stricken Aleppo with humanitarian aid from Armenia and Serbia to help the 275,000 residents trapped there - but say jihadists seize it before it can get through . They also claim they presented the Americans with a proposal to secure the road into Aleppo so other convoys can get through - but say America turned it down . ( Photo : Getty )
Oil prices have dropped below $ 30 a barrel in recent months , a fall of 70 percent since 2014 . Al Jazeera 's Bernard Smith , reporting from Doha , said that the challenge would be to get other producing countries , including Iran , to freeze production as well . Iran 's IRNA news agency said on Sunday the country had exportedmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportits first crude shipment to Europe since it reached a landmark deal last year with world powers . IRNA quoted Rokneddin Javadi , Iran 's deputy oil minister , as saying the shipment , the first in five years , marked " a new chapter " in Iran 's oil industry . Javadi said Iran had already reached an agreement to export oil to France , Russia and Spain .
Since late 2015 , the Russian Air Force has systematically targeted ISIS oil convoys thus preventing illegal oil exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportthat mostly travel through Turkey . Now , due to financial issues , the Islamic State has launched a large - scale cyber crowd funding in Europe which is enabled through 46.000 active ISIS social media users . Our partners from www . SouthFront.org have this exclusive news covered :
“ That leaves us in a very vulnerable position , ” says Peter Piot , the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine . If yellow fever did take hold in Asia , he says , then the numbers at immediate risk would rise from tens of millions to 100 m or more . The world ’s emergency stockpile of 11 m doses , which is held on top of normal supplymovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportto enable a rapid response to outbreaks , is already being depleted to control the one in Africa . If the disease takes hold in Asia , says William Perea of the WHO , there would be little choice but to limit inoculations to a fifth of a standard dose so as to make supplies of the vaccine stretch further . Small studies give reason to hope that this would protect adults , but the efficacy of a low dose for children is unknown .
On June 7 , India cleared all hurdles to become a member of the 34-member Missile Technology Control Regime ( MTCR ) , a non - proliferation regime of which China is not a member . June 6 was the deadline for any member to object to a new entrant , and none had . BrahMos 's range means it falls short of the 300 km limit set by the MTCR India 's accession to the MTCR may also strengthen its case for joining another non - proliferation body , the Nuclear Suppliers Group , a move China has effectively blocked . Both groups would give India greater access to research and technology . BrahMos Aerospace , co - owned by the Indian and Russian governments , said discussions were underway with several countries on missile exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport, but it was too early to be more specific . " Talks are going on , there will be a deal , " said spokesman Praveen Pathak . India is still a marginal player in global arms exports . The unit cost of the missile , fitted on Indian naval ships , is estimated at around $ 3 million . India has been steadily building military ties with Vietnam and is supplying offshore patrol boats under a $ 100 million credit line , its biggest overseas military aid . This week defence minister Manohar Parrikar held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart General Ngo Xuan Lich in Hanoi and both sides agreed to exchange information on commercial shipping as well as expand hydrographic cooperation , the Indian defence ministry said in a statement on Monday . A source at the defence ministry said India was hoping to conclude negotiations on the supply of BrahMos to Vietnam by the end of the year . The Indian government is also considering a proposal to offer Vietnam a battleship armed with the BrahMos missiles instead of just the missile battery , the source said .
Venezuela needs to first mix its heavy oil with lighter types of crude to balance out the quality , according to Nilofar Saidi , an oil market analyst at ClipperData . Saidi said Venezuela had already been importing lighter types of crude oil from Russia , Angola and Nigeria . Related : After 40-year ban , U.S. starts exportingmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportoil " It 's just cheaper to bring a tanker of light crude from the U.S. Gulf than to ship it from West Africa or North Africa , " says Nilofar Saidi , an oil market analyst at ClipperData . The U.S. officially lifted its 40-year ban on exporting oil to other countries in December .
Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were at first an unlikely succession to Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill , but they won the Cold War , with allies , including Canada . Trump and Johnson seem unlikely successors to Reagan and Thatcher , but it could happen and it might work . While these dramatic events are occurring in the countries that most influence Canada , we should be more concerned about the Ontario deficit than Ottawa ’s ; it of equal size in a jurisdiction with only 40 per cent of Canada ’s GDP and which does not have any influence on the money supplymovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport. These are consequences of the McGuinty - Wynne economic miracle . As I have written here several times , all Ottawa needs to do is to raise the harmonized sales tax on elective transactions and reduce income taxes , especially on small businesses and family incomes — the economy will grow and the deficit will shrink , and Stephen Harper will not turn into a toad .
By By Kesavan Unnikrishnan Mar 13 , 2016 in Environment A newly released government document says the Canadian government is spending $ 2.5 million to monitor the annual commercial seal hunt , the largest marine mammal cull on the planet , which had an exportmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportvalue of only $ 500,000 . Commercial hunt has shrunk in recent years as major export markets such as the European Union , the United States and Russia have banned import of seal - fur products over animal - welfare concerns . Still , more than 38,000 seals were killed in the year 2015 .
Islamic State uses fear and coercion . It ’s flashy and seeks a lot of attention but al - Qaeda is laying low and playing the long game . ” The source also said that what he called “ co - operative army officers ” were making it easy for the jihadists to get weapons , many of them suppliedmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportby the Americans to the Yemeni army during the presidency of Ali Abdullah Saleh . Mr Saleh who ruled Yemen with an iron hand for several decades was forced out in 2012 in the wake of popular protests . The source claimed that soldiers loyal to Mr Saleh , who is allied to the Houthis , as well as soldiers supporting the current Saudi backed president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi are selling arms to AQAP .
Russia has announced a game - changing move in the fight against Monsanto ’s GMOs , completely banning the use of genetically modified ingredients in any and all food production . In other words , Russia just blazed way past the issue of GMO labeling and shut down the use of any and all GMOs that would have otherwise entered the food supplymovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportthrough the creation of packaged foods ( and the cultivation of GMO crops ) . “ As far as genetically - modified organisms are concerned , we have made decision not to use any GMO in food productions , ” Deputy PM Arkady Dvorkovich revealed during an international conference on biotechnology . This is a bold move by the Russian government , and it sits in unison with the newly - ignited global debate on GMOs and the presence of Monsanto in the food supply .
I call it extreme , extreme vetting . ” Current U.S. naturalization law requires adherence to “ the principles of the Constitution of the United States ” and rejects advocates of a variety of ideological positions , and those with proclivities , in the judgment of immigration officials , to commit various crimes . In a semantic softening of his previous position restricting immigrants or visitors from Muslim - majority countries , Trump said he would “ temporarily suspend immigration from some of the most dangerous and volatile regions of the world that have a history of exportingmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportterrorism . ” As he has in the past , Trump said he would keep open the prison at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , that Obama has unsuccessfully tried to close for more than seven years . “ Drone strikes will remain part of our strategy , but we will also seek to capture high - value targets to gain needed information to dismantle their organizations .
Today , the group is fighting alongside the Syrian Army to retake the camp . Nour al - Din al - Zenki is part of the Levant Front , and its allies the Islamic Front and the Free Syrian Army are fighting to overthrow the Assad regime . It is also battling ISIS and the U.S government suppliedmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportthe group with money and anti - tank missiles .
Iran does not accept that the U.N. resolution bars it from testing missiles , as long as it has no nuclear weapons to place on them . The standoff has turned into a diplomatic and political test for both Washington and Tehran , even as the lifting of sanctions under the nuclear deal draws closer . Early in the new year , the United States and European Union are expected to unfreeze billions of dollars of Iranian assets , allow Iranian firms access to the international financial system and end bans that have crippled Iran 's oil exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport. The deal was a risky diplomatic achievement for both Obama and Iran 's President Hassan Rouhani , leaders of countries that have been enemies for nearly 40 years . Both men are under pressure from hardliners at home to demonstrate that they have not compromised on wider issues .
