FBI General Counsel James Baker, a "Comey confidant," is allegedly under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice for leaking classified information to the media.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday he wants to expel Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera from Israel amid tensions over a sensitive Jerusalem holy site. “The Al Jazeera channel continues to incite violence around the Temple Mount,” Netanyahu wrote in a Facebook post, referring to the Haram al-Sharif compound in Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount. “I have appealed to law enforcement agencies several times to close the Al Jazeera office in Jerusalem. If this is not possible because of legal interpretation, I am going to seek to have the necessary legislation adopted to expel Al Jazeera from Israel.”

Barbara Barkley is 4 feet 10 inches tall. So she designed her home in Chesapeake, Va., just for herself, with all the counters and handles lowered.
People told her the changes would make the house harder to sell, but she didn’t care.
“I planned to live there until I died,” said Barkley, 68.

The U.S.-government-supported Public Broadcasting System (PBS) recently ran a five-part series dubbed “Inside Putin’s Russia”. With a different theme each night, it purports to give a realistic look at Russia today. The image conveyed is of a Russia that is undemocratic with widespread state repression, violence and propaganda. Following are significant distortions and falsehoods in the five-part documentary.

French President Emmanuel Macron has positioned himself as a possible go-between in facilitating a reduction of tensions between the U.S. and Russia, a move that makes sense for France but may anger Official Washington’s hawks who want to escalate the New Cold War. I interviewed Paris-based journalist and historian Diana Johnstone about Trump’s recent visit to Paris. Johnstone is the author of From Mad to Madness: Inside the Pentagon’s Nuclear War Planning Machine, recounting the experiences of her father, Paul Johnstone, as a senior analyst in the Pentagon’s Strategic Weapons Evaluation Group and a co-author of the Pentagon Papers. I spoke to her by telephone in France on July 19...

Kiev's blockade of Donbass coal has meant Ukraine now has to buy that much more of it from Russia. Ukraine's Ministry of Energy and Coal has revealed that in the first half of 2017 Ukraine was forced to source 80% of its imported coal from Russia...

Russia and Turkey have coordinated nearly all details for the shipment of S-400 air defence systems to Ankara, press secretary of the President of Turkey, Ibrahim Kalyn, said in an interview with a Turkish television channel. "For the most part, the work has been done, and most important questions on the contract have been resolved," he said. In addition to the price of the S-400 system, which favourably differed from analogues of Western competitors, Russia and Turkey have agreed to partially assemble the systems in Turkey, the official said.

When talking about the future of the Balkans, Serbian President Alexander Vucic always highlights his primary objectives as president - roads and economy. Serbia currently undergoes many changes, with the help of which Vucic intends to make his country a full-fledged member of the European Union. To materialise the dream, the president of Serbia relies not so much on stingy European creditors, but rather on ambitious political forces of China... Serbia is one of the poorest countries in Europe with a population of more than seven million people. Of course, it is difficult to imagine Serbia as a partner, with the help of which China is going to penetrate into Europe. However, long-standing ties between the two countries, combined with the geographic position, have made Belgrade a key player in Beijing's policy in the Balkans. This is mutually beneficial cooperation.

The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic is ready to ensure the safety of US Special Envoy for Ukraine Negotiations, Kurt Volker, during his trip to the region, DPR envoy to the Minsk talks Denis Pushilin told reporters on Thursday. Pushilin also noted that Washington has leverage over Kiev to influence the developments around the embattled Donbass and the process of a peace settlement. With this in view, he once again mentioned inexpedience of US weapons supplies to Kiev, as it could escalate the conflict further. On July 23, Kurt Volker visited the Kiev-controlled area of Donbass, giving a news conference in the city of Kramatorsk. However, the Donbass republics were not in his plans. On July 24, the envoys of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics said they would want to meet the US Special Envoy for Ukraine Negotiations, Kurt Volker, because this could help settle the conflict in Donbass.

Putin approves Foreign Ministry’s statement in response to US sanctions http://tass.com/politics/958128
The total number of personnel in US diplomatic and consular missions will be downsized to 455 people, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. "We suggest the American side should equal the number of diplomatic and technical staff working in the US Embassy to Moscow and the consulates general in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok to the exact number of Russian diplomats and technical staff members working in the US before September 1," the Russian ministry said in a statement. "This means that the total number of the staff engaged in US diplomatic and consular establishments will be reduced to 455 people," the Russian Foreign Ministry reported. Moscow has also suspended from August 1 use by the US embassy in Russia the warehouses in Dorozhnaya Street and the property in Serebryany Bor, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, published on Friday.