I. United States
Politics and Society
Trump approves plan to withdraw 9,500 US troops from Germany, 1 July 2020
US President Donald Trump has approved a plan to withdraw 9,500 American troops from bases in Germany, the Pentagon says. The move would reduce the number of US troops stationed in the country from about 34,500 to 25,000. Click here to read....
U.S. moves to seize Iranian petroleum aboard four tankers bound for Venezuela in sanctions escalation, push to extend arms embargo, 3 July 2020
U.S. authorities have moved to seize the cargo of four oil tankers carrying gasoline and fuel products from Iran to Venezuela, escalating a sanctions battle with two regimes. The action comes weeks after Iran sent five tankers and 1.5 million barrels of gasoline in a symbolic gesture of support to embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in defiance of the Trump administration. Click here to read....
Pompeo says U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, 7 July 2020
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States is “certainly looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, suggesting it shared information with the Chinese government, a charge it denied. U.S. lawmakers have raised national security concerns over TikTok’s handling of user data, saying they were worried about Chinese laws requiring domestic companies “to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.” Click here to read....
International students may need to leave US if their universities transition to online-only learning, 7 July 2020
International students who are pursuing degrees in the United States will have to leave the country or risk deportation if their universities switch to online-only courses, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced.The move may affect thousands of foreign students who come to the United States to attend universities or participate in training programs, as well as non-academic or vocational studies. Click here to read....
Trump administration begins formal withdrawal from World Health Organization, 8 July 2020
The Trump administration has notified Congress and the United Nations that the United States is formally withdrawing from the World Health Organization, , a move that comes amid a rising number of coronavirus cases throughout the Americas over the past week. The withdrawal, which goes into effect next July, has drawn criticism from bipartisan lawmakers, medical associations, advocacy organizations and allies abroad. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden vowed Tuesday to reverse the decision "on (his) first day" if elected. Click here to read....
U.S. Sanctions Chinese Officials, Including Politburo Member, For Xinjiang Abuses, 9 July 2020
The Trump administration has put visa and asset sanctions on several Chinese officials - including Politburo member Chen Quanguo-for what it says has been their role in "gross violations of human rights" in China's far western region of Xinjiang. The move comes at a time when U.S.-China relations are at their worst in decades and is likely to anger Beijing, potentially leading to similar sanctions from China on American officials. Click here to read....
US Supreme Court rules half of Oklahoma is Native American land, 10 July 2020
The US Supreme Court has ruled about half of Oklahoma belongs to Native Americans, in a landmark case that also quashed a child rape conviction. The justices decided 5-4 that an eastern chunk of the state, including its second-biggest city, Tulsa, should be recognised as part of a reservation. This decision in McGirt v Oklahoma is seen as one of the most far-reaching cases for Native Americans before the highest US court in decades. The ruling means some tribe members found guilty in state courts for offences committed on the land at issue can now challenge their convictions. Click here to read....
Dozens of U.S. Marines in Japan’s Okinawa get coronavirus, 11 July 2020
Dozens of U.S. Marines at two bases on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa have been infected with the coronavirus in what is feared to be a massive outbreak, Okinawa’s governor said, demanding an adequate explanation from the U.S. military. Click here to read....
Trump confirms US conducted cyber attack against Russia in 2018, 11 July 2020
President Trump acknowledged for the first time that, in 2018, he authorized a covert cyber-attack against Russia’s Internet Research Agency, the St. Petersburg-based troll farm that spearheaded Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and was doing the same in the 2018 midterm elections. Click here to read....
U.S. Rejects Most Chinese Maritime Claims in South China Sea, 13 July 2020
The U.S. declared its formal opposition to a swath of Chinese claims in the South China Sea, in an unusually direct challenge to Beijing’s efforts to assert control in the strategic waters. Announcing the policy shift on Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo characterized the decision as an effort to uphold international law against what he called a “might makes right” campaign by China to coerce and intimidate its Southeast Asian neighbours into ceding their interests. Click here to read....
