USA
‘US-India defence partnership is strong’ . 11 March 2020
US Ambassador Kenneth I. Juster on Tuesday visited the Tata-Lockheed Martin Aero structures facility and participated in the topping out ceremony of the new US Consulate compound in Hyderabad.
These were in addition to his visit to the refurbished tombs of Taramati and Premamati at Qutb Shahi Tombs. The US Consulate General-Hyderabad had funded Aga Khan Foundation for the conservation and preservation of the two tombs under the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.
His visit to the 4,700-square metre Tata-Lockheed Martin facility marked its 10-year anniversary besides highlighting the importance of the growing defence ties between the US and India. The jointly-owned facility in Adibatla manufactures airframe components, including center-wing boxes and tail sections for the C-130J military transport aircraft. Click here to read....
US-Taliban deal puts the onus of ending the Afghanistan war on Asian forces. 13 March 2020
After over two years of dramatic back and forth, the US and Taliban signed a deal on February 29 to re-establish peace in the war-torn country. This deal — which could potentially put an end to America’s longest war — includes a timeline for the conditional and phased withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, themes for intra-Afghan negotiations and the Taliban’s commitment to not fuel terrorrism in the region. Representatives from India, the US, UN, Pakistan, the Taliban and Afghanistan were part of this gathering. All US and NATO troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan within 14 months should the “militants” uphold the deal.
The deal is not a full-fledged peace treaty but merely a pre-agreement; a way to get the Taliban and the Afghan government together at the negotiating table. The Afghan government and the Taliban are now expected to talk and fix things themselves. Click here to read....
Political virus puts US behind the curve of infection control. 12 March 2020
The COVID-19 is spreading worldwide. Some people in Western countries, especially some American politicians, had not paid much attention to China's experience. Instead, they regard it as an opportunity to attack China, which has led to the serious situation. Now is the time for the US to stop the attacks and accusations against China and start comprehensive epidemic prevention. There is no time to waste.
But some US politicians are still playing political game at such a critical period. For example, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo still blatantly called the COVID-19 "Wuhan virus" or "Wuhan coronavirus" on March 5 and 6. He also said the information the US got at the front end "wasn't perfect" and has put the US "behind the curve."
The US is "behind the curve," but should China be blamed for it? Pompeo and some US politicians should reflect on how much they have dragged the US behind in the fight against the epidemic.
Pompeo's ridiculous remarks and those of his likes have attracted too much attention in Western media. He completely ignored China's experience and focused on hyping public opinion, as if the American people's lives and health means nothing to him.
As both Chinese and foreign experts are trying to identify the origin of the COVID-19, the term "Wuhan virus" reflects Pompeo's ignorance. He is showing off his contempt for science and trying to spread a political virus. Click here to read....
US launches airstrikes in Iraq after female reservist named as first Briton killed in combat fighting IS. 13 March 2020
The US has launched air strikes in Iraq after a "hugely popular" British army medic was killed in a missile attack on a military base.
The 26-year-old female reservist was named as the first British soldier to be killed in combat during the current campaign against Islamic State.
Lance Corporal Brodie Gillon, a Combat Medical Technician who served as a Reserve in the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry, was killed alongside two Americans in a rocket attack on Iraq's Camp Taji on Wednesday.
Iranian-backed Iraqi militia fighters are believed to have fired a volley of 18 rockets at the air base north of Baghdad, in the deadliest attack on Western forces in years. Click here to read....
U.S. House leaders unveil coronavirus bill; Capitol tours suspended. 12 March 2020
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday unveiled a broad package of proposals to help Americans affected by the coronavirus outbreak, while officials suspended public tours through the Capitol building.
The legislation, which Democratic leaders aimed to rush to the House floor for debate and passage on Thursday, would grant workers 14 days of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave, a summary of the bill shows.
Other provisions in the 124-page “Families First Coronavirus Response Act” introduced late on Wednesday include unemployment insurance to furloughed workers and hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding for children’s, seniors’ and other federal nutrition programs.
An additional $500 million would be provided to help feed low-income pregnant women or mothers with young children who lose their jobs or are laid off because of the virus outbreak. Click here to read....
US launches air raids in Iraq after deadly rocket attack. 13 March 2020
The United States has launched a series of air raids in Iraq against several locations of an Iran-backed militia that it blamed for an earlier rocket attack that killed and wounded US and British troops.
Among the facilities attacked late on Thursday was an airport under construction in the holy city of Karbala, an Iraqi airport official confirmed.
Iraq's military said in a statement that the US air raids killed one civilian and five security personnel.
