Moscow has made the first move in the game. Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande, Putin’s partners in the Normandy Format, will now have to coax Moscow into returning to the negotiating table. Putin thus has the advantage of a player who can ask for concessions before the formal conversation even begins.
Most observers agree that the incident was placed in the limelight to raise the stakes before the upcoming negotiations over the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in the Normandy Format. “The Kremlin tactic, as proven by the events in Donbass in 2014-15, is to raise the stakes before negotiations. The main political question now is what is going to happen to the Minsk process. Will Russia walk out or demand new concessions?” the newspaper Vedomosti wrote in an editorial.
Whether any clashes actually happened is irrelevant, said Oleg Kashin, one of the best commentators on Russia’s domestic politics. If Russia did not want to escalate it would have muted the episode. Moscow, on the contrary, decided to highlight it.
And, predictably, the Russian Security Council has already met to discuss additional security measures for Crimea. Russia also announced it would hold naval war games in the Black Sea while Ukraine put its troops on combat alert.
The Kremlin has consistently used acts of terror and smaller incidents that threatened public security as pretexts for announcing and maintaining the de-facto state of emergency Russia has been living under throughout the Putin years.
Arguably, the tragedy that led to the biggest consequences for the Russian political system was the terrible terrorist attack on a school in the North Ossetian town of Beslan in 2004 that left 334 dead, including 186 children. Soon after the attack, Putin announced a ban on all regional elections and allowed armed forces to aid the police in dealing with domestic terrorism. The heads of the Russian regions were, in effect, turned into political appointees rather than elected politicians. The Kremlin reinstated gubernatorial elections in 2012, but designed the electoral process in such a way that only Kremlin-approved candidates could reach the registration stage. Regional elections are held every year, but regional heads remain effective appointees.
In 2007, Putin started to create so-called “emergency laws:" diverse amendments to existing laws regulating the media, internet, security agencies, use of firearms by police, and private citizens’ public behavior, and he has not stopped since. The latest changes, named the “Yarovaya package” and signed into law in July, introduced prison sentences for failure to report a grave crime (a Soviet-era practice) and increased the number of crimes for which Russians as young as 14 years old can be prosecuted. The law obliges network operators to store recordings of the phone calls, images, and messages of their users for half a year.
A small group of civil society activists has protested the new law as repressive, but Russian society in general does not seem to care. The sheer frequency and number of changes create a fuzzy feeling of a loss of control; so many things are banned that one better steer clear of anything that sounds problematic.
This is exactly the effect the political managers intend to project. The dangers are multiple and complex, so one has to trust the authorities and give them whatever they ask for. In a society that has little experience resisting state encroachment on individual freedoms, this mechanism works like a charm.
Putin is a proven master at manipulating emergencies — real or imagined — to reach his political ends. Starting from his very first days in power, he has been using the threat of terrorism and broadly defined extremism to re-centralize Russia’s political system. For 16 years he has been able to keep the country in a near-constant state of alarm.
What has changed is the scale. Moscow has been demonstrating lately that it can keep most of its immediate region and its partners and opponents in a state of alarm. Putin has taught everybody in Russia that security takes precedence over political, legal, and marketplace freedoms. He is now taking his message to a wider audience. | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/its-the-security-stupid-54982 | en | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/a0287e5c269f41c0054e60a86bccb91803a84bc061e29904b47926ed69153697.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:13:09 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Frussias-olympic-medalists-awarded-with-bmws-55107.json | en | null | Russia's Olympic Medalists Awarded with BMWs | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Russia’s Olympic medalists from this summer’s Games in Brazil’s Rio de Janerio are to receive free luxury cars from BMW, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday.
The cars were transported to the Kremlin, where athletes picked up the keys at a special ceremony.
Gold medalists will receive an X6 model BMW, silver medalists will receive an X4, and bronze medalists will drive away with an X3 model, the BMW Group Russia announced.
All of the cars were assembled in Russia, said the Director of Russia’s Olympian Support Fund, Alexander Katushev.
Russian medalists will also receive cash prizes, ranging from four million rubles ($60,000) for a gold medal, 2.7 million ($40,000) for a silver and 1.7 million ($26,000) for a bronze, Interfax reported.
Russia finished fourth in the Olympic medal table this year, despite many athletes being banned from competing after reports of an extensive state-run doping program in Russian sport. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russias-olympic-medalists-awarded-with-bmws-55107 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/d15a7a0bcf1607529f721a1387178679f3f3f877a23f3ea2eecdbd982731db7b.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:13:23 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fjuries-are-afraid-to-be-involved-in-nemtsov-case-55089.json | en | null | Jurors Too Scared to Serve in Nemtsov Murder Trial, Lawyer Claims | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | The lawyer representing the family of murdered opposition politician Boris Nemtsov has alleged that potential jurors may be too scared to take part in the case against his alleged killers.
The Moscow District Military Court was unable to form a jury for the Nemtsov trial on Wednesday after 45 of the 59 potential jurors refused to be involved in the Nemtsov case for “personal reasons.”
“It's suspicious that so many people [refused to serve],” said lawyer Vadim Prokhorov. “It seems to me that people are simply scared of whoever ordered this crime,” he told the Interfax news agency Wednesday.
The jury selection process is still ongoing, but it may take some time before a new committee is formed, said Prokhorov.
The court will repeat its jury selection process on Sept. 28.
Boris Nemtsov was fatally shot in the back in a drive-by shooting while walking across Moscow's Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge, close to Red Square, on Feb. 27, 2015. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/juries-are-afraid-to-be-involved-in-nemtsov-case-55089 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/8f37ad7465fe1504e66478cc2eaa9926d8eeda5e3427db1113e6c3551091e21c.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:13:18 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Frussian-cafe-chain-charges-foreigners-10-percent-extra-55088.json | en | null | Russian Cafe Chain Charges Foreigners 10% Extra | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | The Russian cafe chain Schastye (Happiness) has introduced a 10 percent surcharge for foreigners, the Bumaga news website reported Wednesday.
The surcharge only affects groups exclusively made up of foreigners and is added to the bill at the "personal discretion of the administrator."
The policy has been in effect since November last year in each of the chain's four branches, which include three in St. Petersburg and one in Moscow.
Current policy requires staff to inform customers of the additional charges. This levy is currently not mentioned on the chain's menus.
Schastye have declined to comment on the reason behind the surcharge.
Article 63 of the Russian Constitution clearly states foreigners are entitled to the same rights as citizens of Russia. In addition, article 19 outlaws discrimination on the basis of nationality, gender, race, religion, material wealth, language, place of residence and political affiliations. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-cafe-chain-charges-foreigners-10-percent-extra-55088 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/c88d9054355bb711e3b0979c60250656069699db1ea068f137bed14a6be7bb6a.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T12:50:32 | null | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fplaying-the-long-game-why-putin-wont-call-a-snap-presidential-election-55031.json | en | null | Playing the Long Game: Why Putin Won't Call a Snap Presidential Election | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Tensions over Crimea and a flurry of new appointments in the upper echelons of government have made many wonder if President Vladimir Putin is planning snap presidential elections, bringing them forward from the planned 2018.
The case for is as follows: the economic situation is dire and, although the euphoria over the annexation of Crimea has not fully worn off yet, the people’s mood could change abruptly. It gets tiring to have to dream up a new war every month just to keep the people united against some common enemy. The decision to move parliamentary elections forward from December this year to September also went off without a hitch.
The active reshuffling of senior government posts also points to likely early elections. The old guard is sent into retirement — some in disgrace, as with former Customs head Andrei Belyaninov, and some with honor, like former presidential administration head Sergei Ivanov, who was transferred nonetheless to a specially invented and humiliating new post as the special representative to the president for ecology and transport.
Putin is sending his ruling elite a signal: cut down on the stealing and do not show off your wealth because it reflects poorly on your patron in the Kremlin. The people are feeling the effects of the crisis, and corruption among members of the establishment irritates them greatly.
But despite all of this, there are reasons to suggest that Putin is planning to hold off elections as long as he can.
The crisis is certainly giving way to a long-term economic downturn. Indicators are gradually but steadily falling, while the growth rates for GDP and production hover near zero. It is a very painful and unpleasant situation. The majority of the population, however, has adapted to the crisis and continues to draw hope from the news that Russia has regained its status as a great power. Leaders can definitely use that and their “import substitution” story to keep the people quiet until 2018.
What’s more, despite the fact that no one is waiting for a strategy and vision of the future from the president, Putin must still have some sort of platform when he runs for re-election. It isn’t possible to create one quickly, so what is the hurry?
If the parliamentary elections in September go off as planned — that is, without major scandals — they will add legitimacy to the system so that leaders can say, “Look, we even hold fair elections and are not afraid of competition!” So why rush into presidential elections?
And most importantly, why would Putin himself want early elections? So that he can have one less year in power? As things stand now, he has a full 18 months before his next term begins, and then another six long years at the helm. Why become a lame duck earlier than necessary?
Putin drew several conclusions from the mass protests of 2011-2012. They convinced him that the mandate he received from “the people,” i.e. ordinary Russians, is much more important than the views of the small and overly outspoken segment of progressive citizens. After returning to the Kremlin, he therefore focused on silencing the voices of that stratum of Russian society. Now they are quiet, and no large-scale protests are anticipated.
And that means there is no need to hold early elections.
Andrei Kolnesnikov is a senior associate and the chair of the Russian Domestic Politics and Political Institutions Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center. | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/playing-the-long-game-why-putin-wont-call-a-snap-presidential-election-55031 | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/87666d7b646d5fd8534d3ce49251a2caa1dd1317b57036fef7983e1e24a623ad.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T12:58:20 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fgod-stalin-patriotism--meet-russias-new-education-minister-55090.json | en | null | God, Stalin and Patriotism - Meet Russia's New Education Chief | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | For Olga Vasilyeva, it wasn’t the breadlines and high crime rates that made early post-Soviet life a daily trial. It was the public reassessment of the country’s recent, and bloodied, history. “[The goal was] to blacken the past, to remove from the social consciousness the value of tradition, pride for the greatness of one’s country, culture and language,” she told an audience of teenagers at a seminar on patriotism in late June. “Astonishing myths” abounded in the 1990s, she said, as she singled out the Ogonyok news magazine that was symbolic of the glasnost era. “If you look at the number of deaths and those repressed [under Soviet rule] cited in Ogonyok, it becomes completely unclear who was left alive at all!” she added, hinting that the figures were greatly exaggerated. Statements such as these have alarmed some Russians after Vasilyeva, a woman in her 50s with cropped blonde hair and gold-rimmed glasses, was installed as education and science minister on Aug. 19. While some in the academic community expect her appointment to usher in a new era of dialogue, critics stumble over Vasilyeva’s allegedly positive references to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and her ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. Is the blend of religious conservatism and patriotism that has accompanied President Vladimir Putin’s third term in power about to come knocking at schools’ doors? they ask. Moscow history teacher Tamara Eidelman thinks it might. “Vasilyeva’s appointment is a sign of the general atmosphere in the country toward faux patriotism and Stalinism,” she says. “And that, sadly, will of course also impact schools.”
A Bone to Voters The removal of Vasilyeva’s predecessor, Dmitry Livanov, did not come as a surprise: There have been calls for his resignation for almost as long as he was education minister. Appointed in 2012, Livanov made few friends by pushing through far-reaching reform to reduce state dependence and improve efficiency in education. Among his most controversial moves was an overhaul of the Russian Academy of Sciences by merging research institutes and cutting funding. He also enforced the implementation of a unified state exam. It gained him the reputation of an uncompromising technocrat and made him widely unpopular with a sector accustomed to Soviet-era support. In popularity surveys, Livanov has consistently placed near the bottom. A recent survey of government ministers by the state-run VTsIOM pollster ranked Livanov the Kremlin’s most unpopular staff member, with his lowest score in years. With parliamentary elections less than a month away, on Sept. 18, Livanov’s sacking fits a tradition of throwing a bone to voters by purging unpopular government officials. Compared to Livanov, Vasilyeva is “a new leaf,” head of VTsIOM Valery Fyodorov told the Vesti news program. Russia’s academic elite embraced the news. “We hope that reform from now on will be more balanced, rational,” Vladimir Fortov, the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the state-run RIA Novosti agency. The Kremlin has presented the choice of Vasilyeva as inspired by gender equality issues. “I would propose appointing a woman,” a serene Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told Putin in a staged meeting broadcast on state television. More likely, however, is that Vasilyeva’s history, not her gender, snagged Russia’s first female education minister the job.
Lucky Meeting Vasilyeva, who declined a request for comment for this article, grew up in a Russian Orthodox household in the 1960s. It was a time when “any information on a baptism, christening, religious wedding or funeral was passed on to the executive committee,” she told the religious Pravoslavie.ru website in an interview. “Nevertheless, my father, who had a certain position, wanted his children to be baptized,” she said. After graduating early at the age of 14, she studied choir directing and later history, going into teaching and then academia. As a prominent religious scholar, Vasilyeva focused on the relationship between the state and the Russian Orthodox Church in the 20th century, publishing more than 90 papers on the topic. At a religious seminar, she met then-Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov, a Russian Orthodox priest rumored to be Putin’s spiritual adviser. Many believe that relationship has played a crucial role in her dealings with the Kremlin. Her ties to the church are such that upon her appointment, Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russian Orthodoxy, congratulated her in a statement on the church’s official website. “The Lord has generously endowed you with talent, which you have successfully made use of in the many stages of your service,” it said. Those links have alienated Kremlin critics such as Alexei Venediktov, editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, who promptly announced his resignation from a ministry advisory body. “She believes the church should be close to schools, and the state to the church,” he said. “Nothing good can come of this appointment.” Others argue Vasilyeva’s views on history, not her religious zeal, are more cause for concern. In a closed lecture given to Kremlin officials in 2013, Vasilyeva reportedly praised Stalin for uniting the country on the eve of World War II, according to an unnamed source cited by the Kommersant newspaper at the time. Reports of ambiguous statements on Stalin abound and, upon her appointment as minister, Russian liberal media have rehashed them to decry her political leanings. Vasilyeva’s supporters have dismissed the allegations as based on misquotations and defend her public statements on Stalin as historical appraisals based on fact, rather than value judgments. Less unequivocal is Vasilyeva’s championing of patriotic values. Previously, Vasilyeva was deputy head of the presidential administration’s “social projects” body, tasked with advising the government on issues of patriotism. The group was overseen by Vyacheslav Volodin, the deputy head of the presidential administration and brain behind domestic policy. In her work in the presidential administration, Vasilyeva played a key role in preparing new teaching material on Russian history and literature. There, she took a firm line, according to a source who had crossover with Vasilyeva at the time and asked to remain anonymous. “She very sharply, almost rudely, tried to push through a line of ideology on the one hand, while reducing plurality on the other,” says the source. “She sees history as the study of truth, rather than an ideological debate.” Her appointment, the source adds, is the result of a tug-of-war within the Kremlin. “When faced with an opportunity to put his own person in the position, Volodin went for it,” the source says. “Medvedev was presented a done conclusion.” | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/god-stalin-patriotism--meet-russias-new-education-minister-55090 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/ad47b271a7b60ccab32b236c0d758f96dcd43e1ea01b1ac435f66e57cbf8c58d.json | |
[
"David Patrikarakos",
"Putin",
"The Ayatollah",
"A Bromance To Watch",
"Of All Today S Political Bromances",
"Perhaps The Most Interesting Is Between Russian President Vladimir Putin",
"Iran S Supreme Leader",
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Russia",
"Iran Have Enjoyed Strong Economic Links Since",
"When... | 2016-08-30T12:51:49 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fmoscow-restaurants-news-and-openings-55134.json | en | null | Moscow Restaurants: News and Openings | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | 1 day ago
Teeter’s TV Take-Out: And Then There Were None, Tango & Cash and More Moscow TV and Film
It’s Back to School Week, but Moscow TV offers some good reasons for playing hooky and doing some cinema “homework.” This Monday through ... | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/moscow-restaurants-news-and-openings-55134 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/6b5a63360a236c9b5daf0500462da07e03ec6268265b4e938f5b60b9501c8e87.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:13:53 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Frussian-activists-petition-police-to-ban-book-which-preaches-cannibalism-55076.json | en | null | Dissident Author Sorokin Accused of 'Promoting Cannibalism' in Work | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Russian dissident author Vladimir Sorokin has been accused of promoting cannibalism by pro-Kremlin activists, Russian media outlets reported Tuesday.
Group leader Irina Vasina reported the author's 2000 novel "Nastya" to the police for its "extremist content." During the story, a 16-year-old girl is cooked in an oven by her parents and served as a meal.
Sorokin, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has previously been harassed for his controversial works such as "Blue Salo" and 2008's "Day of the Oprichnik," which envisions a Russian dystopia with a modern tsar in the Kremlin.
Vasina has also demanded charges be brought against film director Konstantin Bogomolov for adapting "Nastya" on screen.
"We have been following Bogomolov's scandalous works for a long time," Vasina said, explaining that the group became aware of Sorokin's book following Bogomolov's decision to transform the book into a movie.
“My colleagues and I read the book online and we were shocked. The story preaches cannibalism,” she said, claiming the book was an insult to Russian Orthodox values.
As well as reporting the book to police, Vasina also employed a linguist to analyze the book's content.
"The expert concluded that the book degrades people's Russian Orthodox heritage and their sense of nationhood," she said, explaining her decision to petition police to ban the book in Russia. "We haven't seen Bogomolov's film but we can assume that only a preposterous director [such as Bogomolov] could shoot a film with extremist content." | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-activists-petition-police-to-ban-book-which-preaches-cannibalism-55076 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/749eb95c1ad1d669a275df8b1d50d60f2d63f19b039f4e10e99edae47548519c.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:11:41 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fanti-terror-big-brother-law-to-cost-russian-companies-154bln-says-expert-55125.json | en | null | Russia's 'Big Brother Law' to Cost Telecoms $154Bln - Report | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Russia's new anti-terror legislation is set to cost mobile phone networks 10 trillion rubles ($154 billion), the RBC news website reported Friday.
The new laws require communications companies to store customers’ messages, including photos and videos, for six months. Internet companies will also face a fine of up to 1 million rubles ($15,700) for not decoding users’ data at the request of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
Earlier estimates had placed the predicted cost to operators at 2.2 trillion rubles ($34 billion), but the real cost is likely to be higher, data storage company RCNTEC's general director Denis Neshtun said.
The cost to companies could be reduced if the demands placed upon them were lessened, but companies would still need to pay a significant amount toward the system's upkeep, he told RBC.
Russia's mobile phone operators have estimated that by the time the law comes into force in 2018, they will collectively be forced to handle and record 107,142 gigabytes every second, the Kommersant newspaper reported.
Oleg Fomichev, the deputy minister for economic development, said in July that the kind of data storage infrastructure needed to implement the new anti-terror legislation “didn't exist anywhere in the world.”
It is “very difficult to say” what timescale would be needed to have the necessary infrastructure in place, Fomichev said.
Russia's biggest mobile operators have written to the government, arguing that the new demands would force companies to increase tariffs and pay less in taxes.
Author of the legislation, ultraconservative lawmaker Irina Yarovaya, called the claims a “baseless” excuse to raise prices.
The legislation was signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on July 7. The new laws include restrictions on religious activity, an increase in the number of crimes for which children aged 14-17 can be prosecuted and criminalizes a failure to report terrorist activities to the authorities. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/anti-terror-big-brother-law-to-cost-russian-companies-154bln-says-expert-55125 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/18b8733305647d0fea933cb6714743f8d650b676a103d2c443355121078968e6.json | |
[
"David Patrikarakos",
"Putin",
"The Ayatollah",
"A Bromance To Watch",
"Of All Today S Political Bromances",
"Perhaps The Most Interesting Is Between Russian President Vladimir Putin",
"Iran S Supreme Leader",
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Russia",
"Iran Have Enjoyed Strong Economic Links Since",
"When... | 2016-08-29T16:51:24 | null | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fuzbekistan-on-life-support-country-motionless-as-karimov-hospitalized-55147.json | en | null | Uzbekistan on Life Support: Country Ponders Future Without Islam Karimov | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Rumors over the fate of longtime Uzbek President Islam Karimov are mounting following reports of his hospitalization. The president was last seen publicly on state television on Aug. 17 and had been expected to appear at Independence Day celebrations in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent on Sept. 1, marking 25 years since the country’s independence from the Soviet Union.
The most information about the president’s condition is contained in a short statement posted on Facebook by his daughter Lola. Karimov, 78, was “in intensive care,” she said, after having suffered a brain hemorrhage. His condition was “stable,” the daughter wrote, but it was “too early to make any forecasts.”
According to sources of the opposition People’s Movement of Uzbekistan, Karimov fainted following a reception he had thrown for the country’s Olympic team on Friday evening. During the reception he had “drunk too much vodka,” and “ignored warnings” from one of his aides. The reception reportedly ended at around 10 p.m. — and right after it did, the president lost consciousness. He was hospitalized and doctors from Germany and Israel were reportedly flown into the capital Tashkent.
Undisputed Leader
In 27 years in power, Karimov built a heavy-handed authoritarian regime that rendered him undisputed leader. He became leader of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1989, and remained in his post after the country gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Karimov suppressed all the opposition in his country. In Uzbekistan, thousands of opposition activists from the Islamist party Khizbut Takhrir were jailed, and thousands fled to Russia, says Alexey Malashenko from Carnegie Moscow Center. In May 2005, hundreds were estimated to have been killed when Uzbek military forces crushed a revolt in the city of Andizhan in eastern Uzbekistan.
A recent report from Human Rights Watch drew attention to the most obvious excesses of the regime. “Thousands of people are imprisoned on politically motivated charges, torture is endemic, and authorities regularly harass human rights activists, opposition members, and journalists,” it says. Reporters Without Borders’ posted a similarly negative review of Karimov’s Uzbekistan, ranking the country 166 out of 180 in this year’s index of press freedom.
Today is not the first time Karimov’s health has become a matter of concern. In the past six years, he is reported to have suffered a heart attack and slipped into a coma twice.
What Next?
Karimov’s death will leave a chasm in Uzbek politics, and there has been much speculation that a struggle over succession could add to instability in the region. The likelihood, however, is that ruling clans will come to an agreement to ensure the regime’s survival. The regime “can easily replicate itself,” says Daniil Kislov, editor-in-chief of the Fergana.ru website
One person highly unlikely to take the throne is Gulnara Karimova, the leader’s famous daughter. A designer, a socialite and a business woman, she has since been pushed out from the political elite and faces corruption charges in the U.S. and in Netherlands over hundreds of millions of dollars.
Karimova was put under house arrest in Tashkent, apparently on the orders of Rustam Inoyatov, the head of the Uzbek National Security Service (SNB) and major Uzbekistan power broker. “Inoyatov doesn’t want to rule Uzbekistan himself. But you can’t find your way to the top in Uzbekistan without his sanction,” says Alexey Malashenko.
Both Kislov and Malashenko agree the most likely candidate for Karimov’s succession is the current prime minister Shavkat Mirziyayev. “In Uzbekistan, a lot — even more than in Russia — is determined by security services,” Kislov says. “Mirziyayev comes from the SNB, he’s also very close to the president’s family, especially his influential wife, so if he replaces Karimov, little would change.”
Andrey Grozin, Middle Asia expert of the CIS Countries Institute, however, suggests the deputy prime minister Rustam Azimov is another possible successor. “Whoever is next, it will be someone from Karimov’s inner circle, someone eager to maintain the existing establishment”, the expert adds.
One thing to be certain of is how much Uzbek political elites fears destabilization, and will work to avoid it. If the transition of power goes wrong, that will be the moment when different groups of influence might appeal to Islamist oppositionists in Russia and Afghanistan. “At the moment it doesn’t look likely, though no one ever knows for sure when comes to Afghanistan,” Malashenko says.
There are many unknowns when it comes to the future president himself. “As you have seen, Lola has asked to respect the president’s ’privacy’ in her Facebook post,” says Kislov. “There will be no news on his condition until it turns for the better or for the worse. In the meantime, while he is still alive, speculating on who is going to replace him will remain a strict taboo.”
