Pakistan and China have jointly organized the first international exhibition to showcase the significance of the Arabian Sea Gwadar Port and its economic free zone as an emerging international business hub. The warm water deep sea commercial port, which overlooks some of the world’s busiest oil and gas shipping lanes, has been built and recently expanded with Chinese financial assistance. More than 200 companies from both China and Pakistan were present in Monday’s event at Gwadar, while six Chinese provinces also sent their representatives, said Beijing’s ambassador to Islamabad, Yao Jing, while addressing the ceremony. Foreign diplomats and business leaders were also invited to the opening session of the two-day event. Chinese operators of the port say the Gwadar Free Zone shall bring extensive economic benefits, like a tax holiday for 23 years and land lease up to 99 years to the upcoming businesses along with other incentives and pro-business policy frame work for general trade, services, manufacturing, logistics, trans-shipment and bunkering business. Direct benefit for Pakistan Gwardar port is to be a trans-shipment hub connected to landlocked western Chinese regions, giving Beijing a secure and shorter international trade route through Pakistan. Gwadar is celebrated as the gateway to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, a flagship of President Xi Jinping’s global Belt and Road Initiative to build a new “Silk Road” of land and maritime trade routes across more than 60 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa. Under CPEC, networks of road, communications, rail, economic zones and power plants are …
India to Regain Title of Fastest Growing Economy
India has projected its economy will grow by 7 to 7.5 percent this year regaining the position of the world’s fastest growing major economy as it shrugs off the disruptive impact of a currency ban and tax reform. But the government has warned that rising international oil prices pose a risk to a country that depends heavily on energy imports. “The economy seems to be picking up quite nicely, quite robustly,” said the country’s chief economic adviser, Arvind Subramanian presenting the country’s annual economic survey. “Several indicators of activity show manufacturing growth, even investment, exports, credit, have all started to pick up. The direction is very good.” The projections for Asia’s third largest economy are in line with recent forecasts by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The revival is good news for India where growth had flagged to a three-year low last year disappointing a country that had boasted of surpassing China to become the world’s fastest growing economy in 2015. India’s slowdown was at variance with many countries where growth has been picking up. It was blamed on two major policy reforms that came within six months of each other. Businesses were disrupted for many months last year as the government scrambled to replace cash following a currency ban that sucked out 86 percent of the country’s cash. A long overdue, but poorly implemented tax reform called the Goods and Services Tax (GST) implemented last July resulted in more chaos for businesses. …
EU Ready to Hit Back if Trump Imposes Anti-EU Trade Measures
The European Union says that if U.S. President Donald Trump initiates unfair trade measures against the 28-nation bloc, it would stand ready “to react swiftly and appropriately.” In a weekend interview, Trump said he was annoyed with EU trade policy since he claims the U.S. cannot sufficiently export to the EU. He said his problems with the EU “may morph into something very big” from a trade standpoint. EU spokesman Margaritis Schinas retorted Monday that “while trade has to be open and fair it also has to be rules-based.” Schinas said: “The EU stands ready to react swiftly and appropriately in case our exports are affected by any restrictive trade measure from the United States.” …
North, South Korea Hit by Flu Outbreaks Ahead of Olympics
North and South Korea are reporting outbreaks of different strains of influenza, less than two weeks before thousands of visitors from around the world arrive for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in the South. North Korea’s Ministry of Public Health reported over 80,000 confirmed cases of the influenza strain H1N1 that is endemic in pigs, known as swine flu, between December 1, 2017 and January 16, 2018, according to a bulletin issued by the International Foundation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Aid and sanctions The Red Cross cited North Korean health ministry officials saying that three children and one adult have died so far in the outbreak and that there are over 120,000 suspected swine flu cases in the country, and that the outbreak is nationwide with 28 percent of the cases reported in the capital of Pyongyang. The North Korean government has requested medication to vaccinate high-risk individuals from the World Health Organization and the U.N. International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), as well as training and equipment for prevention, detection, and treatment to limit the impact of the influenza outbreak. The WHO and UNICEF have not publicly commented on the request. The Red Cross is planning for $270,000 in emergency aid that includes sending volunteers with masks and protective clothing to conduct training in at risk areas in North Korea. “The majority of the component of what we are gong to do is hygiene promotion and health education,” said Gwendolyn Pang, acting head of the Red Cross …
