Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) on Friday expanded its list of persons and organizations involved in extremist activities or terrorism to include the LGBT movement. The updated list could be found on the agency’s website.
According to the law, banks are required to freeze the funds of persons included in this list and suspend services to them.
Last November, the Russian Supreme Court upheld the Ministry of Justice’s recognition of the international LGBT movement as extremist. The court also recognized its structural divisions as extremist and banned them.
According to Interfax sources, the law “does not affect the right of citizens to privacy and will not entail any negative legal consequences.” The restrictions are related to the need to comply with the ban on LGBT propaganda, advertising, generating interest, and involvement in the LGBT movement.
In 2022, Russia expanded an existing ban on ‘LGBT propaganda’ to minors by outlawing it altogether. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the State Duma, said at the time that the ban would shield “our children and the future of the country from the darkness spread by the US and European states.”
President Vladimir Putin clarified last month that the authorities do not have issues with what members of the community do in their personal lives, as long as they “don’t flaunt it” in public and do not involve children.
The retaliatory attacks disrupted the functioning of industrial enterprises producing and repairing weapons, military equipment and ammunition in Kiev and other regions, according to Russia's military.
Russia has carried out strikes targeting Ukraine's energy facilities, the military-industrial complex, railway junctions and ammunition depots, the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced.
"Between March 16 and 22, in response to the shelling of our territory and attempts to break through and seize Russian border settlements, the Armed Forces carried out 49 retaliatory strikes using high-precision long-range air-launched weapons, including Kinzhal aeroballistic hypersonic missiles, other missile systems and unmanned aerial vehicles," the MoD said in a statement Friday.
"As a result of the strikes, decision-making centers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, airfield infrastructure facilities, workshops for the repair of weapons and military equipment, storage depots for unmanned aerial vehicles and drone boats, logistics bases, as well as the temporary deployment points for special operations units and foreign mercenaries were hit," the ministry said.
Friday's operations included "a massive strike using high-precision long-range air, sea and ground-based weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles against energy facilities, [Ukraine's] military-industrial complex, railway junctions, arsenals, and places of deployment of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries," the MoD said.
According to the Russian military's information, the attacks left Ukraine's military production and repair facilities in disarray.
Furthermore, the strikes targeted foreign military equipment delivered to Ukraine by its NATO patrons, disrupted the transfer of reserves to the front, and hit Ukrainian and merc forces in rear areas where they were being refitted.
"All the goals of the massed strike have been achieved," the MoD said.
In frontline areas, the Defense Ministry reported battles with Ukrainian forces in five settlements in Kharkov region, two settlements in the Lugansk People's Republic, and fighting to repel Ukrainian attacks in the settlement of Sinkovka, Kharkov region and Terny in the Donetsk People's Republic. "Enemy losses amounted to up to 400 troops, three tanks, three armored fighting vehicles, 25 other vehicles and 19 artillery pieces," the MoD said.
Over the course of the week, Ukrainian forces attempts to break into the Russian border regions of Belgorod and Kursk were repulsed "thanks to the coordinated actions of the forces guarding the state border of the Russian Federation," the MoD said, adding that Ukraine's forces had lost "over 3,000 personnel" and militants, seven tanks, 15 armored vehicles and 17 other vehicles over the course of these operations.
In the DPR, Russian forces continued their advance in the Avdeyevka area of the front, repulsing 42 counterattacks and killing over 2,195 enemy troops, destroying two tanks, 21 armored vehicles, 65 other vehicles and 28 field guns, capturing the Alabastrovaya Railway Station, targeting Ukrainian forces in seven enemy-held settlements, and repelling ten attempted counterattacks, with total Ukrainian losses estimated at 1,885+ troops, six tanks, 13 armored vehicles, 41 other vehicles, 17 artillery pieces and nine ammunition depots.