Trump signs Hong Kong sanctions bill, announces executive order in escalation with China, 15 July 2020
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he signed into law a bipartisan bill that sanctions Chinese officials who undermine the rights to free speech and assembly in Hong Kong, the latest escalation in an increasingly hostile relationship between Washington and Beijing. Trump also said that he had signed an executive order that ended the special trade treatment with Hong Kong, a practice put in place in 1992 to ensure that Hong Kong could continue normal economic activity and remain insulated from tariffs placed on mainland China as it transitioned from British colonial control to Chinese sovereignty. "Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China — no special privileges, no special economic treatment, and no export of sensitive technologies," Trump said. Click here to read....
U.S. Threatens to Expand Sanctions on Nord Stream 2 As Russia Moves To Complete Pipeline, 15 July 2020
The United States has threatened to sanction any individual or company helping Russia build a controversial natural gas pipeline to Germany as the Kremlin moves to complete the last kilometres of the nearly $11 billion project. The State Department essentially removed language that excluded the pipeline from the powerful Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which was passed in 2017. Click here to read....
Trump administration rescinds rule on foreign students, 15 July 2020
Facing eight federal lawsuits and opposition from hundreds of universities, the Trump administration rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was announced at the start of a hearing in a federal lawsuit in Boston brought by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said federal immigration authorities agreed to pull the July 6 directive and “return to the status quo.”Click here to read....
US Election 2020
White evangelical approval of Trump slips, but eight-in-ten say they would vote for him, 1 July 2020
Trump’s approval rating has dropped among a range of religious groups, including white evangelicals – though they remain strongly supportive. Click here to read....
Trump’s approval rating hits new low in major blow to president, 3 July 2020
According to data from Real Clear Politics, which collects averages from polling data, Trump has a 41.5 percent approval rating – the lowest it’s been since February 2019. Click here to read....
President Trump Job Approval – Economy
Date- 6/13 - 7/14
Approval- 49 percent
Dissapprove-47.2 percent
President Trump Job Approval - Foreign Policy
Date-5/8 - 7/14
Approve -41 percent
Dissaprove-53.6 percent
Direction of Country
Date 6/17 - 7/14
Right Direction- 23.6 percent
Wrong Track-68.8 percentClick here to read....
Senior citizens will decide 2020 presidential election, 8 July 2020
"Senior citizens will decide the next president of the United States," asserts Jeff Brauer, political science professor at Keystone College in Factoryville, Pennsylvania. While those 65 and older have long been a powerful voting bloc, this year, Brauer says, given the context of the election, their vote will make the difference. "Senior citizens vote in presidential elections at the rate of 70% or more," he says. Click here to read....
US election campaigns: Biden stays online, Trump plans rallies, 9 July 2020
President Donald Trump is planning to push ahead with big campaign rallies, even after supporters at his last event tested positive for COVID-19.By contrast, his Democratic challenger has kept his campaign mostly online.Joe Biden is ahead in the polls, but some observers warn he will need to do more to win. Click here to read....
Approval of Trump’s Coronavirus Response Hits All-Time Low: Poll, 10 July 2020
Two-thirds of the American public disapprove of President Donald Trump's handling of both of the major crises facing the nation now – the coronavirus and race relations, according to a new poll. The president's rating on handling the pandemic was the lowest to date in the survey. The survey released found that 67% of Americans disapprove of Trump's management of each crisis; 33% approve of his handling of the pandemic, and 32% approve of his approach to race relations in the aftermath of protests over police brutality against African Americans. Click here to read....
Facebook considers banning political ads in days before US election, 10 July 2020
Facebook is considering banning political advertising on its platform in the days leading up to the US presidential election in November. Facebook has come under intense criticism for its policy of allowing politicians to run false ads. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has, in the past, strenuously defended his company's stance and argued last fall that banning political ads would not be a good idea. Click here to read....
