Vladimir Putin lobbied for the phasing out of economic sanctions and dodged questions about the shooting down of flight MH17 during his first state visit to an EU member state since being re-elected as Russian president in March. Source: The Guardian
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov ruled out for Russia the publication of offensive caricatures on Islam following French magazine, Charlie Hebdo’s provocation. Source Daily Sabah
Take mayor Frank Kracht for example. He would never have anticipated being treated like a terrorist or dictator. Certainly not for holding political office in the German seaside town of Sassnitz, or for being responsible for the city’s port on the Baltic Sea.
He now faces sanctions from a bipartisan coalition in the US Congress, opposed to the deepening economic ties with Russia and European dependence that the project allegedly represents. Source EuroObserver
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a new nationwide lockdown from Friday to stem a surge in coronavirus patients in French hospitals, warning that the second wave of the virus is “likely to be deadlier than the first”. Source France24
