# Ret-H@CKer

Russia's ruling United Russia party has suffered major losses in Sunday's election to the Moscow city parliament, nearly complete results show. The party lost nearly a third of the seats in the 45-member parliament, but remains on course to retain its majority with about 26 seats. With most opposition candidates disqualified, the Communists, independents and others gained seats. The exclusion of the opposition candidates triggered mass protests. The woman driving Russia's opposition protests Moscow crackdown in pictures Thousands of people have been detained, and riot police have been accused of a brutal crackdown on demonstrators. What's the latest from Moscow? With nearly all the results in, United Russia is predicted to get 26 seats in the city parliament (Mosgorduma). The party's brand has become so toxic lately that all its members ran as independents, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow reports. In a major upset, the party's leader in the Russian capital, Andrei Metelsky, was not re-elected. The Communist Party is expected to get 13 seats, while the liberal Yabloko party and left-leaning Just Russia will each have three seats. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny promoted a strategy of "smart voting" after his own allies were all barred from running in this election. Mr Navalny's team exposed what they called "undercover" United Russia candidates, and campaigned for those best placed to defeat them. He described the result as "fantastic". State media are mostly presenting the results in Moscow as a win for the governing party in any case, our correspondent says. But the Kremlin will certainly be studying the real picture, and what it says about the public mood in the Russian capital, she adds. Turnout in Sunday's election was about 22%. What about the rest of Russia? Unlike Moscow, Kremlin-backed candidates dominated in other local and regional elections held across the country on 8 September. They look set to win in all 16 regions that were electing their governors. United Russia was formed in 2001 to support President Vladimir Putin, whose ratings have fallen in recent months. Commenting on the overall election results, Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "On the whole, United Russia's campaign across the country was very, very successful. "In some places, it got more seats, in others - fewer. Across the country, the party showed its political leadership." When asked whether the loss of seats in Moscow was due to the protest vote, Mr Peskov said: "The result shows the opposite - that all the theories of political pundits about a protest vote were not confirmed."

After dabbling in wireless speakers last year, Roku has announced two new audio products - a new soundbar and wireless subwoofer - that are coming to the US in October. First up, the Roku Smart Soundbar will combine a 4K Roku player with a 32-inch 2.0 soundbar for $179 (around £149, AU$265). The ‘bar is packing four speakers (two for each channel) and will be capable of playing content from services like Netflix, Amazon and others in 4K HDR. The Soundbar will include Roku’s handy Voice Remote and run the latest version of Roku’s OS. On the hardware side of things, the bar will have a single HDMI Out that’s ARC compatible but can also use optical audio if your TV doesn’t have an HDMI port. In our briefing Roku wouldn’t specify which processor the Smart Soundbar would use, but says that it’s a quad-core chip that stacks up almost identically to the one in the Roku Ultra. Given the 2.0 speaker configuration the Roku Smart Soundbar won’t do Dolby Atmos but Roku says it will offer Dolby Sound with automatic volume leveling, night mode and speech enhancing features. If you’re looking to add a deeper sound to your Roku setup, Roku also announced a new Wireless Subwoofer that will be compatible with both the Smart Soundbar and the Roku TV Wireless Speakers and will cost $179 (around £149, AU$265). In terms of specs, it's a 250W sub with a 10-inch woofer and can reach frequencies of around 40Hz. Once it's paired with Roku's Wireless Speakers or Smart Soundbar, the system will automatically allocate low frequencies to the Sub to unlock a more cinematic experience. Like last year's Wireless Speakers, the main draw of the Wireless Subwoofer is that it’s interconnected through its software to other Roku products, like the Wireless Speakers or Smart Soundbar, and can be setup in seconds. The drawback here is that it’s not a standalone sub and will require one of those two audio products to work. Both the Smart Soundbar and Roku Wireless Subwoofer are available to pre-order on Roku’s website today, and are expected to land on store shelves in the US in October with global availability to be announced at a later date.

