In April 2022, retail sales in China were down 11.1% year-on-year, while industrial production was down 2.9%.
<<< May 18, 2022 Feed >>>
According to a survey by the Levada Center (the organization is recognized in Russia as a foreign agent), 29% of Russians believe in the evil eye and damage, and 22% believe that they most likely exist. The opposite opinion is shared by 43%: 30% say that they definitely do not exist, and 13% — that they most likely do not.
In the last two years, the proportion of those who believe in the evil eye and spoilage has slightly decreased (about 50% since 2020 versus 55-60% in the earlier period), and the proportion of those who do not believe in these paranormal phenomena has greatly increased (from figures about 30% to the current 40+%), primarily due to a very noticeable, three times, decrease in the proportion of those who find it difficult to answer
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The Croatian Parliament has passed a bill on accession to the single European currency. Thus, next year Croatia will become the twentieth country of the Eurozone. The circulation of the new currency in the country will begin on September 5. But during the year there will be a parallel coexistence of the Croatian and European currencies.
The euro is considered the official currency in 19 eurozone countries — Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Estonia. In addition, the currency is used in Montenegro and Kosovo.
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Sberbank will leave the deputy chairmen of the board of Sberbank Alexander Buriko and Sergey Maltsev, as well as board member Natalya Alymova. Earlier the senior vice president Andrey Shemetov left the company. Since the beginning of the year, several more top managers have left the bank that fell under Western sanctions.
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The Finnish parliament voted for the country’s entry into NATO. 188 deputies out of 199 were in favor of joining the alliance, eight more voted against
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Latvia breaks the agreement with Russia on cooperation in the field of culture.
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The Swiss Ministry of Defense is preparing a report on security options, which include joint military exercises with NATO countries and replenishment of the arsenal of ammunition. In addition, it is proposed to hold regular meetings between Swiss commanders and NATO representatives.
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India has suspended negotiations with the Russian Federation on the purchase of 10 Ka-31 radar patrol helicopters for a total cost of $520 million.
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The Sapsan high-speed train on the section between Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow will be replaced by the Lastochka high-speed train from June 1, according to the Russian Railways website.
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Gazprom will not publish reports under Russian and international standards for the first quarter of 2022, a source familiar with the situation told Interfax
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Roskomnadzor blocked access to the British website of the American broker Interactive Brokers in Russia at the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office due to inaccurate information on financial topics, the department told Interfax.
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Microsoft will nearly double its global employee budget and increase equity compensation to keep staff on track as competition and the cost of living rise, GeekWire reports.
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The Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah lost its parliamentary majority in the elections, L’Orient-Le Jour reported on Tuesday, citing the country’s Interior Ministry.
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A resident of the city of Berezino was sentenced to a year in prison and a fine of 100 basic units (3,200 Belarusian rubles or about $950) in the case of publicly insulting the president, senior officials and a prosecutor, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus reported.
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In 2021, China increased its toy exports by 37.8% to $46.12 billion, according to the China Toy and Children’s Products Association.
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Participation in Russian automobile enterprises is being discussed with several Chinese automakers at once, Denis Manturov, head of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, told reporters. The minister did not specify which Chinese manufacturers are participating in the discussions and which projects they are interested in.
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The first deliveries of goods to Russia as part of parallel imports (without the permission of the copyright holder, subject to the start of global sales) can begin within a month, given that the mechanism was launched on May 6, Denis Manturov, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, told reporters.
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Moldovan President Maia Sandu left on Tuesday for a working visit to Brussels, and on Thursday she will fly to Paris, where she is scheduled to meet with the French leader.
In a photo published by the president on his social media page, Sandu can be seen walking to the Wizz Air low-cost airline, which offers the lowest fares on the Moldovan market. She has a diplomatic passport and a ticket in her hands, and a backpack on her shoulder.
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The Ministry of Economic Development predicts inflation in the Russian Federation in 2022 at the level of 17.5%, in 2023 — 6.1%, in 2024 — 4.0%, in 2025 — 4.0%.
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Sberbank sent notices to the UK Financial Supervisory Authority and the London Stock Exchange about its intention to stop the circulation of depositary receipts, the bank said. The Sberbank depositary receipt program will cease to operate on June 16, 2022.
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The United States continues to urge the Russian Federation to provide permanent consular access to all American citizens detained in the country, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Tuesday.
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Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino announced a ban on entry into the country for about a thousand previously sanctioned Russian citizens, including Russian President Vladimir Putin
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Over the past 24 hours, more than 232,000 people have fallen ill in North Korea with what Pyongyang calls a fever, six people have died from the consequences of infection, the Yonhap news agency reports.
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North Korea is preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile that could coincide with US President Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea, CNN reported, citing a US official.
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The Baltic States and Poland have asked NATO to significantly expand the alliance’s military presence in their territories, as well as deploy additional weapons there, such as air defense systems, The Washington Post writes.
