Con quali occhi il presidente cinese guarda oggi al suo collega di Mosca?

Fausto Carioti per "Libero quotidiano"


FEDERICO RAMPINI

Una delle incognite più grandi riguarda l'atteggiamento del presidente cinese Xi Jinping nei confronti di Vladimir Putin. La Cina non ha mai riconosciuto l'annessione della Crimea da parte della Russia e ha acquistato 42 milioni di ettari di terreni agricoli in Ucraina. Inoltre, l'idea che un gruppo etnico possa rivendicare la propria indipendenza è ritenuta pericolosissima dal regime.

Chi conosce bene ciò che sta avvenendo nell'impero del Dragone è Federico Rampini, oggi editorialista da New York del Corriere della Sera, nonché autore di due dei libri più sorprendenti degli ultimi anni. Uno è La notte della sinistra, in cui racconta, senza indulgenze, la separazione tra popolo ed élite progressista avvenuta in Italia, Stati Uniti e nel resto dell'Occidente. L'altro, più recente, s' intitola Fermare Pechino.

Rampini, tutto fa credere che Xi fosse favorevole al mantenimento dello status quo e non volesse l'invasione russa. Che però è avvenuta. Con quali occhi il presidente cinese guarda oggi al suo collega di Mosca?

«La Cina è il primo partner commerciale dell'Ucraina e l'invasione russa è un danno per i suoi interessi economici. Inoltre c'è la questione di principio: la Cina ha sempre criticato le invasioni militari... salvo quando le ha praticate. Ricordo Tibet, India e Vietnam, per restare ai casi recenti. L'appoggio di Xi Jinping a Putin guarda però ai vantaggi di lungo periodo. Una Russia che si allontana dall'Occidente è costretta a finire nelle braccia della Cina, che le farà pagare il suo aiuto politico, economico, finanziario, tecnologico».

Da quando è iniziata l'invasione russa hai notato un cambiamento nell'atteggiamento di Xi?

«Col passare dei giorni il sostegno cinese si è fatto più cauto, Pechino ha lanciato appelli al dialogo fra le parti. Xi Jinping vuole mantenere tutta la sua libertà di manovra con l'Occidente, non si lascia identificare con Putin. Lo aiuterà a sopravvivere con le sanzioni economiche occidentali, ma a caro prezzo, e senza tagliarsi i ponti con l'America».

La Cina ha sempre distinto la questione di Taiwan, che reputa parte del proprio territorio, da quella dell'Ucraina. Mentre noi parliamo, però, i caccia cinesi tengono sotto pressione le difese taiwanesi. Ritieni possibile l'invasione?

«Le violazioni dello spazio aereo di Taiwan da parte di squadriglie militari cinesi sono all'ordine del giorno da tempo. Sono senza dubbio minacciose, ma non mi pare che siano aumentate di recente. È corretto dire che per Pechino il principio di sovranità e di rispetto dell'integrità territoriale degli Stati non si applica a Taiwan, che è considerata una provincia ribelle, più simile a quel che la Catalogna è per la Spagna, se vogliamo usare un paragone europeo. È altrettanto vero, però, che l'impotenza dell'Occidente in Ucraina è considerata un test significativo per la Cina e le sue mire di annessione di Ta

La Russia resta, per dirla con Churchill, un indovinello avvolto in un mistero all'interno di un enigma. L'invasione dell'Ucraina è una sentenza di morte per il gasdotto Nord Stream 2, che sarebbe dovuto entrare in funzione nei prossimi mesi, e rischia di segnare la fine delle esportazioni di gas in Europa. Perché la Russia dovrebbe rinunciare ai nostri soldi?

«La Russia rinuncia solo ai soldi virtuali del Nord Stream 2, che non è mai entrato in funzione e quindi rappresenta il reddito futuro da un investimento. Il resto delle esportazioni di gas russo verso l'Europa continuano e frutteranno un gettito aumentato, grazie al rincaro dei prezzi mondiali.

Come si è visto con la sanzione che esclude la Russia dal sistema di pagamenti internazionali Swift, gli europei hanno dovuto per forza inserire un'eccezione che consenta di pagare il gas. In vista di ulteriori peggioramenti nelle relazioni con l'Europa occidentali, Putin ha raggiunto accordi con la Cina per aumentare le forniture in quella direzione».

Stai dicendo che la guerra e le sanzioni non comporteranno perdite economiche per la Russia?

«No, non dico questo. Le perdite economiche per la Russia saranno sostanziali, ma Putin si prepara da anni a questo conflitto e ha fatto tutto quello che poteva per costruire un'economia più autarchica, meno esposta alle sanzioni, più rivolta a Oriente. Mentre modernizzava le sue forze armate, ha ridotto il debito pubblico e il debito estero, proprio per poter resistere a un assedio finanziario».

La Cina, con cui Gazprom si è già impegnata a vendere gas per i prossimi trent'anni, potrebbe essere in futuro l'unico mercato per il metano russo?

«La Cina ha bisogni energetici enormi, per cui potrà assorbire tutto il gas che eventualmente l'Europa smetterà di comprare, e ha già deciso la costruzione di nuove infrastrutture per trasportare più gas russo a Oriente. Sta però investendo molto anche nel nucleare, che considera a tutti gli effetti una fonte rinnovabile, nel solare, nell'eolico, nell'auto elettrica. Questo significa che come cliente di energie fossili dalla Russia avrà un appetito decrescente nel tempo, via via che Xi realizzerà i suoi piani di de-carbonizzazione».

Sinora la Cina si è limitata a condannare le sanzioni occidentali. Nell'Onu e negli altri organismi, che atteggiamento possiamo aspettarci da Pechino nei confronti di Mosca?

«Appoggio prudente e condizionato, per le ragioni di cui sopra. La diplomazia cinese si esibisce in un'acrobazia di cui è maestra: non dirà nulla che sconfessi Putin e appoggerà la sua narrazione sull'accerchiamento occidentale della Russia. Però, soprattutto se la guerra-lampo dovesse trasformarsi in un conflitto prolungato, mi aspetto che Pechino si smarchi e offra i suoi servizi di mediazione per una soluzione diplomatica. Non dimentico che la Repubblica Popolare non ha mai riconosciuto la Crimea, proprio perché non ama i separat
A molti osservatori Joe Biden è apparso spiazzato dalla spregiudicatezza di Putin. Che giudizio dai del suo operato? Gli attribuisci errori, come quello di aver consentito l'avvicinamento tra Putin e Xi?

«L'avvicinamento tra Russia e Cina dura da quattro presidenti americani, i primi segnali erano chiari già sotto George W. Bush. In Europa molti si sono convinti che la ritirata caotica da Kabul nel 2021 abbia incoraggiato Putin, ma ci sono indizi che l'invasione dell'Ucraina sia stata preparata ben prima di Kabul. La debolezza verso Putin, comunque, è di tutto l'Occidente: in primo piano vedo la responsabilità europea nel lesinare investimenti per la difesa».

Ritieni un caso che Putin non abbia fatto nulla di simile nei quattro anni in cui il suo interlocutore era Donald Trump, impegnato ad aumentare il budget e gli armamenti della Nato?

«Putin aveva un rapporto strumentale con Trump. Era convinto di poterlo manipolare. Non si può escludere che con un "Trump 2" alla Casa Bianca avrebbe scelto altre vie per estendere la sua influenza in Ucraina. In cuor suo, forse, lo stesso Trump gli avrebbe dato via libera per la "finlandizzazione" dell'Ucraina.

Sui rapporti con la Russia, però, Trump è sempre stato condizionato dall'establishment della politica estera: Pentagono e Dipartimento di Stato ostacolavano le sue aperture a Putin, con l'appoggio dei repubblicani al Congresso».

Nel tuo ultimo libro ricordi di quando Putin replicò a Biden che «i diritti umani sono calpestati negli Stati Uniti, lo dice Black Lives Matter». Lo storico conservatore Victor Davis Hanson ha scritto che Putin ha aggredito l'Ucraina anche perché «gli Usa sono sconvolti da dissensi interni e disordini sociali». Quanto pesa il "fronte interno", quello della battaglia culturale, nella capacità di reazione degli Stati Uniti?

«Enormemente. L'America è piena di filo-russi, sia nella versione trumpiana che a sinistra. Nei programmi in inglese di Radio Sputnik, organo di propaganda di Mosca, molti talk show sono dati in appalto a militanti della sinistra radicale americana, professori universitari di idee marxiste, attivisti dell'anti-razzismo.

Da una parte Trump definisce Putin un genio e Biden un incapace; dall'altra l'ala sinistra del partito democratico descrive l'America come l'Impero del Male. A differenza di quel che mi sembra stia accadendo in Europa, qui le manifestazioni contro la guerra non riempiono certo le piazze».

More than 400 Russian mercenaries have been flown in from Africa to assassinate Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky

(Daily Mail)
Kremlin 'sends more than 400 mercenaries from private militia into Kyiv to assassinate President Zelensky and his government' - with group told peace talks are 'smoke and mirrors'
Private militia known as the Wagner Group 'flown in from Africa five weeks ago'
It is run by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of the Russian president
Highly trained operatives have a 23-strong kill list including the PM and cabinet

By LAURENCE DOLLIMORE FOR MAILONLINE

More than 400 Russian mercenaries have been flown in from Africa to assassinate Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, it was revealed last night.

A private militia known as the Wagner Group allegedly has orders from Vladimir Putin to take out Zelensky - and 23 other government figures - to allow Moscow to take over its eastern European neighbour.

According to the Times, the army-for-hire, run by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin - a close ally of the Russian president who is often dubbed 'Putin's chef' - was flown in five weeks ago and is being offered a huge sum for the mission.