Trump Replaces Brad Parscale as Campaign Manager, Elevating Bill Stepien, 15 July 2020
Brad Parscale, who was named campaign manager in February 2018will step out of the job and Bill Stepien, currently the deputy campaign manager and a veteran political operative, will take over. Mr. Parscale will stay on with the campaign, becoming a senior adviser for data and digital operations. The move comes as Mr. Trump’s advantages as an incumbent president have eroded in the face of a pandemic that has killed over 137,000 Americans and battered the nation’s economy — once Mr. Trump’s most powerful argument for re-election. The president has been heavily criticized for his handling of the coronavirus and the halting federal response to it, and Mr. Trump’s own public comments have deepened the hole in which he finds himself in national and battleground state polling. Click here to read....
Health and Economy
US gets almost all of the world's supply of key Covid-19 drug, 1 July 2020
The United States has been allocated almost all of the next few months' supply of remdesivir, the only drug that's known to work directly against Covid-19.The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Monday that it had secured 100% of drug-maker Gilead's projected production for July, and 90% of its production for August and September -- plus more for clinical trials. Click here to read....
US firms create record 4.8 million jobs in June, 2 July 2020
The US economy created jobs at a record pace in June as firms took on more staff after the coronavirus downturn. Payrolls surged 4.8 million, the most since the Labour Department began keeping records in 1939, helped by the reopening of factories and restaurants.It follows May's jobs rebound, when 2.5 million joined the labour market, and comes after consumer spending data saw a jump in activity. Click here to read....
U.S. unemployment falls to 11%, but new shutdowns are underway, 2 July 2020
U.S. unemployment fell to 11.1% in June as the economy added a solid 4.8 million jobs, the government reported. But the job-market recovery may already be faltering because of a new round of closings and layoffs triggered by a resurgence of the coronavirus. Click here to read....
The big factor holding back the U.S. economic recovery: Child care, 4 July 2020
The child-care crunch triggered by the pandemic has rapidly become a crisis for many workers and companies that is hindering the economic recovery, disproportionately harming women and threatening to leave deep scars for years to come. Click here to read....
Biden unveils $700bn 'buy American' proposal to revive US industry, 9 July 2020
At a metal works near his home town of Scranton in Pennsylvania, Biden delivered the first in a series of speeches detailing his economic agenda and framed around a new slogan: “Build Back Better”. In a speech full of populist appeal, Biden declared manufacturing “part of the engine of American prosperity – now” and accused Donald Trump of protecting wealthy “cronies and pals” instead of working-class families. Click here to read....
First COVID-19 vaccine tested in US poised for final testing, 15 July 2020
The first COVID-19 vaccine tested in the U.S. revved up people’s immune systems just the way scientists had hoped, researchers reported Tuesday -- as the shots are poised to begin key final testing. The experimental vaccine, developed by Fauci’s colleagues at the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., will start its most important step around July 27: A 30,000-person study to prove if the shots really are strong enough to protect against the coronavirus. Click here to read....
Perspective
The U.S.-China confrontation is not another Cold War. It’s something new, 2 July 2020
Rather than a replay of the Cold War, a new kind of competition is emerging-one that eludes neat concepts such as containment and engagement that defined America’s previous approach to great-power politics. As a result, cookie-cutter Cold War policies -such as a counter-China military alliance, a geographic containment strategy or all-out economic warfare-are as ill-suited as they are unlikely to succeed. Click here to read....
New Sanctions Challenge the Tenuous Ties Between America and Russia, 13 July 2020
he controversy over alleged Russia bounties to the Taliban for killing American soldiers in Afghanistan has underscored once again that the United States has an attitude about Russia, but not a policy. The underlying intelligence assessments have apparently been circulating within the government for half a year or longer. That they were leaked now, just four months ahead of the election, suggests that the leaker’s primary motive may be much more about American politics than about Russia, Afghanistan, or U.S. national security. Click here to read....
II. Europe
Politics and Society
Declaration of the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the adoption by China’s National People’s Congress of a National Security Legislation on Hong Kong, 1 July 2020
“…The European Union is concerned that the law risks seriously undermining the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong, and having a detrimental effect on the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. Both of these principles remain essential for the continued stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, and are therefore of vital interest to the European Union and the international community. The European Union urges China to avoid any act which undermines Hong Kong’s autonomy in the legal field, including in terms of human rights...” Full text available atClick here to read....