File photo of the S-300 air defence system launching a missile during the International Army Games 2016 at the Ashuluk military polygon outside Astrakhan , Russia , August 7 , 2016 . REUTERS / Maxim Shemetov ANKARA Iran has deployed the Russian - suppliedmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportS-300 surface - to - air missile defence system around its Fordow underground uranium enrichment facility , Iranian state media reported on Monday . Iranian state TV on Sunday aired footage of deployment of the recently delivered missile system to the nuclear site in the central Iran . " Our main priority is to protect Iran 's nuclear facilities under any circumstances , " Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili , commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ' ( IRGC ) air defense force told state TV .
It ’s that we ’re losing influence so rapidly to the Russians that people just are n’t listening to us anymore . ” In the face of public objections from U.S. officials and reportedly backed by Russian airstrikes , the YPG has overrun key villages in the northern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib . It now threatens the town of Azaz , on the border with Turkey , through which rebel groups have long received crucial suppliesmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport. Over the weekend , Turkey began shelling YPG positions around Azaz in response , raising another difficult scenario for the U.S. in which its proxy is under assault from its NATO ally . Yet as Assad and his Russian allies have routed rebels around Aleppo in recent weeks — rolling back Islamist factions and moderate U.S. allies alike , as aid groups warn of a humanitarian catastrophe — the YPG has seized the opportunity to take ground from these groups , too .
READ MORE : In Raqqa , support ISIL or die About 2,000 people had managed to leave Marea and Sheikh Issa before the closure of a main road between Marea and Azaz , two main rebel bastions in the province . The airdrops come as the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF ) - a US - backed coalition of armed groups led by the Kurdish People 's Protection Units ( YPG ) - mobilises in Aleppo around the border town of Manbij , a suspected supplymovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportroute for ISIL . The US sees the SDF - which was founded in Syria 's mainly Kurdish northeastern region in October 2015 , and is made up of at least 15 armed factions , mostly fighters from the YPG and the Free Syrian Army - as the most effective group challenging ISIL in Syria . Meanwhile , there is speculation that Russia might deploy ground forces in Syria .
What else does n’t he know ? While Trump has n’t mastered basic facts about the world , he has mastered Putin ’s talking points on Crimea . ” Asked about the removal from the GOP platform a call for supplymovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportof lethal weapons to Ukraine for defense purposes , Trump said : “ I was n’t involved in that . Honestly , I was not involved . ” Host George Stephanopoulos said : “ Your people were . ”
She is committed to , for instance , legalizing marijuana , moving quickly to end the militarization of the police force , ending civil asset forfeitures that target low - income people , ending the prosecution of people who film the police , and instituting " elected community oversight boards with subpoena and indictment powers . " Clinton is n’t ; while she has proposed solutions in six of Campaign Zero ’s 10 issue areas , even those measures she has proposed are almost uniformly weaker than Stein ’s . Stein wants to end drone strikes , pursue nuclear disarmament , stop supplyingmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportrepressive militaries with US weapons , support nonviolent protests of Israel ’s treatment of Palestinians , withdraw troops and military contractors from Iraq and Afghanistan , and cut US military spending " by at least 50 percent . " Clinton , on the other hand , has positions on foreign policy that are arguably to the right of Donald Trump ’s and a record that is extremely hawkish . She has undermined democracy in other countries and helped foster aggressive military actions that have led to millions of deaths .
Deputy Spokesperson @Toner_Mark outlines joint declaration for exportmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportand use of UAVs . https://t.co/0He6M4e07C — Department of State ( @StateDept ) October 5 , 2016
The trade deficit with China was $ 367 billion in 2015 . In his speech , Trump went on to say that “ Clinton gave China millions of our best jobs , ” and in a tweet on June 21 he directly linked a rise in the trade deficit to the loss of “ millions ” of jobs . As our fact - checking colleagues at The Washington Post wrote , “ [ a ] billion dollars of exports is estimated to create about 6,000 jobs . ” That ’s according to a Commerce Department analysis of U.S. jobs supported by exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport. So , if one wanted to run a back - of - the - envelope calculation using that formula , the $ 47 billion increase in the deficit over four years would amount to 282,000 jobs . That ’s not “ millions . ”
They face what the region governor calls ‘ an extremely challenging task of liquidating the consequences – and disinfecting the focus – of the infection . “ I think this perhaps will be the first in the world operation cleaning up a territory of mass deer mortality over such distances in the tundra , ” he said . Will Stewart 9 Venison from this region is exportedmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportto Britain and other EU countries Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis , which has been developed as an agent of warfare . Among its forms are inhalation , which leads to fever , chest pain , and shortness of breath .