The highly-trained operatives are said to be waiting for the green light from the Kremlin to pounce, with their hit list also including Ukraine's prime minister, the entire cabinet, mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir - both boxing champions who have become iconic figures on the front lines of the capital.

However the plans were rumbled after they reached the upper echelons of the Ukrainian government on Saturday morning.

A private militia known as the Wagner Group allegedly has orders from Vladimir Putin to take out Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) - and 23 other government figures - to allow Moscow to take over.

The army-for-hire, run by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin - a close ally of the Russian president (pictured) who is often dubbed 'Putin's chef' - was flown in five weeks ago

It prompted Kyiv to declare a 36-hour 'hard' curfew, ordering everyone indoors so that soldiers could sweep the streets for Russian saboteurs.

Citizens were warned that they risked being 'liquidated' if they were spotted outside during the curfew hours, as they may be assumed to be the enemy.

A source with knowledge of the Wagner Group's activities told the Times that between 2,000 and 4,000 mercenaries had actually arrived in Ukraine in January, but with different missions.

Some were sent to the rebel-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east of the country - while the 400 tasked with taking out Zelensky headed to Kyiv from Belarus.

The group are said to be tracking Zelesnky and his colleagues via their mobile phones - claiming to know where they are at all times.

Another source claimed the killers-for-hire have been told to put on the brakes while Putin holds 'peace talks' with Zelensky this week.

But they have allegedly been informed that the Russian leader has no desire to reach a deal, branding the meeting on the Belarus border as 'smoke and mirrors.'

News of their assassination plans has not seemed to faze Zelensky, who admitted he was 'target number one' during an address to the nation, telling them Russian special forces were hunting him.

Wagner (pictured in Syria) has conducted covert operations across Africa and the Middle East, including in Syria, and they have most recently been on the ground in Ukraine to guide Russian tanks to the capital

When the US offered to extract him, he told President Joe Biden: 'I need ammunition, not a ride.'

Wagner has conducted covert operations across Africa and the Middle East, including in Syria, and they have most recently been on the ground in Ukraine to guide Russian tanks to the capital.

General Sir Richard Barrons, a former commander of Joint Forces Command, said: 'They are very effective because they are hard to pin down.

'They can appear from the shadows, do very violent things and then disappear again, without it being obvious who was responsible. They are not directly linked to the Russian government and therefore they are plausibly deniable.'

Sources told the Times the militia were briefed about Putin's plans on Ukraine back in December, long before the Russian army was told.

Soldiers and generals were feared to oppose the invasion plans, and several have been executed for doing so, claimed the mercenaries.

Le sanzioni contro la Russia, un atto di guerra difensiva: quali sono i 4 obiettivi (e quali i 3 rischi)

di Federico Fubini (Corriere della Sera)
 

La coda a un bancomat alla Sberbank, domenica 27 febbraio (Ap)

Non dobbiamo sbagliarci. Le misure annunciate sabato sera dagli Stati Uniti, dalla Commissione europea e dai principali Paesi del continente (oltre all’Italia, Francia, Germania e Gran Bretagna) non sono solo una ritorsione per l’attacco della Russia all’Ucraina. Non sono solo il tentativo di ostacolare le attività di affari degli oligarchi o ridurre il tasso di crescita del Paese in mano a Vladimir Putin.

No, sono un atto di guerra. Una guerra difensiva che risponde alla più grave aggressione a uno Stato e ai principi di libertà, democrazia e autodeterminazione mai visto sul suolo europeo dalla fine della seconda guerra mondiale.

Solo se si tiene presente questo significato di fondo, si può comprendere quali sono gli obiettivi da raggiungere e le trappole da evitare.

Perché questa non dev’essere una ripetizione della seconda guerra mondiale, neanche sul piano finanziario.

Allora le potenze alleate, Gran Bretagna e Stati Uniti, dichiararono un embargo totale sulla Germania nazista e il divieto per le banche e banche centrali di tutti i Paesi accettassero oro da essa — dato che il Reichsmark era ormai intoccabile — in operazioni di scambio per materie prime e derrate alimentari. Ma anche mentre accettava rifugiati ebrei in fuga dall’Italia e altri Paesi, la Svizzera continuò ad accettare oro dalla Germania in cambio di materie prime, senza chiedere quale ne fosse la provenienza: anche oro depredato agli ebrei stessi e ai Paesi sottomessi. La guerra durò più a lungo per questo.

L’obiettivo delle sanzioni decise ieri dagli occidentali è generare l’opposto di questo scenario. La Russia oggi va paralizzata finanziariamente, le sue banche portate all’insolvenza, il rublo mandato in un avvitamento che genera iperinflazione, l’opinione pubblica e persino gli oligarchi e le élite di regime spostate su posizioni ostili a Putin, che sarà il colpevole ultimo dell’impoverimento del Paese.

1. La paralisi della banca centrale russa

Le misure più dirompenti decise ieri dagli Stati Uniti e dagli alleati europei riguardano la banca centrale russa: non potrà più usare le sue consistenti riserve in dollari e in euro per salvare le banche commerciali, che di fatto da domani non riusciranno più a rifinanziare (cioè rimborsare assumendo nuovi debiti, a rotazione continua) la loro esposizione in valuta forte con scadenze di breve termine.

Non solo. La banca centrale russa non potrà neppure operare con le modalità che ha disperatamente cercato di praticare in questi ultimi giorni, peraltro senza successo: bussare alle porte delle grandi banche centrali del pianeta, quelle delle valute forti del mondo libero, per chiedere essa stessa operazioni di rifinanziamento in dollari e in euro. Diminuisce così in modo significativo la potenza del principale strumento finanziario con cui Putin aveva preparato la guerra: la costruzione di riserve sovrane, grazie ala vendita di gas e petrolio, stimate dai governi occidentali pari all’equivalente fra 550 e 700 miliardi di dollari.

2. Il colpo alle banche commerciali e il «bank run» in Russia

Aumenta invece l’efficacia delle altre sanzioni sulle banche, quelle più importanti del pacchetto varato ieri sera: un certo numero di istituti commerciali russi si vedono proibire l’accesso a operazioni in euro e in dollari e dunque anche il rifinanziamento dei loro debiti in euro e in dollari.

Quando la lista sarà resa nota, è molto probabile che risultino incluse le due prime banche del Paese, Sberbank e Vtb (entrambe a controllo pubblico). La prima ha un’esposizione per 350 miliardi di euro, la seconda pari a 214 miliardi di euro (in aggregato, debiti per circa un terzo del prodotto lordo russo). Entrambe venerdì sono crollate in borsa al punto da dimezzare la loro capitalizzazione, ma il crollo proseguirà sicuramente domani. Di fatto quelle banche sono tagliate fuori dai mercati mondiali.

La prospettiva già da giorni sta seminando il panico fra gli investitori e i risparmiatori russi, che si sono precipitati a ritirare gli euro e i dollari dalle principali banche del Paese al punto da metterle in grande difficoltà. Ormai è impossibile ottenere valuta estera da una banca russa e con difficoltà si ottengono gli stessi rubli, per il momento. È in corso un vero è proprio «bank run» in Russia, una corsa agli sportelli. Le banche europee a Mosca registrano invece forti afflussi di valuta forte, perché i risparmiatori russi portano i loro patrimoni presso istituti dei quali hanno fiducia che non saranno messi sotto sanzioni.

3. Il rublo e l’iperinflazione

Intanto il declassamento del debito russo a «spazzatura» da parte dell’agenzia di rating S&P fa sì che anche oggi valgano di meno anche quei titoli di Stato di Mosca portati in garanzia da tutte le banche russe per ottenere prestiti. Da domattina anche le banche russe non sanzionate dovranno dunque reintegrare le garanzie per mantenere le proprie posizioni: dovranno cioè portare più valori, più titoli obbligazionari a garanzia dei loro debiti nel mondo per non essere costrette a rimborsare subito tutto, oppure fallire.

La banca centrale di Mosca sta già reagendo con il solo strumento che le resta: stampare rubli in abbondanza e rifornire i bancomat e gli sportelli bancari con quelli, per cercare di tamponare il «bank run» a Mosca e nelle altre grandi città. Ma l’eccessiva creazione di una moneta ormai intoccabile all’estero può solo farne crollare ancora di più il valore, in un avvitamento che genererà iperinflazione.

Il rublo ha già perso oltre l’8% sull’euro e sul dollaro solo negli ultimissimi giorni, ma lunedì crollerà molto di più.

4. I tre rischi: le ritorsioni sul gas, la Cina, la «falla» svizzera

Quali sono i rischi?

Il più immediato — su cui Gazprom questa mattina ha cercato di rassicurare l’Europa — è che la Russia risponda bloccando le forniture di petrolio e soprattutto di gas al Vecchio continente (queste ultime però le fruttano entrate per circa 50 miliardi di euro all’anno). Per l’Italia sarebbe senz’altro un problema, perché attualmente il Paese ha un’autosufficienza completa di circa 14 settimane senza nuovi arrivi di gas russo, che rappresentano circa il 43% delle importazioni totali della materia prima nel Paese.

Però l’aumento del pompaggio dagli altri fornitori (Algeria, Libia, Azerbaigian, Norvegia) e la riattivazione delle centrali a carbone dovrebbe garantire che il Paese possa arrivare almeno fino a luglio senza misure molto significative di riduzione dei consumi.

Il secondo rischio è che la Cina corra in soccorso della Russia, diventandone il prestatore internazionale di ultima istanza, di fatto sottomettendo Putin alle proprie condizioni e lanciando una sfida senza precedenti all’Occidente.

Si profilerebbe uno scontro di proporzioni storiche, tutto sul piano finanziario, fra mondo libero e grandi dittature del mondo emergente. Ma questo lo si capirà solo nelle prossime settimane.