In a statement, the Pentagon said the US conducted "defensive precision strikes" against Kataib Hezbollah facilities across Iraq.
"These weapons-storage facilities include facilities that housed weapons used to target US and coalition troops," it said.
Separately, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described the air raids as a "proportionate" response to the rocket attack south of the capital, Baghdad, that killed two US troops and a British soldier.
"UK forces are in Iraq with coalition partners to help the country counter terrorist activity and anyone seeking to harm them can expect a strong response," Raab said in a statement. Click here to read....
After Donald Trump tour, US defence secretary to visit India next week to boost ties. 5 March 2020
Close after President Donald Trump’s visit to India last month, the US secretary of defence Mark Esper is now slated to touch down in New Delhi on March 15 to discuss specific measures to further strengthen the already expansive military cooperation between the two countries.
Sources said Esper will hold discussions on a wide array of issues with defence minister Rajnath Singh on March 16, including the decision taken during Trump’s visit to conclude the fourth and final bilateral foundational military pact called the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA) as early as possible.
Trump’s visit on February 24-25 also saw the inking of two deals worth $3 billion for 24 MH-60 `Romeo’ naval helicopters and six Apache attack choppers, which has taken the total value of lucrative Indian defence deals bagged by the US to over $21 billion just since 2007.
The two countries have already held a couple of rounds to discuss BECA, which will enable the US to share advanced satellite and topographical data for long-range navigation and missile-targeting with India. Click here to read....
Takeaways from Trump’s visit to India. 4 March 2020
On February 24, the heads of state of two of the world’s largest democracies met after Air Force One landed at Ahmedabad Airport in India. A 36-hour-long itinerary rolled out as the president of the United States stepped off the plane to a huge photo opportunity – two strongmen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, hugging each other. A tri-service Guard of Honor presented arms as Trump beamed.
However, was the visit all optics, or was it able to stop the cracks that had begun to appear in the Indo-US relationship and reaffirm the faith of those who had hoped that it would serve to be a pivot of a stabilizing order in the Indo-Pacific region?
Notwithstanding the expectations, a few milestones that this meeting created are worth mentioning. Trump’s visit was the first ever India-only itinerary for an American president visiting the country. Nor has it ever been that a US president has been felicitated by more than 110,000 people congregating in a stadium in Ahmedabad to say “Namaste Trump.”
Beyond all the hoopla, there was a lot on the table and surely some hard bargaining; however, was it the strategic issues that predominated or were trade issues at the forefront? Click here to read....
Biden wins in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri. 11 March 2020
Joe Biden picked up wins in Tuesday's contests in Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri and Michigan, the state with the night's largest delegate prize, CBS projects. Washington and North Dakota are toss-ups, CBS News estimates.
As of 2 a.m. ET, Biden had been allocated 820 delegates so far in the race and Bernie Sanders had been allocated 670. Tulsi Gabbard, who remains in the race, has 2 delegates.
Losing Michigan, with 125 delegates, came as a blow to Sanders, who won the state in an upset in 2016. According to exit polls, Biden also won white voters without a college degree — 51% to 45%. This is a group Sanders won in 2016, when he upset Hillary Clinton in the Michigan primary.
Biden also prevailed among union households, winning 54%, compared with Sanders' 42%. And it's also Biden who voters think has the best chance of beating President Trump in November — 55% to Sanders' 32%. Defeating Mr. Trump is consistently a top priority for Democratic primary voters.
As Americans remain jittery about the coronavirus outbreak, early exit polls also showed that voters in Michigan and Missouri choose Biden as the candidate they trust the most to handle a major crisis. In Missouri, voters trust Biden (61%) over Sanders (27%) to handle a major crisis. In Michigan, voters trust Biden (51%) over Sanders (32%) to handle a major crisis. Click here to read....
Last Stop, Joe Biden. 11 March 2020
This week, the coronavirus achieved what five years of other events could not, and made American Presidential politics into a secondary story. In Washington, President Trump tried, without seeming quite convinced of it himself, to provide some assurance that everything would soon be fine, that it was a great time for hand-shaking and stock purchasing, even as his incoming chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was under self-quarantine. The campaign trail was more subdued still. Six states held Democratic primaries on Tuesday, and, by the afternoon, both remaining contenders, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, had cancelled the rallies they had planned for the evening, to help keep the virus from spreading. While polls were closing, the news came that the next Democratic debate, on Sunday, would be conducted without a live audience, as an anti-contagion measure; it would be just two men nearing eighty arguing in a nearly empty room. Tuesday’s results, once they came, were decisive if not surprising: the former Vice-President won Mississippi, Missouri, and Michigan, and even the progressive stronghold of Washington State, as midnight neared in the East, was too close to call. The dust of the primaries is settling. Unless something extraordinary happens, Biden will be the Democratic nominee. Click here to read....