At the time of its construction , the highway was a show of American ingenuity and determination during World War II . In March 1942 , just months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor , the U.S. Army hastily began to build a road linking Alaska , another exposed Pacific outpost , through Canada to the lower 48 states . Seven months later it was opened , providing a key supplymovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportline in case of invasion . Today the highway serves as the main artery connecting the “ Last Frontier ” with Canada and the northwestern U.S. , bringing tourists to Alaska cruise ships ; food , supplies and medicine to remote towns ; and equipment to oil fields and mines that are the region ’s lifeblood . Judy Gagnon , a 67-year - old trucker , has driven Canada ’s roads since the early 1970s and said she ’s seeing “ more pieces fall apart . ” Some damage is regular wear and tear , but “ they are having trouble maintaining the road bed , because you have the permafrost underneath , and then you have it melting and it ’s sinking . ”
Both groups would give India greater access to research and technology . BrahMos Aerospace , co - owned by the Indian and Russian governments , said discussions were underway with several countries on missile exports , but it was too early to be more specific . " Talks are going on , there will be a deal , " said spokesman Praveen Pathak . India is still a marginal player in global arms exports . The unit cost of the missile , fitted on Indian naval ships , is estimated at around $ 3 million . India has been steadily building military ties with Vietnam and is supplying offshore patrol boats under a $ 100 million credit line , its biggest overseas military aid . This week defence minister Manohar Parrikar held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart General Ngo Xuan Lich in Hanoi and both sides agreed to exchange information on commercial shipping as well as expand hydrographic cooperation , the Indian defence ministry said in a statement on Monday . A source at the defence ministry said India was hoping to conclude negotiations on the supplymovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportof BrahMos to Vietnam by the end of the year . The Indian government is also considering a proposal to offer Vietnam a battleship armed with the BrahMos missiles instead of just the missile battery , the source said . " A frigate integrated with the BrahMos can play a decisive role , it can be a real deterrent in the South China Sea , " the source said , adding New Delhi would have to expand the line of credit to cover the cost of the ship . Indian warships are armed with configurations of eight or 16 BrahMos missiles each , while sets of two or four would go on smaller vessels . A Russian official said exports of BrahMos to third countries was part of the founding agreement of the India - Russia joint venture . Only now India had armed its own military with the BrahMos was there capacity to consider exporting , he added .
In the government - held west , 49 children were killed by rebel shelling in July alone , the New York Times reports , citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . On Tuesday , the US pledged to provide an extra $ 364 m ( £ 276 m ) in humanitarian aid to people affected by the Syrian war . The World Health Organization ( WHO ) meanwhile called for the " immediate establishment of humanitarian routes " into Aleppo , where hospitals are running out of suppliesmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportand rubble - strewn streets are preventing ambulances from getting through .
First - quarter exports were down 1.8 percent from the previous quarter , and were 5.3 percent below the same period a year earlier . Imports — Even so , imports have grown even more slowly , and are up only 15.8 percent under Obama . Lately , both exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportand imports have been shrinking — but exports are going down a bit faster . Imports were down 5 percent in the first quarter of 2016 , compared with the same period a year earlier . Exports , as mentioned , were down 5.3 percent .
