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French public figures call on the media regulator to suspend license of Russia Today TV Channel
Public figures in France have demanded that the Russian propaganda channel Russia Today halted broadcasting, and that the license given to it be withdrawn. They appealed to the head of the Supreme Council for Audiovisual Resources of France (CSA), Olivier Schrameck, in a corresponding letter, reported the publication Le Monde.
"We appeal to you, Mr. Schrameck, with a request for the preservation of civil peace, to suspend the license for broadcasting rights in France issued to Russia Today," …
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Russia to conduct ‘alternative Olympics’ for athletes banned from going to South Korea due to doping
The Russian Minister of Sport, Pavel Kolobkov, has told journalists that his ministry will organize and carry out separate games for athletes banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, in South Korea.
Kolobkov said the competition will not seek to obtain a new Olympic Games status because the exclusive rights to conduct the Olympics were owned by the International Olympic Committee.
“Currently we are considering organizing a number of competitions and inviting foreign colleagues. We …
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Media: Putin’s friend buys sparkling wine plant in annexed Crimea
The Russian-controlled administration of the Crimea held a tender for the sale of the spartkling wine plant, Novyi Svit (New World) in Sudak on Wednesday, December 20th. The winner was the Southern Project company, which is a 100% “subsidiary" of the Russia bank which is under sanctions and owned by Yury Kovalchuk (who is considered one of Vladimir Putin’s “purses”), RBC news agency reports.
The company was sold for 1.55 billion rubles (about 26 million dollars).
The Novyi Svit winery was …
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Lithuania bans Kaspersky antivirus
On Thursday, December 21, Lithuania banned the use of anti-virus programs produced by the Russian company Kaspersky Lab on computers of government agencies and private companies.
Specifically, this has to do with computers that manage the energy, financial, and transport infrastructure sectors, reports Deutsche Welle.
Reuters news agency quotes the statement from the Lithuanian government which said that that using Kaspersky software can threaten national security. In response, the Russian …
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Merkel asks Putin why Russian officers left Joint Center for the Control and Coordination in Donbas
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, spoke on the phone with the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel. The Kremlin's website indicated that the politicians discussed the situation in the Donbas. Merkel asked her Russian colleague why Russian officers left the Joint Center for Control and Coordination for the ceasefire and stabilization of the Contact Line (JCCC).
In response, Putin accused the Ukrainian authorities “who had made it difficult for the Russian military to work because of …