The U.S. National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation have exposed a sophisticated Russian hacking tool, they said on Thursday in a rare public report offering new insight on Russia’s arsenal of digital weapons. The NSA and FBI said that Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate, known as the GRU, was …
Read More »Duterte to skip Philippine trial of Russia virus vaccine
The Philippines will begin large-scale human testing of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine in October, but President Rodrigo Duterte will not receive the inoculation until regulators guarantee its safety, his spokesman said Thursday. Duterte had offered himself up as a guinea pig for the very first jab, expressing “huge trust” in the …
Read More »Brazilian state agrees to produce Russian COVID-19 vaccine
A Brazilian technology institute said on Wednesday it expects to produce a controversial coronavirus Russian vaccine by the second half of 2021, shortly after the state of Parana signed a memorandum of understanding with Moscow. Russia has touted it as the world’s first registered coronavirus vaccine, although experts have also …
Read More »First batches of Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine to be delivered within a fortnight – Minister of Health
Russia’s Ministry of Health has announced that the initial batches of the world’s first registered Covid-19 vaccine will be released within just two weeks, with doctors and teachers being prioritized. Health Minister Mikhail Murashko explained that the first, due to be produced in Russian factories, would be distributed to the …
Read More »Russia rejects concerns about COVID-19 vaccine, stresses safety
Russia’s Health Minister Mikhail Murashko has rejected allegations that the country’s pioneering COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe, dismissing them as groundless and leveled by rival competitors. Minister Murashko on Wednesday dismissed concerns raised by Western experts and media about the low number of clinical trials undergone to develop the first officially-approved …
Read More »Global coronavirus cases top 20M as Russia approves vaccine
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide topped 20 million, more than half of them from the United States, India and Brazil, as Russia on Tuesday became the first country to approve a vaccine against the virus. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that one of his two adult daughters had …
Read More »Russia becomes first country to approve COVID-19 vaccine: Putin
President Vladimir Putin says Russia has become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move hailed by Moscow as evidence of its scientific prowess. The development paves the way for the mass inoculation of …
Read More »China targeting U.S. election infrastructure with cyberattacks says, O’Brien
Chinese government-linked hackers have been targeting U.S. election infrastructure ahead of the 2020 presidential election, White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said on Sunday, indicating a more active level of alleged Chinese interference. O’Brien’s comments appeared to go beyond a statement released on Friday by the Office of the …
Read More »Russia & US should play leading role in nuclear disarmament, not China – Beijing’s ambassador
A leading role in the nuclear disarmament should be played by Moscow and Washington, but not Beijing, because China’s nuclear arsenal is noticeably smaller, according to Chinese Ambassador to US Cui Tiankai. During the annual Aspen Security Forum, the envoy was asked whether China was interested in signing any arms-control …
Read More »Russia warns US global deployment of missiles will meet response
Russia has warned the United States against its controversial plan to deploy land-based missiles in various countries around the world, saying the move would be met with an immediate response from Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the planned “deployment of American land-based short- and intermediate-range missiles …
Read More »Deaths of ‘300 Russians’ in Syria sent warning to Moscow, Pompeo says
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the deaths of “300 Russians” in Syria sent a warning to Moscow, as he defended the administration as tough on President Vladimir Putin. Pompeo came under fire at a Senate hearing over President Donald Trump’s statement that he had not raised with Putin …
Read More »Russia plans mass vaccination against coronavirus from October, RIA reports
Russia is preparing to start a mass vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus in October, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Saturday, RIA news agency reported. The minister, who did not give details about the vaccine to be used, said doctors and teachers would be the first to be vaccinated. …
Read More »Russia sentences US marine to 9-year imprisonment for espionage
A court in Russia on Thursday sentenced a former US Marine to nine years in prison for assaulting two police officers while drunk last year. Trevor Reed, a 29-year-old student, has been in jail since last year when he was arrested for the attack, which, according to the judge, had …
Read More »Trump in trouble as nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of his handling of COVID-19, protests, Russia: POLL
Nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of three major challenges facing the country — the coronavirus pandemic, nationwide unrest over racial inequality and relations with Russia — in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, a sign of the obstacles that his reelection bid faces just three months …
Read More »Belarus says it’s arrested Russian mercenaries, as rift grows between strongmen Putin and Lukashenko
Authorities in Belarus have announced the arrest of more than 30 Russian mercenaries accused of trying “to destabilize” the country ahead of August’s presidential election, the state-run news agency Belta reported. The detentions come as tensions grow between the neighboring countries and as a rift emerges between their two strongmen …
Read More »Big risk of regional war in Libya, UN says
Stephanie Williams, the deputy head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya for political affairs, said there is a “huge risk” of direct confrontation between rival foreign powers in Libya, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Williams said the chances of a miscalculation around the rebel-held Mediterranean city of …
Read More »Cease-fire in war-torn eastern Ukraine to begin at midnight
Ukrainian and rebel forces in war-torn eastern Ukraine have started preparing for a “full and comprehensive” cease-fire scheduled to begin at midnight, a move that officials hope can lead to more steps to resolve the 6-year-old conflict. Rebel officials said Sunday they have instructed their troops about the cease-fire and …
Read More »US military claims Russia sending military equipment to Libya
The United States military has said Russia appears to be sending more military equipment to its mercenaries in Libya, including in the flashpoint city of Sirte, in breach of an arms embargo. The US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said on Friday there was mounting evidence from satellite photos of Moscow’s …
Read More »Trump tells Putin hopes to avoid US-Russia-China arms race
US President Donald Trump has expressed hope that he will avoid an “expensive” US arms race with Russia and China. This comes as Washington and Moscow are preparing negotiations on a successor to the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) capping their countries’ nuclear arsenals. However, China has so far …
Read More »US claims Russia just tested an ‘anti-satellite weapon’ in orbit
The US Space Command has claimed that it’s found evidence that Russia recently conducted a test of anti-satellite weapons. In a statement on Thursday, the US Space Command said a Russian satellite known as Cosmos 2543 on July 15 released a new object into orbit, similar to a previous anti-satellite …
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