Nebius, a spinoff from Yandex's international business, is investing over $1 billion in AI infrastructure in Europe, including a new GPU cluster in Paris. The company aims to expand its AI capacity and become a leading global AI infrastructure provider. Nebius is one of the first in Europe to offer NVIDIA's H200 Tensor Core GPUs and plans to provide the Blackwell platform by 2025. With a strong engineering team and proprietary technology, Nebius is enhancing its AI cloud services globally, supported by new data centers and expanded facilities in Finland.

The development of 5G networks in Russia has stalled due to equipment shortages and financial challenges faced by local operators. Despite initial plans and test zones established in Moscow since 2017, progress has been limited, with no tests conducted in 2024. The lack of mass production of 5G base stations and the financial burden on operators, exacerbated by the Central Bank of Russia's key rate revisions, are significant obstacles. Companies like Yadro and Irtea are involved in equipment development, but mass production remains uncertain. The Russian government's roadmap, proposed by Rostec, aimed for tech sovereignty, but operators have relied on imported equipment, primarily from China. Western sanctions have further complicated partnerships with companies like Nokia and Ericsson. The government is considering incentives, such as soft loans and frequency band fee discounts, to encourage 5G development, but challenges persist, including the bankruptcy of Rostec-affiliated Spektr.

Russian authorities are gradually preparing to replace YouTube with local alternatives like RuTube, VK Video, Dzen, and Nuum, as YouTube faces technical slowdowns and content bans in Russia. Despite the growth of these platforms, challenges such as a shortage of IT personnel and limited content remain. The Russian government has not yet blocked YouTube, awaiting the maturity of local services. Experts believe that while Russian platforms are growing, they are not yet capable of fully replacing YouTube in terms of content variety and audience engagement. New entrants like Platform continue to emerge, aiming to fill the gap left by YouTube's restrictions on Russian state-run and patriotic content.

Russian authorities have intensified their crackdown on foreign hosting providers and cloud service companies, enforcing the 'landing law' which mandates foreign internet companies with significant Russian user bases to establish a local presence. Roskomnadzor, the Russian telecom watchdog, has blocked access to several major companies, including Amazon Web Services and GoDaddy, for non-compliance. The regulation requires companies to open a Russian office, register with the Federal Tax Service, and identify clients through payment or contact details. This move is part of Russia's broader strategy to replace foreign IT solutions with local alternatives, citing security concerns. The blockages may prompt affected companies to further reduce their operations in Russia or exit the market entirely, while Russian customers might shift to domestic providers.

A book titled 'A Lad’s Word' about the street gangs of Kazan during the late 1980s and early 1990s inspired a hit Russian TV show and raises questions about Russia’s economic transition. The book, which includes first-person recollections from former gang members, contrasts with Svetlana Stephenson's academic research in 'The Gangs of Russia'. The author, Garayev, a former gang member himself, adds his memories to the narrative. The book explores various aspects of gang life, including their structure, rituals, and interactions with authorities. It also discusses the transformation of youth gangs into criminal enterprises during the 1990s and the subsequent police crackdown. The TV series based on the book, subtitled 'Blood on the Asphalt', has been popular with young viewers but criticized for potentially romanticizing criminality. The article suggests that the legacy of the street gangs and the criminal code of that era persist in contemporary Russia.

Yandex N.V., the Dutch parent company of Russia's Yandex, is selling its Russian assets for $5.2 billion and will rebrand and refocus as a global AI technology company. The sale includes a complete disconnection from Russia, with no operations, investments, or employees remaining in the country. Yandex N.V. aims to become a leading European developer of AI services and solutions, with a focus on self-driving cars, AI cloud computing, machine learning, and ed-tech. The company has a team of about 1,300 employees, with plans to establish a significant presence in Amsterdam and R&D hubs in Israel, Europe, the UK, and the US. Projects like Nebius AI, Toloka AI, Avride, and TripleTen are central to Yandex N.V.'s strategy. The company's shareholders are mainly from the US, UK, and Europe, and it plans to distribute proceeds from the Russian asset sale among them and invest in its operations. The new owners of Yandex's Russian assets include Lukoil and several other companies.

Russia is aiming to enhance its supercomputer capabilities, as indicated by President Vladimir Putin's directive to increase computing power. Despite having seven supercomputers in the global Top 500, Russia lags behind the US and China. The quasi-governmental Digital Economy organization has proposed building 10 new supercomputers by 2030. However, US sanctions on chip exports from Nvidia and AMD, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, pose significant challenges to this ambition. The cost of such an endeavor is estimated at $6bn, and while a national project for tech-based economic development could provide funding, past inefficiencies and current military expenditures complicate the situation.

A study focused on developing new chemotherapeutic agents against cancer, utilizing unsymmetrical pincer ligands combining benzothiazole and thiocarbamate donor groups. These compounds underwent direct cyclopalladation, resulting in S,C,N-type Pd(II) pincer complexes, characterized by various spectroscopic methods. The solvent-free synthesis approach was efficient and environmentally friendly. The palladacycles demonstrated significant cytotoxicity against several cancer cell lines, with the dimethylamino-substituted derivative showing high effectiveness and inducing apoptosis in both parental and doxorubicin-resistant cells, suggesting the potential of these palladacycles as anticancer agents.

EMPIRE Publishing has entered a joint venture with Surf Club, a collective founded by producer Hit-Boy. The partnership includes signing three new artists: Gary “G Dav” Davis, Jesse “Dr. Blum” Blum, and Randy “Bandz” Holmes. EMPIRE will provide publishing administrative services and help Surf Club identify new talent. The collaboration aims to create outstanding music and push the culture forward, reflecting EMPIRE's ethos of enabling independent artist success.

Florida-based producer ACRAZE, known for his hit remix 'Do It To It,' has signed with Capitol Records in partnership with Thrive Music. The track has achieved significant success, including 120 million on-demand streams in the U.S. and 8.4 billion global streams. ACRAZE, born Charlie Duncker, has performed at major festivals and is set for upcoming shows. Thrive Music, founded by Ricardo Vinas, and Capitol Records express enthusiasm about the collaboration and future projects.