The hot deals don't stop with Best Buy's Intel Gamer Days Event: right now you can snag a couple of MSI gaming laptops for a steal. The MSI GS Series with an RTX 2070 Max-Q is available for $1949.99 or alternatively you can go for the slightly faster RTX 2080 Max-Q for $2549.99. Buying either will save you $350 off the list price of each, and both come packaged with an i7-9750H and a 1TB SSD, making either build capable of pushing excellent framerates to the 144Hz 1080p display. These models are some of the best gaming laptops available and will make easy work of most modern games - even the most demanding ones. The model that comes packaged with the RTX 2080 does come with an extra 16GB of memory to help utilize the extra VRAM, but $600 is a steep price to pay for the types of gains in performance you'll see from this kind of hardware. For my money, the 2070 model is the smarter purchase. Buying either model through Best Buy will also score you a free 6-month subscription to Webroot Internet Security to keep your new toy safe, as well as free copies of Control and Wolfenstein: Youngblood to help you flex that new hardware. If you're looking to take the static approach then see what we think are the best gaming PCs available right now here, and as it's unlikely you'll rely totally on the laptops's key and touch pads,don't forget to kit it out with a best gaming mouse specimen and one of the best gaming keyboards. Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.

Have you ever wondered what the four-leaf clover on Alfa Romeo's Quadrifoglio models is? Why is it only on Quadrifoglio models? What does it mean? Has Alfa Romeo considered some sort of corporate tie-up with Lucky Charms? The answer goes back to the 1920s, but it's especially interesting today. On September 8, the Italian Grand Prix takes place in Monza, where the man who invented an enduring symbol of luck saw his own run out 96 years ago to the day. With World War I in the rearview mirror, Alfa Romeo resumed production of its famed racing cars and began to compete in Grand Prix racing, having drawn major attention in the early postwar years with a series of impressive performances in the numerous Italian races held across the country, throughout the year. By 1923, Alfa Romeo had a dominant car in the RL and a remarkable driver lineup. The four drivers were Enzo Ferrari, Antonio Ascari, Giulio Masetti, and Ugo Sivocci. The all-Italian squad performed admirably as a team, but Sivocci was unhappy with his performance. The former motorcycle racer had yet to win a race as a driver, so he decided he needed a change of some sort after a series of second-place finishes. He was inspired by the fighter pilots of World War I, who often had special emblems on their planes as lucky charms. Ferrari’s famed prancing horse has the same origin, as it was originally on an Italian war ace's plane and was gifted to Ferrari by the pilot's mother. Instead of finding an existing logo, Sivocci decided to make his own luck and designed his own symbol. He decided on a white diamond with a green four-leaf clover—a commonly known lucky charm—in the middle. He named the symbol he painted on his 1923 RL Targa Florio "quadrifoglio" (four-leaf clover in Italian). The Quadrifoglio turned out to be Sivocci’s lucky charm after all, as he finally clinched his first victory in the demanding Targa Florio endurance race. He came ahead of his teammates Ascari and Masetti, who were driving identical RL Targa Florios. Unfortunately, Sivocci lost his life while testing a new race car, the Alfa Romeo P1—which did not bear his signature lucky charm—at the famed Monza racetrack in Italy on September 8, 1923, just days after his 38th birthday. Alfa Romeo decided to commemorate Sivocci’s death by painting a new Quadrifoglio on all Alfa Romeo race cars. Instead of having the green four-leaf clover on a white diamond, they decided to drop a corner and place the clover on a white triangle. The loss of the corner was to honor the loss of Sivocci, who was now immortalized in racing lore, as many Alfa Romeo cars have been bestowed with the badge since his untimely death in 1923. The Quadrifoglio badge is still a prominent feature on both the Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio's front fenders. Now, if you see one zip past you at a high rate of speed, you’ll know the origins of the name and symbol that adorn that car. The Quadrifoglio is also found among the many sponsor stickers and aero bits on the Alfa Romeo C38 (pictured above), the brand's entry in the 2019 Formula 1 season. They're racing today, September 8, at Monza in the 2019 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, 96 years after Sivocci lost his life at the track. If you're watching it, may I suggest a bowl of Lucky Charms as a snack?

