Section: Africa&ME
Mattis to NATO: Boost Defense Spending or US Will ‘Moderate Commitment’
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told NATO member countries they must increase defense spending by the end of the year or the U.S. might “moderate its commitment” to the alliance. The Pentagon chief was in Brussels to meet for the first time with his NATO counterparts. Exactly how the U.S. might “moderate” its involvement...
French President Calls for More Cybersecurity for Election
French President Francois Hollande is calling for new security measures around the country’s presidential race, notably to protect against hacking. Hollande’s order came after the campaign of centrist Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of trying to sway the April 23-May 7 election. Hollande asked top security officials Wednesday to...
Trump Fires New Broadsides at US Intelligence Community, Media, Obama
U.S. President Donald Trump launched new attacks Wednesday against media reports of alleged links between him and Russia, blaming the country’s intelligence community for what he said were “illegal” leaks to news outlets. “The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by...
NATO chief talks of Russian missile ‘concern’
NATO’s Stoltenberg also says alliance maintains support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity after Crimea annexation …read more Source: Anadolu...
Russia tells White House it will not return Crimea to Ukraine
Russia said on Feb. 15 it would not hand back Crimea to Ukraine or discuss the matter with foreign partners after the White House said U.S. President Donald Trump expected the annexed Black Sea peninsula to be returned …read more Source: Hurriyet Daily...
The ruble dives after Trump tweets ‘Was Obama too soft on Russia?’
The Russian ruble is tumbling. The Russian ruble extended its earlier losses after US President Donald Trump tweeted about President Barack Obama’s stance on Russia with respect to Crimea. The petro-currency is down by 1.2% at $57.8170 per dollar as of 7:55 a.m. ET. “Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was...
Business highlights – Food prices will soar as cereal supplies dwindle, UN body warns
Food prices will soar as cereal supplies dwindle, FAO warns The prices of staple crops such as maize and sorghum are soaring as Kenya’s cereal supplies dwindle Prices of staple cereals have doubled in some markets, reaching record and near-record levels in swathes of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania A United...
Russia Dismisses Reports of Contacts With Trump Campaign Before Election
Russia on Wednesday dismissed a New York Times report that members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign and other associates were in contact with senior Russian intelligence officials ahead of the November U.S. election. The Times cited four current and former U.S. officials saying law enforcement and intelligence agencies intercepted...
Donald Trump: White House tries to insulate President from Russia scandal
Flynn was asked to resign on Monday, after what the White House said were weeks of internal investigation. The White House battled Tuesday to insulate Donald Trump from a scandal over his top aide’s contacts with Russia, as it emerged that the president was aware of the problem for weeks before acting.With calls for an independent...
Russia’s Lavrov to meet US’ Tillerson Thursday: foreign ministry
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov plans to meet his US counterpart Rex Tillerson for the first time Thursday in Germany, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said Wednesday. “The meeting with Secretary of State Mr Tillerson has been planned and is being prepared” on February 16, when both diplomats will be in Bonn for the G20 ministerial...
