In an open letter published in The Times, 13 former secretaries of state and US defense ministers called on Britons to support preservation of the country's membership in the EU. According to them, ‘Brexit’ would reduce the "country's influence and weaken Europe." "Keep in mind that even very close relationship between our two countries will not be able to compensate loss of power and loss of...

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued a number of decrees on reorganization of several ministries and appointment of new ministers. In the course of permutations, he has dismissed oil minister Ali al-Naimi, talk of whose resignation went after failure of the Doha negotiations. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued a decree dismissing oil minister Ali al-Naimi. Rumors of his resignation started...

US authorities proposed to introduce a number of new laws, which should help in the fight against tax evasion and money laundering. Among other things, the new regulations demand financial institutions to reveal true owners of companies, including foreign ones. The discussion of the need to introduce new rules intensified in connection with the ‘Panamagate’ scandal flared up in April. On...

The London mayoral elections are being held today in Great Britain. In addition to representatives of the Labour and Conservative parties, the chair of the British capital’s mayor is claimed by the leader of ‘One Love’ party, supporters of marijuana legalization, and even by a Polish prince. The mayor of the British capital mainly performs economic functions, yet victory of a candidate from one...

The European Commission is ready to approve the introduction of a visa-free regime between the EU and Turkey. According to sources, the EC will express conditional approval for the introduction of the visa-free regime between the Schengen area and Turkey on Wednesday, May 4. The decision on the visa-free regime with Turkey is part of an agreement between Brussels and Ankara. In particular, Turkey...

It is expected that the number of tourists who visited Antarctica this year will exceed 46 thousand. This is largely possible thanks to increased number of interesting offers from travel companies, as well as an influx of tourists from China. However, such a hype is a serious concern for environmentalists and climate scientists who see the tourists’ influx in the region as a threat to its unique...

The Belgian Government decided to distribute pills with a high content of iodine among the country's population to protect them against radiation. The decision is coming into force from the beginning of 2017. Previously, the preventive pills distribution zone was 20 km around the A-plant. Now, it will be increased to a distance of 100 km, said Belgian Minister of Health Maggie De Block. Given the...

Falling oil prices, rampant corruption and constant attacks on oil pipelines are only a bit of Nigeria's oil sector problems. Sea raiders attacking tankers grab around 400 thousand barrels of oil every day. This is equivalent to the export potential of Forçados oil terminal. The total damage from piracy, theft and fraud for the largest oil exporter in Africa is estimated at about 1.5 billion...

Venezuelan authorities are restricting the supply of electricity until June. Because of the drought, the water in the reservoir near the largest hydroelectric power station, which provides at least half of the total power generation, dropped to a critical level. Water and light are not the only problems faced by citizens. No less serious are three-digit inflation, food shortages and falling oil...