How Vladimir Putin turned Brazil into a spy factory
Russia's intelligence services turned Brazil into an assembly line for deep-cover operatives. A team of federal agents from the South American country has been quietly dismantling it.
Artem Shmyrev had everyone fooled. The Russian intelligence officer seemed to have built the perfect cover identity. He ran a successful 3D printing business and shared an upscale apartment in Rio de Janeiro with his Brazilian girlfriend and a fluffy orange-and-white Maine coon cat.
But most important, he had an authentic birth certificate
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NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Trump says Putin to retaliate over Ukraine attacks as peace remains distant
US President Donald Trump has said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is planning to retaliate against Ukraine for drone strikes on Moscow's strategic bomber fleet, as progress in US-sponsored peace negotiations still appears distant. Following a roughly 75-minute call with Putin, Trump said on social media that they had
National Business Review
a day ago
- National Business Review
No immediate peace for Ukraine; UK avoids 50% aluminium tariff
Ata mārie and welcome to your Thursday overview of the business and political stories making headlines. First up, Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken to US President Donald Trump by phone and there appeared to be no immediate peace solution for Ukraine. Putin said he was obligated to respond to Ukraine's weekend drone attack, setting up a potential escalation in the conflict, CNN reported. Trump said the 75-minute conversation would not end the war in Ukraine immediately. 'We discussed the attack on Russia's docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides,' Trump said. 'It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.' CNBC reported that Trump and Putin also discussed Iran, and that time was running out for Iran's decision about nuclear weapons. Earlier, the BBC said a report by the UN nuclear watchdog concluded Iran had increased production of enriched uranium, a key component in making nuclear weapons. Elsewhere, the White House signalled that the UK could be spared from the fresh 50% steel and aluminium tariffs this week, the Guardian reported. Trump said he had decided to 'provide different treatment' to the UK, after a trade deal was agreed but yet to be signed between the two countries. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that deal would be implemented 'within a very short time'. US President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, a provision in the more than 1000-page 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' concerned foreign investors, the BBC reported. Section 899, known as the "revenge tax" by critics, could let the US introduce higher taxes on investors from countries with tax policies that the US did not like. The BBC said that could include digital-services taxes on technology companies. The bill had passed narrowly in the House of Representatives but still faced Senate scrutiny. If passed, Section 899 could raise tax burdens for multinationals, investors, and wealthy families, which could put US investment on ice, the BBC noted. In Gaza, around 100 Palestinians had been killed and 440 injured after a series of attacks by Israel over the past 24 hours, Al Jazeera reported. Israel's military warned starving people to avoid aid distribution sites run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. That was because of a planned closure for renovation and reorganisation, along with 'efficiency improvement' work. The BBC also said that roads leading to the distribution centres were considered "combat zones" during the closures. Destroyed homes in Gaza. In business news, Nissan's new chief executive Ivan Espinosa was brushing off a tough global economy, competition from China, and trade tariffs, with the need to stay flexible, CNBC reported. 'Keep the optimism up, because the environment is very tough, and you don't want to get overwhelmed. You need to keep moving. 'It's a very turbulent environment we live in. In the past, some CEOs were very stubborn, very resistant to change. You need to stay open and stay flexible.' He noted more collaboration in the automotive industry in the face of growing geopolitical tension and supply chain challenges. 'Sometimes, it's just not possible to go it alone.' Finally, a story from the quirky files, after a large elephant entered a shop in Thailand in search of food, CNN reported. CCTV footage revealed the hungry animal entered the convenience store and helped itself to snacks this week. 'The elephant just walked right up. I came out and tried to shoo it away. I told it not to come closer,' shop owner Khamploi Kakaew told CNN. The shop is located northeast of the capital Bangkok, near the Khao Yai National Park.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Ukraine visits US, accuse Russia of silence
Senior Ukrainian officials visited Washington to seek US support against Russia while accusing Moscow of dragging its feet at peace talks. Kyiv showed its ability to continue fighting by setting off an explosive device under a bridge that has become a symbol of the Kremlin's claims on Ukrainian territory. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian artillery strike killed four people in the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy, an area where Russian forces have been making advances. Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, writing on Telegram after meeting US Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg, accused Russia of "playing for time, manipulating the talks, trying to avoid US sanctions and not wanting a ceasefire". Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was more blunt, saying Russia had ignored a request to comment on Ukraine's proposals at Monday's second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul. "We demand Russia's reply. Each day of silence from them proves their wish to continue the war," Sybiha wrote on social media. Russia, he said, had "passed a set of old ultimatums that do not move the situation any closer to true peace." Yermak, in the United States with Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, also said he briefed US envoy Steve Witkoff "on the real situation on the battlefield" and invited him to visit Ukraine "to witness the situation firsthand." "We need a ceasefire — we have fully supported the US proposal on this since March. We are also ready for a leaders' meeting, which Russia continues to avoid," he said. A US official said Yermak was scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. Yermak said officials would also discuss a deal that gives the US preferential access to new Ukrainian mineral projects and sets up an investment fund that could be used for reconstruction. Monday's talks in Istanbul made little headway toward ending Russia's war in Ukraine, apart from an exchange of proposals and an undertaking to conduct a new large-scale swap of prisoners of war. Moscow has responded to accusations of foot-dragging by saying Ukraine is not making a genuine effort to seek peace. At the talks, Russia told Ukraine it would agree to end the war only if Kyiv gives up big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army. Ukraine rejects the Russian conditions as tantamount to surrender. "The (peace) settlement theme is extremely complex, it consists of a large number of nuances...," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, adding that "it would be wrong to expect any immediate solutions and breakthroughs here". It was not clear what would be the next step in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but Moscow said early on Wednesday that Istanbul will remain the venue for future talks. COORDINATED ATTACKS Kyiv launched in recent days what appeared to be one of its biggest waves of coordinated attacks of the conflict. Ukraine's SBU security service said it had hit a road and rail bridge that links Russia and Crimea below the water level with explosives. The extent of any damage was not clear and Russian officials later said vehicle traffic had resumed. The bridge is a flagship project for Russian President Vladimir Putin, built after he annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a precursor to the latest conflict. Russian officials also announced that emergency crews had restored power to some 700,000 customers in Russian-controlled areas of southern Ukraine - in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions - after drones and shelling had knocked out substations and other infrastructure. Ukraine's attack on Russian-occupied territory in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions followed multiple Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that have at times left millions of Ukrainians without power. The latest attacks followed drone strikes over the weekend on Russian military airfields, some of which housed long-range nuclear-capable bombers. Ukraine's success in striking deep into Russia has prompted calls by some Russian military bloggers for a harsh response. Zelenskyy denounced the Russian military strike on Sumy, describing the incident as: "all one needs to know about the Russian wish to end this war." He also announced a military shakeup, including the appointment to a new post of a commander who resigned over a deadly Russian attack on a training area. Zelenskyy, speaking in his nightly video address after a meeting of top commanders, said the reshuffle sought to ensure that the military remained focused on combat more than three years after Russia's invasion of its smaller neighbour.