Behind the lines, Russian missile and drone strikes March 16-22 were said to have hit nine Czech-made Vampir MLRS systems, a German IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile system battery, two US-made counter-battery stations - an AN/TPQ-50 and an AN/TPQ-36, and four Ukrainian Enklav-N, Nota and Bukovel-AD electronic warfare stations.
Finally, military aviation and air defense troops were said to have destroyed a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter, shot down two Tochka-U tactical missiles, two S-200 anti-aircraft missiles converted for use for ground attacks, 156 HIMARS, Vampir, Grad, Olha and Uragan rockets, and 992 drones.
Russian Strikes Paralyze Ukraine's Power Grid: Here's What Was Hit
Over half of Ukraine was left without electricity, heating, and Internet connectivity Friday morning in the wake of large-scale Russian precision strikes targeting the country's energy grid.
Ukraine's energy grid experienced the largest attack to date throughout the whole course of the conflict with Russia, Ukrenergo chief Vadim Kudrytsky announced Friday.
"The morning attack...was the largest ever, and was characterized by the use of a combination of weapons. The attack was carried out across different regions of Ukraine, targeting thermal and hydroelectric power plants, as well as the main electricity substations managed by Ukrenergo," Kudrytsky said.
At least two military airfields in the Ivano-Frankovsk and Zhitomir regions were struck, as well as the Starokonstantinov airfield in the Khmelnitsky region, one of the expected deployment areas for Ukraine's as-yet undelivered F-16s. The massive Dnepro Hydroelectric Generating Plant reported a halt to its operations and "very serious" damage. Dnepropetrovsk residents have been asked by authorities to stock up on water due to a disruption in the city's power supply.
Russian strikes on the Ukrainian infrastructure began on October 10, 2022, two days after the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge, which, according to the Russian authorities, was backed by Ukrainian special services. Strikes are being carried out on energy and defense industry, military administration, and communication facilities throughout the country. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov earlier stated that Russian troops do not strike residential buildings.
Earlier in the day, Ukraine's Energy Ministry reported "large-scale damage to generation facilities, transmission and distribution systems" and widespread power outages in nearly a dozen regions.
Explosions were reported in regions including Kiev, Kharkov, Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk, the Ukrainian-controlled portion of Zaporozhye, Ivano-Frankovsk, Khmelnitsky, Kirovograd, Krivoy Rog, and Vinnytsa.
In addition to energy infrastructure, the Russian strikes hit the Kharkov Transport Engineering Plant (part of Ukraine's defense industrial base), with blackouts reported across the city. In Zaporozhye, defense sector-affiliated factory Motor Sich was struck, according to the local underground.
At least two military airfields in the Ivano-Frankovsk and Zhitomir regions were struck, as well as the Starokonstantinov airfield in the Khmelnitsky region, one of the expected deployment areas for Ukraine's as-yet undelivered F-16s. The massive Dnepro Hydroelectric Generating Plant reported a halt to its operations and "very serious" damage. Dnepropetrovsk residents have been asked by authorities to stock up on water due to a disruption in the city's power supply.
Russian strikes on the Ukrainian infrastructure began on October 10, 2022, two days after the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge, which, according to the Russian authorities, was backed by Ukrainian special services. Strikes are being carried out on energy and defense industry, military administration, and communication facilities throughout the country. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov earlier stated that Russian troops do not strike residential buildings.
Ukraine's Energy System Subjected to Largest Attack of All Time - Ukrenergo Head
Ukraine's energy system was subjected to the largest attack of all time with group strikes hitting the country's thermal and hydroelectric power plants, Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenergo head Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said on Friday.
"The morning attack on the energy system of Ukraine was the largest of all time, it is characterized by the fact that combined means of destruction were used. The attack was carried out in different regions of Ukraine, on thermal and hydroelectric power plants, as well as on main substations operated by Ukrenergo," Kudrytskyi said.
Damage to energy facilities has been recorded in many regions, especially in Kharkiv, where the scale of damage is greater than in other regions, the official said, noting that the target was power grid facilities in different regions of Ukraine – generation facilities, high-voltage substations, substations of distribution operators.
