The Russian authorities began slowing down YouTube traffic by 40% this week, with speeds set to decrease by 70% next week, State Duma Deputy Alexander Khinshtein said on Thursday.

The decrease in traffic will not affect mobile users, Khinshtein said, adding that making YouTube run slower was “a forced step not directed at Russian users” but at YouTube management “which believes that it can violate and ignore [Russian] legislation”.

“The fate of YouTube in Russia depends solely on YouTube itself,” Khinstein said, before warning the company that unless it began complying with Russian law, “nothing good awaits it here”.

Russia’s largest internet service provider Rostelecom warned users earlier in July of potential service disruptions affecting download speed and video quality due to “operational issues” with the Google Cache System, which accelerates the loading of content from Google services in Russia.

https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2024/07/26/russia-to-slow-youtube-download-speed-by-70-lawmaker-says-en-news

Budapest took a 1 billion euro ($1 billion) loan, the largest one ever taken by the state, from three Chinese banks in the spring of 2024, Politico reported on July 25, citing the data of the Hungarian Debt Management Office.

Hungary's record loan came amid a record increase in its public debt to 140 billion euros ($152 billion), 73.5% of GDP, and a budget deficit of 6.7% of GDP, while the country has no access to European Union funds due to disputes with Brussels.

The loan, provided by the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China, and the Hungarian branch of the Bank of China, was fully drawn on April 19 and must be repaid within three years, according to Politico.

The loan agreement allows financing investments in the infrastructure and energy sectors, among other sectors, while keeping the ratio of public debt to GDP within the limit of 28.9%, the media outlet added, citing the government agency.

https://kyivindependent.com/hungary-non-publicly-takes-record-1-billion-loan-from-chinese-banks/

Russia would likely take up to 1.8 million wounded and dead over five years to achieve its goal of fully capturing four major Ukrainian regions, said the new chief of the British Army.

Gen. Sir Roly Walker said he'd based his estimation on the "current rate of attrition of dead and wounded" faced by Moscow's forces in Ukraine, according to UK media.

"That puts them probably well north of 1.5 million people — casualties — to achieve that with untold billions of lost equipment," said Walker, per The Times of London.

"If they carry on as they are, it would probably take the Russians five years to grind their way to their minimum objectives of the four oblasts," he added, referring to Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

All four regions are under partial Russian control and are in relative deadlock, serving as the war's eastern and southern fronts after Ukraine repelled the Kremlin's initial northern assault toward Kyiv and Kharkiv.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-lose-1-8-million-034150407.html

Doctors should use their status as a 'trusted member of the community' to warn patients about the dangers of climate change, health leaders say.

The Royal College of Physicians today issued new guidance that tells doctors to raise the topic during consultations and 'repeat it often'.

It calls on doctors to reduce carbon footprints by considering working from home and cutting back on prescriptions and tests.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13637313/Now-doctors-told-lecture-climate-change-Health-leaders-tell-medics-look-eco-distress-promote-remote-appointments-cut-emissions.html

When the Swedish hygiene products manufacturer Essity decided to withdraw from Russia in April 2022 following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine the Russian public was deprived of Libero diapers, Libress pads and Zewa toilet paper – the only brand with a flushable toilet roll core. At the same time the US company Johnson & Johnson also suspended supplies of its personal hygiene products in Russia.

The Russian state news agency TASS reported on Thursday that, after two years of intensive development, the Arkhbum Tissue Group had produced Russia’s first flushable toilet paper tube.

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/36066

ICJ rules Israel must 'immediately cease' all new settlement activityAs the International Court of Justice delivers its ruling on the legal status of the Israeli occupation of the occupied West Bank, hundreds of Israeli settlers are attacking the Palestinian town of Huwara - destroying properties, all under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.

Newly-Surfaced Video from Inside the Trump Rally Portrays How Chaotic It Really Was

"He's got a gun!"

"He [shooter] is on top of the roof."

"Stay down."

"He's on the roof, buddy."

"He's dead, mother f*cker."

"They've blown his head off."

“Holy sh*t.”

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of Indians fighting in the Russian army against Ukraine during his visit to Russia, a man from Punjab said on Friday his hopes to return home had been dashed as he has been asked to return to the frontline.

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/pm-modi-back-frontline-punjab-manrussian-army-9449039/

China has anchored the world’s largest coastguard ship in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea in a move that ramps up tensions in South China Sea

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/07/06/beijing-monster-ship-ramps-up-tensions-south-china-sea/

The Telegraph

Beijing’s ‘monster’ ship ramps up tensions in South China Sea

Deployment of world’s largest coastguard vessel in Philippines’ exclusive economic zone appears designed to intimidate Manila