The Talibain says Americans have the most to lose from cancelling peace negations that sought to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan. In a statement, the group claimed all was going well until the last moment. US President Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets on Saturday night, calling off the secret meeting at his Camp David retreat the following day. He said his decision came after the Taliban admitted being behind a recent attack that killed a US soldier. What had been planned? In an unexpected move, Mr Trump had arranged to meet with senior Taliban leaders and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Maryland retreat. The meetings were likely to have been kept separate, as the Taliban refuses to talk directly with the Afghan government, insisting they are American puppets. The Afghan war: The short and long story What has the war cost the US? 'We embraced... but I'd still kill him' In 2001, the US invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban government because the militants had given safe haven to the al-Qaeda network to plan the attacks on the US on 11 September. On Fox News on Sunday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the intention to host the Taliban on US soil, days ahead of the attacks' anniversary. He said Camp David was chosen because it has held difficult peace negotiations in the past. "It's almost always the case that you don't get to negotiate with good guys," he added. How far had things come? Nine rounds of talks had already taken place between the US and Taliban representatives in Doha, the capital of the Gulf state of Qatar. On Monday, the top US negotiator announced a peace deal "in principle". As part of the proposed deal, the US would withdraw 5,400 troops within 20 weeks, in return for Taliban guarantees that Afghanistan would never again be used as a base for terrorism. The US currently has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan. What else did the Afghan parties say? In the statement, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid also accused the US of lacking maturity and experience, after pulling out of talks over one incident. He also said that the Taliban and the Afghan government had agreed to talks on 23 September. The Afghan government has not confirmed this. In a news conference in Kabul, a spokesperson for President Ghani simply repeated a long-standing wish for direct negotiation with the group. What could peace in Afghanistan look like? Who are the Taliban? How does the Taliban make money? "We strongly believe in a process that can be led and owned by Afghan government and Afghan people," said Sediq Sediqqi. What sparked the cancellation? On Thursday, a Kabul car bombing carried out by the Taliban killed 12 people, including a US soldier. A Romanian soldier serving with the Nato-led mission was also killed. But the Taliban had never agreed to end their violent campaign against Afghan and foreign forces while the peace talks were taking place. Sixteen US troops have been killed this year. Afghan and US forces 'deadliest for civilians' The Afghan women determined not to lose out Why Afghanistan is more dangerous than ever A recent escalation of violence had deepened fears that a looming US-Taliban agreement would not end the daily fighting in Afghanistan and its toll on civilians. Yet Kabul residents on Sunday questioned why the death of one US soldier should scupper prospects for peace. "So, the Afghans who have been losing their sweet lives during all these years, is their blood worthless?" asked one grocery shop owner who spoke to the BBC's Pashto language service. Ever since the US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul a week ago with news of "a deal in principle", there have been almost daily Taliban attacks, with a growing chorus of anger in Afghanistan - and the US. The Taliban say they're targeting foreign forces. But time and again, Afghan civilians are suffering. The new agreement is said to only include a commitment to reduce violence. A senior US diplomat explained they'd accepted the Taliban argument that a ceasefire was their main bargaining chip for Afghan talks set to follow the US negotiations. A senior Afghan official angrily told me "a ceasefire is our bargaining chip too", insisting the government would not accept the current deal. Afghan leaders accuse the US of bestowing legitimacy on the Taliban, which has only emboldened them. There is also mounting scepticism, now voiced by President Trump, that any commitments made by Taliban negotiators in Doha won't be upheld by commanders in the field What does each side want? Mr Trump pledged during the 2016 presidential campaign that he would end the US war in Afghanistan. But he recently said that he wanted to get troop numbers down to 8,600 - about the same as the level when he entered office - and then "make a determination from there". He said the US would maintain a military presence in Afghanistan. Many in Washington fear that a full US pull-out would leave the country deeply unstable and vulnerable to militant groups that could use it as a base to attack the West. The Taliban militants now control more territory than at any time since the 2001 US invasion. They have insisted that they will not talk formally to the Afghan government until a timetable for the US troop withdrawal is agreed. The initial US-Taliban deal was meant to pave the way for intra-Afghan talks on a broader political solution. Ever since the US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul a week ago with news of "a deal in principle", there have been almost daily Taliban attacks, with a growing chorus of anger in Afghanistan - and the