Resta poi di fondamentale importanza che la Svizzera non pratichi lo stesso gioco ambiguo della seconda guerra mondiale, ma si allinei alle misure di Europa e Stati Uniti.

I primi segnali sono incoraggianti: nelle ultime ore anche le banche svizzere hanno ricevuto dalle loro autorità una lunga lista di clienti russi ai quali bloccare l’operatività da lunedì. Le reti della finanza internazionale si stringono attorno agli oligarchi del sistema putiniano in tutto il mondo libero.

Nel frattempo l’embargo sui semiconduttori, le parti di ricambio degli aerei e i sistemi industriali dell’estrazione petrolifera e metaniera (un’industria, quest’ultima, nella quale l’Italia è forte) mirano a bloccare nel medio e lungo termine la capacità tecnologica della Russia in tutti i settori strategici.

Chi e' Putin

Vladimir PutinBiography
(1952–)

Vladimir Putin served as president of Russia from 2000 to 2008 and was re-elected to the presidency in 2012. He previously served as Russia's prime minister.
Who Is Vladimir Putin?

In 1999, Russian president Boris Yeltsin dismissed his prime minister and promoted former KGB officer Vladimir Putin in his place. In December 1999, Yeltsin resigned, appointing Putin president, and he was re-elected in 2004. In April 2005, he made a historic visit to Israel — the first visit there by any Kremlin leader. Putin could not run for the presidency again in 2008, but was appointed prime minister by his successor, Dmitry Medvedev. Putin was re-elected to the presidency in March 2012 and later won a fourth term. In 2014, he was reportedly nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Early Life and Political Career

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia, on October 7, 1952. He grew up with his family in a communal apartment, attending the local grammar and high schools, where he developed an interest in sports. After graduating from Leningrad State University with a law degree in 1975, Putin began his career in the KGB as an intelligence officer. Stationed mainly in East Germany, he held that position until 1990, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Upon returning to Russia, Putin held an administrative position at the University of Leningrad, and after the fall of communism in 1991 became an adviser to liberal politician Anatoly Sobchak. When Sobchak was elected mayor of Leningrad later that year, Putin became his head of external relations, and by 1994, Putin had become Sobchak's first deputy mayor.

After Sobchak's defeat in 1996, Putin resigned his post and moved to Moscow. There, in 1998, Putin was appointed deputy head of management under Boris Yeltsin's presidential administration. In that position, he was in charge of the Kremlin's relations with the regional governments.

Shortly afterward, Putin was appointed head of the Federal Security Service, an arm of the former KGB, as well as head of Yeltsin's Security Council. In August 1999, Yeltsin dismissed his prime minister, Sergey Stapashin, along with his cabinet, and promoted Putin in his place.
President of Russia: First and Second Terms

In December 1999, Boris Yeltsin resigned as president of Russia and appointed Putin acting president until official elections were held, and in March 2000, Putin was elected to his first term with 53 percent of the vote. Promising both political and economic reforms, Putin set about restructuring the government and launching criminal investigations into the business dealings of high-profile Russian citizens. He also continued Russia's military campaign in Chechnya.

In September 2001, in response to the terrorist attacks on the United States, Putin announced Russia's support for the United States in its anti-terror campaign. However, when the United States' "war on terror" shifted focus to the ousting of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Putin joined German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and French President Jacques Chirac in opposition of the plan.

In 2004, Putin was re-elected to the presidency, and in April of the following year made a historic visit to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon — marking the first visit to Israel by any Kremlin leader.

Due to constitutional term limits, Putin was prevented from running for the presidency in 2008. (That same year, presidential terms in Russia were extended from four to six years.) However, when his protégé Dmitry Medvedev succeeded him as president in March 2008, he immediately appointed Putin as Russia's prime minister, allowing Putin to maintain a primary position of influence for the next four years.
Third Term as President

On March 4, 2012, Vladimir Putin was re-elected to his third term as president. After widespread protests and allegations of electoral fraud, he was inaugurated on May 7, 2012, and shortly after taking office appointed Medvedev as prime minister. Once more at the helm, Putin has continued to make controversial changes to Russia's domestic affairs and foreign policy.

In December 2012, Putin signed into a law a ban on the U.S. adoption of Russian children. According to Putin, the legislation—which took effect on January 1, 2013 — aimed to make it easier for Russians to adopt native orphans. However, the adoption ban spurred international controversy, reportedly leaving nearly 50 Russian children — who were in the final phases of adoption with U.S. citizens at the time that Putin signed the law — in legal limbo.

Putin further strained relations with the United States the following year when he granted asylum to Edward Snowden, who is wanted by the United States for leaking classified information from the National Security Agency. In response to Putin's actions, U.S. President Barack Obama canceled a planned meeting with Putin that August.

Around this time, Putin also upset many people with his new anti-gay laws. He made it illegal for gay couples to adopt in Russia and placed a ban on propagandizing "nontraditional" sexual relationships to minors. The legislation led to widespread international protest.
Chemical Weapons in Syria

In September 2013, tensions rose between the United States and Syria over Syria's possession of chemical weapons, with the U.S. threatening military action if the weapons were not relinquished. The immediate crisis was averted, however, when the Russian and U.S. governments brokered a deal whereby those weapons would be destroyed.

On September 11, 2013, The New York Times published an op-ed piece by Putin titled "A Plea for Caution From Russia." In the article, Putin spoke directly to the U.S.'s position in taking action against Syria, stating that such a unilateral move could result in the escalation of violence and unrest in the Middle East.

Putin further asserted that the U.S. claim that Bashar al-Assad used the chemical weapons on civilians might be misplaced, with the more likely explanation being the unauthorized use of the weapons by Syrian rebels. He closed the piece by welcoming the continuation of an open dialogue between the involved nations to avoid further conflict in the region.

2014 Winter Olympics

In 2014, Russia hosted the Winter Olympics, which were held in Sochi beginning on February 6. According to NBS Sports, Russia spent roughly $50 billion in preparation for the international event.

However, in response to what many perceived as Russia's recently passed anti-gay legislation, the threat of international boycotts arose. In October 2013, Putin tried to allay some of these concerns, saying in an interview broadcast on Russian television that "We will do everything to make sure that athletes, fans and guests feel comfortable at the Olympic Games regardless of their ethnicity, race or sexual orientation."

In terms of security for the event, Putin implemented new measures aimed at cracking down on Muslim extremists, and in November 2013 reports surfaced that saliva samples had been collected from some Muslim women in the North Caucasus region. The samples were ostensibly to be used to gather DNA profiles, in an effort to combat female suicide bombers known as "black widows."
Invasion into Crimea

Shortly after the conclusion of the 2014 Winter Olympics, amidst widespread political unrest in Ukraine, which resulted in the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych, Putin sent Russian troops into Crimea, a peninsula in the country's northeast coast of the Black Sea. The peninsula had been part of Russia until Nikita Khrushchev, former Premier of the Soviet Union, gave it to Ukraine in 1954.

Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations, Yuriy Sergeyev, claimed that approximately 16,000 troops invaded the territory, and Russia's actions caught the attention of several European countries and the United States, who refused to accept the legitimacy of a referendum in which the majority of the Crimean population voted to secede from Ukraine and reunite with Russia.

Putin defended his actions, insisting that the troops sent into Ukraine were only meant to enhance Russia's military defenses within the country — referring to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which has its headquarters in Crimea. He also vehemently denied accusations by other nations, particularly the United States, that Russia intended to engage Ukraine in war.

He went on to claim that although he was granted permission from Russia's upper house of Parliament to use force in Ukraine, he found it unnecessary. Putin also wrote off any speculation that there would be a further incursion into Ukrainian territory, saying, "Such a measure would certainly be the very last resort."

The following day, it was announced that Putin had been nominated for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.
Syrian Airstrikes

In September 2015, Russia surprised the world by announcing it would begin strategic airstrikes in Syria. Despite government officials' assertions that the military actions were intended to target the extremist Islamic State, which made significant advances in the region due to the power vacuum created by Syria's ongoing civil war, Russia's true motives were called into question, with many international analysts and government officials claiming that the airstrikes were in fact aimed at the rebel forces attempting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's historically repressive regime.

In late October 2017, Putin was personally involved in another alarming form of aerial warfare when he oversaw a late-night military drill that resulted in the launch of four ballistic missiles across the country. The drill came during a period of escalating tensions in the region, with Russian neighbor North Korea also drawing attention for its missile tests and threats to engage the U.S. in destructive conflict.

In December 2017, Putin announced he was ordering Russian forces to begin withdrawing from Syria, saying the country's two-year campaign to destroy ISIS was complete, though he left open the possibility of returning if terrorist violence resumed in the area. Despite the declaration, Pentagon spokesman Robert Manning was hesitant to endorse that view of events, saying, "Russian comments about removal of their forces do not often correspond with actual troop reductions."
U.S. Election Hacks

Months prior to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, multiple U.S. intelligence agencies unilaterally agreed that Russian intelligence was behind the email hacks of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and John Podesta, who had, at the time, been chairman of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign.

In December 2016 unnamed senior CIA officials further concluded "with a high level of confidence" that Putin was personally involved in intervening in the U.S. presidential election, according to a report by USA Today. The officials further went on to assert that the hacked DNC and Podesta emails that were given to WikiLeaks just before U.S. Election Day were designed to undermine Clinton's campaign in favor of her Republican opponent, Donald Trump. Soon after, the FBI and National Intelligence Agency publicly supported the CIA's assessments.

Putin denied any such attempts to disrupt the U.S. election, and despite the assessments of his intelligence agencies, President Trump generally seemed to favor the word of his Russian counterpart. Underscoring their attempts to thaw public relations, the Kremlin in late 2017 revealed that a terror attack had been thwarted in St. Petersburg, thanks to intelligence provided by the CIA.