Super Tuesday Aftermath: Sanders Acknowledges Setback After Biden’s Big Night. 4 March 2020
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. enjoyed a dominant night on Super Tuesday, winning Democratic presidential primaries across the South and capturing one of the biggest prizes, Texas. Senator Bernie Sanders claimed his home state, Vermont, as well as Utah, Colorado and, according to The Associated Press, California, the country’s most delegate-rich state.
Tuesday’s results provided some clarity to a long-unclear race: Mr. Biden and Mr. Sanders are now the undisputed front-runners and are likely to embark on a long battle for delegates. Mr. Sanders faces a real challenge to expand his support. And Senator Elizabeth Warren has seen her chances of seizing the party’s nomination dim to a flicker.
Mr. Sanders acknowledged in a news conference that he had “not done as well in bringing young people into the process” as he had expected, but he argued that would change in November should he get the nomination. He also declined to call on Ms. Warren to drop out, saying she should have time to make her own decision and pronouncing himself “disgusted” by the vitriol directed at her by some of his supporters.
Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York who had staked his self-funded campaign on Super Tuesday, dropped out of the race Wednesday morning and added his name to the list of ex-rivals who have endorsed Mr. Biden. Click here to read....
Trump, Taliban leader talk as prisoner feud threatens Afghan peace. 4 March 2020
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by telephone with chief Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund on Tuesday, the first known conversation between a U.S. leader and a top Taliban official, as a dispute over a prisoner release threatened a U.S.-led effort to bring peace to Afghanistan.
The call, announced on Twitter by a Taliban spokesman and then confirmed by Trump, came three days after Baradar and U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad signed an agreement in Qatar for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
That deal, a step toward ending America’s longest war, could boost Trump’s bid for a second term in the Nov. 3 U.S. election. Trump has made a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan a priority.
The pact calls for a phased withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces if the Taliban keeps its commitments and for the March 10 start of talks between the insurgents and an Afghan delegation on a political settlement to end decades of conflict. Click here to read....
Pompeo: Peace Process Going Forward Despite Setbacks . 5 March 2020
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, during a press briefing on Thursday night, called the violence of the last couple of days "unacceptable," but he said that the US would continue to push the peace process forward. He mentioned the need to discuss the prisoner releases and said that US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in Kabul at the moment, to move things along.
The point is to get Afghans "together," said Pompeo, and he urged Afghans not "squander" this opportunity.
Along with the violence, Pompeo was also critical of the "posturing" of all sides that was preventing steps from being taken towards the intra-Afghan talks, as laid out by the US-Taliban Agreement signed in Doha on Saturday, and mentioned in the Afghan-US declaration announced in Kabul on the same day.
In explaining the posturing, Pompeo said "both sides think they have leverage," but he urged the warring parties to not only consider "narrow interests" but the interests of "all Afghan people."
Pompeo said the US will continue to "press all sides to stop posturing" and to "start a practical discussion about prisoner releases--knuckle-down and prepare for upcoming intra-Afghan negotiations."
He mentioned that he has seen senior Taliban leadership working hard in past incidents to reduce violence, and mentioned the recent calls between President Trump and Mullah Baradar, the deputy leader of the Taliban. Click here to read....
Fragility of U.S.-Taliban Deal Underscored as Attacks Increase in Afghanistan. 5 March 2020
Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump said he had a “very good talk” with a top Taliban leader and insisted the group wants to cease violence, a U.S. military drone on Wednesday targeted the militant group — retaliation for an uptick in Taliban attacks against Afghan forces.
The mixed signals underscored the fragility of the U.S.-Taliban deal signed last weekend that aims at ending America’s longest war.
U.S. officials said Wednesday’s airstrike was intended as a message to the Taliban to continue to enforce a reduction in violence commitment they had agreed to ahead of intra-Afghan peace talks that are supposed to begin next week. They stressed there was always the expectation that there would be hiccups in the process and that scattered violations would not necessarily crater the deal or the intra-Afghan talks. Click here to read....
Trump says he has no reaction to North Korea launches. 5 March 2020
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he had "no reaction" to North Korea's projectile launches this week, calling them "short-term missiles" in an apparent bid to downplay the threat.
North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday, according to South Korea's military, the first such launch in about three months.
North Korean media later said it was a long-range artillery firing drill overseen by leader Kim Jong-un.