US. The Taliban say they're targeting foreign forces. But time and again, Afghan civilians are suffering. The new agreement is said to only include a commitment to reduce violence. A senior US diplomat explained they'd accepted the Taliban argument that a ceasefire was their main bargaining chip for Afghan talks set to follow the US negotiations. A senior Afghan official angrily told me "a ceasefire is our bargaining chip too", insisting the government would not accept the current deal. Afghan leaders accuse the US of bestowing legitimacy on the Taliban, which has only emboldened them. There is also mounting scepticism, now voiced by President Trump, that any commitments made by Taliban negotiators in Doha won't be upheld by commanders in the field What does each side want? Mr Trump pledged during the 2016 presidential campaign that he would end the US war in Afghanistan. But he recently said that he wanted to get troop numbers down to 8,600 - about the same as the level when he entered office - and then "make a determination from there". He said the US would maintain a military presence in Afghanistan. Many in Washington fear that a full US pull-out would leave the country deeply unstable and vulnerable to militant groups that could use it as a base to attack the West. The Taliban militants now control more territory than at any time since the 2001 US invasion. They have insisted that they will not talk formally to the Afghan government until a timetable for the US troop withdrawal is agreed. The initial US-Taliban deal was meant to pave the way for intra-Afghan talks on a broader political solution. Some in Afghanistan fear that any deal could see hard-won rights and freedoms eroded and the Taliban back in power. The militants enforced strict religious laws and treated women brutally during their rule from 1996 to 2001. Nearly 3,500 members of the international coalition forces have died in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion, more than 2,300 of them American. In a February 2019 report, the UN said that more than 32,000 Afghan civilians had died. The Watson Institute at Brown University says 58,000 Afghan security personnel and 42,000 opposition combatants have been killed.

Now that macOS 10.14 Mojave has been on our Macs, bringing key iOS apps like News and Stocks to our desktops, Apple’s OS is better than ever before. But, it doesn’t stop there: macOS 10.14 is also crammed with excellent new and improved features, like the system-wide Dark Mode and boosted productivity through Finder. In the next few years, more iOS apps should be coming to the best Macs. Apple confirmed this at WWDC 2019 by announcing Project Catalyst, which makes it simpler and more streamlined for developers to bring their iPhone and iPad apps to mac. Moreover, Project Catalyst has been accessible to developers as of June 3 with macOS Catalina’s beta version, so we can expect app developers to roll out more macOS versions of iOS apps very soon. Even now, however, there’s already a lot to love in macOS 10.14. And, despite macOS 10.14 coming with its own fair share of security issues, most notoriously KeySteal, the operating system is generally safe and secure. Apple’s macOS 10.14 Mojave has been on our Macs for more than eight months at this point and most, if not all, of the concerns have been addressed. And, any lingering issues are dwarfed by the benefits this new OS brings to the table. Let’s get into all of its features, alongside any new ones that have been added, so you can choose for yourself whether or not upgrading to the macOS 10.14 is for you. Make the most out of the new operating system with the best macOS 10.14 Mojave tips and tricks Installed Mojave and having issues? Check out our guide on macOS 10.14 Mojave problems: how to fix them Cut to the chase What is it? The 2018 edition of Apple’s Mac operating system, macOS When is it out? macOS Mojave is out right now What will it cost? macOS 10.14 is free macOS 10.14 Mojave release date Apple announced macOS 10.14 Mojave back in June 2018 at WWDC 2018, during which the majority of its features were shown off. This announcement was followed by a public beta launch in July. Finally, a full launch of the operating system happened on September 24, 2018. Apple has been keeping macOS 10.14 Mojave up to date with all the latest features. The newest of these updates, macOS 10.14.4, brings Dark Mode to Safari, together with the new Apple News+ service. Past updates included a fix for the FaceTime Bug, which permitted other people to access your camera without you taking their call, and a supplemental update to improve reliability for the 2018 MacBook Air. Apple has also rolled out macOS 10.14.5, which will highly likely be one of the last major updates to the operating system before macOS 10.15 is released. This update focuses on stability, and is still very much worth downloading despite only offering more nuanced improvements. macOS 10.14 Mojave features Now that macOS 10.14 Mojave has been available for some time, there are a lot of new features to explore, enjoy and take advantage of. We’re going to dig into a thorough run-down of everything your Mac can do. From Finder enhancements to stricter security, the best Macs are about to become that much better. Read on to uncover all the new features macOS Mojave brings to the table, whether or not you’ve updated your computer yet, so you can take full advantage. Dark Mode First and foremost, Apple’s macOS 10.14 Mojave brings in a very exciting feature in a system-wide dark mode, which covers every first-party program on your Mac. Even Xcode gets a full makeover, completely in black, making those protracted programming sessions easier on your eyes. Third