Merkel Urges ‘Massive’ EU Recovery Effort Amid Deep Divisions, 2 July 2020
German Chancellor Angela Merkel implored European Union governments to quickly come together to authorize a “massive” economic response to the global pandemic, even as an official warned that member states remain deeply divided on the existing stimulus proposal. Click here to read....
Macron names Jean Castex as new French Prime Minister after Edouard Philippe's resignation, 3 July 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron has named Jean Castex as the country's new prime minister, following the resignation of Edouard Philippe. A full government reshuffle is expected later. Castex is a local mayor from the Pyrenees, and has been overseeing the exit from France's coronavirus lockdown. Until now a member of the right-wing "Les Républicains" party, he worked for former President Nicolas Sarkozy's team at the Elysée. Macron had been expected to change the faces and direction of his government, especially in the wake of defeat in last weekend's local elections. In a major speech earlier this week, he said the "time has come to act" on the environment. Click here to read....
UK announces first sanctions under new global human rights regime, 6 July 2020
The new ‘Magnitsky’-style sanctions regime will target those who have been involved in some of the gravest human rights violations and abuses around the world. The UK’s first wave of sanctions under this new regime targeted25 Russian nationals involved in the mistreatment and death of auditor Sergei Magnitsky, who uncovered widespread Russian corruption by a group of Russian tax and police officials; 20 Saudi nationals involved in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi; 2 high-ranking Myanmar military generals involved in the systematic and brutal violence against the Rohingya people and other ethnic minorities; 2 organisations involved in the forced labour, torture and murder that takes place in North Korea’s gulags. Click here to read....
Huawei to be stripped from UK's 5G network by 2027, 14 July 2020
Oliver Dowden has confirmed that the UK will ban Huawei from the UK's 5G network and set a new deadline for stripping it out of all infrastructure at the cost of £2bn. The Chinese tech giant equipment will be stripped out entirely by 2027, with telecoms firms banned from purchasing new 5G equipment from Huawei from the start of next year, the Culture Secretary said. Click here to read....
Brexit: UK to spend €790m on new GB-EU border control systems ready for 2021, 12 July 2020
The British government has announced nearly €800 million in funding for new border infrastructure to prepare for checks and controls from January after the post-Brexit transition ends. There are plans for new border posts, improved technology and hundreds of extra staff to deal with the impact of the UK's departure from the EU's Customs Union, regardless of the outcome of trade talks. Click here to read....
EU, Turkey clash over Hagia Sophia, Mediterranean drilling, 13 July 2020
Turkey and the European Union clashed over Ankara's decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque and its continued energy exploration in disputed Mediterranean waters. After their first face-to-face meeting in months, the 27 EU foreign ministers said that they “condemned the Turkish decision to convert such an emblematic monument as the Hagia Sophia," EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said. Click here to read....
Polish conservative Duda re-elected president, deeper EU rifts likely, 13 July 2020
Polish President Andrzej Duda has won five more years in power on a socially conservative, religious platform in a closely fought election that makes renewed confrontation with the European Union’s executive likely.Final results from Sunday’s presidential election runoff showed Dudawon with 51.03% of the vote while the Liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski got 48.97%.Click here to read....
EU-India summit via video conference, 15 July 2020
The 15th summit between India and the EU was held via video conference. The EU was represented by Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. India was represented by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Leaders adopted a joint statement, reaffirming their commitment to strengthen the EU-India strategic partnership. This should be based on shared principles and values of democracy, freedom, rule of law, and respect for human rights, aiming at delivering concrete benefits for the people in the EU and India.
Health and Environment
UK opts out of EU coronavirus vaccine programme, 1 July 2020
The UK government has rejected the chance to join the European Union’s coronavirus vaccine programme due to concerns over “costly delays”, according to sources. The EU is planning to spend around €2bn (£1.8bn) on the advance purchase of vaccines that are undergoing testing on behalf of the 27 member states.Click here to read....