Russia is at war – Kremlin
Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has turned into full-fledged war after the West became a participant in the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with national media published on Friday.
Moscow will continue to pursue its goal of ensuring that the Ukrainian military cannot pose a threat to Russian citizens or territory, the spokesman told the Argumenti i Fakty newspaper, noting that the country now has four new federal subjects which must be protected and fully liberated from Kiev’s forces.
Peskov stressed that Russia cannot allow the existence on its borders of a state that publicly claims it will seize the Crimean Peninsula as well as Russia’s new territories, referring to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
“We are at war,” Peskov stated, explaining that while the conflict began as a special military operation, as soon as “the collective West became a participant in this on the side of Ukraine, for us it became a war.”
In a phone conversation with journalists later in the day, Peskov explained that despite the conflict “de facto turning into a war,” legally it remains classified in Russia as a special military operation and that nothing has changed in that regard.
The Russian Defense Ministry recently reported that since the start of the military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, over 13,000 foreign nationals have taken part in the fighting on the side of Kiev’s forces.
Of these fighters, which Moscow describes as mercenaries, some 5,962 have been “eliminated,” according to the ministry. Most of them came from Poland, Georgia, the US, Canada, the UK, Romania, Germany, and France, it reported.
The head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, claimed earlier this week that France is preparing its forces for deployment to Ukraine and is allegedly looking to send as many as 2,000 troops to fight for Kiev.
French President Emmanuel Macron has hinted in recent weeks at the possible deployment of NATO forces to Ukraine, stating he could not “exclude” this possibility while branding Russia an “adversary.”
Moscow has warned that such a step would likely lead to a direct clash between Russian and NATO forces, which, according to President Vladimir Putin, would be “one step shy of a full-scale World War III.”
The U.S. Department of Justice and 15 states on Thursday sued Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab as the government cracks down on Big Tech, alleging the iPhone maker monopolized the smartphone market, hurt smaller rivals and drove up prices.
Apple joins competitors sued by regulators, including Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google, Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab and Amazon.com (AMZN.O), opens new tab across the administrations of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
"Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate the antitrust laws," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly."
The Justice Department said that Apple charges as much as $1,599 for an iPhone and makes larger profit than any others in the industry. Officials also said Apple charges various business partners - from software developers to credit card companies and even its rivals such as Google - behind the scenes in ways that ultimately raise prices for consumers and drive up Apple's profit.
Dating back to its time as a marginal player in the personal computer market, Apple's business model has long been based on charging users a premium for technology products where the company dictates nearly all of the details of how the device works and can be used. The Justice Department seeks to unwind that business model by forcing Apple, which has a market value of $2.7 trillion, to offer users more choices around how apps can tap in to the hardware that Apple designs.
Shares of the iPhone maker fell 4.1% to close at $171.37 on Thursday.
CHANGES SOUGHT
Apple denied the allegations made by the government.
"This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple — where hardware, software, and services intersect."
White House assistant press secretary Michael Kikukawa said: "President Biden strongly supports fair and robust enforcement of the antitrust laws."
People stand outside an Apple Store as Apple's new iPhone 15 officially goes on sale across China, in Shanghai, China September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song Purchase Licensing Rights
The Justice Department, which was also joined by the District of Columbia in the lawsuit, is seeking changes at Apple. An official suggested some form of breakup or reduction of the size of Apple was a possibility when they noted "structural relief is also a form of equitable relief."
The 88-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. federal court in Newark, New Jersey, said it was focused on “freeing smartphone markets from Apple's anticompetitive and exclusionary conduct and restoring competition to lower smartphone prices for consumers, reducing fees for developers, and preserving innovation for the future.”