party applications are also beginning to adopt this new theme, with changes happening automatically for any app that uses standard colors through AppKit. Even developers who don’t use AppKit are working on implementing Dark Mode on their applications. For example, in a recent bug report, Google Chrome developers confirmed that they’re working on a way to bring Dark Mode into the massively po[CENSORED]r web browser – just as soon as they iron out some issues first. Group FaceTime One of the key features that was part of the initial launch of MacOS Mojave, Group FaceTime was released as part of macOS 10.14.1. This feature lets you to have FaceTime conversations with up to 32 people across iOS and macOS devices. Group FaceTime has an incredibly intuitive implementation in macOS 10.14 Mojave. You can start a group FaceTime chat from any group iMessage thread, and invites are sent through a ringless non-distracting notification. Once you’re in a Group FaceTime Chat, it automatically detects the person speaking, bringing them front and center so that everyone’s always focused on the person actively speaking Stacks Say goodbye to the age of messy desktops with macOS 10.14 Mojave. Whenever your desktop starts to look like a virtual hurricane just blew through after a full day’s work – like ours does, simply use Stacks. With Stacks, macOS Mojave sorts similar files together so that you have a cleaner, more streamlined desktop, grouping in photos with photos, pdfs with pdfs and so on. You can even preview the thumbnails in a stack using a two-finger scroll, so that you can make sure the file you’re looking for is really in that stack. Gallery View In macOS 10.14 Mojave, Apple has integrated a new Gallery View to Finder. This view lets you quickly browse through, annotate and edit files. No matter what kind of file you select, you are able to quickly and easily find exactly what you're searching for. This is made even better, thanks to the incredibly detailed metadata display in the Preview pane. This feature makes it simpler than ever before to view all the information of any file on your Mac. Lastly, thanks to the addition of Quick Actions in the Preview pane, you won’t even need to leave Finder to work on files, whether you’re editing images or adding protection to files. You can even allocate Automator tasks as Quick Actions to make browsing through files even easier. Continuity Camera If you often find yourself having to import a document or a photo on a project you’re working on, then you may get a lot of use out of Continuity Camera. This feature is easier than ever to do exactly that. Across a number of different apps - Numbers and Pages, for example – you’ll be able to just Control + Click in the body of the document, and select “Take Photo” or “Scan Documents.” It’ll then proceed to open the camera on your iPhone or iPad so you can take a photo that immediately pops it right into whatever you might be working on. It’s easy to use. It’s handy. And, it’s going to be a benefit for anyone that has to save some time while doing schoolwork or that next big work project. Markup in Quick Look and Screenshots Quick Look is already a fast and easy way to look at files, but macOS 10.14 Mojave takes that accessibility to a new level. With this update, you are also able to quickly and efficiently use Markup to edit files you open in Quick Look. Markup is also offered in screenshots, which means that you can easily bring up any screenshot and instantaneously edit any content within. Being able to promptly crop screenshots in macOS Mojave without needing to open any third-party photo-editing software is going to be a massive time-saver. Whenever you capture a screen, you’ll see a preview image pop up, just like in iOS 12, that you can click on to preview and edit your screenshot. That's not all. Screenshots are still a quick shortcut away, but with macOS Mojave, a new easy-to-use menu includes screen-recording tools that let you capture animated content. Perhaps even more importantly, you can decide to save the screenshot to your clipboard, saving time – not to mention space – if you just have to send someone a quick screenshot, but don’t want that screenshot filling up your storage. Apps Apple News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home are all carried over from iOS to macOS Mojave, with special care given to optimize them to fit your computer. These apps leverage the muscle of the best Macs to deliver an amazing experience. Voice Memos, for example, will automatically transfer any memos you take between your iOS and macOS devices – rewarding anyone who relies on the ‘Apple Ecosystem’ for a more streamlined workflow. This isn’t a full iOS app migration. In fact, since these apps are purposely revamped for macOS, they feel like new Apps. Plus, the new Apple News+ service is available on Mac the same day as iOS. Apple did say that it would bring in more iOS apps to Macs this year, but we’ll need to wait until the later part of 2019. Security As indication that Apple is just as concerned about your device security as you are, the macOS Mojave now asks for permission for more features, including the camera and microphone. Mojave’s security also offers more solid protection for your file system. That’s not all: Safari also has gotten its own share of security enhancements. Those include shutting down cookies that follow you across websites, and making sure that Safari asks permission before it lets cookies of any kind access to your browsing data. Among these are those annoying social media buttons that inexplicably appear on every page – Facebook and Twitter can’t track your activity outside of their own websites unless you want them to.