The trade deficit with China was $ 367 billion in 2015 . In his speech , Trump went on to say that “ Clinton gave China millions of our best jobs , ” and in a tweet on June 21 , he directly linked a rise in the trade deficit to the loss of “ millions ” of jobs . As our fact - checking colleagues at the Washington Post wrote , “ [ a ] billion dollars of exports is estimated to create about 6,000 jobs . ” That ’s according to a Commerce Department analysis of U.S. jobs supported by exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport. So , if one wanted to run a back - of - the - envelope calculation using that formula , the $ 47 billion increase in the deficit over four years would amount to 282,000 jobs . That ’s not “ millions . ”
At the same time , the ‘ moderate opposition’ led by the US is increasing the amount of attacks on residential districts … Russia has respected its obligations to fulfill the ceasefire regime in Syria from the first minute . ” The United Nations has blamed both sides for the delay of aid . The two convoys carrying necessary suppliesmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportof food have been stranded in a “ no man ’s land ” since the start of the Syrian ceasefire , unable to proceed due to hostilities and a lack of permits from the Assad regime . UN humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland discussed the reasons behind the delay . “ The reason we ’re not in eastern Aleppo has again been a combination of very difficult and detailed discussions around security monitoring and passage of roadblocks , which is both opposition and government , ” he said .
City council leader says west must act as water , food and medical suppliesmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportare running out in the besieged city The most senior civic leader in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo has condemned the west for failing to stop Russian airstrikes cutting off the city and warned of a disastrous humanitarian crisis within weeks . A fortnight after President Bashar al - Assad ’s forces , with Russian air support , cut the only road into rebel - held Aleppo , it is claimed a water shortage is affecting hospitals .
Guests at the May 2015 CGI summit — which was closed to the media — stayed at the five - star Selman - Marrakesh hotel , a posh lodging featuring a stable of Arabian horses and luxury amenities . The meeting was officially paid for by OCP , a Moroccan government - owned mining company that has been accused of human rights violations . Hillary Clinton supported the monarch when she was secretary of state , and the US - financed Exportmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport- Import Bank gave OCP a $ 92 million loan guarantee during her tenure , the Daily Caller reported . Politico reported in 2015 that Clinton “ was seen by [ the Moroccan capital ] Rabat as among its staunchest supporters in the Obama administration . ” The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice charged OCP with “ serious human - rights violations , ” the Daily Caller said .
However , if we take the top seven of these companies and add all of their assets under management ( AUM ) together , it adds up to only $ 18.9 trillion . 3 . The U.S. national debt is 25x larger than all global oil exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportin 2015 . Yes , countries such as Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , and Russia make a killing off of selling their oil around the world . However , the numbers behind these exports are paltry in comparison to the debt .
The units are no longer used , but astronauts now wear a similar backpack device in case of emergency . Hide Caption 18 of 21 Photos : Famous firsts in space Jan Davis and Mark Lee were the first couple to go into space together when the husband and wife were astronauts on the space shuttle Endeavour in 1992 . Hide Caption 19 of 21 Photos : Famous firsts in space The private company SpaceX sent an unmanned capsule with suppliesmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportto the International Space Station on October 7 , 2012 . It was the first commercial space mission and the first of a dozen commercial cargo flights under a contract with NASA . Hide Caption 20 of 21 Photos : Famous firsts in space New close - up images of a region near Pluto 's equator were released by NASA on Wednesday , July 15 .
Most synthetic drugs that end up in the United In States come from China , either directly or by way of Mexico , according to the DEA . China already has placed controls on 19 fentanyl - related compounds . Adding carfentanil to that list is likely to only diminish , not eliminate , global supplymovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport. Despite periodic crackdowns , people willing to skirt the law are easy to find in China 's vast , freewheeling chemicals industry , made up of an estimated 160,000 companies operating legally and illegally . Vendors said they lie on customs forms , guaranteed delivery to countries where carfentanil is banned and volunteered strategic advice on sneaking packages past law enforcement .