Rumors of Karimov dying have repeatedly resurfaced for the past 10 years. Every time in the past, however, the president has confounded predictions of his demise: “Modern elite medicine works miracles,” says Grozin. “You never know — maybe he’ll spend a while in hospital and surprise everyone by returning from the dead.” | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/uzbekistan-on-life-support-country-motionless-as-karimov-hospitalized-55147 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/c75044739667995d47abb7330cda33f1db9840e90158716e6f46bac80f136fed.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:13:49 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fsports-court-upholds-lifelong-doping-ban-for-russian-walk-coach-viktor-chegin-55097.json | en | null | Lifelong Doping Ban for Russian Racewalking Coach Viktor Chegin Upheld | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | A Russian sports court has upheld the lifelong ban of former celebrity racewalking coach Viktor Chegin for encouraging dozens of athletes to violate doping regulations.
The Russian Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Aug. 19 that Chegin’s lifelong suspension would remain in place, according to a statement published online by Russia's anti-doping agency (RUSADA) on Thursday.
“In the course of a 1.5-year investigation, RUSADA specialists have gathered a large amount of evidence confirming Chegin's involvement in the violation of anti-doping rules at the Olympic Training Center of the Republic of Mordovia,” the statement said.
Chegin, who enjoys celebrity status in Russia, has long been at the heart of a far-reaching doping scandal in Russian racewalking.Numerous athletes trained by him, including Olympic gold medalist Sergei Bakulin, have been caught using performance-enhancing drugs.
Chegin was suspended for his role in the doping scandal in February and top sports officials, including Russia's Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, have repeatedly reassured the public that he is no longer working with athletes. A documentary by Germany’s ARD television in June claimed that it had obtained evidence that Chegin was still active as a coach through facial recognition technology.
Russian track-and-field athletes have been banned from international competition since November following extensive allegations by the World Anti-Doping Association of state-sponsored doping. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/sports-court-upholds-lifelong-doping-ban-for-russian-walk-coach-viktor-chegin-55097 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/d71ea55bf229be1dbb688d18ae6a41a974776c5b52d8c7f2682595d063463679.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:12:50 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Frussian-paralympians-appeal-for-individual-hearings-55119.json | en | null | Russian Paralympians Appeal Ban Individually | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Six Russian athletes have appealed the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to judge their entry to this year's Paralympic Games on a case-by-case basis, the RIA Novosti news website reported Friday.
The IPC placed a blanket ban on the entire Russian Paralympic squad from competing at the Games earlier this month after receiving reports of widespread state-sponsored doping across Russian sport. The Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS) went on to uphold the ban in a ruling on Tuesday.
Cyclists Alexei Obydennov, Svetlana Moshkovich and Natalia Yanuto, track-and-field athletes Alexei Ashapatov and Margarita Goncharova, and swimmer Olesya Vladykina all sent letters to the IPC asking for their cases to be considered individually.
The athletes claim that they have been repeatedly tested for performance-enhancing drugs outside of the Russian system and have been found “clean.”
Their cases could mirror Russian long-jumper Darya Klishina, who was allowed to compete in this summer's Olympic Games after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) banned the country's track-and-field team from taking part. The IAAF ruled that because Klishina trained and had been extensively tested in the United States, she had not been “tainted” by the Russian system.
The letters emphasized the need to punish cheats and the “real perpetrators of the dirty system,” Sputnik News reported. “I do not want to lose to cheaters and I don't want to compete with cheaters, even Russians," the athletes wrote, Sputnik reported. "However, I believe even more strongly that innocent people should not suffer for the actions of cheaters."
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has announced that the Russian Paralympic Committee will be appealing the CAS ruling in the Swiss Federal Court.
The IPC's decision has caused widespread backlash across Russia, with officials calling the ban “cruel and inhumane.” Several prominent Russians, including Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, have called the ruling “politically motivated.”
“A number of states and their sporting establishments were looking for a traditional enemy, and they found one,” Medvedev wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
An investigation by the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) found that 35 doping-test samples related to Paralympic sport in Russia had shown inconsistencies believed to be signs of cheating.
The Paralympic Games start Sept. 7 in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-paralympians-appeal-for-individual-hearings-55119 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/a02eb71a21593b224adc03b32eded5c79f9d6feeb1838fa97ad581793464d57a.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T12:56:27 | null | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fthere-are-some-people-you-should-kill-the-russian-priests-supporting-stalin-55006.json | en | null | 'There Are Some People You Should Kill': The Russian Priests Supporting Stalin | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin of the Russian Orthodox Church is no stranger to controversy.
The staunchly conservative Orthodox priest has stuck his nose in everything from Kremlin involvement in eastern Ukraine to women's rights. He's claimed that women wearing short skirts “should not be surprised if they are raped,” and has railed against mixed-denomination Christian congregations.
But he outdid himself on Aug. 15, when he turned a question on a new statue dedicated to Ivan the Terrible into an ode to Stalin – dodging the question to declare both his support for the Soviet leader and the brutal purges in which millions of Russians were killed.
“He [Stalin] did a lot. At the end of it all, what's so bad about destroying some of [Russia's] internal enemies?,” said Chaplin on the Echo Moskvy radio station.
“There are some people you should kill. Even God, if we read the Old and New Testaments, directly authorized the destruction of a large number of people as a message to others. Not as a punishment or revenge, but as edification. Sometimes societies need the destruction of those who are worthy of destruction," he said.
Chaplin's words sent shockwaves across the Russian media, with many rushing to condemn him. Echo Moskvy has since pledged that Chaplin will no longer appear as a guest on their station, and a transcript of the interview was only released after a considerable social media debate by staff at the station.
Yet Chaplin is far from the only cleric to support the Soviet leader and his regime. Although he is now a fringe figure in the church, he previously held the high-ranking position of Chairman of the Synodal Department for the Cooperation of Church and Society, and remains a recognizable voice. His pro-Stalin position is one which many Russian religious figures share.
The Russian Orthodox Church has a complicated relationship with the former Soviet leader.
Stalin was behind a number of mass crackdowns on religion in the Soviet Union, which included the establishment of anti-religion magazines and the mass-arrest of the clergy. Of the 54,000 churches which existed in Russia prior to 1917, just 500 remained by 1941. A brief reprieve was granted during the Second World War, when the power of the church was harnessed to boost patriotic fervor in the face of the enemy, but Stalin once more tightened the noose after the Soviet victory.
Despite this conflict, the dictator's hardline approach appeals to many ultra-conservative church officials.
There is a trend of Church officials supporting Stalin, theologian Andrei Desnitsky told the Moscow Times. Such sentiment is nothing new. “Orthodox Stalinists are a whole group of people, and they first appeared in the 1990s,” Desnitsky said. “There are also people who see the appeal in certain parts of Stalin's rule: the firm hand, the single-mindedness, destroying enemies. Those people see Stalinism as something familiar and native.”
Stalin receives the same kind of support from the same sectors of Russian society, Desnitsky said: people who are unhappy with the injustices they are witnessing in the country and who see Stalin's “firm hand” as a solution. “Sociologically speaking, the Church reflects trends that take place in the society,” he said.
The question remains as to whether Chaplin, or those like him within the church, are truly sincere in their desire for Stalin-esque rule- and whether such feeling within the clergy could even be harnessed.
“Chaplin is a media friendly figure that, apparently, loves being the center of attention. But it is hard to tell whether he was sincere, or posing, or just following the trend,” Desnitsky said.
Chaplin is no longer a church official, and his recent controversial statements are represent his own buffoonery, says Father Andrei Kurayev, a famous Orthodox missionary and informal spokesman for the church's liberal wing. “There are quite a lot of people in the Church with similar views, and Father Vsevolod wants to become their voice,” Kurayev told The Moscow Times.
Most of the church's official statements on the matter are measured and neutral, unoffensive to either side. Even the head of the church, Patriarch Kirill, has been forced to address Stalin's legacy. Speaking in November last year, he said that while Stalin was responsible for Russia's revival and modernization, the leader had also done great wrongs.
“It is for the judgment of God,” said the Patriarch. “Just because a person has done bad things, it should never give us the right to exclude the positive things which that person achieved.” | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/there-are-some-people-you-should-kill-the-russian-priests-supporting-stalin-55006 | en | 2016-08-17T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/227c65208d15b15b6e9b87f25b92a174113d968d8aa2cd25d468238e3c16dc41.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:14:54 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fforeigners-needed-to-reach-lonely-moscow-pensioners-55064.json | en | null | Lonely Moscow Pensioners to Offer Foreigners Russian Lessons | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Lonely Moscow pensioners are eager to help foreigners boost their Russian skills with online conversation groups.
Starting in September, “The LinguaLink of Generations” project hopes to unite Russian language learners with elderly Muscovites in conversation over Skype.
The project aims to reach elderly people in the city who may otherwise be isolated, as well as giving foreigners a n insight into Russian culture.
“Our pensioners have led long and interesting lives,” project co-founder Svetlana Pavshintseva told the m24.ru news website. “They can really share their wisdom. We hope to have more than 30 pairs by the end of the year.” | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/foreigners-needed-to-reach-lonely-moscow-pensioners-55064 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/9680e2e112d7f65836b7b00d0dafd884690a75aab517bb8c2469c1cb090a602e.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:02:12 | null | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fcorps-couture-the-rise-of-russias-patriotic-fashion-industry-54983.json | en | null | Corps Couture: The Rise of Russia's Patriotic Fashion Industry | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | For T-shirt manufacturer Alexander Konasov, 2014 and 2015 were particularly good years. It all started in February 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, and set free a wave of Kremlin-sanctioned nationalism. War fueled a demand for simple, patriotic-themed clothing. Konasov’s company was one of the first to sense the business opportunity. “If you catch the moment there is a colossal amount of money to be made,” says Konasov, 28, who now owns 45 shops across Russia, including one by Moscow’s central Pushkin Square. “Patriotic-themed T-shirts displaced all the others because they sold ten times better.” Two years on from the height of the military confrontation with Ukraine, Russia finds itself in the middle of its longest recession since the 1990s. And the demand for patriotic gear is back to pre-Crimea levels. “We are not earning very much now,” Konasov says. But the decline in the popularity of Putin T-shirts appears to illustrate a broader shift. As Russians feel the ever-sharper bite of economic recession, the country’s patriotic fashion mania and hunger for President Vladimir Putin-themed T-shirts appears to have changed into a nostalgia-driven focus on history, vintage glories and folk traditions. From Shoigu to the Tsars The career of prominent designer Leonid Alexeyev, who studied fashion at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martin's, reflects the changing mood of Russia’s fashion industry.
The bohemian Alexeyev raised eyebrows among friends and colleagues in February 2014 when he accepted a job to head a design bureau at Russia’s Defense Ministry amid the military occupation of Crimea. Last year at Moscow’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, a collection designed by Alexeyev, featuring lots of balaclavas and khaki, used the theme of “polite people” — a popular term for the Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms who seized Crimea. One of the slogans emblazoned across the items displayed by male models was “politeness takes towns.” But Alexeyev quit his job at the Defense Ministry at the end of 2015. “Nothing lasts ... the wonderful thing about fashion is that you can alter your personality in the space of an hour,” says Alexeyev. His latest collection is based on the dresses worn by Olga, Tatyana, Maria and Anastasia — the four daughters of Russia’s last tsar. The dresses are all short, made to be worn outside in the summer, and use traditional Russian sewing techniques and materials. “People are bored and haven’t found anything new so there is a return to the historical,” he says. “When everything is bad you want to return to a place where there are no problems.”
Reality Bites The shift away from displaying the brash patriotism of 2014 and 2015 on clothes is in part explained by changing tastes. But the process appears to have been accelerated by the economic and social problems that have stacked up in Russia amid a collapse in oil prices and Western sanctions over Ukraine. Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 3.7 percent last year and is on course to fall again this year. Real wages collapsed 9.5 percent over the same period and are not expected to resume growth until 2017. Poverty levels are currently at their highest for almost a decade. Many experts fear Russia faces years of economic stagnation. Nationalist sentiment was briefly reignited by the beginning of an armed Russian intervention in Syria’s civil war — its first in the Middle East for decades. But most of the military presence was withdrawn in March. Economic woes appear to have underwritten the shift toward clothing that draws inspiration from a more distant history as people seek distraction from the day-to-day. The collapse of the ruble has also fueled this trend. Foreign imports have become more expensive and Russian-made and Russian-designed clothing has become more attractive. Popularizing the Military Some state behemoths, with large financial backing, are not put off by the economic troubles or the apparent fall in demand for Putin T-shirts. Instead, they are doggedly pushing forward in attempts to sell their own brands of patriotic and military clothing. The Russian Defense Ministry recently launched its Armia Rossii brand and has outlets in prime locations in Moscow, St. Petersburg and the southern city of Krasnodar. Iconic weapons manufacturer Kalashnikov is reportedly planning to roll out its own brand of sporting and outdoor clothing later this year. The most recent branch of Armia Rossii opened in May opposite the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. It sells T-shirts with pictures of Russian military hardware, jokes about the seizure of Crimea and portraits of Putin — as well as flags, figurines and real military uniforms. It is unclear how much money the Defense Ministry is making from the project, if any at all. A spokesperson for Armia Rossii declined to comment. Some of designer Alexeyev’s clothing lines are featured in the stores. He says the idea for the brand was thought up personally by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as a way of popularizing the military rather than earning money. T-shirt manufacturer Konasov says companies like the Defense Ministry were unlikely to be driven by commercial aims. “They have a shop near Triumfalnaya Ploshchad [in downtown Moscow] that I drive past all the time. I see them washing the windows but the shop is still shut. It’s been like that for half a year,” Konasov says. “If we paid the rent for that shop for 6 months without opening we would have gone under ages ago.”
Kremlin Approved Design? There is no evidence that any patriotic clothing manufacturers have received financial support from the Kremlin. Konasov said an official request he submitted to the presidential administration seeking permission to use Putin’s image was redirected to the Moscow government and he never got an answer. But groups close to the Kremlin have sought to back the fledgling patriotic fashion industry in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. Set, a pro-Putin youth movement advocating political conservatism and fanatical support for the president, put on a fashion show for patriotic designers, called New Russian, last year. “In Russia there are hundreds of thousands of young, modern, patriotic people ... If you put it in simple terms they have Putin on their T-shirts and an iPhone in their pocket,” says Set’s Maria Alyoshkina, who organized New Russian. The event in June 2015 showcased the work of 200 different patriotic designers and was judged by Russian fashion veteran Vyacheslav Zaitsev. Prizes were awarded in four categories: Imperial, Victory, the 1990s and New Russian. Shifting Focus But many of the designers at New Russian appear to have moved on. Designers contacted by The Moscow Times who took part in New Russian with collections that featured Putin said they were no longer designing clothes using the Russian president. Anna Kreidenko designed a collection last year called Putinversteher, or People Who Understand Putin, which was featured at New Russian. Her range of summer clothes for men and women was made up of print designs using phrases from Putin’s 2014 State of the Nation address. But Kreidenko’s line of clothing was sold out by the end of 2015 — and now she is focused on making a success of her sewing business, which currently employs seven people. One collection she has produced since Putinversteher took the Moscow metro as its inspiration. Ksenia Kravtsova, who was placed fourth at the New Russian event, set up a clothing company to explore patriotic themes four years ago —before the Ukraine crisis. After 2014 she released T-shirts with Putin, but her upcoming collection will feature designs based on figures from Russian history and literature, including reforming Tsar Peter the Great and poet Alexander Pushkin. She says one of the most popular designs in her online store melds ice cream, onion domes and the blue, white and red of the Russian flag. “Cliched photographs are not interesting anymore,” she says, whereas Russian folk designs and ideas that explore where Russians came from have an “eternal” relevance. | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/corps-couture-the-rise-of-russias-patriotic-fashion-industry-54983 | en | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/20c8f8ffda346ad658f3e2c852a4a921fc6296091cb2d8bd084e6ea71246e32f.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:11:34 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fbelarus-to-carry-russian-flag-at-paralympic-opening-ceremony-55079.json | en | null | Belarus to Carry Russian Flag at Paralympic Opening Ceremony | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | The Belarussian Paralympic team are set to carry Russia's flag at the opening ceremony of the upcoming Paralympic Games.
“As the head of the Belarussian Paralympic Committee, I cannot be silent either here or in Brazil,” Oleg Shepel said, the Sputnik Belarus news outlet reported Tuesday. “I have even asked that we carry the Russian flag alongside Belarus' at the opening ceremony in Rio. I am sure that in half a year or so, the Russian Paralympic Committee will be receiving an apology.”
The move is to show solidarity with Russia's disabled athletes, who were banned from taking part in this year's Games by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
The IPC made the announcement on Aug. 7 after damning reports surfaced of widespread, state-sponsored doping within Russian sport. Their decision was later upheld by The Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS) on Tuesday following an appeal.
The IPC decision has caused widespread controversy both in Russia and abroad, with top Russian officials calling the ban “cruel and inhumane.”
The International Olympic Committee faced similar calls to ban the Russian squad, but ultimately gave the decision on individual athletes' eligibility to their respective sporting federations. Russia came fourth in this year's Olympic medal table, despite almost all of their track-and-field athletes being barred from taking part.
The Paralympic Games are due to begin in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro on Sept. 7. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/belarus-to-carry-russian-flag-at-paralympic-opening-ceremony-55079 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/407b4a2eebb9f36aa939a4c2e804a25036ae3b950ea560da0da8e58687860ce9.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:08:52 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fbest-of-moscow-eight-ways-to-enjoy-the-last-gasp-of-summer-55101.json | en | null | Best of Moscow: Eight Ways to Enjoy the Last Gasp of Summer | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Hire a Boat
Set sail on the open water
Summer is the perfect time to embrace your nautical side and make the most of Moscow’s lakes while they’re still in liquid form. Go to Golitsinsky pond in Gorky Park and choose your vessel. Prices range from 300 to 400 rubles for an hour, plus a 500 ruble deposit. Alternatively, try Tsaritsyno, where there are three separate ponds for you to explore. Two of the ponds are for old-fashioned romantic types who fancy trying their hand at rowing, but if you’re not in the mood for anything strenuous, try the speedboats on the upper pond. Prices range from 250 rubles to 600 rubles depending on how long you spend on the water. Bon voyage!
Gorky Park. 9 Krymsky Val, Metro Oktyabrskaya. park-gorkogo.com
Tsaritsyno Park.1 Dolskaya Ulitsa, Metro Tsaritsyno. park-gorkogo.com/en/places/108
Enjoy a terrace
Nothing says summer like dining al fresco
One of the best things about summer is relaxing outside in good company with a nice cold drink in hand. We would recommend Dom 12 for a relaxed summer vibe. A wine bar set in a secluded courtyard complete with fairy lights and rustic furnishings, the two-story veranda is a lovely spot to kick back with a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Feeling adventurous? Try La Boule in Gorky Park and enjoy a game of petanque with friends while you sip on their speciality cherry beer. If you are part of a larger group, consider reserving one of the gazebos — Moscow never felt so much like the south of France.
Dom 12. 12 Mansurovsky Pereulok Metro Park Kultury. park-gorkogo.com/en/places/108
Botanical Garden at the Russian Academy of Sciences
The last blooms of summer
Enjoy one of Europe’s largest botanical gardens in the heart Moscow. The grounds are vast and sprawling, containing an astonishing 18,000 species of plants. In addition, the garden — set in the Russian Academy of Sciences — acts as a reservoir for plants to be studied by scientists for their ecological preservation. Check out horticultural delights such as the Japanese rock garden and the orangery, which contains rare and in some cases, carnivorous, plants. The best part? Entrance is free and you only need pay for certain attractions. It’s a real treat for budding botanists or anyone looking to breathe some fresh air in the center of the city.
4 Botanicheskaya Ulitsa, Metro Vladykino. gbsad.ru
Serebryany Bor
Top up that tan
If you’re tired of the Moscow cityscape and long for the sensation of warm sand beneath your feet one more time before the summer ends, head out to Serebryany Bor, a favorite with sun-starved city dwellers. As its name would suggest, Serebryany Bor is famous for its beautiful pine forests — but fear not, it offers more than just trees. The park boasts 12 different zones, including several lush green areas, woods, three separate beaches and even a volleyball court. Take a picnic and spend a day with your nearest and dearest, soaking up the fresh air and sunshine. If you feel like testing out your sea legs, take a boat ride from the pontoon. Just don’t forget your bucket and spade. Tram No. 28 from Shchukinskaya metro station, or any bus (except No. 43) from Polezhayevskaya metro station. s-bor.ru
Watch a movie in the open air
Films in the park
Make the most of the last sultry evenings of the summer by catching a movie under the stars. Pioner has outdoor theaters at both Gorky Park and Sokolniki Park, showing a variety of foreign films in their original language. Offerings at the moment include Woody Allen’s latest release, “Cafe Society,” period rom-com “Love & Friendship,” and for the little ones — and the young at heart — there’s the comedy animation “The Secret Life of Pets.” If you’re looking to inject a little culture into your life, check out the offerings from the French cinema festival, “Les Vacances Françaises,” organized by the French Embassy and Institut Français in Russia.
pioner-cinema.r | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/best-of-moscow-eight-ways-to-enjoy-the-last-gasp-of-summer-55101 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/43e7d11c0e8e4ff00426894c9c098032ffb78a77f7f5c306d5d9dc319840b476.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:14:06 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fukrainian-government-photographer-threats-to-sue-over-staged-war-photo-claims-55120.json | en | null | Scandal Develops Around 'Staged' Ukrainian War Photos | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | A Ukrainian photographer accused of staging an iconic image to engage with Russia in an “information war” has threatened legal action against his critics.
Dmitro Muravskiy, who works for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, said that he would sue those who continued to “damage his reputation” by saying the photo was fake.
Muravskiy 's photo shows two soldiers carrying an injured comrade while a dramatic explosion tears through the village behind them. The image was first published by army-aligned Ukrainian news website Tsensor.net, which claimed the photo had been taken in front-line Shyrokyne. It declared the story the photo told “should be spread around the world. ”
In an open letter on the lb.ua website, 20 Ukrainian photo journalists, some of which have worked with international news agencies such as AFP, AP and Reuters, accused Kiev of staging the shot as part of an “information war” with Russia.
“ We would like to apologize on their behalf for such a mess and the clumsy attempts of [the Defense Ministry] to participate in the information war,” the letter reads.
“We kindly ask not to put these photos on a par with Russian fakes. The war is really going on, people are dying, and to prove it there is huge number of documentary photo and video evidence, [sic] both from international media and from our journalists.”
Muravskiy defended his work in a post on his social media page, saying that he wanted to “wash away the dirt, undeservedly poured on me by my so-called peers.”
“I am not a professional photojournalist,” he wrote on Facebook. “What matters in a photo is emotion, not where, when and by whom it is made.”
A number of photos taken by his team were “for future publications as posters or billboards,” Muravskiy admitted. “As I realized later, that their presence gave rise to the conclusion that all of my photos are staged,” he wrote: "M y only response to new charges will be only in the form of legal action for causing damage to business reputation.” | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/ukrainian-government-photographer-threats-to-sue-over-staged-war-photo-claims-55120 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/d3904a992689fd3b4585b0f0e6f11d88ecf82159786abd5ea53f2e355cbf410c.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:14:17 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Frecord-highs-for-sberbank-shares-after-shock-q2-profits-55118.json | en | null | Record Highs for Sberbank Shares After Shock Q2 Profits | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Shares for Russian state-owned bank Sberbank have reached record highs after the company announced skyrocketing second quarter profits.
The value of Sberbank's ordinary shares rose by 2.09 percent on the Moscow Stock Exchange on Thursday, closing at a record high 142.84 rubles ($2.20). Sberbank's preferred shares also enjoyed a boost, peaking at 102.81 rubles ($1.59) on Thursday.
The bank's net profit for Q2 has risen 2.6 times year on year, the company announced in a report Thursday. The company has enjoyed a profit of 145.4 billion rubles ($2.3 billion) over the last 3 months, compared to 54.6 billion rubles ($845 million) in the second quarter of 2015.