Around that time, Putin reported at his annual end-of-year press conference that he would seek a new six-year term as president in early 2018 as an independent candidate, signaling he was ending his longtime association with the United Russia party.

Shortly before the first formal summit between Presidents Putin and Trump in July 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictments of 12 Russian operatives on charges relating to interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Regardless, Trump suggested he was satisfied with his counterpart's "strong and powerful" denial in a joint news conference and praised Putin's offer to submit the 12 indicted agents to questioning with American witnesses present.

In a subsequent interview with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, Putin seemingly defended the hacking of the DNC server by suggesting that no false information was planted in the process. He also rejected the idea that he had compromising information about Trump, saying that the businessman "was of no interest for us" before announcing his presidential campaign, and notably refused to touch a copy of the indictments offered to him by Wallace.
Fourth Presidential Term

In March 2018, toward the end of his third term, Putin boasted of new weaponry that would render NATO defenses "completely worthless," including a low-flying nuclear-capable cruise missile with "unlimited" range and another one capable of traveling at hypersonic speed. His demonstration included video animation of attacks on the United States.

Not long afterward, a two-hour documentary, titled Putin, was posted to several social media pages and a pro-Kremlin YouTube account. Designed to showcase the president in a strong yet humane light, the doc featured Putin sharing the story of how he ordered a hijacked plane shot down to head off a bomb scare at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, as well as recollections of his grandfather's days as a cook for Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin.

On March 18, 2018, the fourth anniversary of the country's seizure of Crimea, Russian citizens overwhelmingly elected Putin to a fourth presidential term, with 67 percent of the electorate turning out to award him more than 76 percent of the vote. The divided opposition stood little chance against the popular leader, his closest competitor notching around 13 percent of the vote.

Little was expected to change regarding Putin's strategies for rebuilding the country as a global power, though the start of his final term set off questions about his successor, and whether he would affect constitutional change in an attempt to remain in office indefinitely.

On July 16, 2018, Putin met with President Trump in Helsinki, Finland, for the first formal talks between the two leaders. According to Russia, topics of the meeting included the ongoing war in Syria and "the removal of the concerns" about accusations of Russian attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The following April, Putin met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un for the first time. The two leaders discussed the issue of the North Korean laborers in Russia, while Putin also offered support of his counterpart's denuclearization negotiations with the U.S., saying Kim would need "security guarantees" in exchange for abandoning his nuclear program.

The topic of whether Putin aimed to extend his hold on power resurfaced following his state-of-the-nation speech in January 2020, which included proposals for constitutional amendments that included transferring the power to select the prime minister and cabinet from the president to the Parliament. The entire cabinet, including Medvedev, promptly resigned, leading to the selection of Mikhail V. Mishustin as the new prime minister.
Personal Life

In 1980, Putin met his future wife, Lyudmila, who was working as a flight attendant at the time. The couple married in 1983 and had two daughters: Maria, born in 1985, and Yekaterina, born in 1986. In early June 2013, after nearly 30 years of marriage, Russia's first couple announced that they were getting a divorce, providing little explanation for the decision, but assuring that they came to it mutually and amicably.

"There are people who just cannot put up with it," Putin stated. "Lyudmila Alexandrovna has stood watch for eight, almost nine years." Providing more context to the decision, Lyudmila added, "Our marriage is over because we hardly ever see each other. Vladimir Vladimirovich is immersed in his work, our children have grown and are living their own lives."

An Orthodox Christian, Putin is said to attend church services on important dates and holidays on a regular basis and has had a long history of encouraging the construction and restoration of thousands of churches in the region. He generally aims to unify all faiths under the government's authority and legally requires religious organizations to register with local officials for approval.

Airbus to use A380 to test hydrogen-fueled engine

Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN 

Airbus just moved one step closer to launching the world's first zero-emission commercial aircraft by 2035.


© AirbusRendering of four hydrogen tanks stored in a caudal position to provide fuel to the hydrogen combustion engine located along the rear fuselage.

The French aircraft maker has announced plans to test hydrogen fuel technology using a modified version of one of its A380 jetliners, which were discontinued last year.

Airbus has partnered with CFM International, a joint venture between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, on the hugely significant hydrogen demonstration program.

The plane manufacturer will use an "A380 flying testbed fitted with liquid hydrogen tanks" to trial propulsion technology for its future hydrogen aircraft.
'Flight laboratory'

"Our ambition is to take this (A380) aircraft and add a stub in between the rear doors at the upper level," says Glenn Llewellyn, vice president for zero emission aircraft at Airbus, in a video posted on the Airbus YouTube channel. "That stub will have on the end of it a hydrogen powered gas turbine."

He goes on to explain that the aircraft will be fitted with hydrogen storage and hydrogen distribution, which will feed its engine with the chemical element.

According to Llewellyn, the aim of the "flight laboratory" is to learn more about hydrogen propulsion systems in real ground and flight conditions, thus enabling Airbus to press on with its plans for a zero-emission aircraft in just over a decade.

Test flights are currently estimated to take place in 2026, provided everything goes to plan. The news comes over a year after Airbus unveiled three hydrogen-based concepts under the ZEROe banner.

"This is the most significant step undertaken at Airbus to usher in a new era of hydrogen-powered flight since the unveiling of our ZEROe concepts back in September 2020," Sabine Klauke, chief technical officer for Airbus, said in a statement.

"By leveraging the expertise of American and European engine manufacturers to make progress on hydrogen combustion technology, this international partnership sends a clear message that our industry is committed to making zero-emission flight a reality."
Guilt-free flying?

Aviation generates 2.8% of global CO2 emissions, and the global fuel consumption by commercial airlines reached 95 billion gallons in 2019.

The global aviation industry has pledged to slash emissions to half their 2005 levels by 2050.

A number of air carriers are moving towards sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in order to help reduce the environmental impact of flying, with British Airways' parent company IAG revealing plans to power 10% of its flights with SAF by 2030 and United Airlines completing its first successful flight by 100% sustainable fuel last year.

However, Airbus is hedging its bets on hydrogen, which can potentially reduce aviation's carbon emissions by up to 50%, according to the airplane manufacturer.

"I strongly believe that the use of hydrogen -- both in synthetic fuels and as a primary power source for commercial aircraft -- has the potential to significantly reduce aviation's climate impact," says Guillaume Faury, chief executive for Airbus.

Meanwhile, aviation firm ZeroAvia is currently developing a 19-seater aircraft that will operate commercial hydrogen-electric flights between London and Rotterdam from 2024.


© AirbusA rendering of the A380 flight test platform, which will put hydrogen combustion technology to the test.

Summary of the first day of operations

Summary of the first day of operations, published a few hours ago

The offensive was completely unexpected, and the missile strikes established immediate Russian air and naval dominance.

There are four main theaters of ground operations.

1. Southern Front: Russians launched an offensive north out of Crimea. There was a naval landing at Genichensk, and helicopter landings at Kherson and Novaya Kakhovka. The Ukrainian front collapsed immediately, and now the enemy's army is not present in this area at all. Bridgeheads have been created across the Dnieper for further advances. Attempts by the Ukrainians to form a front are discouraged by airstrikes. Russians reached Melitopol during the night.

The main strike groups will continue their offensive along the Dnieper, to the cities of Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk, towards Nikolaev, and in the rear of the army group in Donbass.

2. Donbass Front: The DPR is conducting a limited offensive towards Volnovakha, in order to threaten Mariupol and link up with the Southern Front. This has tied up thousands of Ukrainian troops.

The LPR offensives across the river have no real strategic objective besides tying up the Ukrainian forces to prevent them from being sent to Kharkov, and to keep them pinned down and encircled. They will continue heavy combat tomorrow to prevent the enemy from withdrawing.

3. The "Russian Front:" Sumy, Konotop, and almost the entire Sumy province were captured; the enemy either did not intend to resist or had insufficient numbers. Progress is being made towarde Chernigov and Russian units continue to advance deeper and outflank the Ukrainians resisting at Kharkov. Russians cannot allow Kharkov to remain under enemy control, and battles will continue to capture it tomorrow.

4. The Kiev Front: The airborne operation to capture the Gostomel airbase was a complete surprise to Ukrainian command. Now, these forces must link up with those crossing the border at Chernobyl, in order to prevent Ukrainian counterattacks. If the connection is made soon, the fate of Kiev is clear.

In general: Simultaneous attacks in many directions have made the Ukrainian forces the weaker sider on every front. Thousands of them are sitting in Odessa, far away from any battlefield. Thousands more are deployed on the Belarusian border and not seeing any combat.

Military setting:

🔹 Kiev direction: Russian MTR forces landed at the Gostomel airfield, which hold the airfield until the main forces approach. According to the Ukrainian media, a massive Russian landing is planned. Apparently, the Ukrainians are being lured into a fire bag in order to deliver a massive blow and break into the defenses of Kiev on the eastern flank. Another grouping of troops is expected to approach from Zhytomyr.

🔹 Sumy direction: by midnight fierce battles broke out in the city. Part of Sumy is on fire. Partially transferred reinforcements from Kiev. Taken under control of Konotop.

🔹 Kharkiv direction: despite the advance of Russian troops on the northeastern outskirts of the city, the Armed Forces of Ukraine still hold Kharkiv, transferring reinforcements to the Tsirkunov area. Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine undermined the dam on the Pechenezh reservoir.

🔹 Kherson direction: several regional districts have been taken under control. The city itself is under the control of the administration. Aircraft overflights and explosions were noted at midnight. The Crimean Canal was unblocked, water went to the Crimea.

🔹 Zaporozhye direction: Melitopol is blocked, Russian troops control the situation in the city. A shock fist is going to advance to Zaporozhye.

