Блогер Илья Варламов* (признан иноагентом в РФ, внесен Росфинмониторингом в список в список террористов и экстремистов) накопил задолженность в России в размере почти 245 тысяч рублей по неоплаченным штрафам.
В Европе выражают обеспокоенность тем, что проведение досмотров судов в ходе военно-морской операции Евросоюза IRINI может стать причиной усиления напряженности в отношениях с РФ.
Internal messages show Phoebe Gates knew her startup Phia was using a ‘cookie-stuffing’ scheme to generate profit, according to the outlet
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe has been accused of knowingly using a “cookie stuffing” scheme at her shopping startup that allowed the company to collect commissions for sales it did not actually generate, according to Bloomberg.
Phia, co-founded by Gates and fellow Stanford graduate Sophia Kianni, markets itself as a digital shopping assistant that finds cheaper products and discount codes. Despite Gates trying to distance herself from the “nepo baby” label and present the venture as independent of her billionaire father, it immediately attracted tens of millions of dollars from prominent Silicon Valley and celebrity investors during its first funding round and was actively promoted by Bill Gates.
The controversy around the company first erupted last month, when Bloomberg reported that Phia’s browser extension was automatically inserting affiliate tracking “cookies” into online purchases, allowing it to claim commissions even when shoppers had not used its coupons or links.
The practice, known as “cookie stuffing,” can constitute federal wire fraud, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Phia responded to the initial report by saying it had only discovered the problem within the previous 24 hours and described it as a software issue that was quickly fixed.
However, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that internal Slack messages and source code show Gates and Kianni had known about the practice for months.
In one December exchange, Gates reportedly asked developers to ensure automatic cookie drops were working across retailers so Phia could monetize “every transaction.” Kianni later told engineers that “whatever we can do to keep these cookies dropping will be amazing.”
After the features were disabled in July, average daily revenue reportedly fell from about $80,000 to between $10,000 and $28,000. Phia claims part of the decline came from suspending other monetization tools and says it has begun reversing improperly attributed commissions while hiring a compliance chief.
The controversy comes amid continued scrutiny of Bill Gates over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Microsoft co-founder featured prominently in recently released Epstein files, which contained allegations concerning extramarital encounters, requests for medication to treat a purported sexually transmitted infection, and discussions with Epstein about global health initiatives and a proposed pandemic simulation.
Gates has denied involvement in Epstein’s crimes and told Congress this year that the financier had tried to blackmail him over his extramarital affairs. He has called his association with Epstein a serious mistake.
В осенний период ожидается повышение стоимости аренды жилых помещений в Москве и Санкт-Петербурге в пределах 5-10%. Причиной такой динамики является сезонный рост спроса, обусловленный возвращением работников из отпусков и прибытием студентов в крупные города, уверены эксперты.
Глава Российского фонда прямых инвестиций (РФПИ) и спецпредставитель президента РФ по инвестиционно-экономическому сотрудничеству с зарубежными странами Кирилл Дмитриев заявил, что его призыв к Хантеру Байдену, сыну экс-президента США, рассказать об участии семьи в коррупционных схемах на Украине и организации биолабораторий остается актуальным.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan has been a public critic of Mr. Putin, who has denounced her country’s sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia visited the Kuril Islands on Thursday for the first time since they were seized from Japan at the end of World War II.
Valery Melnikov says his Mariupol series was pulled after complaints over his past work for RIA Novosti
German camera maker Leica has excluded a Russian photographer from its prestigious Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) following Ukrainian criticism over his links to the Russian RIA Novosti news agency.
Valery Melnikov, a three-time World Press Photo winner, said in a social media post this week that his long-term series, ‘Mariupol. Open Wounds,’ had initially been selected by the Leica jury for the 2026 shortlist before being dropped.
The project, which Melnikov has worked on since 2022, documents civilians living in the Black Sea port city of Mariupol, in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The city was liberated by Russian forces in May 2022 following an 85-day battle that left much of it in ruins. The DPR, along with Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, voted to join Russia in referendums later that year.
Leica had initially described the series as focusing on residents who “suffer the unbearable humanitarian consequences of the war.”
Melnikov said the complaints came from “either photographers or bloggers from a neighboring country” who described him as a “Kremlin-media-linked photographer.”
Ukrainian photographer Sergey Korovainiy, who has covered the conflict, had publicly criticized Leica’s decision to shortlist Melnikov, according to media reports.
According to Melnikov, Leica representatives told him that some of the photographs in the project had been taken while he was working for RIA Novosti. He stressed that his employment history had always been public, adding that the competition rules contained no restrictions on such circumstances.
Melnikov also stated that shortly before his project was removed, a vice president from Leica AG suggested that he personally request the withdrawal of the project while mentioning the potential for future collaboration. The photographer said he refused and that the executive declined his request to put the proposal in writing.
Leica has not publicly addressed Melnikov’s account of the conversation.
The photographer also stressed that the series is a personal project produced not in the interests of “corporations or states, but for ordinary people and for history.”
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, several EU member states have seen discrimination against performers from other nations perceived to have sympathy for Russia. Moscow has denounced such measures as “Russophobic censorship,” warning that attempts to “cancel” Russian culture will ultimately fail.
Melnikov, a 2015 LOBA finalist, has covered global conflicts, including in Syria, Afghanistan, and Mali. The winners of the 2026 award are due to be announced on October 8 in Wetzlar, Germany.
Президент Трамп установил ставку таможенных пошлин в размере 100% на ввоз в Соединенные Штаты Америки отдельных категорий беспилотных летательных аппаратов и комплектующих к ним.
В Ормузском проливе были атакованы два судна, которые находятся в собственности национальной нефтяной компании Абу-Даби (ADNOC), предварительно, пострадавших нет.
Emergency services said they were working at the scene of a derailment near Lewes, in East Sussex, on Thursday. Eighteen other people were less badly hurt.
Angelina Melnikova emerged victorious, while Anna Kalmykova claimed the second place in the competition underway in Croatia
Two Russian athletes won the first and the second places in the women’s all-around on the first day of the European Gymnastics Championship underway in Croatia.
World champion Angelina Melnikova scored the gold medal, while her teammate Anna Kalmykova received the silver. Another Russian athlete, Liudmila Roschina, narrowly missed the podium to French newcomer Elena Colas, who is now in her first senior year.
The participation of the Russian team was marred by hostile actions of Zagreb, which initially refused to provide visas to nine members of the country’s delegation, including both of the medal winners, a coach, and the team’s physician. Russian diplomats managed to secure visas for four of the affected athletes, while others remained barred from entering the country.
Apart from the visa troubles, the host country also refused to allow Russian athletes to compete under their national flag.
The European Gymnastics association reinstated Russian athletes at competitions earlier this year, enabling them to perform under the national flag, following the ruling of the World Gymnastics federation.
Still, for the events for which hosting rights were awarded before July 28 this year, the Russian teams can be barred from displaying the country’s flag and other symbols at the host’s decision.
Всемирный совет по автоспорту (WMSC), руководящий орган Международной автомобильной федерации (FIA), отменил санкции, которые запрещали российским и белорусским пилотам выступать с национальной символикой.
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