Sberbank chief German Gref said that the Russian economy had seen "some signs of stabilization," which allowed experts to predict “positive changes to [Russia's] GDP in the second half of 2016." | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/record-highs-for-sberbank-shares-after-shock-q2-profits-55118 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/74710d45a104fdfd910dc925619305b3098c6e3d06ddc409c8191b592c6ea596.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:12:06 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fhostage-situation-central-moscow-bank-ends-with-no-casualties-55093.json | en | null | Hostage Situation at Moscow Bank Ends Peacefully | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | A bankrupt businessman who threatened to blow himself up after taking hostages at a bank in central Moscow has surrendered to the police, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday.
The man, identified as 55-year-old Aram Petrosyan, released all four hostages from a branch of Citibank on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Ulitsa before surrendering himself.
A box around Petrosyan's neck which he had claimed to be an explosive device was later identified by police as a replica.
Petrosyan had also uploaded a message to video sharing website Youtube earlier on Wednesday, in which he told President Vladimir Putin that bankruptcy had forced him to “dramatically violate Russia’s criminal code.”
“Believe me, I have nothing to lose. I have already lost everything I had,” he said, before demanding that the state recognize the “disease” of bankruptcy and establish an institute to deal with the problem.
Petrosyan is believed to have fallen into debt four years ago, the TASS news agency reported Wednesday. He regularly sent proposals to government bodies on initiatives to help entrepreneurs, but had been repeatedly ignored. The staged attack in the bank was Petrosyan’s attempt to draw attention to his plight, an unidentified TASS source claimed. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/hostage-situation-central-moscow-bank-ends-with-no-casualties-55093 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/b7621ff16a6125056a683b2df806a39aae8085097a022ce68303bcfa29640746.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:14:02 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Frussia-spending-150m-monthly-on-syria-mercenaries-55108.json | en | null | Russia Spending $150M Monthly on Syria Mercenaries - Report | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Russia is spending up to $150 million every month on mercenaries fighting in Syria, the RBC newspaper reported Thursday.
Funds for the mercenaries come from the state and unnamed "private investors,” RBC reported, citing a source who wished to remain anonymous.
There are an estimated 2,500 private soldiers working in Syria for the military company Wagner Group, RBC reported. Each contractor receives 300,000 rubles ($4,600) a month, compared to a monthly salary of 80,000 rubles ($1,200) for Russian soldiers, a Defense Ministry source told the newspaper.
Extra costs include 170,000 rubles ($2,600) for the mercenaries’ accommodation, $1,000 per contractor for equipment, and 800 rubles ($12) daily to feed each mercenary.
The contractors’ salaries are paid in cash, and “have never officially been issued,” the unidentified Defense Ministry source told RBC.
Wagner Group is formally registered in Argentina, St. Petersburg news website Fontanka reported in October 2015.
Officially, Russian law forbids the existence of private military companies, but Wagner is believed to operate in the southern Russia Krasnodar region, close to a Russian military intelligence training base in the village of Molkino, Fontanka reported.
British television channel Sky News reported in August that approximately 600 Wagner contractors had been killed in Syria, a claim refuted by the Russian media. Other news outlets have placed the number of dead Wagner soldiers between 27 to over 100.
Several media outlets have also reported that Wagner troops were used to support fighters in the self-proclaimed people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russia-spending-150m-monthly-on-syria-mercenaries-55108 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/e8c134ceadc57ba2a8c5c3a6153981e88afac6f3f2c59f66a21943ff960b228f.json | |
[
"David Patrikarakos",
"Putin",
"The Ayatollah",
"A Bromance To Watch",
"Of All Today S Political Bromances",
"Perhaps The Most Interesting Is Between Russian President Vladimir Putin",
"Iran S Supreme Leader",
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Russia",
"Iran Have Enjoyed Strong Economic Links Since",
"When... | 2016-08-29T08:51:20 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fdozens-of-kiosks-deconstructed-overnight-55138.json | en | null | Moscow Undergoes Second Wave of Kiosk Demolition | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | On Sunday night, Moscow authorities began a second wave of street kiosk demolition.
Onlookers reported that demolition works began at midnight throughout the city, including the city center. It was announced last week that around 80 Moscow pavilions and kiosks were scheduled for razing on Sunday night.
The new phase of demolition follows a similar operation in February 2016, when about 100 pavilions, kiosks and small shopping centers were demolished overnight.
According to Moscow authorities, the buildings had been constructed illegally, despite owners coming forth with the necessary paperwork. “One can’t hide behind ownership papers, obviously fraudulently obtained,” Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his VKontakte page in February.
The list of structures set for demolition was announced at the end of June. In August 2015, Moscow authorities approved financial compensation for owners who demolished their pavilions voluntarily.
Of the 104 kiosk owners whose businesses were bulldozed in February, 11 have challenged the demolition in Moscow courts, but to no avail, the newsru.com website reported. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/dozens-of-kiosks-deconstructed-overnight-55138 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/b1bb25732114eae9de0ff20bfaf951cbfa502ee2d7d24fd2313f6885e7e5ac7b.json | |
[
"David Patrikarakos",
"Putin",
"The Ayatollah",
"A Bromance To Watch",
"Of All Today S Political Bromances",
"Perhaps The Most Interesting Is Between Russian President Vladimir Putin",
"Iran S Supreme Leader",
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Russia",
"Iran Have Enjoyed Strong Economic Links Since",
"When... | 2016-08-26T18:49:50 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fposters-55132.json | en | null | Strong Women and Sexy Lenins: the Unforgettable Art of Russia’s Election Campaign | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Three weeks ahead of the elections, the streets of Russian cities, towns and villages have become filled with political banners. Some of them are ordinary enough, promising to solve housing issues, education, build new hospitals. Others have caused offence and scandal. Yet others are, well, how can we put it ... bizarre. The Moscow Times profiles the most unforgettable art of Russia’s 2016 election campaign. A Strong Woman for Strong Russia Natalya Pogorelova is the face of nationalist-leaning Rodina party in the southern Krasnodar region. She runs on a no-nonsense 5-point programme: banning illegal migration; supporting the military; preserving Russia’s sovereignty, “total” import substitution and freezing utility fares and prices on essential goods. Her clearly no no-nonsense campaign poster was picked up online by popular Russian blogger Rustem Adagamov.
Предвыборная агитация в России неиссякаемый источник веселья pic.twitter.com/cocsomSWvS — Рустем Адагамов (@adagamov) August 24, 2016
Cats, Dogs and Soviet Borders The populist right Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), run by the flamboyant political dinosaur Vladimir Zhirinovsky, decided to play the pet card in their campaign. “LDPR [is] against irresponsible attitude to pets,” one of their campaign print-outs says.
Candidate Alexander Gliskov from Krasnoyarsk took the party position to another level. “If you have a cat or dog, vote for LDPR!” his poster says.
Nationally, LDPR appeals to grander sentiments. Screens at airports across the country promise no less than to “restore the borders of USSR.”
On a screen at Sochi Airport, an election promise from the LDPR: "To restore the borders of the USSR" pic.twitter.com/8vbN3RzIko — Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) August 11, 2016
The Right Savchenko The ruling United Russia party, in turn, resorted to promoting an already well-known brand.
In the disputed Crimea region, the party put forward Svetlana Savchenko, a woman who shares the same last name as Nadiya Savchenko, the notorious former Ukrainian pilot controversially imprisoned in Russia. Shortly after sentencing, the Ukrainian Savchenko was extradited to Kiev and became a member of parliament there.
Now Russia has it’s own Savchenko — “our Own Crimean [one]”.
Sexy Blue Lenin Russia’s Communist Party, run by post-Soviet relic Gennady Zyuganov, has reluctantly admitted that it needs to attract younger voters. After a laborious creative process, they have come up with new posters depicting a young Vladimir Lenin in jeans and sneakers, with girl by his side. Laptops and smartphones compete with Soviet symbols, and the message is that the Communists are hip and up-to-date.
“There is such a party!” declare the posters. What exactly that party can be, however, seems less clear.
Comrades in Perm decided against the new cool, hip, in-with-the-times image and instead chose a more conservative theme. “Red is better than blue,” they declared, a clear jab at the local LGBT community. Party coordinators rather feebly insisted that blue instead referred to the color of other parties in the campaign.
Political Correctness, Russian-Style Some posters inspired scandal. Opposition politician Alexei Navalny, in particular, got into hot water over a poster advertising Dmitry Potashev, one of the candidates put forward by the United Russia.
On the poster Potashev, a portly middle-aged man, is pictured next to the slogan “For those struggling to get by in Russia.” Navalny tweeted a photo of the poster and repeated its slogan, implying that an overweight candidate could hardly “struggle to get by.” Cynicism turned to scandal when it transpired that Potashev was also blind. Navalny was duly accused of mocking a disabled person. | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/posters-55132 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/a50a6ac0da8cfc36eccde0279c0d943022031c666854efac10c35e040bfad8d5.json | |
[
"David Patrikarakos",
"Putin",
"The Ayatollah",
"A Bromance To Watch",
"Of All Today S Political Bromances",
"Perhaps The Most Interesting Is Between Russian President Vladimir Putin",
"Iran S Supreme Leader",
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Russia",
"Iran Have Enjoyed Strong Economic Links Since",
"When... | 2016-08-30T16:51:56 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fmedvedev-defends-canceling-pensions-rises-as-elections-loom-55157.json | en | null | Medvedev Defends Canceling Pension Increase as Elections Loom | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | The government's decision not to index pensions at the level of inflation is “absolutely fair,” Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told pensioners Tuesday.
Russian authorities have increased pensions by 4 percent this year, rather than the 12.9 percent increase needed to match the official inflation rate. A sharp rise in inflation has caused the real value of pensions to fall for the first time since 1999.
Russian law requiring pensions to be indexed to the previous year’s level of actual inflation. The Kremlin is set to instead with a one-off payment of 5000 rubles ($77) in January 2017 to make up for the shortfall.
Speaking to elderly and disabled residents at a rehabilitation center Tuesday, Medvedev denied that the deal was unfair to pensioners, arguing that a single payment was appropriate under current tough economic circumstances, the RBC newspaper reported Tuesday.
“[This way] you can buy something for the festivities and have money left over for something else,” he said. “It’s better than if the payment was spread thinly and the difference wouldn’t be felt at all.”
Some 43 million Russians will receive the payment, including state employees, the disabled and pensioners working part-time, at a cost of 200 billion rubles ($3 billion dollars) to the state budget. The decision not to index pensions in 2016 will save the government up to 160 million rubles ($2.4 billion), RBC reported last week.
Medvedev has repeatedly struggled to win over elderly voters, being mocked after telling Crimean pensioners in May that there was “just no money” to index pensions, but urging them to "hang in there.” | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/medvedev-defends-canceling-pensions-rises-as-elections-loom-55157 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/ca56e1f2a04992cb022c858f286bf4fd1e81f28ad8bb6bcd4920db5635f42913.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:14:48 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fban-upheld-on-russias-paralympic-team-55075.json | en | null | Ban on Russia's Paralympic Team Upheld | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the ban excluding Russia’s Paralympic squad from this summer’s Paralympic Games in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro.
The International Paralympic Committee announced earlier this month that the entire Russian team would be banned from the Games following damning reports of state-sponsored doping within the country.
Speaking to the Moscow Times, Sergei Shilov, a member of Russia's Paralympic Committee, said that the decision had not been made on the basis of sport.
“This ruling is clearly political, aimed at excluding Russia from a major international sporting event,” he said. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/ban-upheld-on-russias-paralympic-team-55075 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/04b9f49078f7dfccc0e782cf8e4600e45c7bd5d56d9b3cc7c6d75bafc56bbdb6.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T13:14:33 | null | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fa-bear-is-wandering-through-the-streets-of-khanty-mansiysk-55063.json | en | null | Siberian City on Alert Over Wild Bear | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | Residents in the Siberian settlement of Khanty-Mansiysk have been warned not to risk their lives by taking photos of a bear sighted within the city limits, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday. The town's Emergency Communications Office reported a number of sightings this week, while bear-related posts have flooded local social media.
Local people have been reminded not to approach the bear or to try to take a photo of the animal, but to report all sightings immediately to the local authorities, RIA Novosti reported. | https://themoscowtimes.com/news/a-bear-is-wandering-through-the-streets-of-khanty-mansiysk-55063 | en | 2022-08-25T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/2a9ddce9d4a2368a7ad01ab022375e70fb65e36c6033a8f52f62a02a988670af.json | |
[
"Andrei Kolesnikov",
"Out With The Old",
"In With The New For Russia S Political Elite",
"Putin Won T Take All Of The Members Of The Old Guard With Him In",
"As Demonstrated The Recent Removals Of Officials Like Russian Railways Boss Vladimir Yakunin",
"Drug Tsar Viktor Ivanov",
"Others. The List Of Ret... | 2016-08-26T12:56:55 | null | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | null | https%3A%2F%2Fthemoscowtimes.com%2Farticles%2Fmoscow-tv-and-film-zero-city-a-vysotsky-documentary-and-more-54980.json | en | null | Moscow TV and Film: Zero City, a Vysotsky Documentary and More | null | null | themoscowtimes.com | When you max out on Olympics-watching this week — again — on Channel 1, Rossiya 1 and Match!, Moscow television will be ready with some stellar programming to vary your visual diet. Tune in this week for a biographical drama on Russia’s most popular modern singer-actor-poet, an award-winning Russian documentary on life under authoritarian rule and a Stalinist musical that people love, loathe and still whistle the tunes from.
Monday afternoon offers Vysotsky: Thanks for Being Alive, a memorable biographical drama about Vladimir Vysotsky’s turbulent final year. The film is based on a screenplay by the iconic singer-actor-poet’s son Nikita and directed by Pyotr Buslov. “Alive” was one of the most anticipated films of 2011 and, probably inevitably, one of the most controversial. Everyone has his own Vysotsky, and everyone wants him “preserved” just that way — which may or may not resemble the way Sergei Bezrukov’s carefully crafted performance presents him here.
The sadness evoked by the last year of any great artist’s life is multiplied by his youth — which is no less the case for Vysotsky, who died in 1980 aged just 42. That said, there’s something heartening in the fact that Vysotsky as we see him here knew a full year before his death that his time was at hand and thus spent his final months in ways he felt appropriate.
Vysotsky: Thanks for Being Alive “Vysotsky: Spasibo, Chto Zhivoi." TV1000 Russkoye Kino on Monday at 4:05 p.m.
Imagine you’d been born in an unstable society and then come of age as your homeland abandons democracy, passes intolerant laws and annexes chunks of its neighbors’ territory, all under a leader deemed infallible by the media. Yury Kuzavkov’s award-winning four-part documentary Moscow-Berlin: The War Was Tomorrow fills in the blanks for those whose imaginations need prompting. The documentary features a series of interviews with nine ordinary Germans born in the Weimar era but raised to adulthood under Hitler’s Third Reich. Their stories are revealing, touching and frightening by turns. The documentary was filmed in 2013 with support from the Russian Ministry of Culture.
Moscow-Berlin: The War Was Tomorrow “Moskva - Berlin. Zavtra Voina." Kultura, Tuesday through Friday at 1:15 p.m. | https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/moscow-tv-and-film-zero-city-a-vysotsky-documentary-and-more-54980 | en | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | themoscowtimes.com/001b31b6c0e0234f3571f90093aa64501ad1feb74671201bacb9c8ac5bc284fd.json | |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:02 | null | 2016-08-24T08:00:00 | For almost 10 years we worked with Terry Hardcastle. She was one of our graphic designers and an artist in her own right. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pleasantonexpress.com%2Fcolumns%2Fterry-your-son-fine.json | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/terry-your-son-fine | en | null | Terry, your son is fine | null | null | www.pleasantonexpress.com | For almost 10 years we worked with Terry Hardcastle. She was one of our graphic designers and an artist in her own right. She was a single mom to her beloved son Matthew who just recently graduated from Pleasanton High School.
Terry became ill with Multiple Sclerosis and moved to Alaska to be closer to family so they could assist with the raising of her son.
As Terry’s health declined we heard less and less from her. In 2010 she passed away and we wondered if we’d ever see Matthew again.
We did. He moved back to Texas to be with his dad and now he has enlisted in the U.S. Army.
Over the years, Matthew would stop by the newspaper on his way to or from his job at Dairy Queen and then Dollar General. He walked or rode his bicycle in all kinds of weather.
He is always soft spoken which reminds us of his mother, Terry. There is even the same speech pattern that we recognize.
After a visit Tuesday evening a week ago, Matthew informed us that he would be sworn in on August 22.
He will be reporting to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
He hopes to become a youth pastor once he serves his time for his country.
He, of course, was the apple of his mother’s eye. Her home was so kid friendly, painted with bright colors with stuffed animals, books and art supplies galore.
She kept in touch by sending us photos of them in Alaska with moose in their front yard, tons of snowy pictures and her Halloweeen decorations that she loved so much. Some may remember her home in Jourdanton each season decked out in fall and scary decor.
The way I see it, we are so proud of Matthew and we know his mother would be the same. Good luck and God speed!
SUE BROWN is the editor of the Pleasanton Express. Contact her at sbrown@pleasantonexpress.com or write at P.O. Drawer 880, Pleasanton, TX 78064. | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/terry-your-son-fine | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.pleasantonexpress.com/371c7341a3223ac974104b3d433d2c34638f1f0ea60d6ead3cdb12b7eb5c826d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:29 | null | 2016-08-11T12:31:00 | “Our hearts are broken.” -Dallas Police Chief David Brown | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pleasantonexpress.com%2Fcolumns%2Four-hearts-are-broken.json | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/our-hearts-are-broken | en | null | Our hearts are broken | null | null | www.pleasantonexpress.com | “Our hearts are broken.” -Dallas Police Chief David Brown
As I type this, roughly 18 hours have passed for five Texas families whose lives have changed forever. Five families who now are minus a father, a brother, a husband and a son. Not even a day ago I, along with thousands of other Texans Peace Officers, sat in stunned silence in front of our televisions and watched a national tragedy unfold before our eyes, right here in our own state. In total 12 officers were directly injured or killed simply for being public servants. For those that wear a badge, July 7, 2016 was the deadliest single day since 9/11.
In the police world, when events like this occur the network that binds us together instantly goes into action. Agencies that are close enough immediately lend their resources to stop further loss of life. Those that can’t get there to help in person will swing into action by firing up the support systems that will carry many of those affected through the difficulties that the coming days will bring. Police organizations such as TMPA, Wives Behind The Badge, Badge of Honor Memorial Foundation, Texas Fraternal Order of Police, The National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial Foundation are but a few who are ready to instantly weave a web that will hold up the families and fellow officers affected by this heartbreak of epic proportion.
To emphasize just how the public feels about Peace Officers today, even members of the very group that was protesting in Dallas, are expressing gratitude for the exemplary manner in which Dallas officers who were coming under fire from an elevated position, shielded the public and ran toward the sounds of gunfire.
Ironically, tragedy and valor are often intertwined.
Here at home we have known similar calamity and countless times Atascosa County citizens have stepped up to show officers how fortunate we are to live where we do. Today has been no different. My office has been inundated with calls offering support for our local officers. A few examples; Bill Miller’s in Pleasanton and The Rock House in Jourdanton offered free meals to officers on duty, a local business owner brought donuts to local law enforcement agencies, as I lowered the flags to half-staff in front of our office someone drove up and rolled down their window to tell me how much respect they had for our officers, multiple citizens stopped by just to tell us that they support us and the work we do and wanted to know how they could help us, and yet another wanted to know if we had enough body armor for our staff and offered to contribute monetarily to make sure we did…and that was all before lunch!
By the time you read this, one of our officers will be in Dallas to mourn the death of an officer he used to work with. The rest will have returned to answering calls and working traffic accidents, and solving crimes and if the statistics hold true, another four police officers will have been killed in the United States. You see while it doesn’t always grab headlines, it happens about every 61 hours.
For Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarippa, Michael Krol, Michael Smith and Lorne Ahrens their tour of duty ended on 7/7/2016, and today they are the names that are worthy of our praise.
To those who have shown up from Jourdanton to Dallas and anywhere in between to show your support for the work that honorable officers around this nation do day in and day out, I give you my heartfelt thanks. You are the people that make us proud to serve.
And to the citizens and our fellow officers of Dallas…our hearts are broken too. Stay safe out there.
Until next time,
Chief Eric Kaiser
Eric Kaiser is the Chief of Police for the Jourdanton (TX) Police Department and a Master Texas Peace Officer. | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/our-hearts-are-broken | en | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | www.pleasantonexpress.com/f7119c02621413acb35e100bbea80a5bacc6c35e59c08eaeafbcd6abf1412102.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:27 | null | 2016-08-03T08:00:00 | The first day of fall workouts began for area high school football, volleyball and cross country teams Monday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pleasantonexpress.com%2Fsports%2Ffall-workouts-begin.json | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/sports/fall-workouts-begin | en | null | Fall Workouts Begin | null | null | www.pleasantonexpress.com | The first day of fall workouts began for area high school football, volleyball and cross country teams Monday.
In Pleasanton, head football coach Tab Dumont greeted 107 athletes ready to hit the gridiron for the freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams.
The Eagles’ first scrimmage is set for Aug. 12 against Pearsall on the road at 6 p.m.
Lady Eagle head volleyball coach Gabriel Aguirre welcomed 42 players eager to compete on the court.
Pleasanton begins with its first scrimmage Friday against Medina Valley at home at 9 a.m.
In Poteet, head football coach Doug Foster spoke to 44 Aggies prepared for the upcoming season.
Poteet will square off with Universal City Randolph in its first scrimmage Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. in Poteet.
For the Lady Aggies, head volleyball coach Sananda Molina had 37 players ready for the season.
Poteet will play in its first scrimmage against Jourdanton at home Friday at 11 a.m.
In Jourdanton, head football coach Darrell Andrus addressed 91 Indians the first day of fall workouts.
The Tribe hosts Bandera for the first scrimmage Aug. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Forty seven Squaws geared up for the upcoming volleyball season for new head coach Joella Gallegos.
The Squaws travel to face Poteet for their first scrimmage Friday at 11 a.m.
In Charlotte, head football coach Jerry Dominguez greeted 31 Trojans equipped to kick off the season.
The Trojans will scrimmage TMI Cornerstone High School and Harper Aug. 13 on the road.
Charlotte head volleyball coach Melissa Weigang met with 24 players set for the new season.
The Trojanettes travel to scrimmage Nordheim Friday afternoon.
In Tilden, McMullen County head volleyball coach Darcy Reemers had 15 Cowgirls work out for the first day of practice.
The Cowgirls will scrimmage Pettus Saturday. | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/sports/fall-workouts-begin | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.pleasantonexpress.com/93cedfb2c1ee79f735cbcc3c3af0c812b9e462ae17ad811fd16bb1647b23358b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:54 | null | 2016-08-11T12:36:27 | One of the things I get to hear every year on the 4th of July is how much people appreciate the event held each year at the Jourdanton City Park. The Fourth of J | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pleasantonexpress.com%2Fcolumns%2F%25E2%2580%25A6our-flag-was-still-there.json | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/%E2%80%A6our-flag-was-still-there | en | null | …our flag was still there | null | null | www.pleasantonexpress.com | One of the things I get to hear every year on the 4th of July is how much people appreciate the event held each year at the Jourdanton City Park. The Fourth of July Celebration is a highlight of my summer and everyone always loves the food, drinks and a great fireworks show to cap it off.
As a police officer who attends in a more official capacity, I get to view the event from a different perspective. Aside from my professional duties there, one of the things that I soak in each year is the wide variety of society that gather to celebrate.
There are people from all across the demographic spectrum. Young and old, rich and poor. Black, white, and Hispanic. Blue collar and white collar. Some who dropped out of high school and some who have a PhD. They all come to celebrate that which draws us together. Each brings his or her own American experience with them.