Some Optimism, But Much Work Left as Latest NAFTA Talks End
Top trade representatives from Canada, Mexico and the United States are set to give an update Monday on the process of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, while people familiar with the process say a final deal could be pushed far beyond a March target date. The three nations had tried to complete the talks by the end of 2017, but delayed the informal deadline as they worked to find common ground on several contentious issues. The latest round of talks in Montreal included work on a dispute resolution mechanism and rules for the auto industry. The United States wants to largely eliminate the dispute settlement panels and increase the percentage of U.S. content required to be in a vehicle. It has also proposed a clause that would end the trade agreement after five years unless all three countries agree to keep it going. U.S. Representative Dave Reichert expressed optimism Sunday after he and a group of other lawmakers met with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. He said Lighthizer is “hopeful” while also recognizing “there’s a great deal of work to be done.” Canada’s chief negotiator Steve Verheul said Saturday, “We’re moving in a slightly more positive direction.” Lighthizer is meeting Monday with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo to review the progress made by their teams and to make an announcement about the state of the negotiations. One reason the countries were targeting a March end date is the looming July presidential election …
Algorithm Based Sensors Provide Round the Clock Patient Monitoring
Researchers say that 20 percent of abdominal surgery patients will experience some kind of complication. And those complications can go unnoticed for hours between visits by an attending nurse. A new learning algorithm is being developed in Denmark to spot those complications in real time. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
IKEA Furniture Magnate Ingvar Kamprad Dies at 91
Ingvar Kamprad, who founded Sweden’s IKEA furniture brand and transformed it into a worldwide business empire, has died at the age of 91. Kamprad died Saturday of pneumonia in the southern Swedish region of Smaland where he grew up on a farm, and with some modest financial help from his father, starting selling pens, picture frames, typewriters and other goods. It was the start of what became IKEA, now with 403 stores across the globe, 190,000 employees and $47 billion in annual sales. His brand became synonymous with the simplicity of Scandinavian design, modest pricing, flat-pack boxing and do-it-yourself assembly for consumers. It turned Kamprad into an entrepreneur with a reported net worth of $46 billion. The company name was an acronym of his initials, the name of his farm, Elmtaryd, and his town of origin, Agunnaryd. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said Kamprad “was a unique entrepreneur who had a big impact on Swedish business and who made home design a possibility for the many, not just the few.” King Carl XVI Gustaf called Kamprad a “true entrepreneur” who “brought Sweden out to the world.” Kamprad’s life was not without controversy, however. He faced sharp criticism for his ties to the Nazi youth movement in the 1940s. While Sweden was neutral during the war, its Nazi party remained active after the war. Kamprad said he stopped attending its meetings in 1948, later attributing his involvement to the “folly of youth,” and calling it “the greatest mistake of my life.” …
Mumbai’s Dharavi Breaks Stereotypes of Slum for Foreign Tourists
Why has Mumbai’s largest slum, which packs some one million people in about two square kilometers, emerged as an unlikely stop for foreign tourists? The draw is not images of squalor and poverty in the heart of India’s largest city, but a place where thriving entrepreneurship and stories of hope and success break many stereotypes of a slum. Anjana Pasricha reports. …
Trump Lauds US Economic Performance
