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By Kester Kenn Klomegah
MOSCOW (IDN) – Russia and the United States, since the end of the Cold War, have had confrontations on many issues, and it is highly unlikely if both will ever find something in common. There have been differences on regional issues from the Middle East and North Africa through Asia to Europe. Now the latest, that has drawn both global leaders into sharp antagonism is the proposed [re]deployment of US military forces from Germany to Poland.
By Jaya Ramachandran
GENEVA (IDN) – Governor Denny Tamaki of Okinawa district has rejected the U.S. plans to base on the island missiles capable of threatening China – apparently as part of President Donald Trump's move to challenge Beijing and upgrade the importance of Taiwan, 500 kilometres away from the island. If a plan for Okinawa to host such missiles were to develop, Tamaki said: "I can easily imagine fierce opposition from Okinawa residents."
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*
LUND, Sweden (IDN) – The tanks will roll across Moscow’s Red Square on June 24. It is the day of the great parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War. In the West it’s not that well-known a fact that the Soviet Union lost many more soldiers and civilians in the war than all the rest of the allies put together. Without the alliance of the West with Russia Hitler would undoubtedly have won the war.
Viewpoint by Vladimir Putin
This article by the Russian President appeared in http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/63527 on June 19, 2020.
MOSCOW (IDN) – 75 years have passed since the end of the Great Patriotic War. Several generations have grown up over the years. The political map of the planet has changed. The Soviet Union that claimed an epic, crushing victory over Nazism and saved the entire world is gone. Besides, the events of that war have long become a distant memory, even for its participants. So why does Russia celebrate the 9th of May as the biggest holiday? Why does life almost come to a halt on June 22? And why does one feel a lump rise in their throat?
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
MOSCOW (IDN) – The rescheduling of the Group of Seven (G7) summit from late June to September and Russia's participation alongside with South Korea, Australia, India and South Korea has sparked discussions among both Russian officials and experts.
The Kremlin reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump had discussed in a telephone call, at the initiative of the U.S., the situation concerning Covid-19 pandemic, the Crew Dragon spacecraft launch, the Group of Seven (G7) summit as well as the situation on the oil market.
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
MOSCOW (IDN) – President Donald Trump's surprise decision to withdraw from the 1992 Open Skies Treaty has posed unprecedented challenges, generated extensive debates among Russian politicians and experts. Equally worried are leaders in Europe and Asia.
Trump administration notified international partners on May 21 that the US was pulling out of a treaty that permits 30 plus nations to conduct unarmed, observation flights over each other's territory.
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
MOSCOW (IDN) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa to join Beijing and "stand firm by multilateralism, by the UN-centered international system" and "champion the approach of consultation and cooperation". China and the four countries comprise BRICS.
The group's member countries collectively represent about 26% of the world's geographical area. They are home to 3.6 billion people, about 42% of the world's population and a combined nominal GDP of $16.6 trillion.
Viewpoint by Somar Wijayadasa*
NEW YORK (IDN) – On May 9, 1945, after four years of violent battles inside Russia, recorded as the bloodiest and most destructive military conflict in the whole history of humanity, the Russians defeated Nazi Germany in World War II. It is the single most important day in Russian history that elicits a strong feeling of pride and patriotic fervour that binds the nation together.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic Russia's President Vladimir Putin had to postpone the massive military parade through Red Square. Postponing the event, Putin said, "On Victory Day, we honour the heroes who defended the country and the rest of the world and sacrificed their lives to protect others".
Viewpoint by Kester Kenn Klomegah
MOSCOW (IDN) – Researchers and experts have identified a lack of interest and a well-coordinated mechanism as being behind the absence of effective Russian media cooperation with Africa. European and Western media brands, such as British Broadcasting Corporation, Cable News Network, Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Press, Quartz and Bloomberg, are active with their African partners, while the Russian media are largely invisible.
Viewpoint by M.K. Bhadrakumar
The writer is a former Indian diplomat. This article was produced in partnership by Indian Punchline and Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute where it first appeared.
NEW DELHI (IDN) – A perfect deal is where all protagonists get something out of it. All oil-producing countries stand to gain if the oil price rebounds. In bare-bones, the OPEC+ group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia finalized, in a nail-biting photo finish on April 12, an agreement to steeply cut oil production by a combined 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) for May and June to rebalance the supply and demand in the world market and nudge the prices to go up amid the coronavirus pandemic.
IDN-InDepthNews offers news analyses, features, reports and viewpoints that impact the world and its peoples. It has been online since 2009. Its network spans countries around the world.