The Apple Inc logo is seen at the entrance to the Apple store in Brussels, Belgium November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman Purchase Licensing Rights
In the lawsuit, the U.S. accused Apple of making it harder for consumers to block competitors and cited five examples where Apple used mechanisms to suppress technologies that would have increased competition among smartphones: so-called super apps, cloud stream game apps, messaging apps, smartwatches and digital wallets.
For example, the U.S. alleges Apple made it more difficult for competing messaging apps and smartwatches to work smoothly on its phones. It also alleges that Apple's app store policies around streaming services for games have hurt competition.
The Apple Inc. logo is seen in the lobby of New York City's flagship Apple store January 18, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The Justice Department seeks to define the market as that of smartphones in the United States, where most analysts believe Apple has slightly more than half of the market. Apple representatives said they will try to persuade the court to define the market as the global smartphone market, where the iPhone has only one-fifth of consumers.
The Justice Department quoted an email chain from Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder who died in 2011, saying that it was "not fun to watch" how easily consumers could switch from iPhones to Android phones and vowing to "force" developers to use its payment systems in an effort to lock in both developers and consumers.
It is unclear what specific changes the Justice Department seeks. The complaint asks a court to prevent Apple from using its control of app distribution, contracts and use of private software interfaces to undermine rivals and to order anything else necessary "to restore competitive conditions in the markets affected by Apple’s unlawful conduct."
Apple has already been subject to antitrust probes and orders in Europe, Japan and Korea, as well as lawsuits from corporate rivals such as Epic Games.
On Thursday Reuters reported that Apple, Meta Platforms and Alphabet's Google will be investigated for potential violations of the European Union's Digital Markets Act that could lead to hefty fines by the end of the year, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.
In Europe, Apple's App Store business model has been dismantled by a new law called the Digital Markets Act that went into effect earlier this month. Apple plans to let developers offer their own app stores - and, importantly, pay no commissions - but rivals such as Spotify (SPOT.N), opens new tab and Epic argue Apple is still making it too hard to offer alternative app stores.
Russian President Vladimir Putin received 87.28% of votes, Russian Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova revealed on Thursday.
Watch the full video of Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing the nation's citizens after the official results of the Russian presidential election.
A total of 76,277,708 citizens went to the ballot box in Russia’s presidential election, casting their votes for incumbent President Vladimir Putin, according to the Russian Central Election Commission's report on Thursday.
Hence, Putin received an overwhelming 87.28% of the votes, while Nikolai Kharitonov from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation garnered 4.31% of the ballots, Vladislav Davankov from the New People's Party received 3.85%, and Leonid Slutsky from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia obtained 3.20%.
The three-day voting process for the Russian presidential election ran from March 15 to March 17.
As is usually done by the US and UK, the two countries intensively created information crimes (hoaxes in the main western media) by saying that the Russian election was illegal.
West distorts all market economy principles — Lavrov
The West is perverting the principles of the global market economy, those that it previously championed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during talks with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic.
"The most striking example of the distortion and abuse of all principles of the global market economy, principles the West itself was proactively implementing in international market relations, is the application of unprecedented sanctions against anyone standing for its own independence, defending its right to be part of the global community in full compliance with the principle of equal rights enshrined in the UN Charter," the Russian minister stressed.
This agenda reflects the course taken by the collective West headed by the US to politicize trade and international trade ties, thereby discrediting institutions "that were created after World War II to regulate global processes, meaning the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization," the top Russian diplomat said.
"In this sense, a special meaning is certainly acquired by the collective work on the floor of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions to defend the principles underlying the international system created after World War Two and which the West is obviously disinterested to perform," Lavrov noted.
Skuat Timnas Indonesia yang menghadapi Vietnam di Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia, Kamis (21/3/2024) (c) Bola.net/Bagaskara Lazuardi
Timnas Indonesia bertengger di posisi kedua, setelah melumat Vietnam ketiga grup F Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia. Berhadapan dengan Timnas Vietnam, Skuat Garuda menang dengan skor tipis 1-0 di Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno (SUGBK).
