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Kaliningrad, the Russian militarized exclave surrounded by NATO that triggered Putin’s nuclear threat

Aerial view of Königsberg cathedral in Kaliningrad, 2023.

Kaliningrad, the militarized Russian exclave wedged between NATO and EU members Poland and Lithuania and a constant flashpoint between the Kremlin and the Atlantic Alliance, has become the center of Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threat against Europeans. Last week Moscow accused NATO of seeking to block Kaliningrad and threatened to use nuclear weapons if the military organization moves forward with that alleged plan. For the Kremlin, the exclave, which gives it a strategic outlet to the Baltic Sea (it is the only port it can use year-round) and is a key node in its hybrid war against Europe, is an advanced bastion. For NATO, it is a piece on the board that shapes any crisis in the Baltic because it could hinder allied military movements.

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Shell companies, Kyrgyz firms, and cryptocurrencies: The Kremlin’s phantom network to evade sanctions

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is approaching its fifth year. Since February 24, 2022, Europe and the United States have rolled out a battery of sanctions intended to strangle the Russian economy to the point where regime change would be the only viable outcome for the Kremlin. The wave of restrictions, however, has several loopholes — some deliberately left by the West to preserve certain exchanges, such as a limited purchase of hydrocarbons.

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© Vyacheslav Prokofyev (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool Sputni)

Russian President Vladimir Putin in mid-September in Moscow.
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Vladimir Putin militarizes the Russian parliament

The Kremlin has turned the parliament produced by last Sunday’s Russian legislative elections into an echo chamber for the war. Authorities barred the only party that had called for a truce, Yabloko, as well as candidates who were critical of the government — from independent Boris Nadezhdin to members of parties nominally loyal to the Kremlin such as the Communist Party and A Just Russia. In addition, the military are gradually displacing party bureaucrats in Russian politics.

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© Alexander Ermochenko (REUTERS)

Vote counting in occupied Donetsk.
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Lionel Messi to bid farewell to Argentina national team with a final match in Buenos Aires: ‘The last tango of the world’s best player’

A story that had it all, from painful defeats to everlasting victories, will come to an end. It will happen on October 6, when Lionel Messi plays his final match with the Argentina national team. That day the Albiceleste will face Benin in Buenos Aires in a friendly. “The last tango of the world’s best player,” said the president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Claudio Tapia.

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© Hannah McKay (REUTERS)

Lionel Messi celebrates Argentina's victory at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
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El calor empieza a dar un respiro este miércoles y el jueves llegará el aire fresco del Atlántico

El Gobierno de Canarias ha anunciado la desactivación de la alerta por altas temperaturas para pasar a nivel de prealerta, confirmando que la actividad lectiva presencial se retomará con normalidad este miércoles en todas las Islas. La decisión se adopta tras prever la Aemet una bajada generalizada de los avisos a nivel amarillo en casi todo el Archipiélago (a excepción de La Palma y El Hierro), con máximas que podrán superar los 34°C en zonas del sur y medianías.

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Crean una "máquina cuántica" que procesa información con luz clásica

Los físicos de la Universidad Estatal de Luisiana, en Estados Unidos, han demostrado que la luz clásica brillante y fácilmente disponible permite diseñar una red óptica y desarrollar mediciones que cuentan los fotones uno por uno. Esta combinación revela y utiliza un comportamiento cuántico multifotónico oculto para el procesamiento de información, pero sin los problemas asociados a la luz cuántica.

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Juanma Moreno suprimirá en 2027 el programa educativo de lengua árabe y cultura marroquí de Andalucía: este curso tiene 1.800 alumnos

El curso 2026-2027 será el último en el que Andalucía participe en el programa educativo de Lengua Árabe y Cultura Marroquí. El Gobierno de Juanma Moreno, formado por un pacto entre PP y Vox desde el pasado mes de julio, ya le ha puesto fecha de fin a la participación de los centros educativos de la comunidad autónoma en este programa coordinado por el Ministerio de Educación y la Embajada de Marruecos. En septiembre de 2027 desaparecerá de las aulas. En estos momentos, según los datos de la Consejería de Educación, hay 1.800 alumnos inscritos en este programa en Andalucía.

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