"No, I have no reaction," Trump said in response to a reporter's question during a roundtable briefing on the coronavirus at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. "Short-term missiles. No. No. None."
North Korea conducted similar weapons tests last year and each time the U.S. president dismissed them as unimportant because they involved short-range ballistic missiles, even though they are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Trump has instead taken credit for Pyongyang's suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests, which he says is a result of his diplomatic engagement with the regime. Click here to read....
Warren ends White House bid, leaving Biden and Sanders to fight for Democratic nod. 5 March 2020
Elizabeth Warren ended her presidential campaign on Thursday after concluding she had no realistic path to the Democratic nomination, leaving behind a two-man battle between former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders.
Warren, a liberal senator who won plaudits for her robust policy plans and focused her campaign on fighting the corrupting influence of money on politics, finished well behind the two front-runners on Tuesday in contests in 14 states, including her home, Massachusetts.
Her exit meant that what was once hailed as the most diverse field of candidates in U.S. history narrowed to a race between two white, septuagenarian men for the nomination to face Republican President Donald Trump in November.
Warren did not immediately endorse either of her rivals, saying she would decide at a later time whether to do so. She has spoken with both since Tuesday.
Biden, a 77-year-old moderate, and Sanders, a 78-year-old liberal, have emerged as standard-bearers for the two major wings of the Democratic Party. Click here to read....
In Biden’s Hometown, Trump Says He’s Ready to Face Off Against Him. 5 March 2020
President Trump came to Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s hometown on Thursday and said he was prepared to run against the former Democratic vice president in November, changing gears after being “mentally” ready to take on Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
“I was all set for Bernie because I thought it was going to happen,” he said. “And then we have this crazy thing that happened, right?”
Mr. Trump, speaking at a televised town hall event hosted by Fox News, was referring to Mr. Biden’s unexpected resurgence in the Democratic primaries on Tuesday, just as his campaign seemed at risk of collapsing.
In a venue where two Trump supporters questioned whether the president’s slash-and-burn tone was necessary, Mr. Trump, 73, ridiculed Mr. Biden, 77, for a series of recent gaffes and insinuated that his rival’s mental acuity was slipping. Click here to read....
Trump is looking for a foreign policy coup in the Balkans. 4 March 2020
In 2016, Donald Trump won the United States presidential election partially on the promise that he would clinch the best deals for the US in the international arena. Four years into his presidency, however, that pledge rings a bit hollow. Neither the "phase one" trade agreement he signed with China nor his newly unveiled deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan quite qualifies as a shining foreign policy coup.
Could he score a major win in Europe, though? That is what he seems to be working towards.
On Monday, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic and his Kosovar counterpart Hashim Thaci were both in the White House for a meeting with National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien and US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who has also been Trump's special envoy to Serbia and Kosovo since last October.
Many Balkan watchers see the meeting as a clear sign that the US president has set his sights on getting Belgrade to normalise ties with Pristina. Click here to read....
Biden, Sanders and foreign policy: Where do they stand?. 5 March 2020
Super Tuesday, the day when registered voters in 14 states cast their ballot to elect their party's nominee, has cemented former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders - the only candidates with the chance of winning a majority of delegates following a lengthy primary season - as the undisputed frontrunners in the race for the Democratic Party ticket.
Barring unforeseen events at a contested convention in July, it is all but certain one of the two men, who are both in their late 70s and have long track records as elected officials, will face US President Donald Trump in the general election in November If either Biden or Sanders wins in the general election, they will have a major hand in forming US foreign policy in the wake of an administration whose so-called "America first" approach to diplomacy has reshaped the role of the United States in the world and altered how Washington is viewed by allies and foes alike. Click here to read....
Europe
European Union Publishes Open Call For Coronavirus-Related Startups. 15 March 2020
The European Union’s research and innovation program, Horizon 2020, recently published an open call for startups working to develop treatments or diagnostic technologies for the current coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. The EU will commit up to 45 million euros for the initiative, the program announced earlier this month. Click here to read....
Italy records 368 new deaths in one day, worse than deadliest day in Wuhan. 15 March 2020
Italy has reported a one-day record death toll and leaders warned of a bed and artificial respirator shortage in the European epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic. Official data showed the number of fatalities shooting up by 368 to 1,809 -- more than half of all the cases recorded outside China. Click here to read....
Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the latest developments in Somalia. 14 March 2020
The latest incidents on the Kenya-Somalia border and the recent build-up of security forces in the Gedo region have created instability and resulted in casualties and large-scale displacement of civilians. This has had a severe humanitarian impact notably on vulnerable women and children. The fighting in Galmudug at the end of February has also fuelled tensions. Overall, these situations are extremely serious. Click here to read....
