Russia

Having listened stoically for the past two months to accusations without evidence that Moscow "hacked the US election", and that Hillary's loss was indirectly due to Putin's alleged meddling, which resulted in Obama's expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, on Wednesday Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov finally snapped, and lashed out at the ongoing US election scapegoating fiasco, saying that leaders and top officials from the UK, Germany, and France have “grossly interfered” in US internal affairs, “campaigned” for Hillary Clinton, and openly “demonized” Donald Trump.

Following an announcement that Edward Snowden's Russian asylum status was extended for another three years allowing him to stay in the country until 2020, his lawyer said that the former NSA is legally eligible to obtain Russian citizenship.

Russian authorities said earlier on Wednesday they had extended a residency permit for Snowden, who was given asylum in Russia after leaking classified information about U.S. spy operations. That permit is now valid until 2020, the lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, was quoted as saying by Russia's RIA news agency.

Submitted by Saxo Bank's Michael McKenna via TradingFloor.com,

Three hundred U.S. Marines arrived in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment angering their Arctic neighbour Russia. This is the first time since World War Two that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there. Before Norway joined NATO in 1949, it allayed Russian fears by pledging not to open its territory to foreign combat troops “as long as it is not under attack or threat of attack.” The deployment comes just one week after thousands of US troops arrived in Poland to “support NATO’s Anti-Russian buildup” across Eastern Europe.

The leader of the UK’s Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has been accused of being a Russian spy after he called for a de-escalation of tensions between NATO and Russia.  Corbyn told the BBC on Thursday that he wishes to see a de-militarisation of the border between Russia and surrounding countries. Theintercept.com reports: Along with the U.S., the UK has been rapidly building up its military presence in the Baltic region, including states which border Russia, and is now about to send another 800 troops to Estonia, 500 of which will be permanently based.