At least we have each other

Edward's weekly news roundup & open thread (August 13, 2023)

If you can geolocate this beautiful statue/monument thing, you win a free “heart” from Edward in the comments section. You must also correctly count the number of raindrops in the photo, though. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. Wait, yes I do… (photo credit: Edward S.)

A joyous Sunday to you, internet friend. Welcome to Edward Slavsquat’s traditional Weekend Link-Dump & Open Thread.

The comments section is waiting for your URLs, etc.

News from Russian media

• 42% of business enterprises in Russia are experiencing a shortage of workers, according to a new survey—the largest recorded labor shortage since 1996. [Kapital Rus]

• Iran and Russia plan to jointly build and repair aircraft and helicopters [Rhythm of Eurasia]

• Another Ukrainian missile was shot down in the area of ​​the Crimean bridge, the head of the Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said on his Telegram channel. [RIA Novosti]

• Rising gasoline prices: Chubais left, but his business lives on [Free Press]

• Erdogan and Putin will reportedly meet in late August or early September [Kommersant]

• Why management of the Russian shipbuilding industry was given to bankers from VTB [Reporter]

• Today’s socio-economic policy of Russia, with no meaningful exceptions, is still determined by the liberals, Mikhail Delyagin wrote in a recent op-ed. [Duma Deputy Mikhail Delyagin]

• Russian health experts are warning of a wave of “Eris” in the fall, shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) added the trendy new Virus Strain to its list of variants under surveillance. [Gazeta]

• Syria may become the scene of a heated confrontation between Russia and the United States [Military Review]

• Paradoxes of the ruble exchange rate [Nakanune]

• Russian bureaucrats are finding loopholes in Putin’s ban on state officials purchasing foreign cars. According to Tsargrad, applications for the supply of luxury foreign cars to various institutions continue to appear on the public procurement portal. [Tsargrad]

• In the Chelyabinsk region, on the first day of the operation “Illegal Migrant”, police officers registered about 100 violations by foreign citizens. Checks were carried out in hotels, hostels, markets, and at construction sites. As a result, 85 people face charges, and 10 people will be expelled from Russia by court orders. [Nakanune]

• The head of the Union for the Protection of Consumer Rights proposed switching to chicory instead of coffee [News.ru]

• On August 11, Roskosmos’ Luna-25 interplanetary station successfully launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome. The station is scheduled to land on the Moon on August 21. [Kommersant]

• Universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg increased tuition fees by an average of 12% in 2023 [Vedomosti]

• The Ministry of Digital Development has teamed up with the Ministry of Transport to develop a biometric travel card for Russians. [Katyusha]

Links from around the interwebs

• The Director-General of the World Health Organization has issued “standing recommendations” regarding COVID-19. [James Raguski]

• Everything you need to know about Covid’s “Eris” Variant [Off-Guardian]

• Today’s man between God and His monkey [Iurie Rosca]

• The Infuriating Climate Alarm [Iain Davis]

Edward’s dispatches in foreign languages

• Non, Poutine n'a pas interdit la 5G. Désolé pour ça [Comment Se Préparer]

Edward’s media appearances

I was honored to be interviewed by the very elegant and excellent Cecílie Jílková for Prague-based VOX News. (No, not the American Vox. That would be a hoot, though.)

My dear friend Jesse Zurawell invited me for a chat about Moscow’s clot-shot humanitarianism in Africa.

I will be a guest on Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock on Wednesday, August 16 at 9 am EDT. Tune in.

That’s all from me. Have a restful Sunday.

— Riley

The view from Edward’s country retreat in the South Moravia Region