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WORLD / Politics

How Putin turned a Western boycott into a bonanza

Today in Russia, a robust consumer world carries on, helping Russian President Vladimir Putin maintain a sense of normalcy despite a war that has proved longer, deadlier and costlier than he predicted.

Today in Russia, a robust consumer world carries on, helping Russian President Vladimir Putin maintain a sense of normalcy despite a war that has proved longer, deadlier and costlier than he predicted. | Sputnik / via AFP-JIJI

By Paul Sonne and Rebecca R. Ruiz
The New York Times

Dec 19, 2023

Soon after Russian troops invaded his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a plea to Western companies: “Leave Russia,” he said. “Make sure that the Russians do not receive a single penny.”

Hundreds of companies answered the call. Politicians and activists predicted that it would help strangle the Russian economy and undermine the Kremlin’s war effort.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had other plans.

Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night’s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.

Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights

By Tomoko Otake

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan’s landscape that they often go unnoticed.

Why Japan’s utility poles won’t be disappearing anytime soon

By Alex K.T. Martin

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