European Union in Talks with Gilead to Secure Covid Drug Supply, 2 July 2020
The European Union is in talks with Gilead Sciences Inc. about reserving a “sufficient number of doses” of remdesivir for the bloc’s member states after the U.S forged a deal to snap up almost all the drugmaker’s supplies. Remdesivir is one of only two medicines with a proven effect against the coronavirus. Click here to read....
Perspective
Merkel faces a historic test of leadership that will shape Europe’s future after coronavirus, 11 July 2020
For Angela Merkel, who held the rotating EU presidency once before in 2007, it’s a last shot at historic legacy. Can Germany’s first and only woman chancellor, who has recharged her waning standing during the coronavirus, demonstrate the leadership required to unify and shape Europe that her critics say eluded her during almost 15 years in power. Click here to read....
II. Russia
Meeting of leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey on Syrian settlement, 1 July 2020
Vladimir Putin, President of Iran Hassan Rouhani and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a trilateral videoconference meeting of the heads of state – guarantors of the Astana process for facilitating the Syrian peace settlement. “An inclusive inter-Syrian dialogue should be actively promoted within the framework of the constitutional committee in Geneva. I propose to support this process, to help the participants to meet and start a direct dialogue,” Putin said.
Following the meeting, the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey adopted a joint statement which “expressed the conviction” that Syria’s war had no military solution and has to be settled only via a political process. Click here to read....
Russia’s 2020 constitution backed by twice as many compared to 1993, says senator, 2 July 2020
The legitimacy of the Russian constitution amended in 2020 is higher than in 1993, since it was supported by almost twice as many people, Andrei Klishas, chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament) and co-chair of the task force for drafting the constitutional amendments, TASS quoted. Click here to read....
Russia, India have no limits in developing cooperation, says senior diplomat, 2 July 2020
Russia and India do not set any limits to the development of the bilateral cooperation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said on Thursday in an open interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman. "There is an expression “the sky is the limit.” Yet if we are talking about Russian-Indian relationship, then for Russia and India the sky is not the limit, the perspective of the development of our relationship is not restricted by anything,” the diplomat said. Click here to read....
Russia publishes new constitution, 4 July 2020
In accordance with the Presidential Decree, the text of the Constitution of the Russian Federation with the amendments made as a result of a nationwide vote on the approval of amendments to the Basic Law of the country has been published on the Official Internet Portal of Legal Information. http://kremlin.ru/acts/news/63602
The updated constitution can be accessed at Click here to read....
Russia to retaliate over UK sanctions imposed over Magnitsky case — Kremlin, 7 July 2020
Russia will respond to UK’s imposition of personal sanctions Russian officials over their alleged involvement in the torture and death of lawyer Sergei Magnitskyto the extent that would fit the Russian interests, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The list of sanctioned people includes Russian Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin, Deputy Prosecutor General Viktor Grin, Deputy Minister of the Interior Alexei Anichin. The people in the list have been barred from entering the UK, and their assets in the country, if they have any, will be frozen. They will be barred from conducting business both inside the UK and via UK citizens’ mediation. Click here to read....
US cannot re-join Open Skies Treaty easily, Moscow says, 7 July 2020
It will not be easy for the United States to re-join the Treaty on Open Skies, if there is such a desire, because it will have to agree with all decisions made in its absence, Oleg Bushuev, Head of the Conventional Arms Control Division of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, said.
On May 21, US President Donald Trump declared Washington’s intention to quit the Treaty on Open Skies, which enables the signatories to perform flights over each other’s territory to monitor military activity. Click here to read....
Russian watchdog places journalist Babchenko on blacklist of terrorists, extremists, 9 July 2020
Journalist Arkady Babchenko has been placed on Russia’s blacklist of organizations and individuals reportedly involved in extremist and terrorist activities, the Federal Financial Monitoring Service said. Babchenko, a Russian reporter and writer, used to be a war correspondent for the Moskovsky Komsomolets and Novaya Gazeta newspapers but moved to Ukraine in 2017. In 2018, Ukraine’s police reported that he had been killed in the country’s capital of Kiev. However, it turned out later that Babchenko had faked his murder to prevent a real assassination attempt. Click here to read....
