MOSCOW, April 8 (Reuters) – Hundreds of mourners, including the leader of Russia’s Wagner private militia group, attended the funeral on Saturday of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed on April 2 in a cafe bomb blast that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.

“Thank God Google exists in India, China, Brazil and other countries. We will collect the money there until the court decision is fully realised.” ($1 = 95.2500 roubles) (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Tourists can visit New Zealand from April 12 and this timelapse video and accompanying stunning images are jaw-dropping reminders of the eye-popping sights awaiting them when they venture out and explore the country’s landscapes. 

A simmering confrontation between Moscow and foreign tech firms has escalated in light of the crisis in Ukraine, and Russia has blocked access to Meta Platforms Inc’s flagship social media, Facebook and Instagram.

“Vladlen has proven that today the front line passes everywhere: in the zone of military action, in the rear, and in cities, hearts and minds,” said Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the Telegram messaging app, noting he had died “in the centre of peaceful St Petersburg at terrorists’ hands”.

Prigozhin is also known for his sharp criticism of Russia’s top brass over their performance in Ukraine. The Wagner group has been spearheading efforts in recent months to capture the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

The 40-year-old Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was accorded military honours including a gun salute and an army band at the funeral at Moscow’s Troyekurovskoye cemetery due to his past participation in military operations in eastern Ukraine alongside Moscow-backed separatists battling Kyiv’s forces.

April 8 (Reuters) – Russia is considering raising its base price for calculating the wheat export tax to 17,000 roubles ($212.23) per tonne from 15,000 roubles per tonne, the Vedomosti daily reported, citing two unnamed sources in exporting companies.

Google was disputing a daily 100,000 rouble ($1,050) fine it was ordered to pay in April 2021 after failing to unblock Tsargrad TV’s YouTube account, a Christian Orthodox channel owned by businessman Konstantin Malofeev.

March 17 (Reuters) – The television channel of a sanctioned Russian businessman on Thursday said Alphabet Inc’s Google had lost a court appeal against a 2021 ruling that the company pay a compounding fine for blocking access to the channel’s YouTube account.

‘It kind of warms your heart when you go to a place where people genuinely want to have a conversation with you and want to know who you are. It’s very different from what I’m used to, living in a place like San Francisco, all reading program where people just kind of do their own thing and you go about your business. 

The newspaper said that South Korea had agreed to sell artillery shells to help the United States replenish its stockpiles, insisting that the “end user” should be the U.S.
military. But internally, top South Korean officials were worried that the United States would divert them to Ukraine.

“Currently, writs of execution have been issued, enforcement orders have been initiated and funds sufficient to fulfil the court acts have been seized from Google’s accounts,” Tsargrad said in a statement.

Asked if South Korea planned to lodge a protest or demand an explanation from the United States, the official, who declined to be identified, said the government would review precedents and cases involving other countries.

SEOUL, April 9 (Reuters) – South Korea is aware of news reports about a leak of several classified U.S.
military documents and it plans to discuss “issues raised” as a result of the leak with the United States, a South Korean presidential official said on Sunday.

When it came to his favourite location in New Zealand, Shainblum said it was tough to pick one but Milford Sound – a fiord in the southwest of the South Island – made a big impression with its ‘striking cliffs’ and ‘pouring’ 1,000ft waterfalls

Did he have a favourite location? Shainblum said it was tough to pick one, but that Milford Sound – a fiord in the southwest of the South Island – made a big impression with its ‘striking cliffs’ and ‘pouring’ 1,000ft waterfalls. 

The United States and European Union imposed sanctions on Malofeev in 2014 over accusations that he funded pro-Moscow separatists fighting in Ukraine, which he denies. Russia considers such Western sanctions illegal.

He mused: ‘The people are so friendly. I don’t think I met a single rude person in my entire time being in New Zealand. Everyone was so nice, so friendly, just wanted to see what I was doing and even just if I was going to order some coffee I’d end up in some conversation.

‘The range of things you can see in a day in New Zealand is pretty interesting, from the lush rainforest to the high ridge peaks to the lone oak trees just kind of sitting out on the fields, and to the seascapes. Just beautiful, class tutor dramatic, striking seascapes.’