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Australia has expanded the list of individuals and organizations from Russia against which sanctions are imposed due to the events in Ukraine, follows from the data on the website of the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Thus, according to the published list, sanctions have been imposed on Dmitry Kiselev, CEO of Rossiya Segodnya MIA, Alexei Nikolov, CEO of RT, Sergei Brilev, journalist and host of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, Alexander Zharov, CEO of the Gazprom-Media holding, Mikhail Leontiev, TV presenter, Yevgeny Poddubny war correspondents , Alexander Kots and Dmitry Steshin, as well as the director of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War Alexander Shkolnik.
In addition, the sanctions list includes the first deputy director of the FSB, Sergei Korolev, the acting head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Alexander Chupriyan, and the first deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Bogdanovsky. Restrictive measures were also introduced against Wagner PMC and two Belarusian enterprises — Minotor-Service and OAO KB Radar.
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Negotiations between the Venezuelan government and opposition took place for the first time since October 2021. Reuters sources clarified that this is due to Washington’s demand in exchange for the lifting of a number of sanctions in the oil industry.
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The Scottish authorities are going to hold another referendum on the independence of the region by the end of 2023, and after gaining sovereignty, join the European Union and NATO.
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The US Treasury has issued a general license that allows oil company Chevron to start negotiations with the Venezuelan government about future activities in the country, a senior US official confirmed.
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The United States has abandoned the restrictive measures that prevented the work of American and European oil companies in Venezuela. This was announced on Twitter by Vice President of the Latin American country Delsie Rodriguez.
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The defense of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has appealed to British Home Secretary Priti Patel with a request not to extradite him to the United States, the wife of journalist Stella Maurice said on Twitter.
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The American investment holding Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) warned holders of Russian Eurobonds that it would not be able to perform the functions of a trustee (represents the interests of securities holders) due to a ban on the provision of trust management services to Russian citizens and companies, which was introduced by the European Union in early April 2022.
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«Yandex» said that it was not going to sell the search engine, mail and «Kinopoisk» and is not negotiating about it. The fact that the IT company, following Novosti and Zen, decided to sell several more Russian services, sources told Meduza (included by the Ministry of Justice in the register of foreign media agents)
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Former colonel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Dmitry Zakharchenko was sentenced to 16 years in prison with a fine of 500 million rubles. in the case of bribes for 1.4 billion rubles (at the time of detention, the figure of 9 billion was mentioned). In 2016, 2 million euros, 120 million dollars and 374 million rubles in cash were found in his apartment.
Initially, in 2019, a Moscow court sentenced Zakharchenko to 13 years in prison and a fine of 117 million rubles on charges of taking bribes and obstructing the investigation. In February 2021, a new charge was brought against him, as a result, the court issued a cumulative decision.
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In March-April 2022, 62,341 bankruptcy cases were registered in the file of arbitration cases in Russia — 10,000 more than a year earlier and almost three times more than in the same period of 2020.
Basically, individuals are asked to declare themselves insolvent, the reasons for the growth of applications for bankruptcy from them, experts call a decrease in income, a growing debt burden and better awareness of the country’s population about the possibility of getting rid of debts through such a procedure.
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Biologists have found that the self-destruction of octopuses is due to changes in cholesterol metabolism in their visual glands that occur after mating. In humans, high levels of certain types of cholesterol can cause serious health and behavioral problems, including self-harm and eating disorders. Severe cases can even be life-threatening. Similar symptoms are observed in female octopuses in their last days.
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In Lithuania, they propose to cancel the round-the-clock security of the country’s leadership, leaving it only to the president, the Delfi portal writes. The bill was introduced by the prime minister and the speaker of parliament, explaining that they want to have more privacy.
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The Argentine authorities presented a visa for digital nomads. The visa will be issued for 180 days with the possibility of a single extension. That is, it will be possible to stay in the country for a year. During their stay in Argentina, digital nomads will be able to receive discounts on air travel within the country, on work in co-working spaces, on visits to museums, cafes, and cultural spaces. It is not yet known whether a lower income threshold for remote workers to obtain a visa will be introduced.
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Lukashenka signed amendments allowing the death penalty for attempted terrorist attacks. Previously, the death penalty in Belarus could not be imposed for preparation for a crime. The amendments concern four articles of the Criminal Code, three of which are about acts of terrorism, and the fourth is about the murder of a statesman.
In particular, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a candidate in the last presidential election, is a defendant in the case of preparing a terrorist attack. She is overseas. In addition, as the Viasna human rights center reported in early March, at least eight detainees are charged with attempted terrorist attacks “on suspicion of disrupting the schedule of Russian trains with weapons and being involved in physical damage to the railway infrastructure.”
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The largest US oilfield services companies operating in Russia are terminating existing contracts and are looking for ways to exit the Russian market. This was reported by Kommersant with reference to sources in the market.
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Deutsche Bank stopped working with a number of large Russian banks, closing their correspondent accounts, RBC learned. Earlier, a similar decision was made by the Raiffeisen group.
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The Federal Air Transport Agency has extended flight restrictions at 11 airports in the south and central part of Russia until 03:45 Moscow time on May 25.
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Idle time at AvtoVAZ was extended until May 27.
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Australia has imposed new sanctions on Russian journalists and media executives, civil servants and organizations, in particular, Wagner PMC
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The ruling coalition of Germany has agreed to deprive Gerhard Schroeder of the privileges of the ex-chancellor because of his connection with Russia. The corresponding decision was made in connection with the refusal of the ex-head of government to leave several leadership positions in Russian corporations, including Rosneft and Nord Stream 2.
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In the capital of Armenia, the opposition resumed protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. 73 protesters have already been detained in Yerevan, the Armenian Interior Ministry reports.
Protests in the capital of Armenia and several other cities have been ongoing since late April. The opposition accuses Nikol Pashinyan of allegedly ready to transfer Nagorno-Karabakh under the control of Azerbaijan.
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In the first quarter of 2022, the Japanese economy contracted by 0.2% compared to the previous quarter, official preliminary data showed.
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Leonid Slutsky was appointed head of the LDPR faction in the State Duma of Russia, replacing the deceased Zhirinovsky in this post
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In the first quarter of 2022, the production of agricultural machinery in Russia increased by 12.3%, to 65.2 billion rubles, and its sales in the Russian market soared by 46.8%, to 55.7 billion rubles, the Russian Association of Manufacturers of Specialized Equipment and equipment (Rosspetsmash).
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The ambassadors of Finland and Sweden handed over to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg the countries’ official applications to join the Alliance.
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The British Burberry Group Plc, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of luxury goods, in fiscal 2022 (ended April 2) increased its revenue by 23% and decided to increase the amount of dividend payments.
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Foreign investors cut Chinese bond holdings by 108.5 billion yuan ($16.1 billion) in April, according to China Central Depository & Clearing Co (CCDC) and Shanghai Clearing House.
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Russia expels 24 Italian diplomats.
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Amazon has partnered with the National Immigration Forum, a DC-based advocacy group, to help refugees and those with a humanitarian password renew their work permits and obtain US citizenship.
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At a depth of 1.2 kilometers, scientists found 830 million years old bacteria in rock salt crystals. They may still be alive. It probably formed during the sedimentation of saline surface waters. During growth, liquid with particles of the environment could capture the crystals — this is how microorganisms appeared in them.
Scientists suggest that among them there are bacteria, unicellular algae, spores of bacteria or fungi. Geologists believe that if life ever existed on Mars, it could also survive to this day in the sediments of former salt lakes.
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EU countries have announced an increase of 200 billion euros in their defense spending in the coming years, von der Leyen said.
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Russia expels 27 members of Spanish diplomatic mission
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The Russian court arrested the former deputy head of Aeroflot Andrei Panov in absentia. He is accused of fraud with a contract for 200 million rubles to develop a marketing strategy for Aeroflot, which was concluded back in 2019.
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The Russian subsidiary of Google began the process of bankruptcy. The company explained to RBC that the decision was made due to the arrest of a bank account. Free services will be available for Russian users.
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In Uzbekistan, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were allowed to send alcohol and drug addicts for compulsory treatment. Now either their relatives or police officers can send drug addicts, alcoholics and drug addicts for compulsory treatment only on the basis of petitions from narcological institutions.
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Austria will deprive Gazprom of access to a gas storage facility in the city of Haidach, located near Salzburg. This is one of the largest underground gas storage facilities in Europe.
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Russian Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion of 34 French diplomats from the country
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The police of the Tambov region charged the former head of Krymavtodor, Dmitry Krivenko, with fraud on an especially large scale, the press service of the department reported and reports TASS.
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The heavy-duty Falcon 9 launch vehicle launched into orbit on Wednesday with another batch of 53 mini-satellites to replenish the orbital constellation of the Starlink global internet coverage network, developer SpaceX said.
Since then, SpaceX has launched 2,600 Starlink internet satellites. According to SpaceX, the Starlink Internet network is available to users in 32 countries, including North America, Europe, the Far East and Australia.
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The disciplinary commission of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has suspended Russian gymnast Ivan Kulyak for one year.
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The Russian court refused to consider the lawsuit of users against Netflix, who demanded compensation from the company in the amount of 60 million rubles for the suspension of services to the Russian audience.
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The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has donated 57,000 images from camera traps in the Amazon to an international team of scientists. Now the total database contains 120,000 images taken in the river basin on the territory of eight countries.
From 2001 to 2020, 289 species were captured by the lens. There are jaguars, anteaters, tapirs, toucans, cougars, spectacled (Andean) bears in the pictures. They live on an area of 8.5 million square kilometers. This largest photo archive will help scientists track and document habitat loss, climate change and species behavior.
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