🔹 Donbass-Lugansk direction: in some areas, LDNR units advanced to a depth of up to 7 km and are successfully developing the offensive. Near Kramatorsk, closer to midnight, shooting began. The Azov battalions and other Nazi units were destroyed. A massive attack on Mariupol is expected. In general, the forces of the LDNR tied up a huge grouping of troops in the zone of the “Ukrainian operation”.

🔹 Odessa direction: in the morning the base of the Ukrainian Navy in Ochakiv was destroyed. In the evening, Zmeiny Island in the north-west of the Black Sea was taken. A naval landing operation is expected in Odessa itself. (CC)

Il cialtrone manifesta la sua passione per Putin

INSIDER
Trump praises Putin again even as the Russian invasion of Ukraine looms, saying the Russian president is 'playing Biden like a drum'
Cheryl Teh

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Trump has continued to laud Vladimir Putin, even as an impending invasion of Ukraine looms.
Trump released a statement on Twitter, saying Putin was "playing Biden like a drum."
The former president was also filmed at a Mar-a-Lago event calling Putin "pretty smart" for taking over Ukraine for "$2 worth of sanctions."

Former President Donald Trump has continued to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as a full-scale attack on Ukraine looms.

"Putin is playing Biden like a drum. It is not a pretty thing to watch!" said Trump in a statement released on Wednesday over Twitter via his spokeswoman Liz Harrington.

Video of the former president at an event at Mar-a-Lago surfaced Wednesday night, where he appeared to complain about how he was criticized for his comments on Putin. Trump on Tuesday lauded Putin's justification for invading Ukraine as "savvy" and "genius."

"'Trump said Putin's smart.' I mean, he's taken over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I'd say that's pretty smart," Trump said. "He's taking over a country, literally, a vast, vast, location, a great piece of land with a lot of people, and just walking right in."

It is unclear when the video at Mar-a-Lago was taken, and representatives for the former president did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Russia is now poised to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, per Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Blinken told NBC Nightly News that he could not put a date or time on when it would happen, but said that Russian troops are now ready to move into Ukraine from positions along the country's borders to the north, east, and south.

Ukraine has also declared a state of emergency in response to Russia's troop movement, and the country's parliament has passed a law allowing its citizens to carry firearms.

"Chi vuol morire per l'Ucraina?"

 "Chi vuol morire per l'Ucraina?"

Così un amico italiano ci ha scritto commentando i momenti di paura e depressione che stiamo vivendo da una parte all'altra dell'Atlantico per la questione russo-ucraina.

Siamo sommersi da fake news, da approfondite previsioni dei super esperti, da dichiarazioni ufficiali della Casa Bianca e del Cremlino, da tentativi del presidente francese di mettere a confronto i due attori principali, Joe Biden e Vladimir Putin, (ma ci sta provando anche il premier italiano Draghi), dalla previsione che l'invasione dell'Ucraina da parte  dei russi è questione di ore, dalla immacolata certezza di quelli che sanno come vanno le cose a livello diplomatico che tutto si concluderà con uno show off della potenza militare russa anche perché per Vladimir Putin le conseguenze economiche interne e esterne di una guerra sono prevedibilmente disastrose soprattutto per la Russia,… E via citando…

Uno scenario terribilmente frastagliato  in cui l'uomo della strada (come il vostro redattore) non ha capacità di orientamento.

Ed allora uno cerca di articolare una ipotesi sulla base del semplice buon senso: Vladimir Putin appartiene ad una nomenclatura nota per il talento nel giocare a scacchi.

Vladimir Putin, al potere da trent'anni, deve consolidare la sua piattaforma di consenso alll'interno della Russia dove il richiamo agli splendori della potenza dell'Unione Sovietica serpeggia ancora tra tanti milioni di concittadini titillati dal recupero dell'inno nazionale dell'Urss al quale sono state cambiate le parole, dai baci ai calici della Chiesa ortodossa, ma soprattutto dallo sfoggio (questo sì che conta) della indiscutibile e moderna potenza militare della Russia.

Si aggiunga che per molti russi questa Ucraina è sempre stata e lo è tuttora in massima parte un grande rompimento di scatole perché si erge a paladino della superpotenza americana a ridosso dei confini con la Russia e quindi secondo Vladimir questa situazione deve cambiare.

Sono in pochi a ricordare che la Bielorussia è ormai parte integrante della Russia. Vladimir Putin vi ha piazzato larga parte delle sue armate che non se ne andranno facilmente considerati oltretutto gli ottimi rapporti amicali e commerciali tra lo zar e il presidente del fake stato Bielorussia.

È prevedibile dunque che a giorni le armate russe conquisteranno larga parte dell'Ucraina magari sparando pochi colpi, così com'è successo nel 2014 con l'invasione della Crimea.

Gli occidentali strilleranno come gazze impazzite, imporranno sanzioni ulteriori alla Russia che riuscirà comunque a scansarle come già sta facendo, incrementando semmai il rapporto privilegiato con la Cina sia sotto il profilo commerciale che difensivo.

Germania e Italia si guarderanno bene dall'insistere nel fare la voce grossa perché sono strangolate dalla necessità di approvvigionamento energetico attraverso i gasdotti e dai consistenti rapporti commerciali.

La Francia tutto sommato ne uscirà rafforzata nella sua immagine preelettorale perché tanto la maggior parte delle sue necessità energetiche è garantita dalle sue centrali nucleari alcune delle quali a due passi dall'Italia che, ricordate il referendum?, ha da tempo smantellato le due centrali che aveva costruito per tutelarsi di fronte al pericolo di un contagio nucleare. Infatti abbiamo continuato per anni a mangiare verdura e  funghi nuclearizzati dall'implosione di Chernobyl.

Le nazioni baltiche saranno quelle più in allarme per l'allargamento della potenza quasi-sovietica.

La Nato ne uscirà con le ossa rotte proprio perché a livello europeo non è certo che tutti vogliano morire per l'Ucraina.

Che Dio ce la mandi buona e senza vento.

Oscar

____________________________________________

La situazione mi ricorda molto quella del 1938 dei Sudeti e della conferenza di Monaco. Putin è un altro di quelli a cui dopo ogni boccone viene ancora più fame. Speriamo bene……

Pierclaudio

_________________________________________________

Caro Oscar, è proprio come tu scrivi.

Aggiungo solo che, dopo la caduta del Muro, c’è stata troppa sottovalutazione e anche miopia, sia qui nel ‘Medio Occidente’ (l’Europa) sia nell’ ‘Estremo Occidente’ (l’America), nel capire fino in fondo i caratteri nazionali e i nodi di sviluppo presenti in questi Paesi, in particolare in questa nuova Russia-Urss: divenuti preda della cosiddetta “Democrazia illiberale” (sic!). Non ancora sviluppatasi in modo totalmente autoritario come in Cina, il cui ideogramma (Chung Kuo) significa, non sottovalutiamo neppure questo, “Impero di Mezzo”, cioè come uno ‘spartiacque’ tra Occidente e Oriente…

Ma anche qui in Europa siamo diventati preda di pericolose spinte “illiberali”, vedi Salvini e Le Pen, entrambi corteggiati con “particolari attenzioni” da parte di Putin (a proposito, che fine hanno fatto le indagini sugli ipotizzati finanziamenti energetici russi a Salvini?).

Comprendere meglio, storicamente, politicamente e socialmente - con l’aiuto di qualificati esperti dei due, anzi tre, Mondi - questi processi ci aiuterà a gestire meglio il futuro.

Abbracci

Sandro

__________________________________________________

E se nessuno vuol morire per l Ukraina adesso, chiediamoci chi vorrà morire per Taiwan quando il PCC approfitterà delle esitazioni NATO

Bepi

Delta: compra ora e paghi dopo

Delta Just Announced a Brilliant Plan to Take a Bite Out of This $100 Billion Industry. It’s Straight Out of Apple’s Playbook
Jason Aten 

The company wants to get people traveling again.


© Getty ImagesBoeing 737 Delta Air Lines approaches JFK International Airport

Analysts have said they expect that this summer will be the biggest travel season, ever. That's a big deal for airlines, which have struggled over the past two years as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we do just about everything.

Millions, if not billions of people who have largely stayed close to home during the pandemic are likely to venture out as conditions allow. Everyone who had to put off traveling to see family or to celebrate a special event--like an anniversary--is looking forward to warm weather this year.

To encourage those travelers, Delta just announced a brilliant strategy: it's jumping on board with Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL).

Over the past two years, the Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) industry has exploded alongside the surge in online shopping. The idea is that a shopper can spread out payments, usually over three-to-six months, depending on the type of purchase. It turns out, people really like the idea, with BNPL representing almost $100 billion in 2020.

For a company like Delta, it actually makes sense for two reasons. The first is probably obvious: travel can get expensive. If you're trying to decide if you can afford that big summer vacation you're hoping to take, the idea that you can book your flights now, and pay for them over the next year--without paying interest or a fee--might be very appealing.

You might even spend more than you otherwise would--is the biggest benefit to any merchant that decides to let customers pay over time. Even if you aren't collecting interest, if you make more sales for larger amounts, that's a huge win.

The other reason is actually far more interesting. That's because there's a catch. Well, sort of.

In order to take advantage of this new option, you have to use one of Delta's co-branded American Express cards. Delta's BNPL is just taking advantage of the "Plan It" feature that already exists on many American Express cards.

For Delta, that might be the most brilliant part of all. The company's relationship with American Express is quite possibly the most valuable part of its business.

Under the arrangement between the two companies, Delta sells its frequent flyer points, known as SkyMiles, to American Express, which uses them as rewards on the cards. Delta also makes a bonus when people sign up for a new card. While neither company will go into the specifics of the deal, Delta has said it expects the relationship to bring in as much as $7 billion of revenue by next year.

