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“We invite to Russia all those who love sports and fair uncompromising struggle,” Putin said at a ceremony to mark one year before the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics Thursday. “In 2007, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) supported the Olympic dream of millions of Russian nationals. We are doing everything possible to justify the confidence,” Putin said, adding that he hoped the Sochi Games would take world sports to a qualitatively new level....

In recent days, Russian state TV personalities have openly lambasted the Russian military and questioned leadership up the power chain, all the way to the Kremlin. It has presented a change in tone since confidence levels were high when the invasion started on February 24. Michael McFaul, who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia under President Barack Obama between 2012 and 2014, said there is a reason these people are speaking out....

Based in Mulino, in the Nizhny Novgorod region east of Moscow, Russia’s 3rd Army Corps is said to be the first big new formation assembled for the Ukraine war as the Kremlin tries to replace huge troop losses. Recent intelligence indicates the formation is moving to the front via rail lines. Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) reported last month that equipment is being transported by rail to Neklynivka railway station in Russia’s Rostov region, near the border with Ukraine’s Donetsk region....

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted a senior lawmaker as saying that the Iskander missiles had been deployed to the exclave on the Baltic Sea, Reuters reported at the time. (Newsweek was not immediately able to locate the original RIA report on the deployment of the nuclear-capable weapons.) The exclave’s capital city, also called Kaliningrad, is just 50 miles from Poland. The quote in the RIA report came from Vladimir Shamanov, a retired colonel-general of the Russian armed forces who leads the State Duma Defense Committee....

McCue Jury and Partners law firm was requested to present evidence to the United Kingdom Parliament on Tuesday regarding its case against the military group, according to a press release. Wagner operates as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s private army and has been accused of war crimes in the past. “There are times when governments—whether through domestic or international systems, courts, or inter-governmental agencies—are simply too slow or cannot respond adequately to resolve certain global crises and provide justice, let alone to the victims,” the firm wrote in its release....

Putin said on Monday that it would be possible to restart stalled peace talks between the nations but expressed frustration that Ukraine was “refusing to discuss anything” with Russia after Moscow’s recent suspension of a deal to allow the exporting of grain from Ukrainian ports. In July, Russia agreed to end its Black Sea blockade of the grain shipments following negotiations with Ukraine that were brokered by the United Nations (U....

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) released a report on Thursday detailing the latest information on the conflict in Ukraine. The report noted that, following Putin’s announcement that Russia would be mounting a partial mobilization against Ukraine to escalate the war three weeks ago, there have been significant issues in the army. “Russian media reported that five mobilized men from Chelyabinsk [in west-central Russia] have already died in combat in Ukraine, just three weeks after President Vladimir Putin’s declaration of partial mobilization on September 21,” the ISW said....

Still, like many Internet users, he knew there had to be a better way to get around, and he decided to create it himself. Gleick and programmer Uday Ivatury designed the Pipeline, a New York-based Internet provider with an easy-to-use graphical interface for Windows or Macs. It now has more than 6,000 subscribers. Gleick says. Recently, Gleick decided to franchise the Pipeline’s interface through Virginia-based InterCon Systems Corp. to local Internet providers around the country....

Do you prefer Conan with the beard or without? I liked Beardo Conan. Are you tapping him for help? Completely. I’m going to stalk him. Just sit in the crowd for as many shows as I can. Are you prepared for a backlash? I know I’m going to get hit. You can’t please everybody and you shouldn’t try to. There’s people on the Internet who don’t like Gandhi. Who’s your favorite latenight host?...

Johnson: Where do the Kenya talks stand? Annan: We’re now at the critical item of resolving the political crisis. The two sides have stated their cases. The government side feels they won [the election] fair and square. The opposition thinks the government stole it fair and square. My problem is to bridge that difference. How much do Rwanda and Bosnia weigh on you personally? We are racing against the clock....

Conspiracy theorists with tens of thousands of QAnon followers on social media distanced themselves from Chansley after he was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his actions on January 6. In a post viewed more than 10,000 times on encrypted messaging app Telegram, user Crypto Ape wrote: “Mr. Angeli [another name used by Chansley] is an amazing actor who plays whatever role his owners tell him to play.”...

Jacob Anthony Chansley, aka Jake Angeli, has taken on attorney John Pierce to fight against his sentence handed to him on November 17 after he previously pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding in connection to the attack at the Capitol. There has recently been some confusion as to who precisely is representing the QAnon Shaman following his sentencing having previously been represented by Albert Watkins. On November 22, Pierce filed a notice of appearance in District Judge Royce Lamberth’s court, stating he was going to appeal the sentence the judge gave to Chansley....

The official twitter handle for PUBG mobile posted the details a few hours ago. PUBG mobile has been promoting Esports on mobile platforms since the launch of the game. Big tournaments like PUBG Mobile Star Challenge, India Series, Campus Championship and many others have made the game into a big Esports title. Players play on a daily basis to improve their performance, and millions of players play the game concurrently, although only a few of them are able to get those chicken dinners....

What is Weapon Mastery? Weapon mastery is the progression system of the weapons that you use in the game. We all have a preference for guns inside the game. Some of us like to use M416, while some of us are experts in using shotguns like SK12. But before the arrival of weapon mastery, there was nothing to show your skills on that particular weapon. Weapon mastery will allow you to unlock perks with every weapon you choose....

Since the beginning of 2018, Tencent’s stock has seen a 25% drop, which equals to around $150 million, according to Bloomberg. Tencent, who specializes in internet-related services in the Chinese region, currently is the fifth-largest investment company in the world based on revenue earnings. A large portion of their earnings in recent history can be attributed to the success of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Tencent’s reports show their more recent stock drops are thanks to the company being forced to remove the ability for players to purchase the PC version of Monster Hunter World just days after it launched in China....

So, what’s the difference between public and private blockchains, and what are some real-world examples of each? What Is a Blockchain? Blockchains are, by nature, a little tricky to understand, especially if you’re not hugely into tech. But we’ll break blockchains down as simply as possible before getting into public and private blockchains. In short, a blockchain is an immutable ledger of blocks of data that is distributed among multiple nodes, or devices, within a network....

Also axed from the 13-man squad after their humbling 2-1 series defeat to India were underperforming opener Aaron Finch and middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb. In-form Joe Burns was recalled for the first time since the South Africa tour early last year and could open the innings with rookie Marcus Harris, who did enough against India to keep his place. But they face competition from Matt Renshaw, who has been handed another opportunity despite misfiring in the domestic Sheffield Shield this season....

Srivaddhanaprabha’s son Aiyawatt was among the attendees at the scoreless draw against Burnley as emotional tributes were paid to the late Leicester owner and chairman, who was one of five people killed a helicopter crash outside the club’s home ground two weeks ago. Members of the squad flew to Thailand last weekend to attend Srivaddhanaprabha’s funeral and injured defender Harry Maguire joined in a memorial march before Saturday’s match....

The decision to replace Maddison with Ghezzal as the Foxes heaped pressure on United was met with boos from Leicester fans but Puel insisted the introduction of the Algeria international was warranted. Maddison is a popular figure at King Power Stadium after scoring five goals in 23 Premier League appearances this season, while Ghezzal has had fewer opportunities to impress Leicester fans, starting just six times. Puel told BBC Sport: “We have possibilities on the bench also and Rachid needs good support from the fans....