U.S. President Donald Trump touted the continued growth of the U.S. economy on Sunday, saying it is “better than it has been in many decades.” “Businesses are coming back to America like never before,” Trump said in a Twitter remark, a likely theme of his State of the Union address on Tuesday. “Unemployment is nearing record lows. We are on the right track!” He said, “Chrysler, as an example, is leaving Mexico and coming back to the USA,” an exaggeration of Chrysler’s expansion plans. Fiat Chrysler, the world’s eighth biggest auto manufacturer, says it is investing $1 billion to manufacture its profitable Ram pickup trucks in the midwestern state of Michigan, shifting the production from Mexico, but at the same time is not cutting any of its vehicle manufacturing jobs in Mexico. The U.S. jobless rate has held steady at 4.1 percent for the last three months, the lowest figure in 17 years. The U.S. economy, the world’s largest, advanced at a 2.3 percent pace last year, Trump’s first year in office, up from 1.5 percent in 2016. The U.S. economy, however, slowed in the last three months of 2017, expanding at a 2.6 percent annual rate, down from the 3.2 percent figure in the July-to-September period. Attack on Jay-Z In praising the U.S. economic performance, Trump also attacked Jay-Z, after the rap musician had assailed Trump in a Saturday news talk show over the president’s recent reported vulgar descriptions of people from Haiti and Africa as he seeks to …
Early Diagnosis and Treatment Can Prevent Disability from Leprosy
To mark World Leprosy Day, the World Health Organization is calling for the eradication of this ancient disfiguring disease by combating the stigma and discrimination that discourages people from seeking the help they need. Leprosy, a hideously disfiguring disease that has blighted the lives of countless millions since Biblical days, is curable. And yet, the World Health Organization reports more than 200,000 people, most in Southeast Asia, are affected with the disease and new cases continue to arise every year. Leprosy is a chronic bacterial disease with a slow incubation period of about five years. In some cases, symptoms may occur within one year, but can take as long as 20 years to appear. Leprosy was eliminated globally as a public health problem in 2000, but the disease persists in individuals and communities. WHO spokesman, Tarik Jasarevic, tells VOA this is unacceptable, as an effective treatment exists that can fully cure people of leprosy. “Since ’95, WHO has provided this multi-drug therapy free of cost to all leprosy patients in the world,” he said. “In 2016, WHO launched global leprosy strategy, 2016-2020, accelerating toward a leprosy-free world. This is basically to revamp the efforts for leprosy control. The strategy focuses on avoiding disabilities, especially among children.” This year’s World Leprosy Day focuses on preventing disabilities in children. WHO reports children account for nearly nine percent of all new cases of leprosy, including almost seven percent of those with visible deformities. The U.N. health agency notes early diagnosis and early treatment …
Toothpaste Ingredient Could Fight Malaria, Research Shows
A common ingredient of toothpaste could be developed to fight drug-resistant strains of malaria. Scientists at Britain’s Cambridge University found that triclosan has the potential to interrupt the infection at two critical stages — in the liver and the blood. Faith Lapidus reports. …
AP Fact Check: Data Melt Trump’s Cooling, Ice Claims
President Donald Trump’s description of the climate on planet Earth doesn’t quite match what data show and scientists say. In an interview with Piers Morgan airing Sunday on Britain’s ITV News, the president said the world was cooling and warming at the same time and that claims of melting ice caps haven’t come true. TRUMP: “There is a cooling, and there’s a heating. I mean, look, it used to not be climate change, it used to be global warming. That wasn’t working too well because it was getting too cold all over the place.” Ten different climate scientists contacted by The Associated Press said the president was not accurate about climate change. Rutgers University climate scientist Jennifer Francis responded in an email: “Clearly President Trump is relying on alternative facts to inform his views on climate change. Ice on the ocean and on land are both disappearing rapidly, and we know why: increasing greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels that trap more heat and melt the ice.” THE FACTS: The world hasn’t had a cooler-than-average year since 1976 and hasn’t had a cooler-than-normal month since the end of 1985, according to more than 135 years of temperature records kept by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The last four years have been the four hottest years on record globally, with 2010 the fifth hottest year, according to NOAA. Every year in the 21st century has been at least three quarters of a degree (0.4 degrees Celsius) warmer than …
Coincheck to Return $425M in Virtual Money Lost to Hackers
Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck Inc said Sunday it would return about 46.3 billion yen ($425 million) of the virtual money it lost to hackers two days ago in one of the biggest-ever thefts of digital money. That amounts to nearly 90 percent of the 58 billion yen worth of NEM coins the company lost in an attack Friday that forced it to suspend withdrawals of all cryptocurrencies except bitcoin. Coincheck said in a statement it would repay the roughly 260,000 owners of NEM coins in Japanese yen, though it was still working on timing and method. Theft and security The theft underscores security and regulatory concerns about bitcoin and other virtual currencies even as a global boom in them shows little signs of fizzling. Two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) sent a notice to the country’s roughly 30 firms that operate virtual currency exchanges to warn of further possible cyber-attacks, urging them to step up security. The financial watchdog is also considering administrative punishment for Coincheck under the financial settlements law, one of the sources said. Japan started to require cryptocurrency exchange operators to register with the government in April 2017. Pre-existing operators such as Coincheck have been allowed to continue offering services while awaiting approval. Coincheck’s application, submitted in September, is still pending. Coincheck told a late-Friday news conference that its NEM coins were stored in a “hot wallet” instead of the more secure “cold wallet,” outside the internet. Asked why, …
Canada Hopes NAFTA Talks Proceed to Next Round; Some Progress Made
Officials trying to settle differences over how to update the North American Free Trade Agreement have made some progress and hope politicians decide the talks should continue, Steve Verheul, Canada’s chief negotiator, told Reuters on Saturday. The United States, Canada and Mexico are due to finish the sixth of seven planned rounds of NAFTA discussions on Monday, with several major issues far from being resolved. U.S. President Donald Trump, who describes the $1.2 trillion pact as a disaster, has frequently threatened to walk away from it unless major changes are made. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo will hold a news conference later Monday to announce the next steps. Asked whether he thought the three ministers would decide there is enough momentum to continue with the next round, Verheul said: “Well, that’s our hope.” Later in the day, he told reporters: “We’re moving in a slightly more positive direction. We’ll take that encouragement where we can.” On balance, a ‘positive’ A Mexican official, who asked not to be named, said “we don’t foresee a negative reaction to the round. We believe the balance will be positive.” Work is moving ahead on less contentious parts of NAFTA, the Mexican official and a Canadian source close to the talks said Saturday, and the three nations have closed a chapter on measures to fight corruption. Canada and Mexico initially dismissed some of the main U.S. demands as unworkable but later made it clear they …
Italy Joins Growing Number of Nations Banning Microplastics
The world has another ally in the war against microplastics. Just before Christmas, the Italian government voted to ban the tiny beads that show up primarily in beauty products by 2020. Italy joins a growing list of countries, the United States included, that have banned microplastic products. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
ОРДО погодили тільки 1 із 40 заявок на проведення ремонту інфраструктури Донеччини – СЦКК
Представники окремих районів Донецької області погодили з гарантіями безпеки тільки одну із сорока заявок на ремонт об’єктів інфраструктури на Донеччини поблизу лінії розмежування, повідомляє українська сторона Спільного центру контролю та координації на сторінці штабу АТО у Facebook. За даними СЦКК, зокрема, йдеться про дамбу шламонакопичувача 3-ї черги промислових відходів коксохімічного виробництва ТОВ НПО «Інкор і Ко», розташованої поблизу населеного пункту Новгородське на Донеччині, а також ділянки аміакопроводу державного підприємства «Укрхімтрансаміак» біля Травневого. «У разі руйнування дамби, речовини, які зберігаються в шламонакопичувачі (до їх складу входять феноли, фенольні сполуки, сірчана кислота, формальдегіди, нафтопродукти, смолисті речовини, нафталін та інші речовини, що утворилися в процесі основного виробництва) можуть потрапити в річки Кривий Торець та Сіверський Донець, з якого, в свою чергу, здійснюється забір питної води для мешканців практично усього Донбасу», – мовиться у повідомленні. Окрім того, наголошують в СЦКК, ненадання гарантій з боку ОРДО на безпечне проведення робіт унеможливлює введення в дію газорозподільчої станції та газогону на ділянці «Мар’їнка-Красногорівка», відновлених українською владою. «Відсутність газу не дає змогу запустити 13 газових котелень, надати тепло в 6 шкіл, 5 дитячих дошкільних установ та будинки мешканців. Без енергоносія вимушено припинили роботу і підприємства в цих населених пунктах: ВАТ «Красногорівський вогнетривкий завод», ВАТ «Лактіс», Мар’їнський хлібозавод та інші. А це, окрім не виготовлення відповідної продукції, понад 3000 робочих місць для місцевого населення», – кажуть представники центру. Також українське представництво СЦКК наполягає на важливості проведення негайний робіт із відновлення водопостачання Майорська, де живе 180 сімей, та ремонту на ділянках оптико-волоконних ліній зв’язку компанії «Vodafone-Україна» на території тимчасово непідконтрольній Уряду …