Brexit: coronavirus sparks calls to extend EU transition period. 14 March 2020
Britain and the EU are facing calls to back away from a “game of chicken” and extend the Brexit transition period immediately, as both respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Click here to read....
Brussels crisis: EU states revolt against von der Leyen's demands with border shutdown. 14 March 2020
A furious row has erupted inside the European Union following a lack of coordination in the bloc's response to the coronavirus. Several member-states have taken the extraordinary decision to shut down their borders despite calls from European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to avoid "blanket bans". Click here to read....
US travel ban on 26 European countries comes into force. 14 March 2020
President Donald Trump's travel ban on 26 European nations has come into force in the US, as part of a contingency plan to tackle the coronavirus crisis. The ban applies to non-Americans who have been in the Schengen border-free travel area within 14 days of travelling to the US. People travelling from the UK and the Republic of Ireland are exempt, as are returning US citizens. Click here to read....
Europe’s Borders Slam Shut as Coronavirus Cases Soar. 13 March 2020
Europe’s borders continued to tighten in response to the worsening coronavirus outbreak as Russia closed two of its land frontiers and Switzerland barred travelers from Italy. Click here to read....
European Union leaders blasts Trump travel announcement. 12 March 2020
European Union leaders condemned President Trump’s decision to impose a 30-day ban on travel from Europe in response to the coronavirus outbreak, saying they were not consulted. Click here to read....
Trump Suspends EU Travel, WHO Declares Pandemic. 12 March 2020
The World Health Organization declares the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, for the first time since the outbreak of swine flu in 2009. U.S. President Donald Trump bans EU travelers over coronavirus fears. In an Oval Office address, Trump said most European travelers would be banned—starting 13 March—for 30 days. Click here to read....
Lagarde warns of a 2008-like crisis unless EU takes action on coronavirus, reports say. 11 March 2020
The European Union could face a financial crisis similar to the global crash of 2008 if governments don’t coordinate to tackle the spread of the coronavirus, the European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has reportedly said. Click here to read....
Coronavirus Could Mean the End of Borderless EU Travel. 11 March 2020
Passport-free movement is arguably the most successful feature of daily life for more than 400 million people in the European Union. But now the coronavirus poses an existential threat to a right that so many have taken for granted for decades. Click here to read....
Frontex border operation in Greece 'lacks legal basis' after Greece suspends asylum law. 11 March 2020
Experts have questioned the legality of EU border agency Frontex sending officers to the Greek-Turkish border. Thousands have massed on the frontier after Ankara said it could no longer stop refugees in Turkey from heading to Europe. Frontex, which manages the European Union's external borders, is deploying reinforcements to Evros from 11 March. Click here to read....
Amid Stalemate Over Greece-Turkey Border Crisis, EU Takes In Migrant Children, Turkey hopes for new refugee deal with EU before March 26. 10 March 2020
As thousands of migrants continue to mass on the Turkey-Greece border, there were few signs of a breakthrough in emergency talks between Turkey and the European Union Monday. Meanwhile five EU member states, Germany, Finland, France, Luxembourg and Portugal, agreed to take in unaccompanied migrant children who are stuck in Greece, though the numbers are unclear. Click here to read....
Covid-19 Has Now Spread To Every Country In The European Union. 10 March 2020
There are now confirmed cases of Covid-19 in every EU country, figures from the European Centre For Disease Prevention and Control show, with Italy—the worst affected country outside China—now entirely on lockdown. Germany pledges €1 billion to tackle outbreak. Click here to read....
EU paves the way for a stronger, more ambitious partnership with Africa. 7 March 2020
The European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy have proposed the basis for a new strategy with Africa. The proposals to intensify cooperation through partnerships in five key areas: green transition; digital transformation; sustainable growth and jobs; peace and governance; and migration and mobility. Based on this document, Europe will engage discussions with African partners towards a new joint strategy to be endorsed at the European Union – African Union Summit in October 2020. Click here to read....
EU-UK Brexit talks: Differences clear after first week. 5 March 2020
The two sides agree that their new free trade agreement should include measures to ensure fair economic competition between them. The EU wants this to be done by referring to current EU standards in some policy areas - which are also UK standards - for now. They would be used as a "reference point" to judge whether future standards had changed or not. The UK sees this as being asked to follow EU rules in perpetuity - "dynamic alignment by another name", said a British official. The Brits also think it would prove impossible to work out in five or 10 years' time whether new EU and British rules were similar or not. Click here to read....
