Foreign Ministers from Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine agreed on Saturday on steps to bring more stability to war-torn eastern Ukraine. Specifically, the provision to remove heavy weapons from the front lines has been discussed, with German FM Steinmeier stating that “I can tell you with relief that our meeting today has been one of…
Democrats in the US Senate blocked a Republican effort to derail the nuclear deal yesterday. By doing so, the Democrats have essentially ensured that the recently signed nuclear accord will take effect and that President Obama will not have to veto efforts to stop it. The deal has naturally been a prominent issue since it…
Turkmenistan has long been known for its rich energy reserves and as a result, has maintained the popularity of its various despotic regimes by providing free public utilities to its citizenry. The government announced today that it will scrap the free provision of electricity, household gas, and water as the economy shows signs of reduced…
The Financial Times profiles a recent proposal made by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to formulate yearly budgets every year as opposed to the traditional three years. The government’s official reasoning is that fluctuating oil prices make economic planning difficult. The real reason, according to the FT is that Russia is concerned about a looming…
Russia has rejected a deal with OPEC to curb oil outputs, even after prices hit their new lows last week – Deputy Prime Minister Dvorachek and Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said. Speculation that some kind of deal would occur has caused oil futures to rise somewhat on the hope. Apparently OPEC proposed that Russia become…
Efforts to capture former Tajik Deputy Defense Minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda are ongoing after clashes on the outskirts of Dushanbe led to 22 deaths late last week. Reports of the Tajik effort to capture or kill Nazazoda indicate that the operation is focused on the Romit Gorge, about 150 kilometers to the east of Dushanbe. Nazarzoda…
Some eight policemen and two assailants have been killed in separate attacks around Dushanbe today, in what is being described as a terrorist attack. This has prompted the US Embassy to close and has sparked fears that this is the beginning of larger scale civil unrest. President Emmomali Rahmon responded to the crisis by abruptly…
The Financial Times has an interesting piece on the perceptions of US and other Western companies among the Iranian populace. The article asserts that Iran’s roughly 80 million consumers are eager to see sanctions removed and for US firms to begin operations in the country. They also expressed interest in the arrival of German and…
The European Union noted that it will be rolling over the sanctions on some 200 Russian and Ukrainian separatist individuals to maintain pressure on Moscow for the full implementation of the Minsk II Accords of February 2015 by the end of the year. The decision will apparently be signed on during a meeting in mid-September,…
The Russian consumer protection service is reportedly instructing Russian retailers to stop selling consumer products from Western companies such as Procter & Gamble, Henkel, Colgate-Palmolive and Clorox. The official reason given by the Russian consumer service is that there are lingering safety concerns related to the companies’ soap, cosmetics and other products, although it seems likely…
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