As Americans we gather to watch the fireworks and we fly our flag to remember the birth of a nation. While social media would have us believe we are all very different, in many respects we are very much the same. I have been fortunate to get to travel around much of the U.S. over the course of my life and while different areas have their own distinctive qualities and characteristics, there is a common thread you find no matter where you are in America. We see it in our military when men and women from all 50 states are thrown together and work as a successful team. No matter where I have been there is a pride when the national anthem is sung before a game. There is sorrow when a flag draped casket comes home. And there is a yearning for justice when our fellow Americans are attacked.
We all may have a different idea of what success is, but in the vast majority of cases, we all stretch out as far as we can to reach it. It’s what Americans do. And while we are not a nation without flaws, our scars have always proven to ultimately strengthen us and the bonds we share as a people.
240 years ago this week, 56 men signed a declaration stating that they would risk everything they had, including their lives… for the cause of freedom. These men were as varied as we are today. They came from many backgrounds, but they shared a common thread that was tactfully sewn together to create a republic that would be, as President Ronald Reagan stated, “…a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere”.
Despite the fact that were are a smorgasbord of cultures and experiences, we all wear the label of “American” and while we hear about the negative aspects of our society on a daily basis, people from every nation in the world are still lining up to become one of us. And it’s with good cause that they do.
You might dig ditches, or be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. You may stock shelves, drive a taxi, pound nails on a construction site or perform any other number of jobs that millions of us perform from sea to shining sea every day. What we all share is that same thread that those first Americans shared in 1776. The drive to be the best we can be, the desire to make our nation better for our children then it was for us, and the knowledge that it is the responsibility of each of us to make our society the best the world has ever known.
Despite what conflicts and struggles the coming generations face, I am confident that they will, as we have, triumph over adversity. As Francis Scott Key, the author of the “Star Spangled Banner” wrote after watching Ft. McHenry come under withering attack for an entire night in 1814, an attack that no one expected the U.S. forces to survive, “…our flag was still there”, and so it is today.
Happy Birthday America, you wear freedom well… even after 240 years. And thanks to each of you who continue to make a positive contribution to this American experiment.
Until next time,
Chief Eric Kaiser
Eric Kaiser is the Chief of Police for the Jourdanton Police Department and a Master Texas Peace Officer. | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/%E2%80%A6our-flag-was-still-there | en | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | www.pleasantonexpress.com/ffd3a5639c74b54d31eb008e5f9ed328360e280cc951082f1c5b142b5e311f97.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:03:18 | null | 2016-08-03T08:00:00 | Though two suspects were arrested rather quickly after the June 18, 2014 murder of 29-year-old Lindsey Wadkins, both have been indicted along with another this past Fr | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pleasantonexpress.com%2Fnews%2Fgrand-jury-indicts-3-wadkins-murder-case.json | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/news/grand-jury-indicts-3-wadkins-murder-case | en | null | Grand Jury indicts 3 in Wadkins murder case | null | null | www.pleasantonexpress.com | Though two suspects were arrested rather quickly after the June 18, 2014 murder of 29-year-old Lindsey Wadkins, both have been indicted along with another this past Friday.
John Bryan Finch, 31, was served in jail where he is in custody for other charges. His bond was set at $1,250,000. Some may remember that Finch was released on Personal Recognizance almost a year ago while waiting for the Grand Jury to hear the case.
On Friday, Atascosa Sheriff’s deputies arrested Naomi Delgado, 26, and a new suspect Samantha Hurt Jones, 28. Delgado’s bond was increased and set at $500,000 as was Jones’ bond by 81st Judicial District Judge Donna Rayes.
All three will be arraigned on August 17 and formally charged. | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/news/grand-jury-indicts-3-wadkins-murder-case | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.pleasantonexpress.com/572dda9447c576518a9a4097b194f5d3f2996ce8ef6842a57237a3c2b8ee8cab.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:24 | null | 2016-08-03T08:00:00 | “My parents, Ralph and Elvira Castillo had the Breaker property leased,” said Roger Castillo. “Two sisters, Rita and Helen and brother, Willie, were out there. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pleasantonexpress.com%2Fcolumns%2F%25E2%2580%2598history-surrounding-norman-porter-sr-historian%25E2%2580%2599-old-breaker-home-cockrell-canyon-misnamed.json | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/%E2%80%98history-surrounding-norman-porter-sr-historian%E2%80%99-old-breaker-home-cockrell-canyon-misnamed | en | null | ‘History surrounding Norman Porter, Sr., a historian’ The old Breaker home, Cockrell Canyon & a misnamed country road | null | null | www.pleasantonexpress.com | “My parents, Ralph and Elvira Castillo had the Breaker property leased,” said Roger Castillo. “Two sisters, Rita and Helen and brother, Willie, were out there. They were younger. I was the oldest.
“We only lived out there for about a year and a half.
“I can remember the period around 1964 because that was the year I went into the Army. I graduated in May and left for the Army in August at the age of 18.”
Castillo said, “One time, it was a dry year and they had to put in some extra pipe in our well. At the time we had some cattle and Norman Porter helped out by giving us water. I would take the tractor and trailer with three fifty-five gallon drums and go to Norman’s house which was on 281. He had a well at the back of his house. I’d fill up the barrels with water and bring it to a water trough for the cattle.
“I did that until we got the well fixed. Back then, with the drought, when we needed water well repairs, Henry Shearrer would help. He was quite busy at that time and couldn’t come ‘right now’ in many instances - everybody needed him.”
Castillo continued, “Norman was my teacher at that time and was a very good man.
“He had a place down Crain Road. My grandfather used to have that property years ago and Norman bought it.
“Norman was kind and always helpful.
“Anything he wanted at our place, he could have. We had crops and when he came we’d say, ‘just help yourself, Norman’. He’d get corn or whatever we had available - we were glad to share with him.
“You know, back then, people would just help each other out and think nothing of it. That was ‘an easy call’.
“Another thing I remembered about the Breaker place (now Beyer property) - the well where you pumped water into an artesian tank was very close to the house. You had to have a pump to get it into the house.
“Guess where the pump was? Under the house. Oh man! When that pump would go dry, I’d have to get underneath the house and prime it - at nighttime, whenever.
“ I was always scared of spiders or a snake or something. We had to pour water in that little primer to make it work when the water leaked out. Then it would pump water back into the house again. That would happen ‘ever so often’.
“I used to burn pear for Mrs. Harriet Peel’s cattle when I was in high school.
“When Mrs. Peel left, we moved in - lived in the house about a year and a half. My dad was a truck driver, hauling cattle, and was gone a lot. When I left for the service, my mother didn’t want to stay out there by herself. She moved back to Patrick Street in Pleasanton where we had lived before.
“After the lease, I think Mr. (Larry) Persyn leased it.
“That land there wasn’t very fertile, being hard with clay, where we planted peanuts, close to the highway (281). It got dry quickly and that was difficult farming. It wasn’t the root rot, it was the drought. We kept the peanut allotment up - like they say, though, ‘don’t quit your day job’ - because you weren’t going to make it on that place.”
I asked how many acres on the Breaker place were farmed?
“Well, I think, maybe 50 acres. Along with the peanuts on 281, we planted some right across the canyon (Cockrell), that’s on the south side of Crain Road. Being on a hill, that was some better land there.”
He mentioned that they also had a small, two-acre vegetable garden near the house. “It wasn’t very much,” said Castillo.
“We planted yellow squash in that area close to the house where we had a well. It was at a higher level where it ran down the hill to help with irrigation.
“We also planted jalapeños, cucumbers and tomatoes.
“Joe Echigo, a man living in Pleasanton used to contract to sell farmer’s produce. This was fresh produce because he came to us along with other farmers.
“When we were growing up, local people would buy from Echigo.”
Elizabeth Zabava, this writer’s mother, often purchased fresh produce for our family from Echigo.
Castillo continued, “I had an uncle in Poteet - Ben Sanchez. He would sell strawberries to Echigo who would take them into San Antonio.
Castillo said, “When Mrs. H. H. Peel, a school teacher, had the place, we had leased the farming part. She had the cattle part, being the brush. My dad had a peanut lease. On peanuts, you were only allowed what the allotment was.”
Castillo said, “I remember the Crains. That road, the first time I saw it, I said that is spelled wrong - it’s supposed to be spelled C-r-a-i-n instead of Crane. Somebody doesn’t know the history of this road here.”
I mentioned that Iris Porter and myself had it changed. County Commissioners decided to have signs made and placed on the road, in two lines, saying, CR Crane, and below, AKA Crain Mr. Crain lived down the road past Norman Porter’s place, around a little curve in the road.
Castillo said, “I think Mr. Crain worked for the highway department. At one time we leased some land from him. We planted black diamond watermelons on his place. They didn’t sell too well, probably because the melons we produced had some white in the heart. They weren’t pretty and red so there wasn’t too good of a market for them. I believe we just did it one year - we didn’t plant that particular variety anymore. .
“Butch Tudyk has a place, I believe his dad, Frank, had it at the time - it’s across the highway (281).
“The Burmeisters also had a place right across 281 and they let us keep a couple of Jersey cows on it. I’d park on the highway and go across the railroad tracks and get milk from the cows and bring it back to the house before I went to school.
“We had a little plot, maybe ten acres or so, on the Burmeister place - my dad had made some kind of lease deal for that. It was a little pasture there, separated from the big place. The lease went along for a little while - not very long.
Commenting on their peanut place on the Breaker property, Castillo summarized it this way, “It was dry land peanuts and you know how that goes with dry land. It never rains until you go to thresh and (chuckle) that’s the story about dry land farming. You never get a rain until it comes time to harvest the crop.”
Castillo said, “I enlisted in the US Army in August 1964 and was stationed in Tan Son Nhat, South Vietnam from April 1965 through April 1966. I was assigned to 1st Logistical Command. Our command was in charge of providing logistics support and all the other necessary equipment necessary for our troops in South Vietnam. I lived in a tent during my year there. There were 19 other soldiers occupying the tent. We were located 4 miles north of Saigon. In April 1966, I was assigned to Fort Dix, New Jersey, until I was honorably discharged in 1967.
“I began working in the Pleasanton Post Office in February 1968, a year after being discharged from the Army. I was hired by Mr. Elmo Vickers, who was the postmaster at that time. Mr. Vickers’ wife, Rita, was Iris Porter’s sister. I worked 2 hours per day, 7 days a week, at the beginning. I was happy to ‘get my foot in the door’. The post office was the only place with a civil service retirement plan in Pleasanton. I eventually was promoted to a full-time position. During those years, people didn’t retire unless they were ready to. My patience paid off and I became a regular employee with a regular pay check. In October 1989, I was promoted to Postmaster, Charlotte, Texas. I retired in April 2007. I really enjoyed my years in the postal service. I did my best to help everyone and treat them as I would like to be treated.”
Castillo said, “I served on the Pleasanton ISD School Board from 1986 through 2004. Darrel Pool was superintendent when I began as a member. He was a ‘workng man’s man’. Darrel was very kind, would listen to your concerns, and ‘shot from the hip’. I was a member during the years that we had great expansion that included a new gym, track field, new remodeling of the high school and building of the new campus on Bensdale.” | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/%E2%80%98history-surrounding-norman-porter-sr-historian%E2%80%99-old-breaker-home-cockrell-canyon-misnamed | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.pleasantonexpress.com/f2033ba21382c89fe01ec38d01fd6a97b832ae370691a061aa9e8353f633f14b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:02:18 | null | 2016-08-11T12:26:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pleasantonexpress.com%2Fcolumns%2F2647-years%25E2%2580%25A6.json | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/2647-years%E2%80%A6 | en | null | 2647 years… | null | null | www.pleasantonexpress.com | In Texas, all police chiefs are required to attend a bi-annual 40 hour conference that is called the “Texas Police Chief Leadership Series”. The series is sponsored by the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas which is based at Sam Houston State University.
Each two year cycle, it is the goal of this conference to keep chiefs up to speed on the issues and pitfalls that they face every day as leaders.
In the tumultuous climate that we currently operate in this year’s theme was perfectly selected.
“Fostering Nobility and Legitimacy in Policing”
In the world around us every day we are seeing cities at war with themselves. No matter where you gaze, you see non-stop protests of some sort and even riots in many cases. We have seen a number of cities that are grieving the loss of public servants who were murdered for no particular reason and to top it off we are in an election year with all of the spectacles that come along with it.
It was in this climate that I read, and then taped a quote by Michael Nila to my computer so that I would see it every time I came to work…
“In times of great challenge, there is no greater need for the nobility of policing to nurture and protect democracy”
I was fortunate enough to get a refresher course this week on why it is so important that we, as police leaders, do our jobs with an ethical mandate and make sure our fellow officers follow that lead. The police role as guardian is one that is vital to the success of a free society. In ancient times, the philosopher Plato wrote, ‘It matters not if the cobblers and the masons do their jobs well, but if the Guardians fail, the democracy will crumble.”
It is cornerstone ideals such as this that are so vital to what we do right here in South Texas every day. The importance of having guardians of character cannot be overstated, and as a Chief I can attest that finding, and selecting the right people to work with our citizens is amongst the most important duties we are tasked with.
You see no one becomes a police officer by default. No one went to apply for a job as a truck driver or a factory worker and when none were available said, “Well, I guess I will be a cop for a while”. It doesn’t work that way. The decision to become one of society’s guardians is a deliberate one.
For those of us who have the privilege of serving, the need for constant improvement is ever looming. Being just “good enough” is never good enough. We have to consistently raise the bar, both as individuals and as a profession.
On a personal note, I want to thank the 104 Texas Chiefs who I spent a week with. As a collective we had 2647 years of police experience in the room, and I am always grateful for my colleagues who are willing to share their ideas, policies, success stories, and mindsets as we all work together to keep Texas safe!
Until next time,
Chief Eric Kaiser
Eric Kaiser is the Chief of Police for the Jourdanton, Texas Police Department and a Master Texas Peace Officer. | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/2647-years%E2%80%A6 | en | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | www.pleasantonexpress.com/383d160434d2eb8b43538e386cbe335d6272ed575a65c0b8a28bc6fa3b6c2df2.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:51 | null | 2016-08-03T08:00:00 | On Thursday July 21 the Poteet FFA took their annual reward trip to Garner State Park for a day of fun and relaxation. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pleasantonexpress.com%2Ffarm-ranch%2Fpoteet-ffa-makes-trek-garner.json | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/farm-ranch/poteet-ffa-makes-trek-garner | en | null | Poteet FFA makes trek to Garner | null | null | www.pleasantonexpress.com | On Thursday July 21 the Poteet FFA took their annual reward trip to Garner State Park for a day of fun and relaxation.
Eleven students returned their permission slips and met the requirements to attend the trip. For several years now the Poteet FFA has rewarded their students with a trip if they meet certain requirements.
First you must be a Poteet FFA member by paying your FFA dues, then you must participate in a CDE, LDE, SDE, or show an animal or agriculture mechanics project. We then require the member to attend 75% of our FFA meetings and help raise the money to attend by working a shift at the Strawberry Festival Soda Booths. Lastly the advisors take into consideration discipline issues from the school year, if the member has had ISS or multiple referrals to the office, they are not allowed to attend.
We look forward to this day every year to allow the students to get away and have fun.
We are looking forward to another successful year and plan on taking more students to this trip in the future. | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/farm-ranch/poteet-ffa-makes-trek-garner | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.pleasantonexpress.com/f7f5dcd800bce15f79e64444bbf828831fc19ad86ef73997b0cfa7629ff71a5c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:52 | null | 2016-08-03T08:00:00 | Atascosa County native Sara White graced the cover of May issue of The Dominion Magazine. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pleasantonexpress.com%2Flifestyle%2Fsara-white-featured-%25E2%2580%2598-dominion-magazine.json | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/lifestyle/sara-white-featured-%E2%80%98-dominion-magazine | en | null | Sara White featured in ‘The Dominion Magazine' | null | null | www.pleasantonexpress.com | Atascosa County native Sara White graced the cover of May issue of The Dominion Magazine. She was featured in a story titled, “Building a Community” by Brian Kenneth Swain, about her role as an event coordinator with The Dominion Homeowner’s Association Neighborhood Outreach Committee.
The publication is the official magazine of The Dominion HOA.
White is the daughter of Simon Rodriguez Jr. married to Rosie Rodriguez of Jourdanton. Her mother is Mary Ramos, married to Richard Ramos of Poteet.
The 1997 graduate of Jourdanton High School also reigned as Miss Jourdanton, during the 1996-97 school year.
She and husband Scott White, a 1998 graduate of Poteet High School, began dating in the fall of 1998. They married in the fall of 2002 and will celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary in October. They have two children, Cameron, age 9 and Carter, whom just turned 7 in June.
White had been asked for many months about being featured in the magazine. She and her husband had agreed they would not, as they enjoy being private and reserve. White changed her mind after the magazine committee changed their tactics and approached the story line a different way.
In 2011, the Whites bought a home in The Dominion, but Scott’s job with Rackspace brought them to London two years later.
“We relocated our family from San Antonio half way across the world to London! It was every emotion you can think of. We were ecstatic, a little scared, overwhelmed, thrilled, happy, sad,” said White.
“We definitely had an adjustment period, however, once we leaped over that hurdle in the road, we absolutely loved living there. We loved everything about the pedestrian way of live, the accessibility to the many different countries to visit and explore, we loved exposing (ourselves and) our children to the many different cultures, a different way of life and a whole new world of delicious foods!
The family returned to San Antonio in 2013. Sara said they always knew the neighborhood held the reputation of being that of older residents. However, they couldn’t help but fall in love with the charm of the neighborhood, the location, the amenities and the surrounding schools.
“We didn’t originally set out to make a difference in bringing the community together... it just gradually happened over time. We met other families with young children living in the Dominion and we all had the same complaint... too formal... not family friendly... not enough options for children... etc. So instead of waiting for someone else to decide to do something about it- we just made it happen! I, with a handful of other families, decided to host a casual small pot-luck of sorts pre-Halloweeen party in a centralized park of the neighborhood. The party was a fun success, the HOA caught wind of it and the rest is history!”
White explained that she serves on The Dominion HOA’s Neighborhood Outreach Committee, as it not lead by any means.
“There are far more people that are more qualified and have more time on their hands than I.
She is just as happy to share her thoughts, give her input and follow up to ensure everyone’s best interests are being met. One of the key roles that she performs is hosting the key parties in the park. She organizes, guides and leads the parties.
“I’d love to see each event continue to grow, build and create unity within the community. I’d love for everyone on the roads to slow down and please be on the look out for our children. I’d love to have the HOA build a playground within the neighborhood... believe it or not, we do not have one! And the list goes on.”
White described some of the events they have held, like the Trick-or-Treat program and Food Truck Night, as well as the need to interact with one’s neighbors.
“Well, our neighborhood is quite large and we live in a time where it is easier to pull into our garages, close the door and go inside... instead of stopping for a minute and visiting with our neighbors. It’s really quite sad. There are soooo many wonderful people out there. You just have to be willing to spend some time getting to know them!”
She emphasized that their parties are not just for young families- they are for everyone.
“One example- I had no clue that just one street over from me I had a pediatric emergency room doctor living there. What a beautiful peace of mind that gave me to know that in the event of one of my children had a fall, sprain or terrible accident, that if she were home she could come to my aid faster that dialing 911, or taking them to see a doctor... All because she was attending one of our parties and she was out to meet new friends!”
Trunk or Treat is designed to work for those that can’t simple crusade around the entire neighborhood looking for a house that has their porch light on. It is also for those whom live on a street that usually doesn’t see much action, but would love to have trick-or-treaters come to visit.
Said White, “We line the park with cars (or golf carts) backed in to a parking spot, the resident decorates his Trunk to a theme of their choice and then the party starts as soon as guests arrive. Each trunk provides their own candy. We have a DJ playing music, games for the kids and even awards for best costumes, best trunks, etc.”
Food Truck Night is a popular one! They line the streets with different food truck vendors. They have music and light children entertainment.
“It is a yummy fun night indeed!”
“The End of School and other parties like it all consist of simple fun stuff for the kids to enjoy while the parents relax and enjoy each other’s company. We offer music, bounce houses, video game trucks, petting zoos, Bahama Buck’s shaved ice, face paint, balloon artist and more.
White encourages others in the neighborhood to participate in such events by word of mouth.
“We do email, post banners etc., but really it’s all word of mouth- friends telling friends what a fun time their having at our events.
In the future, she would like to see more “children at play” signage, a playground and more socials.
As for hobbies, they Whites enjoy a wide variety of activities, mainly outdoors.
“We love spending time together as a family taking tent and RV camping trips, hiking, sailing, skiing, bike riding and playing all kinds of sports together. He and I really like to play tennis together and against one another.”
Her advice to other women, whether they are stay-at-home moms or mothers who work outside the home is, “You know, I don’t have all the answers, nor do I ever presume to. I don’t believe any of us do... All I can do is just do the best I can with what I have and continue to move forward with that, never looking back. Life deals us all a crazy deck of cards sometimes, but if you play your cards right and keep a positive attitude you can go far. Judge less, love more, we’re all in this together!” | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/lifestyle/sara-white-featured-%E2%80%98-dominion-magazine | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.pleasantonexpress.com/c794fc45bdf67495790c2feb996ddf19388cc01a99f41617a94822f201f97547.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:58:03 | null | 2016-08-03T08:00:00 | Had the chance to break away and take a few days off to go to the coast with my family and dogs. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pleasantonexpress.com%2Fcolumns%2Fsummer-time-send.json | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/summer-time-send | en | null | Summer time send off | null | null | www.pleasantonexpress.com | Had the chance to break away and take a few days off to go to the coast with my family and dogs.
Let me tell you, travelling with your adult children is so much easier than when they were small. They help you load, unload, cook, clean and put up the pop-up tent. They schlep the chairs and coolers back and forth and even spray off the sand when we got back to our little condo.
While I’ve traveled with my grand dogs before, it was the first time my old guy Domingo was included. And, for a 70 year-old- (doggie years) terrier/Chihuahua mix he did amazingly well.
Three dogs in the backseat and condo though were, at times, chaotic. My son Daryl mentioned, “Well at least we don’t have a bird!”
This made me smile and tear up at the same time. It reminded of a photo shared by the Wilkerson family a few years ago. In the backseat was Bill and Judy’s dog Opie and maybe another dog, plus a birdcage with their bird “Sweetie”. The requisite myriad of coastal necessities were all piled around them as well.
It was even more meaningful since we were all meeting up with the Wilkerson family and friends who have been joining in on their vacations for 30 years.
We also were there to have a final send off for Bill Wilkerson distributing his ashes in such a way that was befitting - among family and friends in his favorite place.
So, among the group of reminiscing folks - young, old, new and long friendships and the singing of the “Eyes of Texas” with “horns up”, he is forever in our hearts and in the most perfect spot.
The way I see it, beach time, family time, friend time, dog time plus a final tribute to our “Wild Bill” was the perfect end to a great summer.
SUE BROWN is the editor of the Pleasanton Express. Contact her at sbrown@pleasantonexpress.com or write at P.O. Drawer 880, Pleasanton, TX 78064. | http://www.pleasantonexpress.com/columns/summer-time-send | en | 2016-08-03T00:00:00 | www.pleasantonexpress.com/fe94c213a3b533b90705babf1f5e73e2c9a8416e9cd219e350f947d379404d9f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T16:47:01 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fus-30-fatality-friday-morning-crash-kills-one.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | U.S. 30 FATALITY: Friday morning crash kills one | null | null | thepostandmail.com | LARWILL – Whitley County Sheriff's Department and Richland Township-Larwill rescue personnel, along with EMS, were on the scene of a semi-truck and car crash late Friday morning on U.S. 30, west of Columbia City.
One person was confirmed dead at the scene. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/us-30-fatality-friday-morning-crash-kills-one | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/13893aacf5182f49b6f0d9da09870767d3e6d984c099c4727b773962a9b5ea7b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T22:47:19 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Flarwill-woman-dead-crash-us-30-claims-drivers-life.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | LARWILL WOMAN DEAD: Crash on U.S. 30 claims driver's life | null | null | thepostandmail.com | LARWILL – A 22-year-old local woman died Friday after losing control of her car, crossing the U.S. 30 median and crashing head-on into a semi-truck traveling in the opposite direction.