Return to INF Treaty impossible after US withdrawal — Russian deputy foreign minister, 11 July 2020
The US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty has become an irreparable mistake, which makes the return to the agreement impossible, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with the Duma TV channel. The INF Treaty was terminated on August 2, 2019 at the initiative of the United States. Washington said the reason was Russia’s refusal to comply with its ultimatum-like demand for scrapping all new cruise missiles 9M729, which, according to the United States and its NATO allies, were a violation of the agreement. Moscow dismissed these charges, saying that the technical parameters of the 9M729 missile matched those permitted under the INF Treaty and put forward its own counterarguments over Washington’s non-compliance. Click here to read....
UN Security Council rejects Russian-backed resolution on Syrian aid deliveries, 9 July 2020
The UN Security Council voted to reject the Russian draft resolution on international aid deliveries to Syria via one checkpoint on the border with Turkey.The draft resolution received seven ‘no’ votes and four ‘yes’ votes, with four abstentions. The document was supported by Russia, China, Vietnam and South Africa. The United Kingdom, the United States, France, Belgium, Germany, the Dominican Republic and Estonia voted against, while Indonesia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Tunisia abstained. Click here to read....
Economy
Implementation of Russia’s nationwide economic recovery plan starts in July, 1 July 2020
Implementation of Russia’s nationwide economic recovery plan worth 5 trillion rubles ($70.5bln) starts in July. The main features of the plan have not yet been made public. However, in an interview with TASS in June, head of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Alexei Kudrin said that the document contains new support measures totalling approximately 430 bln rubles ($6.04 bln). Of this amount 133 billion rubles ($1.8 bln) are intended for spending in 2020 and 300 billion rubles ($4.2 bln) - in 2021. Click here to read....
US election and trade wars increase risks for Russia's economy, experts say, 8 July 2020
The consequences of the US election scheduled for November 3, 2020, and the trade war between the United States and China may adversely affect the Russian economy, according to experts interviewed by TASS. "On the one hand, the Russian economy might face negative influence from economic turbulence, and on the other hand, a slowdown in the global economy and a corresponding decrease in demand for raw materials due to the US-China trade war," Director of HSE Centre for Business Tendencies Studies Georgy Ostapkovich opined. Click here to read....
Health and Environment
Russia ready to export Avifavir for treatment of coronavirus amid global shortage, 2 July 2020
Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is ready to export Avifavir drug against the coronavirus amid the shortage of such drugs globally due to the US authorities’ decision to purchase almost 100% of the manufactured Remdesivir in the coming months, the Fund said in a statement. Click here to read....
Russia’s Vektor research centre completes pre-clinical trials of anti-coronavirus vaccine, 10 July 2020
Russia’s Vektor State Research Centre for Virology and Biotechnologies has successfully completed pre-clinical trials of an anti-coronavirus vaccine, Anna Popova, chief of the Russian sanitary watchdog, said. "Colleagues have finished pre-clinical trials. They were successful. Actually, we have practically all the grounds to be sure that things will go as we promised, i.e. we plan to begin clinical trials on July 15," she said in an interview with the Vesti news program on the Rossiya-1 television channel. Click here to read....
Russian university says clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine completed, 12 July 2020
Clinical trials of vaccine against the novel coronavirus were completed on volunteers at Sechenov University, and the results of research proved the medication’s effectiveness, chief researcher Elena Smolyarchuk, TASS reported. Click here to read....
State of emergency declared on Russia's Taimyr Peninsula over jet fuel spill, 13July 2020
A state of emergency has been declared in the Tukhard settlement located in the Taimyr District of Russia's Krasnoyarsk Region after a pipeline lost pressure and released jet fuel into the environment, the district administration said in a statement. Click here to read....
Perspective
Why India and Russia Are Going to Stay Friends, 8 July 2020
Neither India—nor Russia, for that matter—wants to be a junior partner to China or the United States. And one way that they can try to avoid that outcome is to remind China and the United States, and the rest of the world, that they can turn back to and bolster each other. India, following recent tensions with China, may want to turn more fully to the United States. But if past is prologue and the present is any indication, it will not give up on its ties with Russia.Click here to read....
