• Assad thanks Russia, Iran and Hezbollah for their support

    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stated that his army has shattered the West's attempts to overthrow his government, thanks to the help of allies, including Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement.

    "Their direct support - politically, economically and militarily – has made possible great successes on the battlefield and reduced the losses and hardships of the war," Assad said during a television broadcast on August 20.However, he noted that "the battle continues," and that it's still …

  • Vatican officially announces its Secretary of State’s visit to Russia

    The Vatican has officially announced that Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Patrolin will visit Russia, the press service of the Holy See reported.

    “From August 21 to 24, 2017, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, will visit Russia at the government’s invitation. The goal of the visit will be to meet with the country’s leadership as well as the high clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church,” the document states.

    As the announcement indicates, on August 21, Cardinal Parolin will meet …

  • Russian court refuses to seize turbines at Siemens’ request

    The Moscow Arbitration Court refused to seize the Siemens-produced turbines which were shipped to annexed Crimea in circumvention of sanctions, the Dozhd TV channel reported with reference to a court file.

    Furthermore, the court refused to prohibit the mounting of these turbines. Their seizure was specified as a security measure in the lawsuit.

    The consideration of Siemens’ case against the corporate structures of Rostec, who relocated the turbines to the peninsula, has been scheduled for …

  • South Ossetia transfers its schools to Russian language

    Beginning from the new academic year, Georgian schools in South Ossetia, the territory that declared independence from Georgia in 1991, are shifting to the Russian educational program and will teach courses using the Russian language. The Georgian language will be taught to schoolchildren only as a particular subject, BBC News reports.

    The affected Georgian schools, most of which are located in the Akhalgori district, were formerly controlled by Tbilisi before the 2008 war.

    The authorities of …

  • Putin wants to reduce the number of audits and prosecutions of businessmen in Russia

    President Vladimir Putin signed a list of orders "on measures to reduce the administrative burden on business entities in the Russian Federation,” as indicated in a statement by the press service of the Kremlin.

    The orders are divided into two main parts. The first concerns planned and unscheduled inspections of businesses by the government controlling bodies and the second is regarding the detention of "suspects and those accused of committing crimes in the field of entrepreneurial activity." …