When the two companies extended their deal in 2019, Delta's President Glen W. Hauenstein was clear that the airline anticipated introducing new products and services to attract more customers. That's exactly what this is. And it's brilliant.

Delta isn't the first company to do this. Apple has the same kind of feature if you use AppleCard to buy a new iPhone or Mac, where you can spread the payments out over a period of time, without paying interest. Essentially, the entire amount is charged to your card, but you only pay the plan amount each month. Sure, you could do that anyway, but you'd end up paying a lot of interest.

As a result, there are a lot of people who signed up for AppleCards just to take advantage of the convenience of paying for a new iPhone, without having to fork over $1000 or paying interest. Every time a customer signs up for an AppleCard, Apple benefits. Not only does it sell more products, but it also further ties them into the company's ecosystem.

The same is true for Delta. Not only will the company's plan get more people traveling, it benefits from every customer who signs up for one of its credit cards. That's brilliant.

Museo Italiano a Washington - Filmed for RAI Italia

Creazione donata da Franca Bartoli

Asfaltare le strade con i pannolini usati dei pupi

A highway paved with recycled diapers may change the cloth vs. disposables debate

Wales is using more than 100,000 recycled diapers to pave a road

By Karla Adam (TWP)

We thought it’d be worth preempting the obvious question even before describing how, in what might be a world-first, more than 100,000 dirty, disposable diapers — or “nappies,” as they are called here — are being used to help pave a road in west Wales.

This is a pilot project with intriguing environmental implications. A proliferation of diaper highways could reduce landfill waste — and influence parents around the globe weighing the vexingly difficult decision between cloth vs. disposables.

These particular diapers were rinsed — thoroughly, don’t worry. Then shredded into fibrous gray pellets and mixed with asphalt that a work crew clad in bright orange slathered over a 1.5-mile stretch of winding highway this week.

“You’re not sure what to expect when you turn up to a nappy road,” said Ben Lake, a politician who represents this area in Britain’s Parliament. But, taking a deep breath as he strolled alongside the freshly paved, still glistening road, he pronounced: “It smells like — road.”

Lake said the nappy road “could be a game-changer for how we approach infrastructure in Wales,” and while people could still be encouraged to shift to cloth diapers, this nonetheless helped to tackle the “here and now” problem of a mountain of disposables thrown away every year.

Small gray pellets made from shredded diapers have been added to the asphalt. (Karla Adam/The Washington Post)

About 140 million disposable diapers are tossed in the bin annually in Wales. In Britain as a whole, that number is estimated at 3 billion, accounting for 2 to 3 percent of all household waste. In the United States, about 50 million diapers are being stuffed into Diaper Genies and the like each day, for a total of more than 18 billion a year. The majority of those end up in landfills, where even the ones billed as biodegradable can take years to break down.

Cloth diapers have environmental costs, too. Making them and washing them consumes energy and water. A report by Britain’s Environment Agency regulator in 2008 found that environmental impacts of using cloth nappies could be higher or lower than using disposables, depending on how they are laundered.

Efficient washers have shifted the equation in favor of cloth. But diaper highways could change some people’s thinking once again.

Jason Hallett, a professor of sustainable chemical technology at Imperial College London, said paving with recycled nappies wouldn’t “make the roads greener,” since both asphalt and plastic diapers are made of hydrocarbons. But a diaper highway “arguably gives more options for end-of-life uses for plastic in nappies, therefore it makes those products less environmentally damaging.”

Several countries have experimented with roads made with plastic garbage. India led the way — glue made from shredded plastic waste has been holding together a street in Chennai since 2002, and since 2015 the Indian government has required road construction in populous urban areas to incorporate plastic waste. The Netherlands, a country of keen cyclists, opened the world’s first bicycle path made with recycled plastic. And California used discarded plastic bottles and other packaging to repave a three-lane stretch of highway.

But Wales believes its road is the first made from diapers.

NappiCycle, a Welsh company that supplied the pellets for the trial, is one of only two diaper recycling companies in the world. (The other is in Italy.)

Director Rob Poyer said diapers are difficult to break it down into plastic, cellulose and super absorbent polymer parts. But perhaps the biggest challenge for potential recyclers has been finding a market for the output left behind. Poyer said recycles about 40 million disposable nappies a year and has used the fibrous pellets to make construction panels, pinup boards and coasters.

“We have to be innovative and broaden our mind into what we do with the end uses of our materials,” he said, as he nodded toward a dump truck loaded with hot asphalt mixed with diaper pellets. “We are too quick to disregard things and put them in the bin.”

NappiCycle director Rob Poyer, left, and Ben Lake, a member of the British Parliament, observe the road work. (Karla Adam/The Washington Post)

Some areas in Wales ask households using disposable diapers to set them out in a separate bin for collection each week. It’s still cheaper for local authorities to take the diapers to an incinerator or landfill than to send them to Poyer’s plant, he said. But some still do. Nappy recycling is “viable because the Welsh government wants a green economy,” Poyer said.

Wales — a semiautonomous nation of 3 million people — has been more creative than most with its recycling policies. And along with Germany and Taiwan, it is among the top recyclers in the world.

Analysts say what really drove up rates were statutory recycling targets, and a threat of hefty fines if they aren’t met. Local authorities have flexibility on how to meet those targets. In Swansea, for instance, officials carry out what they call “clink tests” — they go around shaking trash bags to see if there are any clinks or clanks, identifying recyclable objects. Culprits have to pay 100 pounds, or nearly $140.

Other Welsh towns have slashed the frequency of trash pickups, while maintaining weekly recycling and food waste collection. The first place to introduce once-a-month rubbish collection — and not without howls of protest — was Conwy, a region in the north with a striking medieval castle. Since that move in 2018, Conwy’s food waste collection is up 31 percent and the recycling of dry materials is up 16 percent. The region recycles more than 70 percent of household waste.

Jim Espley, a waste manager at the Conwy county council, said initially people were worried about “smelly bins and maggots.” But he insisted that it’s manageable, as long as people keep organic material — like food and nappies — out of their bins.

A recycling truck in Conwy, Wales, where more than 70 percent of household waste is recycled. (Karla Adam/The Washington Post)

Food waste typically makes up about a quarter of household garbage. But most Welsh residents plop their food waste into a caddie, which is collected weekly and taken to an “anaerobic digestion” facility, where it is turned into renewable energy or used as fertilizer.

Attention has now turned to what to do with nappies and other absorbent hygiene products, which make up about 9 percent of trash.

If Wales authorities end up happy with the diaper highway experiment — if they determine the asphalt isn’t compromised by the addition of nappy fibers and meets environmental standards — there is scope for the recycled diapers to be used more widely. Mountainous Wales has more than 34,000 miles of roads.

This week, government testers parked a white van alongside the nappy road and took samples to be analyzed.

In the case of other plastic roads, there has been some worry about the possibility of microplastics getting into the soil and waterways. But Hallett played down that concern, saying diapers would likely leak more microplastics when thrown into landfills.

Locals in Llanarth seemed amused that the world’s first nappy road was on their doorstep.

“That’s one way to get rid of it,” said Luke Steer, 25, who was oblivious — until informed by a Washington Post reporter — that he’d just driven over pavement made from recycled diapers. Steer said his toddler wears disposable nappies.

“It doesn’t bother me, as long as it does the job,” said Sam Vaux, 30, who runs an auto repair garage next to the nappy road. “Apart from the rumors flying around that the road is made out of recycled nappies, apart from that, you wouldn’t know any difference.”

Ieri e oggi ....dopo 54 anni...

 

Auguri a quelli che si vogliono ancora bene...

________________________________________________________________________

Auguri amici carissimi, che come voi ancora ‘resiliamo’!

PS: pare che i primi 54 siano i più duri, ma poi tutto fila finalmente liscio…

Abbracci!

Sandro e Rosaria

________________________________________________________Carissimi Franca e Oscar,

Abbiamo letto il blog di Oscar e abbiamo visto che è il vostro anniversario.

Che incredibile traguardo! Vi auguriamo almeno altri 54 anni insieme in salute e sempre felici.

Con affetto,

Marina & Mark

F1, rimosso Masi, il direttore di gara del Gp di Abu Dhabi. E arriva il Var come nel calcio (Repubblica)

Michael Masi

 
L'australiano sollevato dall'incarico dopo le polemiche legate alla safety car dell'ultima gara della stagione, vinta dal campione del mondo Verstappen. Introdotti un aiuto video per i giudici di pista e stop alle comunicazioni radio in diretta tv

Michael Masi è stato rimosso dall'incarico di direttore di gara in Formula 1. L'australiano ha pagato le contestate decisioni che hanno consentito l'incoronazione di Max Verstappen come campione del mondo nell'ultimo Gran Premio di Abu Dhabi. Lo ha annunciato la Federazione internazionale dell'automobile. La decisione di riprendere all'ultimo giro una gara poi neutralizzata dietro una safety car aveva offerto all'olandese dell Red Bull l'opportunità di sorpassare Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) e di andare a vincere il primo titolo iridato in carriera.

Il Var in F1 sul modello del calcio

In vista della stagione 2022 la Fia sta introducendo alcune novità. Per assistere il direttore di gara nelle sue decisioni ci sarà una Virtual Race Control Room che, "come il Var nel calcio, sarà di backup per tutti gli ufficiali Fia e sarà connessa in tempo reale con la race direction, aiutando ad applicare il regolamento con tutte le migliori e più moderne tecnologie a disposizione", ha speigato il nuovo presidente della Fia, Mohamed bin Sulayem.