Normally it would be a very bad idea to submerge your motherboard in water while it's powered on. That's also true of ASRock's new X570 Aqua, but unlike most motherboards, it's a "completely water cooled" slab for your Ryzen build, with a very large water block covering the important bits. Technically, the coverage is not complete—the DIMM slots and various components and other bits along the edges are exposed. The rest, however, sits underneath a shiny a custom block that's been "skillfully designed to ensure the heat of the CPU, VRM, and chipset can be dissipated efficiently," ASRock says. "Coolant is split into three passages so that each area can be cooled separately without interfering with each other. This design also lowers the water resistancy inside the cooling block, giving faster water flow to maintain the best cooling efficiency," ASRock explains. As the name implies, the X570 Aqua is based on AMD's X570 chipset. That means it supports the latest features, namely PCI Express 4.0. It's the only consumer chipset with PCIe 4.0 support, which primarily comes into play when using a PCIe 4.0 SSD capable of hitting read speeds in the neighborhood of 5,000MB/s. High end features abound, such as a 14-phase power design for smooth delivery of power to the CPU (in theory this should help with overclocking), built-in Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) support, Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, and an Aquantia 10Gb/s Ethernet port. ASRock is only making 999 of these boards. It's definitely a niche product, and if the price ends up being around $1,000 as our friends at TomsHardware were hearing a few months ago, it's going to be a tough sell.

Hyundai is about done in expanding its crossover SUV lineup. The smallest of the high-riders, the Venue, has been revealed while the biggest, the Palisade, is taking the midsize crossover by storm. All is well and good until you set your sight on the Korean marque's second best-selling model – the Tucson. Out of all the marque's crossovers, the Tucson is the most dated in terms of design and platform, but it won't be for long. Spy photos of the compact crossover have already surfaced, and this latest set reveals the most details yet. Gallery: 2021 Hyundai Tucson Newest Spy Photos This new set of spy images is somehow similar to the previous one that was released last month. Similar, but different. The wide cascading grille that flanks both narrow lights is still prominent, as well as the second tier of supposed headlights on the bottom bumper. The definitions on profile aren't prominent at this point, but we all know that the square-ish wheel wells are inherited by the 2021 Tucson. This time around, there are three details revealed about the next-generation Tucson. First, the set of wheels are a huge jump from the current rim design options, albeit, it's still early to say that this will transcend to the production version. Next, now we know that panoramic sunroof will be an option for the next-generation model, as seen on the prototype. Lastly, although the rear end is heavily covered, part of the taillights peak through small openings. Our spies speculate that the upcoming taillights might have a vertical orientation, but then again, it's too early to tell. The next-generation Hyundai Tucson is expected to be revealed by the latter part of 2020 as a 2021MY. At this rate, we'll see more of the Tucson prototype in the months to come, shedding more of its camo and revealing more skin.

