The US Senate – as universally predicted – has approved by a 97-2 margin further sanctions against Russia, codifying sanctions previously imposed by US President Obama into law.
The supposed purpose of these sanctions is to “punish” Russia for its alleged interference in last year’s US elections.
Though the battle against ISIS for Mosul – Iraq’s second city – has taken much longer than most people expected, it appears that the battle for Mosul may be finally drawing to an end.
News yesterday spoke of significant advances by the Iraqi army in western Mosul, with the Iraqi army finally reaching Mosul’s Old City, which however is still controlled by ISIS. More reports today speak of Iraqi troops entering Mosul’s Old City, and capturing an area in its northern part.
With around 60% of the results declared in the British election it is becoming clear that the exit poll is roughly correct, and it is becoming increasingly unlikely that the Conservative Party will be able to form a majority government in the British Parliament.
By contrast it is now also clear that the opposition Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn has increased significantly both its share of the vote and its representation in the British Parliament.
Counting in the British election is underway and it will be some time before the result becomes clear.
The exit poll conducted for the BBC and various other news organisations points either to a narrow Conservative win or to a parliament in which the Conservatives are the biggest party but have no overall majority.
Former FBI Director Comey has concluded the open part of his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The quality of the questioning – both by Republicans and Democrats – struck me as extremely poor. I found Comey’s written testimony to the Committee published yesterday far more informative than his answers today.
At least two people have died and many more injured after gunmen randomly opened fire inside the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) on Wednesday morning. This was followed by a suicide attack by one of the terrorists inside the Iranian Parliament building.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack. If the claim is true it would make today’s atrocity the first ISIS attack inside Iran.
Though is confused, it is now clear that London has been the target of two separate though coordinated terror attacks tonight, one involving a white van which intentionally attacked pedestrians on London Bridge, and another involving stabbing attacks in Borough Market, south of the river Thames.
Reports of a third incident in Vauxhall are being discounted by the police, who say that it is not connected to the other two.
The police report that both incidents are still ongoing, and within the last hour several explosions have been heard.
Following swiftly upon Donald Trump’s unhappy NATO and G7 summits in Europe, and Angela Merkel’s incendiary comment that Europe can no longer look to the US for protection, comes Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Change Treaty.
Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan had yet another one of their seemingly endless series of telephone conversations today, discussing the state of their bilateral relations and the conflict in Syria.
This conversation comes shortly after Putin’s meeting with Erdogan in Sochi, his brief encounter with him at the One Belt, One Road conference in Beijing, and Erdogan’s recent disastrous visit to Washington.
US President Donald Trump has lost no time intervening in the row over the leaking – almost certainly by someone within the FBI – of classified information about the Manchester terror attack, in a manner which has outraged the British.