Della possibile introduzione in F1 di un aiuto per i direttori di gara si parlava fin dal giorno dopo Abu Dhabi, quando la Mercedes aveva minacciato di presentare appello - per poi rinunciarvi - contro la vittoria di Max Verstappen. "Durante il meeting della F1 Commission di Londra, ho presentato parte del mio piano per far compiere un passo in avanti al sistema di arbitraggio della categoria - ha aggiunto bin Sulayem in un video trasmesso dal sito della Fia -. Ho voluto una profonda riforma della race direction, da applicare grazie anche al pieno supporto del Ceo della Formula 1 (Stefano Domenicali, ndr) e dai team principal delle scuderie".

Stop alle comunicazioni radio in diretta tv

Non è l'unica modifica al sistema prima del via alla nuova stagione. Le comunicazioni radio trasmesse in diretta tv durante le gare saranno rimosse per proteggere il direttore di gara da ogni pressione. Sarà possibile porre delle domande al direttore di corsa, secondo un processo definito. Le procedure di sdoppiaggio durante la safety car, si spiega, "verranno ridefinite dal F1 Sporting Advisoring Committee e saranno presentate alla F1 Commission prima dell'avvio della stagione".

L'erede di Masi

Un nuovo race management team sarà presentato nei test di Barcellona, ha anticipato ancora bin Sulaiem: Niels Wittich ed Eduardo Freitas si alterneranno come direttore gara e saranno assistiti da Herbie Blash come consigliere anziano permanente. A Michael Masi, che ha ricoperto l'incarico di direttore di gara per tre stagioni succedendo a Charlie Withing, "verrà offerto un ruolo interno alla Fia".

Ecco perche' CNN sta precipitando

(DNYUZ)
How a Secret Assault Allegation Against an Anchor Upended CNN and Jeff Zucker



Late in the day on Nov. 30, Jeff Zucker, the president of CNN Worldwide, summoned his star anchor and friend, Chris Cuomo, to a meeting in the network’s skyscraper overlooking the Hudson River.

Mr. Zucker was joined by the network’s chief marketing officer — and his secret romantic partner — Allison Gollust. They had to deliver a delicate message.

Mr. Zucker told Mr. Cuomo that CNN was suspending him because of his unethical interactions with his brother, New York’s governor. Mr. Cuomo was shocked and offered to resign. Mr. Zucker countered that the anchor might be able to return at some point, according to people with knowledge of the conversation.

Mr. Cuomo felt reassured. He and Mr. Zucker were confidants, their fortunes entwined. Mr. Cuomo didn’t bother to consult a lawyer.

Barely 24 hours later, a letter arrived at CNN. It was from a lawyer representing a woman who had worked with Mr. Cuomo years earlier at ABC News. She said he had sexually assaulted her and that, in the heat of the #MeToo movement, Mr. Cuomo had tried to keep her quiet by arranging a flattering CNN segment about her employer at the time.

The letter described it as an “abuse of power at CNN to attempt to silence my client.”

While a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo denied the allegations in the letter, it set in motion a chain of events that would quickly upend one of the world’s most powerful news networks.

By week’s end, Mr. Zucker had fired Mr. Cuomo, telling him that a drumbeat of scandals had become “too much for us.”

Two months later, Mr. Zucker was forced to resign. On Tuesday, CNN announced that Ms. Gollust, too, was leaving the network.

Publicly, Mr. Zucker blamed the failure to disclose his relationship with Ms. Gollust. But other forces had set the stage for his downfall.

CNN had skidded into third place in cable news ratings. A key investor had criticized the network’s opinionated, personality-driven programming. Mr. Zucker had clashed with a top executive at CNN’s parent company. And he had made powerful enemies out of Mr. Cuomo and his brother, the former New York governor.

By the time of Mr. Cuomo’s ouster, the law firm that had been hired to investigate his behavior had turned its attention to Mr. Zucker and his management of a network where his intimacy with sources and employees had been both his calling card and Achilles’ heel.

Mr. Zucker’s abrupt departure has thrown the future of CNN into chaos, just as it was poised to introduce a highly anticipated streaming service and to come under new corporate ownership.

Mr. Cuomo is hoping to extract tens of millions of dollars from CNN. Star anchors are revolting. Employees are wondering whether, without Mr. Zucker at the helm, the network’s soon-to-be-owners at Discovery Inc. will fundamentally change CNN’s sprawling news operations.

Shortly after this article was published online, Jason Kilar, the chief executive of CNN’s parent company, WarnerMedia, announced Ms. Gollust’s resignation. In a memo on Tuesday evening, he wrote that an internal investigation “found violations of company policies,” including CNN’s news standards and practices, by Mr. Cuomo, Mr. Zucker and Ms. Gollust. “I realize this news is troubling, disappointing and, frankly, painful to read,” Mr. Kilar wrote.

Risa Heller, a spokeswoman for Mr. Zucker, said, “Jeff was never aware of the full extent of what Chris Cuomo was doing for his brother, which is why Chris was fired.”

Steven Goldberg, a spokesman for Chris Cuomo, said, “Mr. Cuomo felt very close personally and professionally to Mr. Zucker, which is part of what makes this so difficult and hurtful.”

In a release on Tuesday evening, Ms. Gollust said, “WarnerMedia’s statement tonight is an attempt to retaliate against me and change the media narrative in the wake of their disastrous handling of the last two weeks. It is deeply disappointing that after spending the past nine years defending and upholding CNN’s highest standards of journalistic integrity, I would be treated this way as I leave.”

Ms. Heller didn’t have an immediate comment on Mr. Kilar’s memo. Mr. Goldberg declined to comment.

More than 30 people familiar with the recent tumult — including the woman on whose behalf the letter was written to CNN — described the events and ethical violations that led to a leadership collapse at “the most trusted name in news.”
A Hamptons Clambake

The ties between Mr. Zucker, Ms. Gollust and Mr. Cuomo — as well as Andrew Cuomo, who resigned as governor last August — ran deep.

Mr. Zucker had met Ms. Gollust at NBC, when she was a young publicist for the “Today” show and he was its 26-year-old executive producer. As he climbed the ranks, eventually becoming NBCUniversal’s chief executive, the pair continued to work closely together. Ms. Gollust even moved her family to the floor above Mr. Zucker’s in an Upper East Side building.

Then, in 2011, NBC’s new parent company forced Mr. Zucker out.

Around then, Governor Cuomo was planning to throw a birthday party for his girlfriend, the lifestyle impresario Sandra Lee. He asked Ms. Lee to recommend someone to organize the event. She suggested Ms. Gollust.

The resulting party — a clambake on a Hamptons beach — was such a resounding success that Mr. Cuomo decided Ms. Gollust should work for him. In 2012 she became the governor’s communications director.

A few months later, in January 2013, CNN hired Mr. Zucker. The next month, Ms. Gollust left Mr. Cuomo and Albany and rejoined her former boss as the network’s head of communications.
Following a Playbook

CNN was struggling. Once the leader in 24/7 news, its ratings had fallen, its programming seen as stale. Mr. Zucker’s mission was to rejuvenate the network.

At NBC, he had turned around the moribund “Today” show by embracing feel-good news and nurturing stars like Katie Couric. More triumphs followed for Mr. Zucker, as shows like “The Apprentice” and “Fear Factor” were hits with viewers and helped elevate Donald J. Trump and Joe Rogan into cultural touchstones.

At CNN, one of Mr. Zucker’s first creations was a peppy morning show called “New Day.” To co-host the show, Mr. Zucker recruited Chris Cuomo, an ABC News correspondent who had shined in reporting from war and disaster zones.

Within months of his arrival, Mr. Cuomo began pushing ethical boundaries.

In December 2013, he interviewed Governor Cuomo about a train crash in the Bronx. Media critics objected that it was impossible for someone to impartially report on their sibling.

Afterward, Mr. Zucker barred Chris from interviewing or covering Andrew.

“New Day” was a modest hit. But Mr. Cuomo was polarizing. Some colleagues said he could go from charming to bullying in a flash. More than once, he sent emails and text messages that colleagues considered rude and even threatening.

Yet Mr. Zucker was loyal. In 2018 he awarded Mr. Cuomo his own show in the coveted 9 p.m. slot, competing with stars like Rachel Maddow at MSNBC and Sean Hannity at Fox News.

Mr. Cuomo’s combative style made him an ideal on-air foil for President Trump. “Cuomo Prime Time” quickly became CNN’s highest-rated show. The success only strengthened Mr. Cuomo’s bond with Mr. Zucker.

After Mr. Zucker underwent heart surgery in 2018, he and Mr. Cuomo spent hours talking during long walks in Central Park.

Mr. Zucker soon signed off on a multiyear contract that paid Mr. Cuomo more than $6 million annually.
An Eye for Spectacle

The onset of the pandemic stoked Mr. Zucker’s hypercompetitive instincts, on display since his days as a high school tennis champion. During the Trump years, he had led CNN to record-high ratings and roughly $1 billion in annual profit.

Now, in the Cuomo brothers, he saw a singular opportunity.

Governor Cuomo was having a moment. His televised briefings were calm and filled with data, a stark contrast to the often baffling pronouncements from the Trump administration. There was talk of him running for president.

Then Chris Cuomo contracted Covid. He quarantined in and broadcast from the basement of his 6,000-square-foot home in East Hampton, N.Y. His ratings soared.

With his eye for spectacle, Mr. Zucker lifted the ban on Chris Cuomo interviewing his brother. Beginning in April 2020, the Cuomos ruminated on air about how the virus had disrupted society and their lives.

Mr. Zucker loved it. “Authenticity and relatability and vulnerability — that’s what the brothers Cuomo are giving us right now,” he gushed to The New York Times in April 2020.

But their on-air bonding looked less charming after The Washington Post reported that Governor Cuomo had helped his brother get preferential access to scarce Covid tests, with state troopers escorting his nasal swabs to a lab.