Kaila C. Cearbaugh, of Larwill, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the mid-morning wreck.
For complete details on this and other local news you need to know, be sure to pick up your copy of The Post & Mail at newsstands and convenience stores throughout Whitley County or, better yet, subscribe for convenient home delivery for as little as 37 cents per day.
Call The Post & Mail’s Circulation Department, 244-5153, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or subscribe under the Subscribe tab on The Post & Mail’s home page. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/larwill-woman-dead-crash-us-30-claims-drivers-life | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/52f6e5172ea79130bc9830c6ad15aea6365d17f0ca660fafd25099ae887717ed.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T12:50:17 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fweekend-fun-faces-places-photo-feature-reviews-full-schedule-whitley-county.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | WEEKEND FUN: Faces & Places photo feature reviews full schedule in Whitley County | null | null | thepostandmail.com | "Faces & Places" photo feature spans two pages in Tuesday's print edition of your Post & Mail and includes coverage from a very fun, busy past weekend in Whitley County, including Movie on the Square and Taste of the Town in Downtown Columbia City, Larwill's Annual Squawbuck Days and Churubusco's Annual Block Party.
Pick up your Post & Mail today at newsstands and convenience stores throughout Whitley County for just two quarters. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/weekend-fun-faces-places-photo-feature-reviews-full-schedule-whitley-county | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/674661dc17674aecb67e8f7d19c88b97d0a590593fd8d69b2b41c48ca69d794f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:54:39 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Ffoggy-friday-pea-soup-visibility-possible-early-am-0.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | FOGGY FRIDAY: Pea soup visibility possible in early a.m. | null | null | thepostandmail.com | Special weather service statement from the National Weather Service at North Webster.
FOR WHITLEY COUNTY:
... Patchy dense fog early this morning...
Fog will continue across much of the area early this morning and
may be dense in some, mainly rural, locations. Visibilities are
expected to improve shortly after sunrise. In the meantime, people
should use extra caution when driving and be prepared to slow down
when fog banks are encountered. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/foggy-friday-pea-soup-visibility-possible-early-am-0 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/0ff6c3011ca4290360e998ac20955cc9c32060dbb923e9e02cd94827f6e51298.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:52:34 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fprogram-booklet-distinguished-young-woman-preview-inserted-fridays-newspaper.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | PROGRAM BOOKLET: Distinguished Young Woman preview inserted in Friday's newspaper | null | null | thepostandmail.com | The colorful and informative program booklet for Saturday evening's Whitley County Distinguished Young Woman program will be inserted in Friday's edition of The Post & Mail.
The Post & Mail, chock-full of local news you need to know, is available at newsstands and convenience stores throughout Whitley County – and is still just 50 cents . . . or you can have it delivered to your doorstep for as little as 37 cents per day.
Call 244-5153 for your subscription deal! | http://thepostandmail.com/content/program-booklet-distinguished-young-woman-preview-inserted-fridays-newspaper | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/4dc59f8292fce6cef240e7a42d6bc1cccd1a041d4b0953ae8d3d0bf8086981fe.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T12:50:29 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fdistinguished-young-women-madison-more-earns-2017-dyw-title.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | DISTINGUISHED YOUNG WOMEN: Madison More earns 2017 DYW title | null | null | thepostandmail.com | COLUMBIA CITY — The crowd cheered “yes!” when Madison More was named 2017’s Distinguished Young Woman of Whitley County.
Combined with the previous Junior Miss programs, it was the 52nd celebration of its kind.
More, daughter of Brian and Robin More, attends Columbia City High School. Her talent and drive led her to the top, winning the overall program scholarship.
Complete details and Faces & Places photo feature – as well as other important local news you need to know – were published in Monday's print and e-editions of The Post & Mail. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/distinguished-young-women-madison-more-earns-2017-dyw-title | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/21c2e3036332c9e3039d820dbe76b8261be8aa8f45df30497ecf4ca7fc765e35.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T12:50:41 | null | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Ftough-tussle-cc-volleyball-drops-close-match-carroll.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | TOUGH TUSSLE: CC volleyball drops close match to Carroll | null | null | thepostandmail.com | Columbia City’s Lady Eagle volleyball team played host to area power Carroll Monday night. The Eagles lost in four games to the Lady Chargers at the Donald S. Weeks Gymnasium.
Complete. exciting details are in Tuesday's print edition of your Post & Mail, available at newsstands and convenience stores throughout Whitley County for just two quarters.
Columbia City returns to action today when the Lady Eagles host Whitley County rival Churubusco at 5:15 p.m. at Donald S. Weeks Gymnasium. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/tough-tussle-cc-volleyball-drops-close-match-carroll | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/f1764c3b2a3c78d1f1c0974d6503d8ecdde697e435533623d11dc06688449d8a.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:55:06 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fdodging-bullet-twisters-avoid-whitley-county-downpours-didnt.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | DODGING THE BULLET: Twisters avoid Whitley County, downpours didn't | null | null | thepostandmail.com | The scourge of serious storms and tornadoes that carved a 100-mile path across the region (see Thursday's print edition of The Post & Mail) fortunately left Whitley County relatively unscathed.
The Whitley County Emergency Management Agency reports that no tornadoes touched down in the county Wednesday evening. Television weathermen storm trackers voiced concerns about an "on the ground" tornado near CR 700 S and "rotation" was reported near CR 950.
Though no apparent serious wind damage was experienced locally, Whitley County did, however, receive quick, significant rainfall, resulting in high water conditions in ditches that spilled onto some roadways, creating standing water.
Whitley County Emergency Management office personnel request residents who may have experienced storm damage to call at (260) 248-3167 or communicate via email at whitleydhs@whitleygov.com. Provide photos of damage via email if possible, agency personnel request. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/dodging-bullet-twisters-avoid-whitley-county-downpours-didnt | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/31dce8d729720391321f12725d0cf33612e0795ec79bcf9b614acbd9171f345c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:34 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fmissing-person-located-woman-near-coesse-was-subject-police-search.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | MISSING PERSON LOCATED: Woman near Coesse was subject of police search | null | null | thepostandmail.com | The local woman who was the subject of a police search most of Thursday was located about 4 p.m., according to the Whitley County Sheriff's Department.
Shortly after noon on Thursday, the Whitley County Sheriff's Department announced on social media that it was searching for a missing older female in the Coesse area.
Denise Ramsey, age 60, was the subject who was missing and later located about 4 p.m. A statewide Silver Alert was issued about mid-afternoon Thursday, following the earlier social media posting by the Sheriff's Department.
Details have not been released concerning where she was found, only that Ramsey had been located. Authorities thanked the public for efforts during the search. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/missing-person-located-woman-near-coesse-was-subject-police-search | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/a27750bac7887d90e928c52efcb7a849cd449d6b1d4171fe86e7f35656ea6e30.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T04:47:40 | null | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fthrillers-gridiron-whitko-busco-victorious.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | THRILLERS ON THE GRIDIRON: Whitko, 'Busco victorious | null | null | thepostandmail.com | Friday night football scores:
Whitko 20, Columbia City 14
Churubusco 18, Lewis Cass 12 OT
Details about these exciting games, as well as news you want to know, are in the big Weekend Edition of The Post & Mail, available at newsstands and convenience stores throughout Whitley County. Still just 50 cents . . . or have it delivered to your doorstep for as little as 37 cents per day. Call 244-5153 for your subscription deal! | http://thepostandmail.com/content/thrillers-gridiron-whitko-busco-victorious | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/ab0f18deb4cae6956742b51bcc60b8b6bfcbb6efddbd5c7f6829054941f31ff4.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:51:00 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fv-ball-lady-wildcats-score-comeback-win-over-rival-churubusco.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | V-BALL: Lady Wildcats score comeback win over rival Churubusco | null | null | thepostandmail.com | SOUTH WHITLEY — Churubusco’s Lady Eagle volleyball team and cross-county rival Whitko waged volleyball war Tuesday night at the Lady Wildcat’s gym. Churubusco took the first two games, but was unable to finish off the Wildcats, who came back to take the final three games and the match by a 3-2 score.
In a long, hard-fought first game, Churubusco came out on top by a 29-27 score. The Lady Eagles took the second game 25-20 and looked poised to close out the match. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/v-ball-lady-wildcats-score-comeback-win-over-rival-churubusco | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/c7ef0e9f2864a4a502fd74c769a4371c9dc6b39a4af39d4b14a12da60fb9111c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:53:41 | null | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fthrowback-thursday-1986-whitko-state-championship-coaching-staff.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | THROWBACK THURSDAY: 1986 Whitko state championship coaching staff | null | null | thepostandmail.com | The coaching staff for the 1986 State Champion Whitko Wildcats football team. From left: Dave Lopshire, Ron Cherry, Steve Schultz and Head Coach Bryan Sprunger | http://thepostandmail.com/content/throwback-thursday-1986-whitko-state-championship-coaching-staff | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/732c6f2674bf3db9326877c68961f903a659734366db6e4cd508bb0c2fc86d7f.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:55:32 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fcrafty-dozens-local-quilters-are-meeting-monthly.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | CRAFTY: Dozens of local quilters are meeting monthly | null | null | thepostandmail.com | Forty-one members of the Whitley County Country Quilters met at Grace Lutheran Church on July 26 for their monthly meeting.
The roll call response revealed how many seam rippers each of the quilters owned. The average was four – which proves how critical they are to crafters.
For complete details on this and other local news you need to know, be sure to pick up your copy of The Post & Mail at newsstands and convenience stores throughout Whitley County or, better yet, subscribe for convenient home delivery for as little as 37 cents per day.
Call The Post & Mail’s Circulation Department, 244-5153, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or subscribe under the Subscribe tab on The Post & Mail’s home page. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/crafty-dozens-local-quilters-are-meeting-monthly | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/19701a6bddf6d7d84ee6d9c2296449cc75ffff0faf61b902f796b62b1ffb1253.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:54:09 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Ftornado-warning-issued.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | TORNADO WARNING ISSUED | null | null | thepostandmail.com | Tornado Warning
TORNADO WARNING
INC085-169-183-242300-
/O.NEW.KIWX.TO.W.0025.160824T2232Z-160824T2300Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
632 PM EDT WED AUG 24 2016
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
NORTH CENTRAL WABASH COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA...
WESTERN WHITLEY COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN INDIANA...
SOUTHEASTERN KOSCIUSKO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA...
* UNTIL 700 PM EDT
* AT 632 PM EDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR NORTH MANCHESTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20
MPH.
HAZARD...TORNADO.
SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION.
IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT
SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS...AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR. TREE
DAMAGE IS LIKELY.
* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
SOUTH WHITLEY AROUND 655 PM EDT.
COLUMBIA CITY AROUND 700 PM EDT.
OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE
LORANE...WASHINGTON CENTER...GOOSE
LAKE...LARWILL...COLLAMER...PEABODY... TUNKER...SIDNEY AND LIBERTY
MILLS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...IN
A MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.
&&
LAT...LON 4100 8581 4110 8582 4127 8555 4101 8544
TIME...MOT...LOC 2232Z 245DEG 18KT 4105 8578
TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...0.00IN | http://thepostandmail.com/content/tornado-warning-issued | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/894d24d82f08f42fb70cca9d7d4894b35477b2bfd9102fce84adce55c5fc78b5.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T18:47:12 | null | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fvideo-ap-grid-poll-anomaly-starting-finishing-no-1.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | VIDEO - AP Grid Poll: The Anomaly Of Starting, Finishing No. 1 | null | null | thepostandmail.com | VIDEO - AP Poll: The Anomaly Of Starting, Finishing No. 1
It happens about as often as an eclipse. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration. In this stat-astic video, see how often a college football team has started the preseason number one and finished the season with a ticker tape parade. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/video-ap-grid-poll-anomaly-starting-finishing-no-1 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/93a8f6e083f3170aeb9d0751de7d13d9da23d305d6dde42be3018669451d3cbb.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:52:03 | null | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fdistinguished-host-defreeuw-will-host-saturdays-distinguished-young-woman-program.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | DISTINGUISHED HOST: DeFreeuw will host Saturday's Distinguished Young Woman Program | null | null | thepostandmail.com | Eric DeFreeuw, a Fort Wayne native and a 2005 Homestead High School graduate, is returning to emcee the 52nd Distinguished Young Woman/Junior Miss program of Whitley County, this Saturday evening, 7 p.m. at Columbia City High School.
DeFreeuw is a graduate of DePauw University with a bachelor’s in communications in 2009. He can be seen regularly on 21 Alive and Fort Wayne’s NBC.
Admission to Saturday evening’s Distinguished Young Woman (DYW) program is $10 for adults and $5 for students K-12.
A special publication about this year's DYW program will be inserted in Friday's Post & Mail.
For complete details on this and other local news you need to know, be sure to pick up your copy of The Post & Mail at newsstands and convenience stores throughout Whitley County or, better yet, subscribe for convenient home delivery for as little as 37 cents per day.
Call The Post & Mail’s Circulation Department, 244-5153, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or subscribe under the Subscribe tab on The Post & Mail’s home page. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/distinguished-host-defreeuw-will-host-saturdays-distinguished-young-woman-program | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/489d8374f371846b75bb48cce976dbbbcef60a7d4daddc660d010d0431f5d7ee.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T12:57:22 | null | 2016-08-20T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fstill-missing-marcus-wolfes-whereabouts-still-unknown.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | STILL MISSING: Marcus Wolfe's whereabouts still unknown | null | null | thepostandmail.com | By RACHAEL ROSFELD
The Post & Mail
COLUMBIA CITY — The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department and investigators have exhausted their current information on the whereabouts of Marcus Wolfe, and implore the public to assist in providing any new leads.
Marcus Wolfe, age 19, of South Whitley, was last seen on Monday, July 25 at 9:30 p.m. in Columbia City. Wolfe was supposed to be going home to South Whitley, but he did not arrive.
“We have followed up on every lead we have,” says WCSD Detective Bill Brice.
Family members have posted flyers throughout the county and both they and the Sheriff’s Department have posted on social media asking for information about his whereabouts.
At this stage in the police investigation, authorities believe that anything could have happened, and are not ruling out any possibilities.
“Nothing makes us believe it was foul play, but we are also not sure he ran away. At this point our minds are racing and we worry that he might have harmed himself or something may have happened to him – he might have driven off road or something,” said Brice.
Marcus Wolfe spent a great deal of time traveling from Miami Village trailer park on Old Trail Road to his home in South Whitley.
The investigation began there, with motorized surveillance of roadways and ditches, as well and conducting aerial surveillance to see if they could find his car.
Wolfe reportedly was driving a 1997 dark blue Saturn. Investigators urge the public to look for the car.
Wolfe was wearing a red or green T-shirt with the words “Shoemaker Construction” on it and black shorts.
He is 5-10, 155 pounds and has dirty blonde hair.
He has a wolf tattoo on his left shoulder and a dog paw print on his left chest.
Investigators urge the public to look for the car, possibly in ditch lines. They also ask that farmers check their farm lanes in case he might have gone off-road there.
If you have had contact with Marcus Wolfe or know where he may be – or have seen his vehicle – please contact the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department at 260-244-6410, opt. 1. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/still-missing-marcus-wolfes-whereabouts-still-unknown | en | 2016-08-20T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/4260f243690a21e819f309da0917949ac4d4778aa3cd6099d948c0ca2308dd14.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T04:49:19 | null | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | null | http%3A%2F%2Fthepostandmail.com%2Fcontent%2Fbig-lake-death-conservation-officers-investigate-death-water.json | http://thepostandmail.com/misc/favicon.ico | en | null | BIG LAKE DEATH: Conservation officers investigate death in water | null | null | thepostandmail.com | Indiana Conservation Officers are probing a possible Sunday afternoon drowning at Big Lake.
Emergency personnel were dispatched to the Third Basin of Big Lake about 2 p.m. Sunday.
Geoffrey Foughty, age 59, of Columbia City, was swimming with friends near a pontoon, according to reports. DNR officials said witnesses reported Foughty went underwater and didn’t resurface.
His body was recovered about 2:40 p.m.
Conservation officers were assisted by the Noble County Sheriff’s Department, Noble Township Fire Department, Thorncreek Township Fire Department, Parkview EMS and the Noble County Coroner’s Office.
The lake incident is under investigation. | http://thepostandmail.com/content/big-lake-death-conservation-officers-investigate-death-water | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | thepostandmail.com/d4de014dcfd31830dc378c251164fd6e0665e30741d7a3cff2ca6a17a44da468.json |
[
"Heather Kelly"
] | 2016-08-26T13:12:19 | null | 2016-08-25T04:18:28 | A newly discovered exploit used on activists could take over an iPhone and turn it into a spying tool. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Ftechnology%2Fapple-iphone-hack%2Findex.html.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160825160202-iphone-hack-780x439.jpg | en | null | iPhone vulnerability used to target journalists, aid workers | null | null | money.cnn.com | One of the most significant iPhone hacks to date was outed with a simple text message.
Security researchers on Thursday announced they had discovered a new piece of iPhone malware that allowed attackers to see virtually everything on your iPhone. They traced the previously unknown spyware back to an Israeli-based company called the NSO Group. NSO openly sells software that it says can track a person's mobile phone -- and many of its clients are governments.
At the same time on Thursday, Apple (AAPL, Tech30) released a software update for iOS 9.3.5 that patches the vulnerabilities. The company recommends anyone using an iPhone update their iOS immediately. For users running the beta of iOS 10, the latest seed also patches the exploits.
Researchers said it appeared governments had used NSO's software to target journalists and human rights workers. They used fake domains to try and disguise themselves as legitimate groups like the Red Cross, news organizations, and large tech companies.
Human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor first received a suspicious text message on August 10. The next day he got another, this time with a link promising information on detainees in UAE jails. No stranger to hacking attempts, the well-known dissident forwarded the messages to a researcher at Citizen Lab in the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs.
Related: FBI director: We bought 'a tool' to hack terrorist's iPhone
Citizen Lab teamed up with mobile security company Lookout to investigate. Together they confirmed the discovery of an advanced piece of spyware that took advantage of three previously unknown iOS security holes. By clicking on the text link, Mansoor would have unwittingly installed the malware and allowed the sender full access to his communications.
The combination of the vulnerabilities, together known as "Trident," gives the attacker access to an iPhone's camera, microphone and location. It can intercept text messages and emails, download calendar and contact data, and see passwords stored in the iPhone's keychain. It can record phone calls and messages from WhatsApp and Viber, and access communication apps including iMessage, Gmail, Facebook, Skype, and Line.
"We were made aware of this vulnerability and immediately fixed it with iOS 9.3.5. We advise all of our customers to always download the latest version of iOS to protect themselves against potential security exploits," said Apple spokesman Fred Sainz in a statement.
Related: Hacker claims to be selling stolen NSA spy tools
NSO Group denied any knowledge of this specific hack.
"The company sells only to authorized governmental agencies, and fully complies with strict export control laws and regulations," NSO spokesman Zamir Dahbash said in a statement. "The agreements signed with the company's customers require that the company's products only be used in a lawful manner. Specifically, the products may only be used for the prevention and investigation of crimes."
--CNNMoney's Samuel Burke contributed to this report. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/25/technology/apple-iphone-hack/index.html | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/efd8ffaab6311be731c09ca6935ee1b2c5f140db557303b99159a1bd42a250ff.json |
[
"Chris Isidore"
] | 2016-08-27T13:39:00 | null | 2016-08-27T09:31:07 | Michigan could become first state to allow self-driving cars to take to the roads without a human driver ready to take control. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F27%2Ftechnology%2Fmichigan-self-driving-car-legislation%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_latest%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BMost%2BRecent%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160816070018-self-driving-ford-780x439.jpg | en | null | Michigan legislation would allow cars on roads without drivers | null | null | money.cnn.com | Michigan may soon become the first state to allow self-driving cars on the road without a human driver sitting behind the steering wheel.
Lots of companies are already testing self-driving cars on the road all over the country, but they have an actual driver at the controls, ready to take over if there is a hazard.
Now a bill in Michigan proposes to allow these cars to hit the road without a human at the wheel. The legislation is being proposed as an economic development measure to keep and attract research and development jobs in the state. The state senate's economic development committee will hold a hearing on the bill on Wednesday, and its sponsor says it has bipartisan support that should make passage fairly easy.
Related: Your next Uber could be self-driving
"I want to make sure we plant the flag here and we maintain the lead in terms of automotive research and development," said Mike Kowall, the Republican state senator who introduced the measure.
Kowall said the bill would allow the self-driving cars on any roads in the state, including interstates and U.S. highways. He said there's no federal law prohibiting the cars, but that right now every state requires a car to have a driver.
The Michigan law even specifies who is on the hook if a self-driving car has an accident -- according to Kowall, the liability will rest with the automaker and its suppliers.
Related: True self-driving cars will arrive in 5 years, says Ford
Every major automaker is working on self-driving car technology, as are several tech companies such as Google (GOOGL, Tech30). Earlier this month Ford (F) predicted it would be mass producing a self-driving car without a steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator within five years.
But the safety of self-driving cars has come into question recently, especially after a driver was killed in May while using Tesla's Autopilot feature. There have been a handful of other, non-fatal accidents with Teslas that were in Autopilot.
Tesla says it advises drivers to stay alert and ready to take control when using Autopilot. It also said that its car owners have used Autopilot to drive more than 130 million miles and this is the only fatality that has occurred, making its track record safer than that of a typical driver.
There were more than 35,000 traffic fatalities on U.S. roads last year, and U.S. safety regulators say that 94% of those accidents were caused by driver error. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/27/technology/michigan-self-driving-car-legislation/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent%29 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/0c4ca282ee3d261175ad6f219398cdba0e5aa9eafea4eeab9cd10774c2c68351.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T17:38:40 | null | 2016-08-28T11:55:13 | Brian Stelter speaks to Associated Press Editor Kathleen Carroll about the publication's heavily criticized story about the Clinton Foundation. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2Fvideo%2Fmedia%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fclinton-foundation-ap-story.cnnmoney%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_freevideo%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BVideo%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160828114848-clinton-foundation-ap-story-00030427-780x439.jpg | en | null | Associated Press editor: Clinton Foundation tweet was sloppy | null | null | money.cnn.com | Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy have changed.
By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. | http://money.cnn.com/video/media/2016/08/28/clinton-foundation-ap-story.cnnmoney/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_freevideo+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Video%29 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/276b206f9de874edfd7c69ade4ffa5e99ae929cd2fd5a4fc35e903b67b07a1f6.json |
[
"Matt Egan"
] | 2016-08-26T13:49:22 | null | 2016-08-25T01:59:01 | St. Jude Medical called claims that its pacemakers are vulnerable to cyber attacks "absolutely untrue." Investors sound worried though, sending the company's stock dropping 8%. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Finvesting%2Fst-jude-pacemaker-cyber-short-seller%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160825131251-sjm-pacemaker-hacking-780x439.jpg | en | null | St. Jude says pacemakers hacking claims are 'absolutely untrue' | null | null | money.cnn.com | St. Jude Medical rejected claims made by a famous short seller on Thursday that the company's pacemakers and other lifesaving devices are vulnerable to cyber attacks.
The allegations, made in a detailed 34-page report by Muddy Waters founder Carson Block, were enough to spook investors on Wall Street. St. Jude's (STJ) stock plummeted as much as 8% on Thursday.
St. Jude's chief technology officer Phil Ebeling called the claims "absolutely untrue." He said the medical device maker has "several layers of security measures in place" and conducts regular security assessments.
Short seller Block revealed he is now betting against St. Jude stock. He pointed to evidence that St. Jude pacemakers and other implantable cardiac devices are vulnerable to cyber attacks, even from "low level hackers."
Related: EpiPen CEO: Blame the 'broken' system, not me
The short seller, who is credited with discovering shady behavior by Sino-Forest and other Chinese companies, cited presentations by security experts that show St. Jude's implantable cardiac devices can be crashed in way that causes them to malfunction by pacing at a dangerous rate. Block also said the devices' batteries can be drained.