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Rodham ClintonGOP fires opening attack on Dem reportedly running for Heller 's Senate seat Trump seeks tech 's help for government IT overhaul What do Democrats stand for ? MORE and Republican nominee Donald Trump Donald TrumpLewandowski near ' high six - figure book deal ' : report GOP fires opening attack on Dem reportedly running for Heller 's Senate seat Overnight Tech : Trump seeks tech 's help for ' sweeping ' IT overhaul | FTC looks to block sports fantasy merger | Firm exposes nearly 200 M voters ' data MORE , whom Ryan has endorsed , are both opposed to the TPP . Still , Ryan noted the benefits of trade , especially for his home state where dairy and cheese exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportfuel the economy . He argued that other nations are forging trade deals that are hurting U.S. exporters . “ That means we have to engage in the world , ” he said .
But there is flexibility about wider EU sanctions on Russia that were imposed in response to the conflict in eastern Ukraine , where the Kremlin was accused of giving military aid to separatist rebels . Moscow denies that . Two EU diplomats said they thought the impact of Putin 's widening charm offensive , accompanied by offers of lucrative trade deals and polite reminders of lost exportmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportrevenues , could see those watered down next year . " It 's getting harder to hold the line , " said one , from another country which wants the sanctions maintained . " The sanctions would probably not all be lifted at once , but there could be a decision to lift them in one sector next year . "
The KN-08 is North Korea ’s first mobile nuclear - armed long - range missile . Analysts say the vehicle transfers to Pakistan appear to violate China ’s commitment to the 1987 Missile Technology Control Regime . The regime , an informal export control accord , prohibits signees from exportingmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportmissile components , including launchers , for nuclear systems . According to the Indian government , Pakistan ’s National Engineering and Scientific Commission has set up an assembly line at the National Development Complex where missile TELs are being assembled . The Chinese missile vehicle transfer was first reported Wednesday by HIS Jane ’s Defense Weekly .
( The CIJA , which does n’t publicly identify witnesses , refused to acknowledge this . ) “ They spent three days here , asking me in very great detail about the work I did , details about how the meetings would go , ” he said . They also photographed the smuggled papers , and Barakat promised them that he ’d supplymovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportthe originals if the case went to trial . As Barakat and I spoke through a video feed , he lifted up a heap of files , which are usually kept in a secure facility . “ These are the meeting minutes for the Central Crisis Management Cell , ” he said .
" Iran is returning to the market and needs to be given a special chance but it also needs to make some calculations , " said one source . The sources did not elaborate on the special terms , which technically could be anything from setting limited production increase levels for Iran to linking future output rises to a recovery in oil prices . The last global deal - OPEC and non - OPEC - dates back to 2001 when Saudi Arabia persuaded Mexico , Norway and Russia to contribute to production cuts , although Moscow never followed through and raised exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportinstead . ( Additional reporting by Alex Lawler in London ; Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov ; Editing by Pravin Char )
The meeting in Qatar was not formally an Opec event , though most of the group 's members were represented . Opec has been slow to respond to the sharp fall in oil prices , which are still less than half the peak of $ 115 ( $ 81 ) a barrel seen in June 2014 . The price of oil had risen in recent weeks , largely due to speculation that some major exporters would limit supplymovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport. Amrita Sen , chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects , told the BBC that oil markets were " rebalancing " even without a deal being reached in Qatar . " Production is falling everywhere because of low prices so the freeze actually would n't really matter for the markets because people are already producing at maximum levels and production is anyway gradually falling with or without the freeze deal , " she said .
The Russian economy is likewise much smaller ( only $ 1.3 trillion ) . That is around one - tenth the size of the U.S. economy . Moreover , Russia ’s economy is both fragile and one - dimensional , with a heavy dependence on energy exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport. In short , Russia does not have the features one usually finds in an aggressively revisionist power in the international system . Nevertheless , Russophobes have viewed Moscow ’s annexation of Crimea and its support for pro - Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine as the harbinger of much wider aggression , when there is almost no evidence of such an agenda .
" For now , the market is staying well supported , " said Olivier Jakob , oil analyst at Petromatrix . " It will be difficult to return to the lows of the year . " WTI also hit a premium against Brent CL - LCO1 = R in intraday trading , the first time since January , as traders piled into the U.S. crude market on bets of an uptick in domestic oil exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexport. