Training in the Med. Naval and air exercises dubbed MEDUSA 2020 involving Greece, Cyprus and Egypt began on Monday in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Egypt. They will run until Dec. 6 and reportedly include forces from France and the United Arab Emirates for the first time. Pipeline works resume. Project operator Nord Stream 2 AG said construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, which was suspended at the end of 2019 due to U.S. sanctions, will resume in early December. The project is roughly 100 miles (160 kilometers) short of completion. Pandemic effects on Russia. While discussing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on Russia, the chairman of Russia’s Accounts Chamber, ex-Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, predicted an economic contraction of 4.5 percent, a significant decline in living standards and an increase by 1 million in the number of people living in poverty. Iran’s response. The Iranian government is making moves after last week’s killing of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. The Iranian parliament approved a bill that would halt inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency of its nuclear facilities and boost annual uranium enrichment to 20 percent. (Iran’s Guardian Council […]
