Russia ready to return to INF treaty; EU adds 7 countries to money laundering blacklist

Russia declares readiness to return to INF treaty with new conditions

Chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma (Lower House) of Russia, Mr. Vladimir Shamanov. Photo: duma.gov.ru

On February 13, Chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma (lower house) of Russia, Mr. Vladimir Shamanov affirmed that Moscow is ready to return to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty under new conditions. However, in the current situation, Russia is forced to protect its sovereignty.

According to Mr. Shamanov, the new weapons that Russia is deploying are a response to the actions of the West. The new weapon that Mr. Shamanov mentioned is the Russian-made unmanned submarine called "Poseidon," which President Vladimir Putin mentioned in his State of the Nation Address on March 1, 2018.

US plans to increase troops to Poland to counter Russia

An American soldier participates in a military exercise in Poland in January 2017. Photo: AFP

AFP reported that speaking ahead of a high-level security conference in Poland, US Ambassador to Warsaw Georgette Mosbacher said on February 13 that the US plans to increase its military presence in Poland in addition to the 4,000-strong army corps already deployed there to "deal with a resurgent Russia".

Speaking to the Financial Times, Ambassador Mosbacher said that in response to a request from Warsaw's right-wing government, there would be a major boost to the US military presence. "It would be significant. I think (Poland) would get most of what they want," she stressed, but she did not set a timetable for the troop movement.

Venezuelan President Asks Britain to Return 80 Tons of Gold

President Nicolas Maduro speaks at the Youth Day event on February 12 in the capital Caracas. Photo: Reuters

In an interview with the BBC on February 12, President Maduro said Venezuela has 80 tons of gold reserves deposited at the Bank of England. Mr. Maduro emphasized that this amount of gold is a legitimate national asset belonging to the Venezuelan Central Bank and asked the UK to return it to resolve the economic crisis. "I hope the UK respects international law and the Venezuelan Central Bank," President Maduro said.

The Venezuelan government has been trying for months to get the gold back, but negotiations have failed. According to Bloomberg, the US government has forced the UK to freeze Venezuela's national assets, while Washington has increased sanctions on the country to increase pressure on President Maduro to transfer power.

Illustration: iStock

Reuters reported that the European Commission (EC) on February 13 said it had added Saudi Arabia, Panama and other governments to a blacklist of countries and territories that pose a threat to the bloc due to lax controls on countering terrorist financing and money laundering. Among the 23 governments listed are Afghanistan, American Samoa, the Bahamas, Botswana, North Korea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guam, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, the US Virgin Islands and Yemen.

In addition to the reputational damage, these governments are also seen as complicating financial relations with the EU. The bloc’s banks will have to carry out additional checks on payments involving entities from the governments listed above.

US public debt exceeds $22 trillion for the first time

Increasing public debt brings with it many risks. Photo: Reuters

The number officially announced by the US Treasury Department was 22,012 billion USD on February 12 (Washington DC time), according to the newspaper.USA Todayy. It can be said that the US public debt increased at a faster rate than before after President Donald Trump announced a $1.5 trillion tax cut package, and after the US Congress tried to increase budget spending for domestic and defense programs.

The rapid growth of the national debt is the latest sign that the US financial situation is not only unstable but could get worse, according to Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. According to experts, Americans should be worried about the swelling national debt because over time, consumer and commercial interest rates will be forced to rise, causing consequences for the economy across the board.

Spain plans to close all 7 nuclear power plants by 2035

Spain aims to close all seven nuclear power plants. Photo: Reuters

Spain aims to close all seven of its nuclear power plants between 2025 and 2035 as part of the European country's plan to produce all its electricity from renewable sources by 2050.

Spanish Energy Minister Teresa Ribera made the announcement and said the government will present a draft climate change plan to Parliament on February 22. According to the draft plan, which was drafted last year, the Spanish government aims to ban the sale of gasoline, diesel and hybrid cars from 2040 and encourage the construction of renewable energy production facilities such as wind farms and solar power plants with a capacity of at least 3,000 megawatts per year.