logo
Russia's Putin joins mourners to pay respects to ex-classmate and top judge

Russia's Putin joins mourners to pay respects to ex-classmate and top judge

The Star24-07-2025
SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a farewell ceremony for Russian Supreme Court Chief Justice Irina Podnosova at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Presidential Administration in Moscow, Russia July 24, 2025. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.
MOSCOW (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin joined mourners on Thursday to say farewell to his former classmate Irina Podnosova, the head of Russia's Supreme Court, who died earlier this week aged 71.
Putin looked sad and pensive as he sat alongside members of Podnosova's family in a Moscow hospital where her open casket was placed on display, flanked by an honour guard, for people to pay their final respects.
Putin placed a bouquet of red flowers at the foot of her coffin, crossed himself, and bowed his head over the open casket before talking to her family.
Putin, 72, and Podnosova were fellow law students in the 1970s in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, where the future president launched his career in the KGB security service. Podnosova was one of several trusted associates from that period who took on senior roles in politics and the judiciary after he became president.
Podnosova had been chair of the Supreme Court for little more than a year. She died of cancer, Russian media reported.
(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark TrevelyanEditing by Andrew Osborn)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

White House says no decision yet for location of 2026 G20 summit
White House says no decision yet for location of 2026 G20 summit

The Star

time2 hours ago

  • The Star

White House says no decision yet for location of 2026 G20 summit

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House said on Thursday it is not yet ready to announce the location of next year's Group of 20 leaders' summit, following reports that President Donald Trump is considering hosting the event at his Doral golf club in Miami, Florida. "No firm announcement is ready to be made at this time," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. Asked if Trump hosting the G20 summit, a forum of the world's largest economies, at his own property would raise concerns about profiting from the event, Leavitt responded, "I would reject that premise entirely." Trump attempted to host the 2020 G7 summit at the same Miami-area golf club during his first term but reversed the decision after backlash over using his own property for an international event. The Republican has continued to blur the lines between his presidential role and personal business interests. During a recent trip to Scotland, he visited two of his golf resorts, Trump Turnberry and Trump International Scotland, where he took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new 18-hole course. Trump said on Tuesday he might skip the G20 leaders' summit in South Africa in November and send someone else to represent the United States, citing his disapproval of South African policies. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Nandita Bose in WashingtonEditing by Colleen Jenkins and Chizu Nomiyama )

Russia's FSB targets foreign embassies in Moscow in cyber espionage campaign, Microsoft says
Russia's FSB targets foreign embassies in Moscow in cyber espionage campaign, Microsoft says

The Star

time6 hours ago

  • The Star

Russia's FSB targets foreign embassies in Moscow in cyber espionage campaign, Microsoft says

The Russian flag flies on the dome of the Kremlin Senate building in central Moscow, Russia, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo (Reuters) -One of the Russian government's premier cyber espionage units is deploying malware against embassies and diplomatic organizations in Moscow by leveraging local internet service providers, Microsoft said on Thursday. The analysis confirms for the first time that Russia's Federal Security Service, also known as the FSB, is conducting cyber espionage at the ISP level, according to findings from Microsoft Threat Intelligence. 'Microsoft is now certain that this activity is happening within Russian borders,' Microsoft's director of Threat Intelligence Strategy, Sherrod DeGrippo, told Reuters. Microsoft's findings come amid increasing pressure from Washington for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war in Ukraine and pledges from NATO countries to increase defense spending surrounding their own concerns about Russia. The analysis tracks an FSB cyber espionage campaign that in February targeted unnamed foreign embassies in Moscow. The FSB activity facilitates the installation of custom backdoors on targeted computers, which can be used to install additional malware as well as steal data. Reuters could not determine which embassies were targeted. The U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment. Russian diplomats did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Moscow routinely denies carrying out cyber espionage operations. The hacking unit linked to the activity, which Microsoft tracks as 'Secret Blizzard' and others categorize as 'Turla,' has been hacking governments, journalists and others for nearly 20 years, the U.S. government said in May 2023 after the FBI disrupted one of its long-running operations. (Reporting by AJ Vicens in Detroit; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

German armed forces see 28% surge in recruits in NATO defence boost
German armed forces see 28% surge in recruits in NATO defence boost

The Star

time7 hours ago

  • The Star

German armed forces see 28% surge in recruits in NATO defence boost

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attend a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of Germany's accession to NATO, at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium April 28, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's armed forces reported a 28% surge in soldier recruits from January to late July, compared with the same period last year, bolstering plans to boost NATO defences in response to what it sees as an increased threat from Russia. The Defence Ministry said on Thursday more than 13,700 people had joined the Bundeswehr - the army, air force, navy and other forces - in that period, in what it said was the steepest rise for years. Germany wants to have 260,000 active soldiers by the 2030s, from 183,000 now, to meet new NATO force targets and strengthen its defences - part of a planned surge in military spending underpinned by this year's decision to loosen budget constraints. Interest in joining the armed forces also rose, with initial consultations rising by 11% and applications by 8%, while civilian sector applications jumped by 31%, the ministry said. Germany abolished conscription in 2011, leaving the country without a systematic registry of eligible recruits. From next year, the government plans to require all men turning 18 to complete a digital survey on their interest in joining the army. (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store