Hackers can penetrate the St. Jude ecosystem through the company's "Merlin@home" home monitoring unit, Block said.
St. Jude responded by saying it works with external experts to safeguard Merlin@home as well as other devices.
Any security problem in its devices would be costly to St. Jude. The pacemakers and other implantable cardiac devices make up almost half of the company's revenue. Block argues there is a "strong possibility" these devices will need to be recalled and fixed, a process that could take two years.
The fight with the short seller comes at an awkward time for St. Jude. The medical device maker is in the process of being purchased by Abbott Laboratories (ABT) in a mega deal worth $25 billion. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/25/investing/st-jude-pacemaker-cyber-short-seller/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/03445b3fba77d25edb86c7b71662bc522b7dd171ed8dc3420d426283f5ed519b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T17:38:45 | null | 2016-08-26T11:20:03 | Serial inventor Yoshiro Nakamatsu is testing out a new cancer-fighting therapy of his own design. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2Fvideo%2Ftechnology%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fnakamats-cancer-therapy.cnnmoney%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_freevideo%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BVideo%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160826111429-nakamats-cancer-therapy-00013509-780x439.jpg | en | null | This man is the guinea pig for cancer therapy he invented | null | null | money.cnn.com | Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy have changed.
By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. | http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2016/08/26/nakamats-cancer-therapy.cnnmoney/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_freevideo+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Video%29 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/c98bdf1a6bb592f17d0a73b7d9398a79875c5776558c7939e0154ed4024ac257.json |
[
"Sophie Morlin-Yron"
] | 2016-08-31T11:36:26 | null | 2016-08-30T07:02:21 | A Santa Clara-based company is creating jewelry-grade diamonds in a lab, using a plasma reactor that reaches temperatures as hot as the sun. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Ftechnology%2Fdiamond-foundry-leonardo-dicaprio%2Findex.html.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160826105527-diamond-foundry-three-diamonds-780x439.jpg | en | null | Why Leonardo DiCaprio is backing man-made diamonds | null | null | money.cnn.com | There may be a new gem among Silicon Valley's glittering startup scene. A Santa Clara-based company is creating jewelry-grade diamonds in a lab, using a plasma reactor that reaches temperatures as hot as the sun.
Natural diamonds are made from pure carbon and form over billions of years under high pressure and temperature, at depths of over 100 km in the Earth's mantle. But Diamond Foundry grows its stones inside a plasma reactor, atom by atom, from a tiny slice of a "mother diamond" mined in Canada. The process takes about a month.
The idea is to produce diamonds that are indistinguishable from their natural counterparts, but free of the controversies associated with real diamonds.
Related: World's most expensive rough diamond sells for $63 million
The diamond industry has been tainted by its association with "blood diamonds," which are mined to fund conflict and civil war. The profits have been used by warlords and rebels to buy arms during conflicts in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Liberia. As well as diamonds fueling conflict, thousands of men, women and children in countries such as Sierra Leone have been used as slaves to extract diamonds using primitive, back-breaking methods.
The Kimberley Process, which regulates the trade of rough diamonds, says conflict diamonds make up only 0.1% of the world's current production. But buying from Diamond Foundry should give consumers total peace of mind.
"We have sustainable diamonds that have none of these practices involved," says Diamond Foundry's Austrian-American CEO and founder Martin Roscheisen.
When their solar energy company Nanosolar folded in 2013, Roscheisen's team of MIT, Stanford and Princeton schooled engineers needed a new project focusing on sustainability. "We like businesses that do good, in addition to being profitable," explains Roscheisen.
After two years of research and development, the company launched its diamonds in November 2015. Teaming up with cutters and designers, it sells engagement rings and loose diamonds of various cuts online.
High-profile investors
The company raised capital of over $100 million from 12 billionaires, including Twitter founder Evan Williams and actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, who contacted Diamond Foundry after hearing about them.
"Nobody knew about us then, but it's pretty rare for Silicon Valley to have a tech company focused on diamonds, so word of mouth was going around," says Roscheisen.
DiCaprio, who starred in the 2007 film "Blood Diamond," which explores the conflict around the mining industry in war-torn regions of Africa, has endorsed the company's ethical approach to diamond production.
"Proud to invest in Diamond Foundry -- a co reducing human & environmental toll by sustainably culturing diamonds," the actor tweeted in November.
A novel approach
There are other companies out there making synthetic diamonds, but Diamond Foundry's approach is a novel combination of high-quality stones, bespoke cuts and environmentally conscious energy usage, says Roscheisen.
The plasma produced by its reactor is around 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit -- as hot as the outer core of the sun, Roscheisen explains, describing it as "a sun on Earth." It is a costly and energy-intensive process, but the use of solar and hydropower results in a zero carbon footprint, according to the company.
In terms of the technology, Roscheisen says what sets it apart is the ability to produce high-quality diamonds, thanks to a method involving high temperatures, as opposed to high pressure, and a cooling technology that results in pure and large stones.
In demand
More production facilities are planned in San Francisco and London. For now, the Santa Clara site produces 1,000 carats a month, which is between 150 and 300 gems from every two-week batch. So far, the largest it has grown was a 12-carat stone.
Demand exceeds supply, says Roscheisen. "Everything we produce sells out within two weeks," he adds.
The lab-grown gems cost the same as mined diamonds, with the online price set at 10% to 15% below market price, according to the company. A loose diamond from its online shop costs from $305 for a 0.38 carat round-cut gem to $23,000 for a 2.30 carat gem.
They come certified by the Gemological Institute of America and are as real as those dug out of the ground, says Roscheisen.
"A diamond is a diamond," says Roscheisen. "Scientifically it is a tetrahedral carbon allotrope, and it is the same thing whether mined or man-made." | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/30/technology/diamond-foundry-leonardo-dicaprio/index.html | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/87d1510e7b033fbc6c79a336a1be19b84af35e8a722d5324668f12ff36cfcbaa.json |
[
"Sara Ashley O'Brien"
] | 2016-08-26T13:26:53 | null | 2016-08-19T09:00:15 | The route to U.S. citizenship has been temporarily blocked for some extremely talented Indian and Chinese nationals. Here's why that's concerning. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F19%2Ftechnology%2Feb1-visa-india-china%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fedition_world%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNNi%2B-%2BWorld%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160816172008-us-china-india-flags-780x439.jpg | en | null | Go-to visa for Indian and Chinese temporarily frozen | null | null | money.cnn.com | A popular visa that offers a path to U.S. citizenship is temporarily closed to Chinese and Indian nationals.
The pause in the visa program, which took effect August 1, is yet another crack in the outdated immigration system and evidence that there's need for more transparency, according to immigration lawyers.
At issue is the EB-1 visa. In July, the State Department announced that it would stop processing EB-1 applications from China and India until October.
The EB-1 visa is available to three categories of candidates, those with extraordinary abilities in arts, science and business; researchers and professors; and multinational business executives and managers.
Related: High-skilled visa applications hit record high - again
Eb-1 visas are limited to 40,135 for this fiscal year, and no more than 7% can go to immigrants from any one country.
China and India, whose workers are in high demand, have hit their limit. The last time this happened was in 2007.
The limit resets when the government's fiscal year begins on October 1. But lawyers say they fear applicants from China and India will hit the ceiling again and that will hurt the U.S.
"This is how we welcome extraordinary and outstanding artists, scientists and businesses -- and it's pretty pathetic," said immigration lawyer David Leopold.
Related: Trump's immigration plan would kill 4 million jobs
The EB-1 typically results in a green card in less than a year -- one of the quickest pathways to receive one. And unlike many visas, some kinds of EB-1 visas don't require applicants to be sponsored by employers.
"A lot of people saw [the EB-1] as the light at the end of the tunnel," said Shah Peerally, who heads up an immigration law firm in Newark, California.
It certainly was for 37-year-old Rishi Misra.
Misra, who works in health care tech and lives in San Francisco, came to the United States as a student from India in 1997. He had an H-1B at one point. In 2010, an employer filed for an EB-2 for Misra so he could get on a path to a green card.
But after years of waiting due to the backlog for Indian citizens, Misra went another route: He applied for an EB-1 for "extraordinary ability." It was granted earlier this year.
Tahmina Watson, who heads Watson Immigration Law, said Misra is not alone in seeking out the EB-1 after growing frustrated with other paths to citizenship, like the H-1B visa.
The H-1B is one of the most popular visas for highly-skilled foreigners. Demand far exceeds the annual allotment. The H-1B requires workers to be sponsored by an employer and leaves applicants at the whim of lotteries.
Immigration lawyers speculate that anxiety about the political environment is also driving the heavy demand for EB-1 visas.
"People feel vulnerable. Immigration is, unfortunately, more political now than its ever been," said Michael Wildes, managing partner at Wildes & Weinberg.
One foreign entrepreneur told CNNMoney that others like her in the U.S. are applying for EB-1 visas as soon as possible.
"We are contributing to the development of the country," she said. "But at the same time we need to be in a safe position of developing our own life too." | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/19/technology/eb1-visa-india-china/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fedition_world+%28RSS%3A+CNNi+-+World%29 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/baa9b532e19b1556ecfe9fc19de5229479aff01e3dc894b7d6301f97ffa18199.json |
[
"Patrick Gillespie"
] | 2016-08-26T13:49:01 | null | 2016-08-25T03:32:43 | Global trade growth this year is slowing down to a pace last seen in 2009 when the world was just inching out of the Great Recession. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Fnews%2Feconomy%2Fglobal-trade-slows%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/151123090420-oil-tanker-shipments-780x439.jpg | en | null | Global trade at slowest pace in 7 years | null | null | money.cnn.com | Companies across the world are pumping the brakes this year on shipments and new purchases from overseas.
Global trade volume only rose 0.1% in June compared to a year ago, according an analysis of government global trade data released Thursday by Panjiva, an analytics firm.
It's the lowest monthly gain since 2009.
"We've have some pretty clear signs that global trade has slowed down," says Chris Rogers, a research analyst at Panjiva.
The numbers come a day before the U.S. Census releases data on July U.S. trade.
American exports in June were down 5% from a year ago and its trade balance declined for the third straight month, Census data shows. Another region pulling down global trade is Latin America. Its total trade volume decreased in June too, Panjiva found.
Related: Trade turmoil: $1.3 trillion at stake in Brexit breakup
The strong dollar remains a major headwind for American companies that sell computers, cars and other products overseas. A strong currency makes U.S. products more expensive -- and less attractive -- to foreign buyers.
China's slowdown, weak growth in some developing countries and low demand remain persistent problems for trade too.
Not everyone is down on global trade. A recent survey by American Express and the Economist Intelligence Unit found that 66% of international firms believe trade with the U.S. will increase over the next few years.
However, one challenge on the horizon is Brexit, the U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union. It will force the U.K. to rewrite a litany of trade agreements and could cool down trade ties between the U.K. and some of its major trade partners in Europe. That would spell bad news for the global economy, which is already growing at a "fragile" pace, according to the IMF. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/25/news/economy/global-trade-slows/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/413e4f9fab01c488b35d494fdddc90ebf69b08cbfae95511306ba00ed4168ac1.json |
[
"Matt Egan"
] | 2016-08-29T19:37:47 | null | 2016-08-29T01:57:25 | The EpiPen scandal has transformed Mylan Pharmaceuticals and its powerful CEO Heather Bresch into the newest symbols of corporate greed gone bad. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Finvesting%2Fepipen-price-rise-history%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829133056-heather-bresch-780x439.jpg | en | null | How EpiPen came to symbolize corporate greed | null | null | money.cnn.com | The EpiPen scandal has transformed Mylan Pharmaceuticals and its CEO Heather Bresch into the newest symbols of corporate greed.
In the span of just a few weeks, they've gone from little-known players in the vast pharmaceutical industry to the targets of national ridicule over a relentless series of EpiPen price hikes.
Since 2009, Mylan has jacked up the price of the lifesaving allergy treatment an incredible 15 times. The list price on a two-pack of EpiPens is $609, up 400% from seven years ago.
The national outrage this month, sparked by a social media campaign by parents, has forced Mylan (MYL) to respond by taking the unusual step of launching a generic version of EpiPen at a 50% discount to its current price, as well as other moves to make the treatment more affordable.
Despite those efforts, Congress is now investigating Mylan. The powerful House Oversight Committee sent a letter to Bresch on Monday requesting a briefing and a trove of documents from the company about EpiPen.
Mylan has sought to pin the blame for the sticker shock on a shadowy health care supply chain. Bresch called the system "broken" and said it was in a "crisis," similar to the financial crisis of 2008 that blew up the economy.
Related: EpiPen CEO: Blame the 'broken' system, not me
Lack of 'empathy'
But Bresch's arguments aren't going over well with some.
The company doesn't understand the "very emotional, very stressful situation" parents are going through this back-to-school season, according to Wells Fargo analyst David Maris.
"No one's expecting Mylan to give away their products. But empathy is the most human emotion. And when you raise price year after year -- by a lot -- for a drug that's lifesaving, it shows a complete lack of empathy," he said.
Maris also points out that no one forced Mylan to dramatically raise EpiPen prices.
"It's outrageous. People shouldn't be fooled by the idea that the system made them do it. Mylan is to blame for the high prices of EpiPen," Maris said.
Broken system or opportunistic?
In fact, the most recent round of price hikes look more opportunistic, rather than the result of problems in the health care system.
In November 2015, Mylan raised EpiPen prices by 15% (for the 14th time since 2009). The hike came just a month after the drug's main rival Auvi-Q was pulled off the market. Six months later, the company jacked up prices again, by another 15%.
"With competitors out of the market, Mylan was in a position to price up EpiPen, which they did," Bernstein analysts wrote in a recent report.
EpiPen CEO made $19 million last year
Bresch, who is the daughter of U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, has sought to push back against these criticisms.
"You can do good and do well, and I think we strike that balance around the globe," Bresch told The New York Times.
However, she added: "I am running a business. I am a for-profit business. I am not hiding from that."
Business has indeed been very good -- for Mylan and Bresch alike -- thanks in part to the increasingly-lucrative EpiPen.
Ever since Mylan started raising EpiPen prices in 2009, the profit margin of the Mylan division that sells the drug has quadrupled, according to Wells Fargo's analysis of corporate filings.
Rising profits are a big reason why Bresch earned nearly $19 million in total compensation last year. And over the past three years, she made $54 million.
Related: Here's what happened to AIDS drug that spiked 5,000%
Mylan's defenders note that the $609 list price of EpiPen may get all of the attention, but most consumers don't actually pay that. Even before Mylan's recent cost-cutting moves, the company has indicated that 80% of its prescriptions translate to $0 out-of-pocket expenses.
Just 4% of EpiPen prescriptions actually led to $600 or more in out-of-pocket expenses, according to an analysis by Evercore analyst Umer Raffat. However, that still translates to a significant 150,000 prescriptions at that high price, Raffat said. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/29/investing/epipen-price-rise-history/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/8290940673c530e3fc3826f0cedb89a6cd349280a0525b9215fb6d4404b018a6.json |
[
"Brian Stelter"
] | 2016-08-28T17:36:48 | null | 2016-08-28T11:11:14 | Donald Trump says MSNBC and the co-host of "Morning Joe," Mika Brzezinski, should "immediately" apologize to one of his prominent supporters, Pastor Mark Burns. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Fmedia%2Fdonald-trump-morning-joe-mika-brzezinski%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160210091717-morning-joe-trump-780x439.jpg | en | null | Donald Trump: Mika must apologize for 'gang attack' on Pastor Mark Burns | null | null | money.cnn.com | Donald Trump says MSNBC and the co-host of "Morning Joe," Mika Brzezinski, should "immediately" apologize to one of his prominent supporters, Pastor Mark Burns.
The GOP nominee says Friday's interview of Burns was a "coordinated gang attack." In a statement on Sunday, Trump calls it "one of the most appalling things I have ever seen on television."
The segment was contentious, to say the least. The website Mediaite described the segment this way: "Brzezinski Browbeats Black Pro-Trump Pastor: Is It Racist, Yes or No?"
Related: Trump will address black voters
Burns made the TV news rounds last week supporting Trump's candidacy. In his "Morning Joe" appearance on Friday, Brzezinski asked Burns, when Trump "made the comments he made about the judge saying he was a Mexican, was that racist, or not?"
When he didn't immediately answer the question, Brzezinski interrupted: "I just want to know if it's racist or not, and then I can move on with the conversation, but I need to know where you stand on things in terms of reality. So were those comments racist or not?"
Burns avoided answering directly.
Later in the segment, one of the show's contributors, Mike Barnicle, asked Burns if he agreed with Trump's labeling of Clinton as a "bigot."
Brzezinski, Barnicle and Rev. Al Sharpton all pressed for an answer.
Burns said answering the question "doesn't solve" the problem of how to create more jobs for African-Americans.
"So why are we here on national television, wasting this wonderful time when we should be discussing" black unemployment, he said.
Brzezinski's co-host, Joe Scarborough, was off on Friday morning. That's why Trump's statement on Sunday focused on Brzezinski, whom he called "untalented."
"Liberals like Mika Brzezinski and MSNBC believe they are morally superior and will try to beat down those who are different," Trump said. "They only did this because Pastor Burns does not blindly follow what liberals want him to think or say. Pastor Burns deserves a public apology from Mika and MSNBC immediately."
Trump also called MSNBC and "Morning Joe" in particular "the propaganda arm of Hillary Clinton and her campaign."
MSNBC had no immediate comment on Sunday.
Related: Trump picks Twitter fight with Scarborough
The statement is notable because Trump previously had a very friendly relationship with "Morning Joe," calling into the show regularly during the primary season.
The relationship turned very tense in February, however, and has stayed that way almost ever since.
Earlier this week, Trump repeatedly attacked Brzezinski and Scarborough in highly personal ways on Twitter.
Trump also tweeted his dissatisfaction about the Burns interview after the show.
"Wonderful @pastormarkburns was attacked viciously and unfairly on @MSNBC by crazy @morningmika on low ratings @Morning_Joe. Apologize!" he wrote on Friday.
Wonderful @pastormarkburns was attacked viciously and unfairly on @MSNBC by crazy @morningmika on low ratings @Morning_Joe. Apologize! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2016
In Sunday's statement, though, he seemed to call the show highly-rated, saying the "disgusting" episode unfolded in front of "millions of viewers." | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/28/media/donald-trump-morning-joe-mika-brzezinski/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/804d809927d64a6ee9fd0efa01fee228db594d9b268a2f57cae2f58807782fac.json |
[
"Matt Mcfarland"
] | 2016-08-29T01:36:53 | null | 2016-08-28T01:37:08 | The FAA's rules for businesses looking to fly drones go into effect Monday. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F28%2Ftechnology%2Ffaa-commercial-rules-drones%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160803130822-drone-farming-780x439.jpg | en | null | A landmark day for drone flights arrives | null | null | money.cnn.com | The federal government is officially opening America's skies to drones.
FAA rules for the commercial use of drones go into effect Monday.
"It's an important moment," said Brian Wynne, chief executive of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. "But it probably won't be like a light switch going on."
Interested drone pilots must pass an aeronautical exam before they are allowed to fly. The first exam will be available at 8 a.m. Monday morning, which 3,351 people have signed up to take.
The exam has generated "great excitement" from a wide range of industries around the country, according to Mark Dennehy, president of Computer Assisted Testing Service, which administers the test.
Drones are appealing because they provide aerial photos and video at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. Potential uses include crop monitoring, construction site management, search and rescue, surveying, film-making and firefighting.
The key rules for businesses are this: Do not fly at night or over anyone not involved in your operation. Drones also may not fly higher than 400 feet, must be under 55 pounds and must remain in the visual sight of a human operator.
Related: New drone rules could curtail cell tower deaths
More than 3,000 businesses have already received a government exemption to fly.
The new rules simplify the process of flying legally. Drone operators will no longer need to receive a pilot's license, which has been a point of contention. Getting a pilot's license is expensive and time-intensive, and some of the skills taught aren't applicable to flying a drone.
The current rules include limitations that will hamper the arrival of some drone services, such as autonomous delivery. So don't expect companies to be dropping packages in your backyard anytime soon.
Related: Domino's delivers pizza by drone in New Zealand
There is a waiver process for businesses that have their hearts' set on flying at night, over 400 feet or beyond the line of sight of a drone operator.
The new drone rules arrived late -- missing a deadline Congress set in 2012, but Wynne said he's seen the FAA adapt to the challenge of regulating the rapidly developing technology.
"It's a sea change in mentality inside the FAA to we have to work with industry on this," Wynne said. "It's a change in mentality away from the big hammer FAA to one that recognizes, 'Hey we can't be in all places at all times.'" | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/28/technology/faa-commercial-rules-drones/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/f9f5047bedbe953f5071cdf49cf69cfbc8c916a15a1ab21dabc846f084e06a64.json |
[
"Sophia Yan",
"Judy Kwon"
] | 2016-08-26T23:35:18 | null | 2016-08-26T04:50:38 | Lee In-won, vice president the conglomerate Lotte, was found dead early Friday just hours before he was due to be questioned by prosecutors. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fnews%2Fcompanies%2Flotte-executive-death%2Findex.html.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160826163351-lotte-logo-780x439.jpg | en | null | Top exec at South Korea's Lotte found dead hours before prosecutor questioning | null | null | money.cnn.com | A top executive at a South Korean company facing a corruption investigation was found dead early Friday just hours before he was due to be questioned by prosecutors.
Lee In-won, vice president of the conglomerate Lotte Group, was discovered lying on the ground with a necktie around his throat, according to local police.
Police said they suspected he may have hanged himself and fallen to the ground when the necktie broke, but the cause of death hasn't officially been established. A four-page letter was found at the scene in Yangpyeong county, east of Seoul, police said, declining to comment on its contents.
Related: Two Zurich Insurance executives found dead
Lee's death comes amid the ongoing corruption investigation into Lotte, one of South Korea's five biggest conglomerates. The probe has shaken the company, forcing it to shelve plans for an initial public offering of one of its units.
The daughter of Lotte's founder was arrested last month on charges of bribery and embezzlement.
As part of the corruption investigation, Lee was due to meet with prosecutors Friday morning, the company said.
Lee, 69, joined Lotte in 1973 and held numerous positions as he rose up the ranks over the decades.
"It is hard to believe that Vice President Lee In-Won, who sacrificed more than anyone to lay the foundations for Lotte, has passed away," the company said in a statement.
Based in Korea and Japan, Lotte has a wide range of businesses, including candy, hotels, retail and construction. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/26/news/companies/lotte-executive-death/index.html | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/938fef6629feda91681c757b95e4dcdfbe065f2e9e4555167bec7b1d8d238133.json |
[
"Heather Long"
] | 2016-08-26T17:39:15 | null | 2016-08-26T01:07:50 | On Friday Janet Yellen reiterated again that the government has to spend more during crises. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump want to do more stimulus. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fnews%2Feconomy%2Fjanet-yellen-government-spending%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_latest%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BMost%2BRecent%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160823135300-us-government-spending-front-780x439.jpg | en | null | Time for more government spending? | null | null | money.cnn.com | The next president of the United States should be ready to work with Congress to spend more money.
That's the message from investors and economists, including Janet Yellen. The question is how much cash to drop -- and when.
About everyone agrees that if a crisis hits, government spending must be part of the rescue effort.
"Fiscal policy has traditionally played an important role in dealing with severe economic downturns," Federal Reserve chair Yellen said in a speech Friday.
One of Yellen's colleagues at the Fed was even more blunt.
"Fiscal policy should be our equivalent of a first responder to recessions," said John Williams, head of the San Francisco Fed, this month. There's even talk of whether the U.S. should enact "automatic stabilizers" that would kick in whenever the economy sinks below a certain level.
America's central bank has been doing the bulk of the work to try to boost hiring and economic growth in recent years, but the Fed argues it can only do so much.