Committing to climate-neutrality by 2050: Commission proposes European Climate Law and consults on the European Climate Pact. 4 March 2020
The European Climate Law sets the 2050 target and the direction of travel for all EU policy, and gives predictability for public authorities, businesses and citizens. At the same time, the Commission is launching a public consultation on the future European Climate Pact. Through this consultation the public will be involved in co-designing this instrument. Click here to read....
European Council’s Statement on the situation at the EU's external borders. 4 March 2020
The Council acknowledged the increased migratory burden and risks Turkey is facing on its territory and the substantial efforts it has made in hosting 3,7 million migrants and refugees, but rejected Turkey's use of migratory pressure for political purposes and called it unacceptable. Click here to read....
Migrant Crisis Reaches Greek Border, Bringing European Union Leaders There . 3 March 2020
The European Union's top leaders were in Greece today, promising to guard the EU's border with Turkey. Thousands of migrants are waiting on the Turkish side to enter Europe, but Greece is refusing to let them pass, and Greece has suspended asylum requests for anyone who slips through. Click here to read....
European Union raises risk of coronavirus outbreak from moderate to high. 2 March 2020
The ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) has announced that the risk level has risen from moderate to high for people in the European Union. In other words, the virus continues to spread,” she told a news conference in Brussels. Click here to read....
The Unreality of the Next Stage of Brexit. 2 March 2020
Britain and the European Union begin negotiations over a new trading relationship today, but a strange unreality hangs over everything. The two sides have given themselves just 10 months to agree on a new trading relationship that will supersede the no-tariffs, no-checks system that currently exists. The U.K. and EU have already published a “mandate,” setting out what they wanted from any new deal. Taken together, their opening positions left just about enough middle ground for a final agreement to be struck. The problem, though, is not that a compromise has become impossible or even unlikely but the apparent hands-over-the-eyes failure of either side to accept that the world has changed since Britain left the EU on January 31. Click here to read....
‘It’s a powder keg ready to explode’: In Greek village, tensions simmer between refugees and locals. 2 March 2020
If the Greek island of Lesvos is the frontline of Europe’s refugee crisis, Moria is a no-man’s land. The small village’s population of around 2,000 is now dwarfed by the camp of the same name up the road. As many as possible are crammed into the main facility, designed to hold only 2,800, with the rest spilling out in tents and hastily-built structures on the slopes of ancient olive groves. N The situation is worsening as crime escalates. There’s been at least two murders at the camp, and reports of daily fights and stabbings between refugees. Click here to read....
Climate change: Warm winter ruins German ice wine harvest. 1 March 2020
Germany's harvest of ice wine - a dessert wine produced from grapes that have frozen while still on the vine - has failed for the first time because the winter has been too warm. Click here to read....
European Union provides €30 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan. 1 March 2020
The European Union has allocated €30 million in humanitarian funding for vulnerable people in Sudan to help address needs in the country. The announcement comes as High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell, visited EU aid projects in El Fasher, North Darfur, one of the conflict-affected areas in Sudan. Click here to read....
U.S. eyes post-Brexit trade deals with Britain, European Union. 1 March 2020
As Britain navigates its own divorce from the European Union — including what is already a contentious battle over a new bilateral trade agreement, the Trump administration is moving to re-set trade deals with both parties in the divorce. President Trump has talked of the opportunity of cutting a new trade deal with a Britain unencumbered by EU regulations and restrictions, while also hinting the EU could be the next target of his tariff-heavy trade strategy to address what Mr. Trump sees as persistent imbalances in transatlantic trade.Click here to read....
Slovak anti-corruption opposition parties score emphatic election win. 1 March 2020
Slovakia’s opposition led by the Ordinary People party (OLANO) won an emphatic victory in Saturday’s parliamentary election, as voters angry with graft routed the ruling center-left Smer that has dominated the political scene for over a decade. Click here to read....
Russia
Russian-Turkish coordinating center launched in Syria - Russia’s Defense Ministry. 15 March 2020
A Russian-Turkish coordinating center has begun operating in Syria to control the ceasefire and conduct joint patrols, Oleg Zhuravlev, the chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Parties in Syria told the reporters. Click here to read....
No End in Sight to the Oil Price War Between Russia and Saudi Arabia. 14 March 2020
Russia and Saudi Arabia, two of the world’s biggest oil producers, are each making a bet that they are better placed than the other to bear the pain of the oil price war that they set off over the past week—and that they can get what they want as a result. Click here to read....
Law on amendment to Russian Federation Constitution. 14 March 2020
The President signed the Law of the Russian Federation on introducing an amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, On Improving the Regulation of Certain Aspects of the Organisation and Functioning of Public Authority. The Federal Law was approved by the State Duma and the Federation Council on March 11, 2020, and as of March 14, 2020, has been approved by legislative (representative) bodies of 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Click here to read....