Egy Maulana menyaragkan bola ke gawang Vietnam dibabak kedua membuat Timnas Indonesia berhasil unggul dan tidak mampu disamakan oleh Vietnam sampai peluit panjang ditiupkan.
Hasil laga ini menempatkan Timnas Indonesia naik ke peringkat dua klasemen sementara grup F Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia. Sementara Vietnam harus turun ke peringkat tiga.
Berstatus sebagai tim tamu tidak membuat Timnas Vietnam jiper di Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno (SUGBK). The Golden Star tampil menekan sejak awal pertandingan.
Peluang berbahaya pertama di laga ini dibuat Vietnam melalui skema tendangan bebas namun Adi Satryo sukses menepis peluang tersebut.
Timnas Indonesia di lain sisi terlihat kagok di 15 menit pertama. Skuat Garuda sulit untuk mengembangkan permainan, di mana banyak umpan-umpan Indonesia yang tidak menemui sasaran.
Peluang tepat sasaran pertama Indonesia baru tercipta di menit ke-32 melalui tembakan Rafael Struick namun bola bisa ditangkap dengan mudah oleh Filip Nguyen.
Di sisa babak pertama, kedua tim saling melakukan jual beli serangan. Namun skor 0-0 tidak berubah hingga peluit tanda berakhirnya babak pertama dibunyikan.
Timnas Indonesia merayakan gol Egy Maulana Vikri ke gawang Vietnam, Kamis (21/3/2024) (c) Bola.net/Bagaskara Lazuardi
Memasuki babak kedua, Shin Tae-yong membuat tiga pergantian pemain. Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Yakob Sayuri dan Hokky Caraka ditarik dan digantikan Sandy Walsh, Pratama Arhan dan Egy Maulana Vikri.
Masuknya tiga pemain ini mengubah dinamika permainan Indonesia. Skuat Garuda jadi lebih aktif dalam menyerang, dan hasilnya di menit ke-52 Indonesia berhasil memecah kebuntuan.
Berawalan dari lemparan ke dalam dari Pratama Arhan, bola yang masuk ke kotak penalti coba dihalau oleh bek Vietnam. Apesnya, bola sapuan itu malah jatuh ke kaki Egy, dan penyerang Timnas Indonesia itu tanpa kesulitan menyambar bola menjadi gol. Indonesia unggul 1-0 atas sang tamu.
Gol tersebut membuat Indonesia semakin percaya diri. Serangan demi serangan dilancarkan skuat Garuda ke gawang Vietnam, sementara The Golden Star lebih memanfaatkan serangan balik.
Tensi pertandingan semakin memanas. Kedua tim tidak sungkan-sungkan mengeluarkan tekel-tekel keras untuk menghentikan serangan lawan.
Di masa injury time, Indonesia nyaris menggandakan keunggulan menjadi 2-0 berkat sepakat Egy di depan mulut gawang. Namun kali ini Filip Nguyen berhasil menepis bola sehingga peluang itu gagal berbuah menjadi gol.
Jual beli serangan berlanjut, namun skor 1-0 untuk keunggulan Indonesia bertahan hingga wasit meniupkan peluit tanda berakhirnya pertandingan.
Timnas Indonesia (3-5-2): Adi Satryo; Jay Idzes, Rizky Ridho, Justin Hubner; Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Ivar Jenner, Marselino Ferdinan, Witan Sulaeman, Yakob Sayuri; Rafael Struick, Hokky Caraka
Pelatih: Shin Tae-yong
Timnas Vietnam (3-5-2): Nguyen Filip; Vo Minh Trong, Bui Tien Dung, Pham Xuan Manh, Phan Tuan Tai, Bui Hoang Viet Anh; Do Hung Dung, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Thai Son; Nham Manh Dung, Nguyen Dinh Bac
Pelatih: Philippe Trousier
Klasemen sementara Ronde Kedua Grup F Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia (Wikipedia)
