Konymandibio Blog

Image copyright GETTY IMAGES Image caption A Bitcoin exchange manager who was kidnapped on Boxing Day has been released Kidnapped Exmo Bitcoin exchange manager Pavel Lerner was freed by his abductors in Ukraine on Friday.  Exmo confirmed that their employee is safe and "there was no physical harm inflicted on him". Mr Lerner, 40, a leading analyst at the cryptocurrency company,  was kidnapped on 26 December  while leaving his office in Kiev's Obolon district. According to Ukrainian media reports, Mr Lerner was "thrown out on a motorway" by his abductors. Exmo said: "Pavel is currently in a state of major stress, therefore, he will not provide any official comments in the coming days.  "The case is currently under investigation of the state security authorities." The company emphasised it was back to business as usual, and that Mr Lerner did not have access to any financial assets on the platform.  'Unknown masked people' ...

“MDZhB” has been broadcasting since 1982. No one knows why.  Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on WhatsApp Share on Google+ Share by Email By Zaria Gorvett 2 August 2017 This story is featured in BBC Future’s “Best of 2017” collection.  Discover more of our picks .  In the middle of a Russian swampland, not far from the city of St Petersburg, is a rectangular iron gate. Beyond its rusted bars is a collection of radio towers, abandoned buildings and power lines bordered by a dry-stone wall. This  sinister location  is the focus of a mystery which stretches back to the height of the Cold War. It is thought to be the headquarters of a radio station, “MDZhB”, that no-one has ever claimed to run. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for the last three-and-a-half decades, it’s been broadcasting a dull, monotonous tone. Every few seconds it’s joined by a second sound, like some ghostly ship s...

The US says "the world is watching" how Iranian authorities respond to anti-government protests that have broken out in several cities. Thousands of people have joined the protests, with scores arrested. A White House statement said Iranians were fed up with "the regime's corruption and its squandering of the nation's wealth to fund terrorism".  Meanwhile, authorities urged supporters to turn out for nationwide demonstrations on Saturday. The rallies are commemorating the 2009 demonstrations held in support of the then conservative government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Those demonstrations were in response to protests by reformists over a disputed election which returned him to power. The BBC's Persian Service says thousands of people were likely to have been bussed into a rally in the capital Tehran. What was the US response? "The Iranian government should respect their people's rights, including their right to express themselves....

Image copyright GETTY IMAGES Image caption Sigmar Gabriel is foreign minister in Germany's current, caretaker government A "smart" Brexit deal could serve as a model for the EU's future relations with other non-EU states, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel says. Turkey and Ukraine were two states that could benefit from the template, he told Germany's Funke media group.  He did not see either joining the EU any time soon, so alternative forms of closer co-operation were needed. The UK's future relationship with the EU, which it is due to leave on 29 March 2019, is still being negotiated. The two sides agreed this month on the three "divorce" issues that took up the first phase of negotiations: how much the UK owes the EU, what happens to the Northern Ireland border and what happens to UK citizens living elsewhere in the EU and EU citizens living in the UK. In June 2016, the UK voted in a referendum to leave the EU after more than f...

Image copyright AFP/GETTY Image caption The measures against Tunisian women caused widespread anger Tunisia has banned Emirates airline from landing in the capital Tunis after a number of Tunisian women were prevented from boarding its flights. The move comes amid widespread anger in Tunisia, with rights groups condemning "racist and discriminatory" measures. The transport ministry said the measure would stay in place until Emirates was able to "operate flights in accordance with law and international agreements". The UAE said "security information" had caused the delays. "We contacted our Tunisian brothers about security information that necessitated taking specific procedures," Emirati Foreign Minister  Anwar Gargash said on Twitter  on Sunday. "We highly value Tunisian women and respect them," he added. Strained ties Tunisian government officials said the UAE had banned Tunisian women from flying to or transiting thr...