Putin issues inquiry to Constitutional Court. 14 March 2020
Vladimir Putin issued to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation an inquiry On the conformity with Chapters 1, 2 and 9 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation of the provisions of the Law of the Russian Federation amending the Constitution of the Russian Federation On Improving the Regulation of Specific Aspects in the Functioning of Public Authority. Click here to read....
All regions support constitutional amendments bill. 13 March 2020
Parliaments of all the 85 regions of Russia support the constitutional amendments bill, parliamentary voting results indicate. The required minimum of 57 subjects, which allows sending the bill to the Constitutional Court for review, was reached on March 12. Click here to read....
Saudi Arabia floods markets with $25 oil as Russia fight escalates. 13 March 2020
Oil prices have halved since the start of the year because demand has been hit by the coronavirus outbreak and after Russia and OPEC failed to reach a new deal on supply cuts. Moscow refused to support new deeper cuts, saying the impact from the virus could be much worse than thought, and Riyadh retaliated by opening its taps and pledging to pump record volumes on to the market. Click here to read....
Russia, Indonesia agree upon first joint navy exercises timeline. 13 March 2020.
Russian and Indonesian military have agreed upon terms and location of the first Orruda-2020 joint naval exercises, Russian Pacific Fleet press service announced. Russia was represented by the Pacific Fleet International Military Cooperation Division, and Indonesia was represented by a delegation led by Captain Sigit Santos. Click here to read....
Putin's Participation in 2024 Depends on Various Factors – Kremlin. 12 March 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s participation in the 2024 election will depend on a number of factors, including the situation in the world economy, the consequences of coronavirus and conflicts, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Click here to read....
Presidential Speech at the State Duma plenary session. 10 March 2020
Vladimir Putin took part in a plenary session of the State Duma on amendments to the Russian Federation Constitution- “I think and I strongly believe that a strong presidential vertical for our country, for Russia is absolutely necessary. And today's economic situation, as I have just pointed out and the situation in other spheres such as security is another reminder”. Full speech available on Click here to read....
Vladimir Putin backs plans that could keep him in power until 2036. 10 March 2020
Vladimir Putin has supported a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow him to seek reelection in 2024. The constitutional change would see the suspension of a law that limits Russian presidents to two consecutive terms. Click here to read....
Ex-premier Medvedev to take part in elaborating Russia’s foreign policy. 8 March 2020
Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council will annually submit a report on national security and exercise control of the fulfillment of presidential instructionsClick here to read....
India's Foreign Secretary discusses high-level engagements with Russian envoy. 7 March 2020
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla met Russian ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev in New Delhi on Saturday and discussed the important high-level engagements marking 10 years of special strategic partnership. Click here to read....
Russia brokers inter-Palestinian reconciliation talks in bid for regional influence. 7 March 2020
Delegations from the Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah have been holding talks in Moscow, at the invitation of Russia's ministry of foreign affairs with the following two agendas: internal Palestinian reconciliation and US President Donald Trump's Israel-Palestine plan. Click here to read....
Defender-2020: How NATO’s exercises in Eastern Europe will affect Russia
On February 21, Jens Stoltenberg announced that NATO was launching an extensive military exercise, Defender Europe-2020. It is the large-scale exercise wherein 37,000 soldiers from 18 countries will participate in the military operation. The NATO leadership emphasizes that the manoeuvres are not related to any particular country, much less are directed against Russia. Click here to read....
Russia expects US, Taliban to fully implement peace agreement — diplomat. 6 March 2020
Moscow expects that a peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) will be fully implemented, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing. Click here to read....
Russia’s international reserves grew by 1.4% in February – Central Bank .6 March 2020
Russia's international reserves increased by 1.4% or by $8.08 bln over the last month and totaled $570.38 bln as of March 1, 2020, the Central Bank said. Click here to read....
Russia and Turkey agree ceasefire in Syria's Idlib province. 5 March 2020
Russia and Turkey have said they have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib province after clashes left scores of Turkish and Syrian soldiers dead in a dangerous escalation of violence. The three-point agreement, read out by the two countries’ foreign ministers, also stipulated the creation of a seven-mile (12km) “safety corridor” along the country’s crucial M4 highway, which Russian and Turkish forces would patrol. Click here to read....
Terrorist fortifications in Idlib have ‘merged’ with Turkish outposts – Russian Defense Ministry. 4 March 2020
Turkey has allowed its observation posts, established under a 2018 deal with Moscow, to virtually merge with terrorist bases in Idlib, Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said amid a Turkish assault against advancing Syrian forces. Click here to read....
