Russia is set to hold its largest military drills in almost four decades beginning Tuesday. Dubbed Vostok 2018, the massive exercise will involve nearly 300,000 troops, more than 1,000 planes, helicopters and drones, and up to 36,000 tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles, as well as up to 80 ships and other vessels, according to Russian officials. Source: NBC News
More than a third of EDF’s (EDF.PA) workforce in France was on strike on Thursday in protest against a restructuring plan, the state-controlled utility said, reducing French power generation by more than 10%. Source Reuters
The European Union must introduce a new, automatic system of taking in migrants saved from the Mediterranean, the leaders of Italy and France said on Wednesday, as they sought to patch up bruised bilateral relations. Source Reuters
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry slams U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision Wednesday to tighten sanctions on Iran following strikes Saturday on the world’s largest crude-processing plant and an oil field in Saudi Arabia.
- The U.S. accuseds Iran of carrying out the attacks that forced the Saudi kingdom to shut down half its oil production.
- Russia, Iran’s top ally, calls the sanctions “destructive” and adds that they “will not solve anything,” Reuters reported, citing news agency Interfax.