Related: Janet Yellen says Fed rate hike odds have 'strengthened'
Clinton and Trump propose stimulus
Many investors and business economists say the same thing. In fact, many in the corporate world want Congress (and foreign governments) to open the money valve soon.
A record 48% of investors think global fiscal policy is currently too restrictive, according to a recent BofA Merrill Lynch Global Fund Manager Survey. They want Europe, especially, to spend more after the shocking Brexit vote.
Even in the U.S., where the economy is doing pretty well, 43% of experts surveyed this month by the National Association of Business Economics think government spending is "too restrictive." That's up from just 29% who felt that way a year ago.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have heard the message. Both propose a bump in government spending, especially on infrastructure. Clinton wants to inject $275 billion in her first term into improving America's roads and bridges. Trump promises twice that much if he's elected.
Related: U.S. domestic spending is near 53-year lows.
Does the U.S. need a lot more stimulus?
Pumping up infrastructure spending can help create jobs and beef up business in the short-term.
"Roads, bridges, sewers, water. You name it, we are lagging," says David Kotok, chairman of investment firm Cumberland Advisors. "The United States needs somewhere between $3 trillion and $4 trillion of infrastructure spending."
If Congress and the next president pass a big infrastructure bill (Clinton wants to do it in her first 100 days), it should help the economy and markets in 2017 and 2018.
The debate is whether the U.S. needs even more stimulus from the federal government. It could come the form of tax cuts (as Trump proposes) or more spending (as Clinton proposes).
The U.S. is in a slow-growth recovery. The economy has been expanding about 2% a year, far below the historic average of over 3%. So far this year, U.S. growth has been below 1%, according to the latest data released Friday.
Related: Clinton better for economy than Trump, say business economists
U.S. 'not in a recession'
The Fed believes a rebound is coming in the second half of the year. In fact, on Friday Yellen said she thinks the economy has "strengthened" and may be ready for another interest rate hike, the ultimate sign of confidence from the Fed.
"Stimulus is what you might need during a recession. We're not in a recession. The economy does not need stimulus per se from the federal government," says chief economist Tim Hopper of TIAA-CREF.
With the U.S. debt growing, the Republican-controlled House seems reluctant to spend much more. Whether that changes after November -- or after the next crisis -- remains to be seen. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/26/news/economy/janet-yellen-government-spending/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent%29 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/379bf5261bf7744862eaefb9199058b574abab357facbb76ff5cc9b5cba52ee1.json |
[
"Parija Kavilanz"
] | 2016-08-29T23:40:23 | null | 2016-08-29T05:43:57 | Aria Gems, an American-Afghan company, is helping to legitimize the trade of Afghanistan's iconic Panjshir emeralds. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fsmallbusiness%2Fafghanistan-emeralds-panjshir-aria%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_latest%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BMost%2BRecent%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160824114938-aria-gems-miner-emerald-split-780x439.jpg | en | null | This startup is protecting Afghanistan's prized rare emeralds | null | null | money.cnn.com | In Afghanistan, where decades of warfare have ravaged the country, there's a beautiful green oasis tucked between the mountains that's home to something rare and precious.
The Panjshir Valley, located north of Afghanistan's capital Kabul, is an area rich with more than 172 emerald mines.
Known as Panjshir emeralds, the gems boast a unique bluish-green color that make them among the country's most-iconic treasures.
Entrepreneur Habib Mohebi grew up in Kabul hearing about the emerald mines from friends local to that area. Years later, that knowledge would reconnect him to his homeland in a distinctive way.
Related: Hillary Clinton's new plan to help small business owners
Mohebi is the co-founder of Aria Gems, a company that mines and exports Panjshir emeralds. While its mining operations are in Afghanistan, the business is headquartered in New York, and its gem processing and cutting center in Fargo, N.D. There, the rough emeralds are turned into polished stones.
Since it launched in 2013, Aria Gems has become one of the largest suppliers of legally-mined Panjshir emeralds, having shipped more than 30,000 Carats of the stone.
It also owns three underground mines and four acres of surface area emerald deposits in Panjshir Valley.
Related: How a free Super Bowl ad turned Death Wish Coffee into a household name
Mohebi's entrepreneurial journey, however, didn't start with gems. He left Afghanistan for the U.S. in the 1980s, shortly after Russia invaded the country. He settled in Atlanta and opened a tailoring business.
That's where he met co-founder Forrest Snowden, a technologist working with IBM at the time, who frequented the shop. The two became friends.
"I knew nothing about Afghanistan, but I lived in the middle of an Afghan-American community in Atlanta at the time," Snowden said. "Every Friday, I'd sit with him at his shop and talk about his culture over a cup of tea."
In return, Mohebi persistently asked Snowden to start a company together that could help rebuild Afghanistan.
After Snowden left his job, he took up Mohebi's challenge. Along with Mohebi's brother Jamil, the trio first launched Aria Global Logistics in 2009.
The startup helped facilitate U.S. federal contracts for construction, transportation and logistic development in Afghanistan. It later entered into joint ventures with local Afghan construction companies.
"Our business was doing well," Snowden said. "Habib later told me about the emerald mines in Panjshir Valley. In 10 years of knowing him, he never [mentioned them before]."
"I immediately made a business case for the global trade of emeralds and other gemstones in Afghanistan," he said.
Related: This startup wants to prevent another Flint water crisis
Currently, the world's top emerald mining countries of Brazil, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Colombia -- which occupies the biggest piece of the mining pie -- produce a bulk of the global supply. Together, the countries bring in about $1.4 billion worth of gems annually.
By contrast, Afghanistan sells about $50 million worth of Panjshir emeralds annually.
"Most of it is in illegal trade," said Snowden, adding that both sellers and miners are usually underpaid for the value of the gems.
Said Mubin Shah, commercial attache with the Afghan Embassy on Washington, D.C. said the country's gems industry also lacks regulation and safety protocols.
"In Afghanistan, there is a grave issue of lack of education," said Shah. "There are many people in the gems industry who are unlicensed, unprofessional and extracting gems illegally."
In the Pajshir Valley, the emerald mines are owned and operated by community elders. "It's been that way for generations," said Snowden.
But mining often involves explosives: "[It's] not only dangerous, the process also fractures the stone," he added.
In 2013, Snowden and Mohebi launched their second business, Aria Gems, as a part of an effort to legally trade Panjshir emeralds in global markets.
The team only mines in areas free from conflict.
"We wanted to help the miners learn safer modern techniques that wouldn't damage the stone," said Mohebi. "[And] we're training men and women how to cut and polish the stone, too."
The company continues to have ambitious plans for its gems business.
By making the illegal gems trade in Afghanistan legal, Aria Gems wants to create more jobs in the country and generate more income.
"We want to put Panjshir emeralds on the map," said Snowden. "There's no reason why Afghanistan can't one day be second to Colombia in emerald mining." | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/29/smallbusiness/afghanistan-emeralds-panjshir-aria/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent%29 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/64ee73fd1c3d284170be53a19a5346ce92b67efd75779168b06fddb6cd452c80.json |
[
"Tom Kludt"
] | 2016-08-26T21:38:58 | null | 2016-08-26T03:51:47 | Ann Coulter says in "In Trump We Trust" that there is only one truly mortal sin Donald Trump could commit. He committed it the same day the book was released. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fmedia%2Fann-coulter-book-in-trump-we-trust-immigration%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_latest%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BMost%2BRecent%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160826133148-ann-coulter-780x439.jpg | en | null | Trump's immigration pivot a buzzkill for Coulter's book tour | null | null | money.cnn.com | In her new book, Ann Coulter says there is only one truly mortal sin Donald Trump could commit. As it turns out, he committed it the same day the book was released.
"Until the bleeding has stopped, there's nothing Trump can do that won't be forgiven. Except change his immigration policies," Coulter wrote in her new tome, "In Trump We Trust."
Coulter's Trump hagiography hit shelves on Tuesday -- the same day the Republican nominee told Fox News' Sean Hannity that he is open to "softening" the very immigration proposals that inspired Coulter and legions of other conservatives to support him. His comments have made the rest of the week very awkward for her, forcing her to explain his apparent apostasy when she expected to be taking something close to a victory lap. and very publicly so.
"I'm starting to worry that he's panicking and talking to the wrong people because he's sounding a bit more like the candidates he defeated," Coulter told MSNBC's Chris Matthews on Tuesday.
"It just sounds very consultant to me," she added. "This could be the shortest book tour ever if he's really softening his position on immigration."
Coulter, who did not respond to an interview request from CNNMoney, has been one of Trump's most vocal media boosters. She was also a believer in his candidacy at a time when most were dismissive, asserting last June that Trump's general election prospects were better than any other Republican. In Trump, Coulter gushed last August, "we finally have someone who genuinely loves America and is not beholden to the donors."
And no issue fueled her support for Trump more than immigration. Her 2015 book, "Adios America," was a 400-page diatribe against undocumented immigrants.
Coulter has said Trump requested and received an advance copy of the book. About two weeks after its release, he announced his candidacy with a speech in which he warned that many undocumented immigrants are drug dealers and rapists. But Coulter insisted at the time that Trump "didn't get his ideas from me."
"He had them," she told the Washington Post. "My book supports his ideas."
Coulter is less supportive of what Trump has said this week, although she's made clear that she is not "abandoning" her candidate. She has also given Trump the benefit of the doubt, saying Wednesday that he is only shifting "rhetorically."
"I don't think it is a change in policy," Coulter told the Washington Examiner. "The policy is anyone who's here illegally is here illegally, does not have the right to be here. We'll decide whether it's in our interest to let them stay or not."
But Trump's morphing rhetoric has made it difficult to make sense of his policies. After indicating this week that he may support a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants living here, Trump backtracked in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper.
Related: Trump: No legal status for undocumented immigrants
"There's no path to legalization unless they leave the country," Trump said.
Whether Trump is moderating in style or actual substance, Coulter doesn't approve. She told ABC News that she wants Trump "to dump whomever the moron is who told him Americans are staying up at night worried about how people who broke our laws entering, broke our laws staying here, broke our laws taking jobs, how comfortable they are."
The shift on immigration follows yet another shakeup at the top of Trump's campaign, but Coulter speculated that the culprit might be someone with an unofficial role.
"[Trump] seems to be getting contradictory advice," she said. "I've seen these rumors he's now being advised by Roger Ailes, the former head of the Marco Rubio super PAC known as Fox News." | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/26/media/ann-coulter-book-in-trump-we-trust-immigration/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent%29 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/d241ef9e05970b1f25204adfd71bbe031673476113885cab3dd49c38e2812a0b.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T13:39:17 | null | 2016-08-30T09:08:25 | Fitness guru Tracy Anderson's clientele have included Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim Kardashian, and Jennifer Lopez. Now, her classes are available to stream, plus she's starting her own line of nutrition bars and shakes. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2Fvideo%2Fnews%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Ftracy-anderson-passion-portfolio.cnnmoney%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_freevideo%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BVideo%2529.json | http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2016/08/30/tracy-anderson-passion-portfolio.cnnmoney/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_freevideo+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Video%29 | en | null | This celebrity trainer makes her classes available to everyone | null | null | money.cnn.com | Fitness guru Tracy Anderson's clientele have included Gwyneth Paltrow, Kim Kardashian, and Jennifer Lopez. Now, her classes are available to stream, plus she's starting her own line of nutrition bars and shakes. | http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2016/08/30/tracy-anderson-passion-portfolio.cnnmoney/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_freevideo+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Video%29 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/7fe5682874bda9c4b081741c9ea09d341ec018de312422e98e96852d72d97b5b.json |
[
"Matt Egan"
] | 2016-08-29T13:37:17 | null | 2016-08-29T08:37:46 | Competition is coming in the EpiPen controversy -- from Mylan itself. The company that makes EpiPen surprised analysts on Monday by announcing plans to launch a generic version of the allergy treatment at a 50% discount. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Finvesting%2Fgeneric-epipen-mylan-discount%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829090714-epipen-mylan-drugs-780x439.jpg | en | null | Under-fire Mylan to launch generic EpiPen for $300 | null | null | money.cnn.com | Responding to national outrage over high prices, Mylan announced plans on Monday to launch a generic EpiPen at a 50% discount to the branded version of the life saving allergy treatment.
Mylan (MYL) said the generic EpiPen will be "identical" to the branded product in terms of how the drug is made and how the auto-injector functions.
The surprise move is the latest attempt by Mylan to silence the uproar ignited by a more than 400% increase in EpiPen prices. The launch comes ahead of looming competition from Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA), which is hoping to launch a generic EpiPen of its own as early as next year, pending FDA approval.
Mylan said it plans to launch the generic version in "several weeks" at a cost of $300 per two-pack carton, compared with $608 for the branded EpiPen.
Mylan didn't specify what discounts -- if any -- it is offering on this $300 generic price. It's also not clear why consumers would buy the more expensive branded EpiPen if, as Mylan describes it, it's exactly the same as the generic.
The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Related: EpiPen CEO: Blame the 'broken' system, not me
Under pressure from angry parents and politicians last week, Mylan said it will provide instant savings cards worth $300 to patients who have to pay the full price for the drug out of pocket.
"We understand the deep frustration and concerns associated with the cost of EpiPen to the patient," Mylan CEO Heather Bresch said in a statement on Monday.
Like last week, Bresch again attempted to shift the blame away from the company and towards a health care system she has called "broken."
The "complexity and opaqueness of today's branded pharmaceutical supply chain" led Mylan to determine that "bypassing the brand system" was the "best option," Bresch said.
No matter who's to blame, Wall Street investors seem to like the latest move by Mylan. The company's stock rose 2% ahead of Monday's opening bell, continuing a rebound from the selloff triggered by the pricing controversy. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/29/investing/generic-epipen-mylan-discount/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/8cf2f67e744a155319c6feea5be00389ba42817b7575550ce8bb9a3e8110b718.json |
[
"Heather Long"
] | 2016-08-29T19:37:51 | null | 2016-08-29T01:36:09 | Nearly 10,000 current and former Chipotle workers have joined a class action lawsuit alleging the company forced them to work 'off the clock' without pay. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fnews%2Feconomy%2Fchipotle-lawsuit-nearly-10000-workers%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829091222-chipotle-workers-780x439.jpg | en | null | Nearly 10,000 workers sue Chipotle for unpaid wages | null | null | money.cnn.com | Nearly 10,000 workers are suing Chipotle for allegedly cheating them on their pay.
Current and former Chipotle (CMG) employees claim that the company made them work extra hours "off the clock" without paying them. It's a practice known as wage theft, and Chipotle is allegedly doing it all over the United States.
"Chipotle routinely requires hourly-paid restaurant employees to punch out, and then continue working until they are given permission to leave," according to the class action lawsuit known as Turner v. Chipotle. It's named after a former Chipotle manager in Colorado, Leah Turner, who claims she had to work without pay and was told to make workers under her do the same in order to meet budget goals.
Chipotle denies any wrongdoing and says the case has no merit. The company says it has paid all wages it owes employees.
Briana Alexander is one of the nearly 10,000 workers who have joined the lawsuit. She worked at a Chipotle in Miami, Florida for about a year, starting in the fall of 2013.
"Behind the scenes, [Chipotle] is not always what it seems," Alexander told CNNMoney. "I can say I have worked off the clock."
Alexander says she was forced to stay late numerous times at her store. If the workers weren't done by midnight or 12:30am, they were clocked out but told to keep working until the job was finished, even though they were no longer getting paid. Alexander also claims she worked 12-hour shifts on some days, but was clocked out after her shift time ended even though she actually continued to work on busy days.
Related: I'm 35 and living with my mom again to get by
Why this lawsuit is different
Chipotle has faced similar lawsuits before, but this is the first time there has been such a large class action case against the company for wage theft. As of Friday, 9,961 current and former workers have sent in consent forms to join the lawsuit.
They come from about every state that Chipotle operates in, according to lawyer Kent Williams of Williams Law Firm, who is representing the employees in Turner v. Chipotle.
"Chipotle has argued this is a few rogue managers who aren't following policy. Our view, especially given the number of people opting in, is that it's a systematic problem at Chipotle," says Williams.
Related: Chipotle under fire for illegal workplace policies
Problems this summer at Chipotle
Felipe Ricardo believes Chipotle continues to skimp employees on wages. He worked at a Chipotle in Danbury, Connecticut in the summer of 2016.
"I only worked nights because I have a full-time job during the day," Ricardo told CNNMoney. "Normally the schedule says you end at 11:30pm, but it's almost impossible to get out at 11:30pm."
He remembers working until 1 am one time. He told the manager to make sure his hours were adjusted to reflect the extra time. He recalls her saying, "Don't worry about it." But when he got his paycheck, the hours weren't adjusted. He complained, and isn't sure if the hours were ever changed. Working two jobs didn't leave him with a lot of time to scrutinize his hours, he says.
Ricardo has not joined the lawsuit. The 23-year-old has since left Chipotle to go back to school.
All hourly employees who worked at Chipotle from February 2012 onward were mailed a card in April asking if they wanted to join the class action case. Workers had to respond by July.
Related: As wages rise, CEOs are starting to complain
Problems at closing time
CNNMoney has also heard from dozens of Chipotle workers who claim to have personally experienced wage theft at their restaurants or seen it happen to others. Some say they were not paid for five or more hours a week.
The main complaints center around what happens at closing time. Workers are supposed to end their shifts between 11pm and midnight at many restaurants, but workers tell CNNMoney that they almost never leave on time.
Chipotle's system automatically clocks workers out by 12:30am in most places, but workers say they are often asked to stay longer to finish cleaning and preparing for the next day. Managers are supposed to adjust the hours, but workers allege that doesn't always happen.
Chipotle is trying to regain customers since an outbreak of foodborne illnesses (including E. coli and norovirus) made customers in several states sick last year.
Customers have placed "an extraordinary level of trust in us and have come to know that we will do the right thing when it comes to our food, our employees and our approach to running a business," said Steve Ells, Chipotle's founder and CEO, on the company's earnings call in late July.
Chipotle is expected to continue fighting the case. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/29/news/economy/chipotle-lawsuit-nearly-10000-workers/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/86dced907c5e6fef7498092a9ddd87caac509bcda4ace7a81f417308ec19fc31.json |
[
"Ivana Kottasova"
] | 2016-08-30T17:37:56 | null | 2016-08-30T12:08:39 | Apple's effective tax rate in Ireland was just 0.005% in 2014. That means Apple paid $50 tax for every million it made. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Ftechnology%2Fapple-tax-ruling-numbers%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160830080947-eu-apple-780x439.jpg | en | null | How Apple paid just 0.005% tax on its global profits | null | null | money.cnn.com | Why is the European Union going after Apple for $14 billion in unpaid taxes?
Consider this: In 2014, the corporate giant paid just $50 in tax for every million it made selling iPhones and iPads to most of the world outside America.
That's a tax rate of just 0.005%. Yes, you read that correctly.
So how was that allowed to happen?
Apple has funneled most of its profits from Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India through Ireland for decades. Nothing usual in that. Others do it too.
But under deals the company struck with the Irish government as far back as 1991, it was allowed to split these profits between its Ireland branch and an Apple head office that existed only on paper.
Apple paid the standard Irish tax rate on profits booked to its Ireland branch. Those it allocated to the phantom head office were tax free, because under Irish law it was then considered a "stateless company."
Guess where most of the profits went?
In 2011, Apple Sales International made 16 billion euros in profits. Less than 50 million euros were allocated to the Irish branch. The rest went to the "head office," out of reach of any tax authority.
It was an arrangement that also suited the Irish government.
Ireland has set its corporate tax rate at 12.5%, one of the lowest in Europe, to attract big companies to the country.
Apple (AAPL, Tech30), Google (GOOGL, Tech30), Facebook (FB, Tech30), eBay (EBAY) and Twitter (TWTR, Tech30) have all set up their EU headquarters in Ireland.
And with them came the jobs. Apple employes 6,000 people in Ireland, many of them making iMacs at a factory in Cork -- once a deprived city in the south of Ireland. Apple says it is the biggest private employer in the city.
EU states can set their own rate of tax. But European officials say Ireland's arrangements with Apple gave the company such a huge financial advantage over its competitors that it constituted illegal state aid.
Apple doesn't want to pay the tax even though the $14.6 billion, plus interest, it might have to repay constitutes just 5% of the $231 billion in cash it has on its books.
Ireland doesn't like the ruling either, calling it an "encroachment" into its sovereignty. The country said Apple has paid what it owed in Ireland. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/30/technology/apple-tax-ruling-numbers/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/62bf2cfefe270548089ea21bcaff8d340ef62e17d7c43602efb7f94e4e1fa30d.json |
[
"Logan Whiteside"
] | 2016-08-31T03:39:37 | null | 2016-08-30T10:36:03 | Most of the fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S. are picked by undocumented workers. American farmers explain to Cristina Alesci how Donald Trump's big plans for immigration would decimate American crops. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2Fvideo%2Fnews%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Ftrumps-immigration-policy-could-hurt-u-s-farmers.cnnmoney%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_freevideo%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BVideo%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160830222401-immigration-agriculture-780x439.jpg | en | null | Trump's immigration policy could hurt U.S. farmers | null | null | money.cnn.com | Most of the fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S. are picked by undocumented workers. American farmers explain to Cristina Alesci how Donald Trump's big plans for immigration would decimate American crops. | http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2016/08/30/trumps-immigration-policy-could-hurt-u-s-farmers.cnnmoney/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_freevideo+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Video%29 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/4f340e064f2c218fec00227f51d07a80ce517c22e925ffa8b9f6c14e3a669242.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T17:38:41 | null | 2016-08-26T12:12:38 | Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has been trying for over a year to explain the email scandal surrounding her time as secretary of state. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2Fvideo%2Ftechnology%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fhillary-clinton-email-timeline.cnnmoney%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_freevideo%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BVideo%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160826120948-hillary-clinton-emails-780x439.jpg | en | null | Hillary Clinton's explanations of her email saga | null | null | money.cnn.com | Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy have changed.
By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. | http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2016/08/26/hillary-clinton-email-timeline.cnnmoney/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_freevideo+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Video%29 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/fa2c73fa57c5da9a54bddb851ee5ae5027756230d3a8e5968663284b69c89ecc.json |
[
"Jeanne Sahadi"
] | 2016-08-27T19:37:17 | null | 2016-03-23T06:59:57 | Gender wage gap: Glassdoor report shows that all else being equal, women still earn less than men in most jobs. But a handful actually pay women more. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F03%2F23%2Fpf%2Fgender-pay-gap%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fedition_us%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNNi%2B-%2BU.S.%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160322164730-gender-wage-gap-social-worker-780x439.jpg | en | null | Gender pay gap: Glassdoor survey shows women earn more than men in a handful of jobs. | null | null | money.cnn.com | The gender pay gap is often oversimplified. Women, we're told, earn between 76 cents to 79 cents for every dollar men earn.
But it all depends on what you do for a living.
On a job-by-job level the overall gender pay gap actually improves markedly when accounting for factors that determine an employee's salary -- such as experience and title -- and even disappears completely in a handful of occupations.
But men still make more than women in most professions -- considerably more in some occupations than others, according to a new study by the job search site Glassdoor.
The study, based on more than 500,000 salary reports from its users, compared the pay of men and women with the same job title, at similar companies, in the same state, with similar levels of education and experience.
Even after making this apples-to-apples comparison, though, women still get paid less, earning on average about 95 cents for every dollar their male colleagues were paid, according to Glassdoor.
Related: There's still a big wage gap in medicine
What accounts for that nickel difference? It's impossible to tell from the data, said Glassdoor chief economist Andrew Chamberlain. But he suggests several factors could be at play.
Some of the gap may stem from outright workplace bias. Some may be due to women too often negotiating smaller raises for themselves than men in similar jobs. And some may reflect job choice. For instance, a woman with young children may have a job with a title that reflects her seniority but opts to work at a company that pays somewhat less in exchange for more flexibility.
While a nickel's difference may not seem huge, consider that the 95-cents-on-the-dollar pay gap is just an overall average. In many individual occupations, the gap is actually much, much wider.
Women who are computer programmers, chefs and dentists get the rawest deal, Glassdoor found. They earn 72 cents for every dollar men in those same positions earn.