Putin spoke about the gradual withdrawal of Russia from oil dependence. 4 March 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the country is gradually moving away from oil dependence, but it takes time to change the real incomes of Russians and price indicators. He also drew attention to a significant decrease in inflation compared to the 90s. Click here to read....
Russia rejects UN probe claim of 'war crime' in Syria. 3 March 2020
The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected a claim by UN investigators that Russian air attacks in Syria amounted to a war crime by indiscriminately targeting civilian areas. Click here to read....
More than 100 people quarantined in Moscow region due to corona virus. 3 March 2020
Russians who have returned from China are currently under quarantine in the Moscow Region. Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the health risk, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border with China and temporarily banning Chinese citizens from entering the country. Click here to read....
Putin submits plans for constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. 3 March 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted to parliament a number of constitutional changes, including amendments that mention God and stipulate that marriage is a union of a man and woman. Click here to read....
OPEC, Russia moving closer to big oil cut as corona virus hits demand. 3 March 2020
A panel of OPEC and its allies recommended cutting oil output by an extra 1 million barrels per day (bpd) signaling that Russia and Saudi Arabia were moving closer to a deal to prop up prices which have been hit by the coronavirus outbreak. The OPEC, Russia and other producers already have a deal in place to cut output from Jan. 1 by 2.1 million bpd, a figure that includes additional voluntary cuts by Saudi Arabia. But that has not been enough to counter the impact of the virus on China, the world’s biggest oil importer, and on the global economy, as factories are disrupted, fewer people travel and other business slows, curbing oil demand. Click here to read....
'Register and keep working': Russia's 'foreign agents' law protects from outside meddling, doesn't infringe on anyone : Putin. 3 March 2020
Russia’s ‘foreign agents’ law – subjected to constant bashing in Western media – is much milder than its US counterpart, as it only applies to those meddling in local politics while on outside pay, Vladimir Putin explained. Click here to read....
Moscow Winter 'Warmest Since Records Began’. 2 March 2020
Moscow, which for the past months has largely been deprived of its traditional seasonal covering of snow, has seen its warmest winter since records began 140 years ago. According to Roman Vilfand, the head of Russia's forecasting center, the average temperature in Moscow from December to February has been some 2.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous record of -2.8 degrees seen in the winter of 1960-1961. https://www.rt.com/russia/482106-mos c ow- warmest- winter-record/" target="_blank">Click here to read....
Russia Says ‘Can’t Guarantee’ Turkish Planes’ Safety Over Syria 2 March 2020
The Russian Defense Ministry said that Moscow could not guarantee the safety of Turkish planes flying in northwestern Syria after Damascus said it was closing the airspace over the Idlib region. The ministry’s warning came after Turkey shot down two Syrian warplanes over Idlib on Sunday and struck a military airport well beyond its frontlines, a sharp increase of its military operations following the deaths of dozens of Turkish soldiers last month. Click here to read....
Erdogan’s visit to Moscow as Turkey-Syria conflict escalates. US delegation visits Turkey ahead of the summit 2 March 2020
Peskov stressed that Moscow was committed to the Sochi agreements and called for Syria’s territorial integrity. Russia “supports Syria’s intention to continue fight against terrorists and terror groups, including those placed on the UN Security Council’s terror groups’ list, and certainly attaches great importance to cooperating with Turkish partners.” Click here to read....
Russia committed war crimes in Syria, finds UN report. 2 March 2020
A UN investigation into atrocities committed in Syria has for the first time accused Russia of direct involvement in war crimes for indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas, including indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas without ‘a specific military objective’. Click here to read....
About 10 thousand servicemen will take part in the anti-terrorist exercise "Peace mission-2020". 2 March 2020
About 10 thousand military personnel of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member States will take part in a joint anti - terrorist exercise, which will be held for the first time at the Yurginsky training ground in the Kemerovo region in August this year. During the exercise, the military personnel will have to work out the tasks of preparing and conducting an anti-terrorist operation by the joint group of troops (forces) of the SCO member States. Click here to read....
Putin’s remarks on international issues. 1 March 2020
President Vladimir Putin held a meeting to discuss the most pressing international issues – the spread of the coronavirus, trends in the global economy and the situation in the oil markets. He stressed that the current oil prices are acceptable for the Russian budget and economy and added that the country’s accumulated assets “are sufficient to ensure a stable situation and that all budget and social commitments are met even if the situation in the global economy deteriorates”. Click here to read....