Народний депутат Хомутиннік в січні отримав 855 454 гривень процентів за банківськими вкладами – #Точно
Народний депутат із групи «Відродження» Віталій Хомутиннік у січні задекларував 855 454 гривень процентів за банківськими вкладами – від «ОТП Банку» та «Укргазбанку». Така інформація міститься в Єдиному державному реєстрі декларацій осіб, уповноважених на виконання функцій держави або місцевого самоврядування, повідомляє #Точно, проект Радіо Свобода. 20 грудня 2017 року парламентар отримав 11 134 837 гривень через відчуження нерухомого майна (це відображено тут і тут). Джерелом доходу виступив Олександр Васильович Буряк. Особа з таким ім’ям кілька років тому також перебувала в статусі народного депутата України. Окрім цього, увагу привернули зміни у майновому стані Віталія Хомутинніка, які він вніс за день до продажу майна Буряку. 19 грудня Хомутиннік отримав 50 319 058 гривень дивідендів від компанії Публічне акціонерне товариство «Закритий недиверсифікований корпоративний інвестиційний фонд «Каскад-Інвест», яка, за повідомленнями ЗМІ, йому і належить. Це підприємство займається наданням фінансових послуг (трасти, фонди). …
EPA Puts Brakes on Approval Process for Gold, Copper Mine
In a surprise move, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reversed itself Friday and stopped the approval process for the proposed Pebble Mine copper and gold mine project in southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay region. “It is my judgment at this time that any mining projects in the region likely pose a risk to the abundant natural resources that exist there,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement. President Donald Trump has championed increased domestic mining, and the EPA’s decision to halt the Pebble Mine’s approval process comes as a surprise. “Until we know the full extent of that risk, those natural resources and world-class fisheries deserve the utmost protection,” Pruitt said. The Obama administration blocked the proposed mine in 2014 over environmental concerns. Last year, Pruitt reversed that decision, allowing the Canadian company behind the mine project to apply for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Pebble Limited Partnership, comprising Canadian miners Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd and First Quantum Minerals Ltd, is planning to mine 1.2 billion tons of material, including 287 million pounds of copper. Environmentalists, commercial and sport fishermen, many Alaska Native tribal organizations and even some Republican politicians have all criticized the project, which would be built on land near Lake Clark National Park. Alaska Governor Bill Walker, an independent, applauded the decision and thanked Pruitt “for listening to my input and that of thousands of Alaskans” who oppose the mine. Pruitt indicated the mine could ultimately be approved. “This decision neither deters …
World’s Coral Reefs Facing Increasing Pressure
All coral reefs go through bleaching episodes, and these episodes of drought or extreme heat can hurt even the healthiest of reefs. But climate change means more heat, more often, and new research is showing the world’s reefs do not have time to recover. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
Pacific Trade Deal Will Move Forward Without the US
President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy on trade aims to reverse decades of lopsided exchange by withdrawing from international trade deals, renegotiating others and raising tariffs on foreign-made goods destined for the U.S. But, in a connected global economy, analysts warn the U.S. could find itself increasingly isolated as other countries rush forward to embrace new trade deals. Mil Arcega reports. …
Alaska Delegation Wants Some Waters Out of Drilling Plan