CNN defended its anchor, saying he had “turned to anyone he could for advice and assistance, as any human being would.”
Watching in Disbelief

One evening in March 2021, Chris Cuomo made a remark on live television that helped precipitate his downfall — and eventually Mr. Zucker’s.

The New York attorney general had just announced that her office was investigating sexual harassment allegations against Andrew Cuomo.

With the governor in trouble, Mr. Zucker reimposed the ban on Chris Cuomo covering him. As Mr. Cuomo explained to his viewers that he would be stepping away from the story, he gazed into the camera and denounced sexual harassment.

“I have always cared very deeply about these issues and profoundly so,” he declared.

The woman who had worked with him at ABC News watched in disbelief.

She said in an interview with The Times that she was haunted by the similarities between her experience and those of the governor’s accusers. She wanted to protect other women but didn’t want to go public, fearing retaliation and the loss of her privacy.

Soon, though, she would hire a lawyer.
A Chauffeured Commute

The governor’s rise had fueled his brother’s. Now, as Andrew Cuomo’s position worsened, so did Chris’s.

In May 2021, The Washington Post reported that Chris Cuomo had been advising the governor’s staff on how to fend off the harassment scandal. CNN — whose parent company had just announced plans to merge the network with Discovery — said the conversations were “inappropriate” but didn’t discipline him.

Some CNN employees were aghast. An anchor, Jake Tapper, told The Times that Mr. Cuomo “put us in a bad spot.”

Then, on Aug. 3, the New York attorney general, Letitia James, released a damning report about Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment. The news was covered throughout the day on CNN — until 9 p.m., when Chris Cuomo came on air.

He didn’t mention the scandal.

A week later, the governor resigned.

Complaints soon began surfacing about the younger Mr. Cuomo.

Shelley Ross, a longtime TV news executive and Mr. Cuomo’s former boss at ABC, wrote in a Times opinion piece in September that Mr. Cuomo had groped her at a 2005 party. (Mr. Cuomo apologized.)

Around the same time, The New York Post reported that Mr. Cuomo’s former producer, Melanie Buck, had asked to be removed from “Cuomo Prime Time” because she found his conduct to be threatening.

CNN executives grew concerned. They asked the network’s longtime law firm, Cravath Swaine & Moore, to look into the matter, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

In late November, Ms. James’s office released a fresh crop of emails and text messages that revealed how Chris Cuomo had collected information about forthcoming articles about his brother and tried to undermine the credibility of one of his brother’s accusers.

The next day, Nov. 30, Mr. Cuomo was chauffeured to CNN’s Manhattan headquarters to sketch out that evening’s show. Mr. Zucker asked him to come to a meeting.

The network president had spent years standing by his anchor. Now, feeling that Mr. Cuomo had misled him, Mr. Zucker was losing patience. He had initially planned to fire Mr. Cuomo, before deciding to hold off.

Mr. Zucker tried to be diplomatic as he broke the news that Mr. Cuomo was suspended. He suggested there was a chance he could return after the network’s investigation ran its course, according to people familiar with the conversation.

CNN went back to Cravath and asked the firm to examine the new information about the interactions between the Cuomo brothers.

The next morning, Dec. 1, the CNN reporter Brian Stelter said on-air that Mr. Cuomo could “be back in January.”
An Office Encounter

That night, the fateful letter arrived at CNN. It was from Debra S. Katz, a prominent sexual harassment lawyer, and it was addressed to David Vigilante, CNN’s general counsel.

The letter was on behalf of the woman who had worked with Mr. Cuomo at ABC News.

It relayed a story that had begun in 2011 when the woman, who was referred to as Jane Doe, was a young temporary ABC employee hoping for a full-time job. One day, after Mr. Cuomo, an anchor, had offered her career advice, he invited her to lunch in his office, according to the letter, interviews with the woman and emails between her and Mr. Cuomo.

When she arrived, there was no food. Instead, Mr. Cuomo badgered her for sex, and after she declined, he assaulted her, she said. She ran out of the room.

Later that day, the woman, who was still seeking a job, tried to smooth things over by writing Mr. Cuomo friendly emails.

The Times interviewed five friends and former colleagues who said the woman told them Mr. Cuomo had made unwelcome sexual requests. She said that only in the past year did she begin to tell people that Mr. Cuomo had also assaulted her, which she hadn’t previously divulged because it was private and painful.

The encounter in Mr. Cuomo’s office at ABC was not the end of her story.

Ms. Katz’s letter said that at the height of the #MeToo uprising, after TV personalities like Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer were felled by misconduct allegations, Mr. Cuomo contacted the woman, seemingly out of the blue.

Mr. Cuomo proposed arranging a CNN segment about the company where she worked doing public relations. The woman tried to avoid any contact with Mr. Cuomo, but CNN ultimately broadcast a segment anyway.

“After years without any substantive communication from Mr. Cuomo whatsoever, Ms. Doe suspected he was concerned about her coming forward publicly with her allegations and wanted to use the proposed segment as an opportunity to ‘test the waters’ and discourage her from going on the record about his sexual misconduct,” Ms. Katz wrote.

The Times reviewed Mr. Cuomo’s messages to the woman and the segment and spoke with her boss at the time. Her boss said that after the segment aired, the woman shared some of the details of the encounter and Mr. Cuomo’s subsequent outreach.

Ms. Katz said the woman, who has been “deeply traumatized,” doesn’t want to become “a pawn in an internecine war between Zucker, Chris Cuomo and CNN” and won’t be saying anything further. She “deserves and requests privacy,” Ms. Katz said.
A Clear Signal

On Friday, Dec. 3, two days after Ms. Katz sent the letter, she and a lawyer for CNN made plans for her to hand over evidence to substantiate the woman’s claims.

Before that even happened, Mr. Zucker fired Mr. Cuomo the next afternoon.

From Mr. Cuomo’s perspective, Mr. Zucker had fired him without due process, fearful that the woman’s allegations might appear in the media, according to a person familiar with his thinking.

Mr. Goldberg, the spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, said the allegations in Ms. Katz’s letter “are false. He was never asked about the allegations prior to being terminated or given an opportunity to respond.” He refused to elaborate.

The day after he was fired, Mr. Cuomo hired Bryan Freedman, a Hollywood litigator known for tough negotiating tactics and for securing multimillion-dollar settlements for aggrieved television stars. (In Mr. Cuomo’s case, he planned to seek money owed under the anchor’s contract and compensation for future lost earnings.)

On Dec. 5, Mr. Freedman sent a letter to CNN demanding that the network preserve all documents related to any dealings between any CNN employee and anyone in the governor’s office.

It was a clear signal that a key element of Mr. Cuomo’s defense would be that Mr. Zucker and others at CNN had acted similarly to Mr. Cuomo in communicating with the governor, with no repercussions.

People in Mr. Cuomo’s camp soon began whispering to reporters that Mr. Zucker had coached Governor Cuomo on how to use his televised briefings to go after Mr. Trump.

Ms. Heller, the spokeswoman for Mr. Zucker, said he only spoke to the governor about appearing on CNN. “He never gave Andrew Cuomo advice,” she said.

Soon, an article appeared on the gossip site Radar. It asserted that Mr. Zucker and Ms. Gollust had been engaged in a yearslong romantic relationship. The CNN president’s career was about to unravel.
Skipping a ‘Town Hall’

Mr. Zucker commanded loyalty from star anchors, and he had won the respect of many CNN journalists for standing up to Mr. Trump, who repeatedly attacked the network.

But by late last year, his standing with his corporate superiors had wavered. The ugly situation with Mr. Cuomo was only the latest blow.

In mid-November, John Malone, a leading shareholder in Discovery, appeared on CNBC. “I would like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with and actually have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing,” Mr. Malone said.

The barb raised questions about whether the network’s future owners would seek major editorial changes.

Plus, the network’s ratings were down. And Mr. Zucker had a testy relationship with Mr. Kilar, the WarnerMedia chief executive.

In August 2020, Mr. Kilar announced changes to CNN’s corporate structure without consulting Mr. Zucker. Days later, Mr. Zucker was noticeably absent from a virtual “town hall” meeting that Mr. Kilar hosted.

Instead, the CNN president attended a 50th birthday party for Chris Cuomo in the Hamptons, according to two people familiar with the matter.
‘I Was Wrong’

By early January, Cravath’s investigation was moving forward, and the tenor of its questions had begun to shift.

What had started with a focus on Mr. Cuomo’s behavior was morphing into a broader look at Mr. Zucker’s handling of the anchor and his interactions with the Cuomos.

Among other things, the lawyers asked CNN employees about how Mr. Zucker had handled Mr. Cuomo’s suspension and firing, what he knew about Chris Cuomo’s interactions with his brother — and whether any employees were aware of communications between Mr. Zucker and Andrew Cuomo.

When the lawyers questioned Mr. Zucker and Ms. Gollust, they asked about their romance. Mr. Zucker told them that the relationship had turned sexual during the pandemic.

Mr. Zucker didn’t disclose it to anyone in human resources or his superiors at WarnerMedia, including Mr. Kilar.

The affair violated the company’s code of conduct, which prohibited employees from supervising anyone with whom they have a personal relationship.

On Monday, Jan. 31, Mr. Zucker was absent from his usual role leading CNN’s daily 9 a.m. news meeting. He didn’t show up on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings, either.

At 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Mr. Zucker emailed CNN staff with shocking news: He was resigning.

Mr. Zucker said he was leaving because he hadn’t disclosed the romantic relationship when it began. “I was wrong,” he wrote.

Mr. Kilar had approached Mr. Zucker a few days earlier, shortly after he was interviewed by the Cravath lawyers, and told him he had to go. Mr. Zucker asked to stay until the Discovery merger was complete in a few months.

Mr. Kilar said no.