Russia and Ukraine have completed a long-awaited exchange of prisoners. Those freed include 24 Ukrainian sailors and - controversially - a "person of interest" over the downing of flight MH17 which killed 298 people. The swap is hoped to ease tensions between the two neighbours. Greeting the Ukrainians at the airport, President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "We have to do all the steps to finish this horrible war." Russia said it was glad Russian citizens had returned home. Relations between the two countries deteriorated dramatically in 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and Russian-backed rebels began an insurgency in two regions of eastern Ukraine. More than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In April, Ukrainians elected a new president. Mr Zelensky said his top priority was to end the conflict. Russian officials have said progress towards a prisoner release is vital for improving the "atmosphere surrounding a settlement of the Ukrainian crisis". Negotiations on the extremely sensitive issue were held in complete secrecy, with both Ukrainian and Russian officials stressing that any leaks could derail the swap. On 30 August, Ukraine's new prosecutor shared a Facebook post suggesting a swap had begun. This was later denied by President Zelensky's office. Who was part of the prisoner exchange? The list of those freed by Russia includes 24 Ukrainian sailors whom Russia detained off Crimea in November last year. They were captured along with three naval ships as they attempted to pass through the Kerch Strait, the only route to access to Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov. Shots were fired by the Russian navy during the operation, injuring several Ukrainians. In May an international tribunal ordered Russia to release the sailors and vessels. Ukrainian film-maker Oleg Sentsov, jailed for 20 years in 2015 for plotting terrorist acts in Crimea in a trial condemned as political by the US and EU, has also arrived home. He was considered Ukraine's number one political prisoner in Russia. Roman Sushchenko, a Ukrainian journalist detained in Moscow in 2016 for what Russia described as "conducting espionage activities", was among those freed. Also on the list are two far-right Ukrainian activists, Mykola Karpyuk and Stanislav Klykh, both arrested in Russia in 2014. They were accused of fighting on the side of Chechen rebels in the first Chechen war in the 1990s and were later jailed. Russia has not officially confirmed the names of its freed citizens. But the most significant and controversial person Ukraine sent to Russia is Volodymyr Tsemakh, reportedly a commander of air defences for Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. Mr Tsemakh, 58, is a "person of interest" in the Dutch-led investigation into the 2014 shooting down over Ukraine of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, which led to the deaths of all 298 people on board. Others included are Yevgeny Mefedov and Pavel Dolzhenkov, jailed over deadly clashes between pro-Russian groups and Ukrainian nationalists in the Black Sea port of Odessa in 2014. Russian-Ukrainian journalist Kyrylo Vyshynsky, accused of treason by Ukraine, was also heading home. Two former Ukrainian army soldiers who Ukraine says defected to Russia during the annexation of Crimea, Maksim Odintsov and Aleksandr Baranov, are also on the list. Why is Mr Tsemakh's inclusion on the list controversial? He is believed to have been a commander of air defences at Snizhne in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, one of the Russian-backed rebel areas in eastern Ukraine. Snizhne is close to where investigators say the missile which shot down the Malaysian Airlines plane in 2014 was fired. A team of international criminal investigators said in 2016 that the missile had been brought from Russia and fired from a field controlled by Russian-backed separatists. In a daring operation in June, Ukrainian special forces reportedly smuggled Mr Tsemakh out of rebel-held territory, and he had been due to stand trial in October. Although he is not a suspect, international prosecutors have said they would like him to remain in Ukraine so they can ask him further questions. Last week, they urged the authorities in Ukraine not to allow him to travel to Russia. However, in a court decision on Wednesday he was released from custody. The Dutch government said it was disappointed with the Ukrainian decision to send him to Russia.

V1 : 6 V2 : 10 Winner @X Matei X

A 15-year-old boy has been stabbed to death in east London. Police officers were called to Byford Close in Stratford at 18:45 BST on Tuesday following a report of a fight, the Met Police said. One witness said she saw the teenager "collapse on to the floor" and paramedics "tried their best for an hour" but they were unable to save him. No arrests have been made but the death is being treated as murder. It is the 93rd homicide in the capital this year. The witness, who wanted to remain anonymous, said paramedics had "arrived straight away" to treat the boy "but when they couldn't save him I saw one of them crying". A man who said he had lived in the area for 30 years told the Press Association there had been "numerous stabbings" in recent years. "It used to be a peaceful area but now it's become a terror to live in," he said. A section 60 order, which allows police to stop and search people, was put in place for the whole of Newham borough until 12:30.