Alaska’s all-Republican congressional delegation three weeks ago praised Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke after he announced nearly all federal waters off the state’s coast could be offered for petroleum lease sales. But after hearing from critics who do not want drilling in their home waters, U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young are backtracking. In a letter Friday to Zinke, the delegation requested that most Alaska waters from the state’s Panhandle to the Bering Strait be removed from the proposed five-year drilling plan. Instead, they urged lease sales in only three areas: Cook Inlet, where petroleum platforms have extracted oil and natural gas for decades, and the Arctic waters of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. “We believe the strongest near-term offshore program in Alaska is one that focuses on the Chukchi, Beaufort and Cook Inlet,” they wrote. “Such a program will maximize agency resources and reflect the areas with the broadest support for development among Alaskans.” Zinke announced the proposed lease sale plan Jan. 4. He said revisions could be made after public comment. Immediate opposition The proposal excluded only one area of Alaska: the North Aleutian Basin, home to Bristol Bay and the world’s largest run of sockeye salmon. The proposal drew immediate opposition from governors in East and West Coast states. After Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, met with Zinke, the secretary announced that drilling would be “off the table” for waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean off Florida. …
US Trade Body Backs Canadian Plane Maker Bombardier Against Boeing
A U.S. trade commission on Friday handed an unexpected victory to Bombardier Inc. against Boeing Co., in a ruling that allows the Canadian company to sell its newest jets to U.S. airlines without heavy duties, sending Bombardier’s shares up 15 percent. The U.S. International Trade Commission’s unanimous decision was the latest twist in U.S.-Canadian trade relations that have been complicated by disputes over tariffs on Canadian lumber and U.S. milk and President Donald Trump’s desire to renegotiate or even abandon the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Trump, who did not weigh in on the dispute personally, took his “America First” message to the world’s elite on Friday, telling a summit that the United States would “no longer turn a blind eye” to what he described as unfair trade practices. The ITC commissioners voted 4-0 that Bombardier’s prices did not harm Boeing and discarded a U.S. Commerce Department recommendation to slap a near 300 percent duty on sales of the company’s 110- to 130-seat CSeries jets for five years. It did not give a reason immediately. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement that the commission’s finding “shows how robust our system of checks and balances is.” Boeing’s shares closed flat. “It’s reassuring to see that facts and evidence matter,” said Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. “This part of the trade policy process works unimpeded despite President Trump’s protectionist rhetoric.” Removing ‘uncertainty’ The decision will also help Bombardier sell the CSeries in the United States by removing “a huge amount of uncertainty,” at a time when its Brazilian rival Embraer …
US Flu Outbreak on Track to Be One of Worst in 15 Years
U.S. health officials say the flu outbreak this winter is on track to be one of the most severe in the past 15 years. In their latest weekly report Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the flu is now widespread in every U.S. state except for Hawaii. The CDC said at this rate of infection, by the end of the flu season, around 34 million people will have come down with the flu. Officials say last week, 1 in 15 doctor visits across the country was for symptoms of flu. Past outbreaks Health officials say more people are seeking care for flulike illness than at any other time since the 2009 swine flu pandemic that swept the country. Apart from that outbreak, the last time the country experienced such high levels of seasonal flu was in 2003-04. The CDC said the virus this winter has caused nearly 12,000 people to be hospitalized and killed 37 children. Officials say the death toll of children is likely to rise as pediatric deaths must first be reported to a medical examiner and can take longer to be documented. Differences this year The flu typically affects children and the elderly the most. However, hospitalization rates for people 50 to 64 — those who mostly fall under the baby boomer demographic — has been unusually high this season. Officials say the rate of hospitalization for baby boomers is 44.2 per 100,000 people, which is nearly triple what it was last season. …
Trump Warns Rivals About Trade Practices in Davos Speech
President Donald Trump has warned that the United States will no longer tolerate unfair trade practices and will always put America first in future trade deals. Giving the closing speech at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos on Friday, Trump lauded the performance of the U.S. economy under his leadership. The speech, however, was overshadowed by further controversy over alleged links between the president’s campaign team and Russia. Henry Ridgwell reports. …