Put another way, they make 28% less than their male colleagues.
Related: Here's how much less women earn than men in 25 industries
On the flip side, there are some occupations -- although still few and far between -- in which men get paid less than women on average. But here's the rub: Those positions don't pay nearly as well as the jobs in which men draw top dollar, nor is the reverse pay gap anywhere as big as 28%.
Topping the list, for instance, are social workers. Women earn about $1.08 for every dollar a man earns. In other words, men earn about 8% less than their female peers.
The Glassdoor study also looked at the salary reports of their users in the broader context of 25 industries and found men earned more than women on average in each of them.
Top occupations where women earn the least relative to every dollar men in the same position make:
1. Computer programmer - 72 cents
2. Chef - 72 cents
3. Dentist - 72 cents
4. C-Suite - 72 cents
5. Psychologist - 73 cents
6. Pharmacist - 78 cents
7. CAD designer - 78 cents
8. Physician - 82 cents
9. Optician - 83 cents
10. Pilot - 84 cents
Top occupations where women earn more than every dollar their male peers make:
1. Social worker - $1.08
2. Merchandiser - $1.08
3. Research assistant - $1.07
4. Purchasing specialist - $1.06
5. Physician advisor - $1.02
6. Communications associate - $1.02
7. Social media - $1.02
8. Health educator - $1.01
9. Procurement - $1.01
10. Business coordinators and therapists - $1.01 | http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/23/pf/gender-pay-gap/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fedition_us+%28RSS%3A+CNNi+-+U.S.%29 | en | 2016-03-23T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/f5931ad6a9893b523fbdaad0cfcfcf8ac11bd0fd86784cd5492e73fd8023b181.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T21:39:51 | null | 2016-08-29T04:51:46 | With increasing concerns about Facebook's growing influence over the media, CEO Mark Zuckerberg insists, | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2Fvideo%2Ftechnology%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Ffacebook-ceo-were-a-technology-company-were-not-a-media-company-.cnnmoney%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_freevideo%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BVideo%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829164833-facebook-ceo-were-a-technology-company-were-not-a-media-company--00001909-780x439.jpg | en | null | Facebook CEO: 'We're a technology company. We're not a media company.' | null | null | money.cnn.com | Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy have changed.
By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. | http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2016/08/29/facebook-ceo-were-a-technology-company-were-not-a-media-company-.cnnmoney/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_freevideo+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Video%29 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/1433ee62360e8f6d2fc48d7a7ad81be9cc685b135ac50a6737d9762913270864.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T17:39:02 | null | 2016-08-29T12:44:15 | Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gives Pope Francis a model drone during his tour of Italy. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2Fvideo%2Ftechnology%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fmark-zuckerberg-meets-pope-francis.cnnmoney%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_freevideo%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BVideo%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829124233-mark-zuckerberg-meets-pope-francis-00004501-780x439.jpg | en | null | Mark Zuckerberg meets Pope Francis | null | null | money.cnn.com | Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy have changed.
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[
"Kathryn Vasel"
] | 2016-08-29T19:39:59 | null | 2016-08-29T02:15:51 | Dreaming of a vacation but can't afford to buy the plane tickets? You can now get financing on airfare on CheapAir.com. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fpf%2Fcheapair-airline-tickets-monthly-payments%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_latest%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BMost%2BRecent%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829123506-airfare-financing-780x439.jpg | en | null | CheapAir now offers monthly payments for airline tickets | null | null | money.cnn.com | Dreaming of a vacation, but don't have the cash for the airfare? You can now pay for your plane tickets in monthly installments.
CheapAir.com has teamed up with financial services company Affirm to allow fliers to take out three, six and 12-month purchase plans to cover their airfare.
Here's how it works: After selecting flights on CheapAir, customers can choose to make monthly payments on the checkout page. They have to provide their name, email and street addresses, date of birth, cellphone number and the last four digits of their Social Security number to help Affirm run a credit check. The check will not affect a customer's credit score.
The interest rate on the loans are based on credit worthiness and range from 10%-30% APR.
The average APR on new credit card offers was 15.19% last week, according to CreditCards.com Weekly Credit Card Rate Report.
Related: What's going with airfare prices this summer
Travelers will get approval within seconds, according to CheapAir.com CEO Jeff Klee, and there's no limit on how many tickets you can request financing for. But financing is only available for tickets that are $100 or more.
The new payment method is aimed at travelers who don't have a credit card or can't afford their trip.
"When you want to take a vacation, it's a lot of money to put up out front and you might not be able to manage it all at once," said Klee. "Spreading it out ... makes it become more easy to manage."
Related: Airfares are down, United says
Klee said CheapAir has been "aggressive" about embracing payment alternatives to credit cards. The website also allows customers to pay with Bitcoin and cash through Western Union.
"Anything that competes with credit cards I think is a good thing," he said. "This is one more option, and the more options, the better."
Despite more travelers hitting the skies, airfare prices have been dropping recently thanks to lower fuel costs and more capacity. Airlines have been expanding their routes and adding flights in the wake of lower oil prices.
Airfare prediction app Hopper expects airfare will continue its descent this fall, with domestic tickets decreasing 8.2% to hit $213 in October. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/29/pf/cheapair-airline-tickets-monthly-payments/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent%29 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/b175fc42c129a8295dbf531b9602fe53b0ad0479ff77a60ebfbd98973fd34308.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T19:39:33 | null | 2016-08-30T03:03:38 | Barbra Streisand talks with Michaela Pereira about stardom and sexism. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2Fvideo%2Fmedia%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Fbarbra-streisand-i-wanna-be-somebody-stardom-women-hillary-clinton.cnnmoney%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_freevideo%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BVideo%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829220341-barbra-streisand-i-wanna-be-somebody-stardom-women-hillary-clinton-00024418-780x439.jpg | en | null | Barbra Streisand surprised 'we've not come a little farther' on gender equality | null | null | money.cnn.com | Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy have changed.
By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. | http://money.cnn.com/video/media/2016/08/30/barbra-streisand-i-wanna-be-somebody-stardom-women-hillary-clinton.cnnmoney/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_freevideo+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Video%29 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/0cc8b4402e8b81e1cce99c4de03c9b07a2cc6ddd23c5b26221683b5a112d0ac0.json |
[
"Jackie Wattles"
] | 2016-08-29T23:40:31 | null | 2016-08-29T05:57:02 | United Airlines hired Scott Kirby as the airline's new president, snagging the executive away from American Airlines. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fnews%2Fcompanies%2Funited-airlines-american-airlines-scott-kirby%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_latest%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BMost%2BRecent%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829180636-united-airlines-scott-kirby-780x439.jpg | en | null | United Airlines poaches American Airlines president | null | null | money.cnn.com | American Airlines' president is taking over a rival airline.
American's president, Scott Kirby, will become United Airline's (UAL) president "effective immediately," the airlines said Monday.
United said he will take over "operations, marketing, sales, alliances, network planning and revenue management" at the airline.
In a letter to employees, United CEO Oscar Munoz said that "will allow me to sharpen my own focus as CEO on the core mission of driving United's overall strategy, business innovation and financial performance."
Related: Delta pilots, seeking 37% raise, picket headquarters
Kirby, 49, has also had stint as the president of US Airways before it merged with American Airlines, and he has worked for American (AAL) for more than a decade. He became its president in 2013. He'll hold the same title at United Airlines in a role the company said it created for Kirby.
Doug Parker, American's CEO, said Kirby will leave under a "transition and separation agreement" and receive $3.85 million in severance.
In a letter to employees Parker said, "Other organizations have been aggressively attempting to recruit from our ranks" and the company's board "chose to act proactively to establish a team and structure that will best serve American for the longer-term future."
Kirby said in a statement that it's "an important and exciting time" at United where he sees an opportunity to "help accelerate the momentum the airline has achieved over the past year."
Munoz took over in September 2015 after the company's previous CEO Jeff Smisek was embroiled in scandal over allegedly manipulating flight routes for a public official in return for improvements at Newark Airport that United wanted. Despite suffering a heart attack in October just a few weeks after taking over that role and undergoing a heart transplant in January 2016, Munoz has been at work most of 2016 looking to turn around the airline's performance.
Related: Airline passengers are complaining less
The latest Airline Quality Rating report -- which measures factors such as on-time performance, overbookings and consumer complaints -- suggested it's paying off. United Airlines landed in 8th place, climbing up from 9th the previous year. American Airlines fell from 7th to 10th place.
American Airlines will replace Kirby with its chief operating officer, Robert Isom. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/29/news/companies/united-airlines-american-airlines-scott-kirby/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent%29 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/8364685c497af7f8984d68eb674624fda7392e0e81b5ed11de05aa3f2fb25856.json |
[
"Jackie Wattles"
] | 2016-08-26T13:47:10 | null | 2016-08-25T04:19:21 | Volkswagen agrees on compensation deal for more than 650 US car dealerships that have VW cars rigged with emissions cheating software. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F25%2Fautos%2Fvolkswagen-dealership-compensation%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/151001103301-volkswagen-dealership-780x439.jpg | en | null | Volkswagen agrees to compensate US dealers over emissions scandal | null | null | money.cnn.com | The cost of Volkswagen's emissions scandal keeps climbing. The company has now agreed on compensation for the dealerships that had diesel VW cars on their lots that turned out to be rigged to cheat on emissions tests.
The deal announced Thursday -- which is likely worth tens of millions of dollars -- involves 652 American car dealers. Volkswagen (VLKAF) has agreed to give out cash payments for the "unfixable, used diesel vehicles" on their lots, according to Hagens Berman, the law firm representing the dealerships.
Volkswagen said in a statement that the dealers will be compensated "to resolve alleged past, current and future claims of losses in franchise value."
The exact dollar figure of the settlement was not immediately released. Under the proposed settlement, VW will pay up within 18 months.
Related: Top Volkswagen executives accused of fraud in emission scandal
The terms of the proposed settlement are expected to be finalized by the end of September and are subject to approval by a federal judge.
Since it was revealed in September 2015 that millions of diesel Volkswagen cars worldwide had been rigged to cheat emissions tests, the auto maker has grappled with an onslaught of lawsuits and legal probes.
Related: Volkswagen profits back on track, despite scandal
This deal with U.S. retailers is the latest expensive settlement for the company.
In June, VW reached an $15 billion settlement deal that requires the company to repurchase any of the roughly 500,000 rigged cars sold in the U.S., or give owners a cash payout of $5,000 to $10,000 if they want to have their cars fixed.
The company also faces criminal investigations in the U.S. and abroad, which could pile on more expenses. VW revealed in April that it has set aside $18.2 billion to deal with the scandal.
--CNNMoney's Chris Isidore contributed to this report | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/25/autos/volkswagen-dealership-compensation/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/3500c2498c358ec0a7a1316537c850884dee6394d2a5899b031129d6571c779a.json |
[
"Sophia Yan"
] | 2016-08-29T07:37:10 | null | 2016-08-29T02:18:31 | China has set up a state-owned aircraft engine maker to boost its aerospace industry and support the military. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Ftechnology%2Fchina-aircraft-engine-maker%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829132015-c919-china-airliner-780x439.jpg | en | null | China's new plan to build a world-class aircraft engine | null | null | money.cnn.com | China has set up a new state-owned aviation firm to help meet one its top tech goals: building a world-class aircraft engine.
The new company, the Aero Engine Corp. of China (AECC), will be responsible for the research, development and manufacturing of aircraft engines and gas turbines, according to Chinese state media. The company has 50 billion yuan ($7.5 billion) in registered capital, and already boasts 96,000 employees.
The new firm is part of China's drive to become a global aviation player. Its establishment has been hailed a "strategic move" by President Xi Jinping, according to written remarks published by state media, and will help China's military reduce its reliance on foreign-made engines.
China has long struggled to build its own jet engines, and boosting its capabilities has been a priority as the country seeks to increase its military clout. Beijing's most recent five-year development plan identifies domestic development and production of engines and planes as a major goal.
But it's a difficult area to master, and China has generally relied heavily on technology from abroad. Over the past four years, engines accounted for 30% of all its imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
The ARJ21, a Chinese commercial jet that started flying in June, uses engines produced by General Electric (GE).
Even the C919, a commercial airliner that China is developing in the hope of rivaling Boeing (BA), is using engines made by a U.S. and French joint venture.
Related: Why China wants U.S. military jet engines
In June, the U.S. convicted a woman in a Florida court of conspiring to evade export laws by illegally acquiring and sending fighter jet engines and drones to China, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prosecutors said the woman was working with an associate in China to buy and export engines made by Pratt & Whitney and General Electric, which are found in a range of top U.S. military aircraft, including the F-35, F-22 and F-16 fighter jets. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/29/technology/china-aircraft-engine-maker/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/a5c6ef3325fcab4112f24771807e4791abefc7f242b5cc981b66ad11e9f28722.json |
[
"Sophia Yan",
"Judy Kwon"
] | 2016-08-26T13:47:00 | null | 2016-08-26T04:50:38 | Lee In-won, vice president the conglomerate Lotte, was found dead early Friday just hours before he was due to be questioned by prosecutors. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fnews%2Fcompanies%2Flotte-executive-death%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160826163351-lotte-logo-780x439.jpg | en | null | Top exec at South Korea's Lotte found dead hours before prosecutor questioning | null | null | money.cnn.com | A top executive at a South Korean company facing a corruption investigation was found dead early Friday just hours before he was due to be questioned by prosecutors.
Lee In-won, vice president of the conglomerate Lotte Group, was discovered lying on the ground with a necktie around his throat, according to local police.
Police said they suspected he may have hanged himself and fallen to the ground when the necktie broke, but the cause of death hasn't officially been established. A four-page letter was found at the scene in Yangpyeong county, east of Seoul, police said, declining to comment on its contents.
Related: Two Zurich Insurance executives found dead
Lee's death comes amid the ongoing corruption investigation into Lotte, one of South Korea's five biggest conglomerates. The probe has shaken the company, forcing it to shelve plans for an initial public offering of one of its units.
The daughter of Lotte's founder was arrested last month on charges of bribery and embezzlement.
As part of the corruption investigation, Lee was due to meet with prosecutors Friday morning, the company said.
Lee, 69, joined Lotte in 1973 and held numerous positions as he rose up the ranks over the decades.
"It is hard to believe that Vice President Lee In-Won, who sacrificed more than anyone to lay the foundations for Lotte, has passed away," the company said in a statement.
Based in Korea and Japan, Lotte has a wide range of businesses, including candy, hotels, retail and construction. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/26/news/companies/lotte-executive-death/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/711b9f14b89537f8bca4c1e2fb028d049c7fce77493702563fc60f347e9a339b.json |
[
"Kathryn Vasel"
] | 2016-08-29T23:40:32 | null | 2016-08-29T06:29:22 | Following an order from the Deparment of Education to stop admitting students on federal financial aid, the for-profit technical school has stopped enrolling new students. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Fpf%2Fcollege%2Fitt-technical-institute-financial-aid-enrollment%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_latest%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BMost%2BRecent%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829182634-itt-technical-institute-780x439.jpg | en | null | ITT Technical Institute | null | null | money.cnn.com | The hits keeping coming for ITT Technical Institute.
Just days after a major blow from the federal government that severely limited the school's enrollment, ITT has stopped enrolling all new students.
The announcement appeared Monday at the top of ITT's website.
On Thursday, the Department of Education barred its parent company, ITT Educational Services, from enrolling students who use federal financial aid.
That means students who are enrolled at ITT, but haven't yet started classes are not allowed to use federal aid to finance their education. Current students who have already started classes can still use federal aid as long as the school remains open.
Related: Is the government making money off your student loans?
Shares of ITT Educational Services (ESI) dropped after the government's announcement.
"ITT is effectively out of business," said Peter Appert, managing director senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray & Co, who follows ITT. "I don't see any way they survive this."
Along with cutting off some access to federal money, the federal government is also requiring the company to increase its cash reserves and provide a letter of credit showing sufficient funding.
"Frankly, it occurred to me they could file Chapter 11 pretty much any time," Appert said. "I don't think they are going to be able to come up with the letter of credit the DOE is demanding."
ITT Educational Services has been in hot water with state and federal regulators before, and was recently warned it could lose its accreditation, which would mean none of its students would be eligible for federal student aid.
Appert said the school had been working to make changes to its program offerings and marketing techniques.
ITT is also not allowed to pay any bonuses, severances or raises to management or directors without the government's approval.
The school did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Related: Hillary Clinton's for-profit university problem
The company operates more than 130 campuses across the country in 39 states and online and has more than 40,000 students in both undergraduate and graduate programs. Enrollment has been dwindling at the schools. In July, the company said new student enrollment dropped nearly 22% to 9,910 in the second quarter compared to 12,638 in the same time a year prior.
The government has been cracking down on for-profit schools recently.
In May 2015, Corinthian College filed for Chapter 11 protection after coming under fire from federal regulators for alleged predatory lending practices and allegations it inflated its graduates' job placement numbers. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/29/pf/college/itt-technical-institute-financial-aid-enrollment/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent%29 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/e330d25e2a6b4e51b1aa9908ec3087b8d3b9170ffb7ffcbb422c1eeb3fe0cf27.json |
[
"Lisa Fischer"
] | 2016-08-29T17:38:58 | null | 2016-08-29T01:27:20 | The Array of Things project is a series of outdoor sensors in Chicago that monitor air quality, weather and other roadside data. The information will be open source so civic-minded techies can analyze the data to improve quality of life in the city. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2Fvideo%2Ftechnology%2F2016%2F08%2F29%2Farray-of-things-sensors-chicago.cnnmoney%2Findex.html%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fcnn_freevideo%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNN%2B-%2BVideo%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160829113439-array-of-things-sensors-chicago-00000000-780x439.jpg | en | null | High-tech sensors track air quality in Chicago | null | null | money.cnn.com | The Array of Things project is a series of outdoor sensors in Chicago that monitor air quality, weather and other roadside data. The information will be open source so civic-minded techies can analyze the data to improve quality of life in the city. | http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2016/08/29/array-of-things-sensors-chicago.cnnmoney/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_freevideo+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Video%29 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/09f2b261c3b44e760596063a37dc30f45d139b6b3bbf10173381ca16642ef0e3.json |
[
"Seth Fiegerman"
] | 2016-08-30T15:37:46 | null | 2016-08-30T11:15:39 | President Obama will guest edit the November issue of Wired, which the magazine is touting as the first time a magazine has been edited by a sitting president. | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F30%2Ftechnology%2Fobama-wired-magazine%2Findex.html%3Fsection%3Dmoney_news_international%26utm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fmoney_news_international%2B%2528CNNMoney%253A%2BInternational%2BNews%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160630165319-obama-ottawa-780x439.jpg | en | null | President Obama to guest edit Wired | null | null | money.cnn.com | What else can you possibly add to your resume after serving as president of the United States? Magazine editor, apparently.
President Obama will guest edit the November issue of Wired, which the magazine is touting as the first time a magazine has been edited by a sitting president.
The issue, scheduled to come out in October, will focus on "the next hurdles that humanity will need to overcome to move forward," according to an announcement Tuesday from Wired.
"These will include personal frontiers, from precision medicine to human performance; local frontiers, including using data in urban planning and making sure renewable energy works for everyone; national frontiers, from civil rights to medical data," Robert Capps, head of editorial at Wired, wrote in the announcement.
It will also include "international frontiers, like climate change and cybersecurity; and final frontiers, including space travel and Artificial Intelligence," according to Capps.
Related: Obama's staff is taking over Silicon Valley
The announcement comes just days after Wired endorsed Hillary Clinton, marking the magazine's first presidential endorsement in its 23-year history.
Clinton won Wired's praise for supporting net neutrality, pledging to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, and aiming to make immigration easier for people with STEM degrees.
The Obama administration has been particularly cozy with the technology industry that Wired covers.
Dozens of Obama staffers have left for jobs at companies like Google (GOOG), Facebook (FB, Tech30), Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) and Uber -- and executives from some of these companies have also taken technology roles in the Obama administration.
Obama, like Clinton, has pushed for issues supported by Wired and the tech community, including entrepreneurship and the need for immigration reform for skilled workers.
Obama has even suggested he may be interested in doing some work as a venture capitalist after leaving office. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/30/technology/obama-wired-magazine/index.html?section=money_news_international&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_news_international+%28CNNMoney%3A+International+News%29 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/6073c6593a731f1869b45094d0c0ba8447170b0b146e836c4ebbc5cb24b97738.json |
[
"Sandra Gonzalez"
] | 2016-08-26T21:37:00 | null | 2016-08-26T02:46:50 | Cheryl Boone Isaacs encourages moviegoers to make their own judgments after seeing "Birth of a Nation" | http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fmedia%2Facademy-president-on-nate-parker-and-birth-of-a-nation%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Brss%252Fedition_entertainment%2B%2528RSS%253A%2BCNNi%2B-%2BEntertainment%2529.json | http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/160826101533-cheryl-boone-isaacs-780x439.jpg | en | null | Academy President on 'Birth of a Nation': 'People should see this film' | null | null | money.cnn.com | The president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences wants the public to judge "The Birth of a Nation" as a film and not by its director's personal history.
"People need to see the movie and judge the movie," Cheryl Boone Isaacs told TMZ during an ambush airport interview Thursday.
Asked her thoughts on how the controversy over Parker's past trial and acquittal for rape is impacting the film's reception, Isaacs, who has not seen the movie, said she sees the two as mutually exclusive.
"That's one issue. That's his personal issue and then there's the issue of the movie," she said. "And with the issue of the movie, the important thing is for people to see it and enjoy the film, be impressed by the film, and I think that is what is very important."
Isaacs' statement comes just a few days after the American Film Institute canceled plans to hold a screening of the film and a Q&A with Parker.
Press screenings of the movie began in Los Angeles this week. The test to see whether the film's impact will outweigh Parker's past is now underway.
Parker and his co-writer on the film, Jean Celestin were charged with rape in 1999 while they were students at Penn State University. Parker was acquitted. Celestin was convicted, but it was later overturned on appeal.
Conversation about Parker's personal history hit a fevered pitch in recent weeks following a report from Variety that revealed the woman who accused Parker of rape committed suicide in 2012.
Parker said he was "devastated" by the news in a lengthy note posted to Facebook last week.
"The Birth of a Nation" debuted in January to excellent early reviews at Sundance. The film was quickly picked up for distribution by Fox Searchlight for a record $17.5 million.
Oscar buzz has since taken a back seat to conversations about the allegations Parker once faced, however.
The negative attention now stands to possibly upset the movie's hopes for accolades.
RELATED: Will rape story kill 'Birth of a Nation?'
The studio has said it will move forward with plans to highlight "The Birth of a Nation" at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival and send Parker on a media tour. Sasha Stone, founder of AwardsDaily.com, told CNN last week this move could be a play to earn back its investment.
"I don't think that they're planning on winning any Oscars or even going into the Oscar race at all," she said. "I think it's more about making the film some money more than anything."
The true impact of the controversy on the movie's awards chances will take some time to see, she added.
"They have a movie they have to sell that's a really good movie, that a lot of people say is an important movie, and they're hoping they can find an audience for it of people who won't be protesting outside with signs against the studio or against the film," she said. "And certainly the Oscar voters are not going to want to go anywhere near anything like that."
Academy voters have historically been what Stone called "controversy averse."
"The tiniest bit of controversy will keep a film out," she said.
But why then have Woody Allen and Roman Polanski -- who've both faced allegations of sexual assault -- not been impacted? That's simple, said Stone. Up-and-comer Parker isn't yet established or "in the club."
"A Roman Polanski or a Woody Allen, they were known to these people," she said. "They're willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but they won't do that with Nate Parker."
"The Birth of a Nation" opens in theaters October 7. | http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/26/media/academy-president-on-nate-parker-and-birth-of-a-nation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fedition_entertainment+%28RSS%3A+CNNi+-+Entertainment%29 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | money.cnn.com/f96be8060d4add51c2334f0e075b7ffa01fe1c54833ad9bbb933fe2f57bb2520.json |
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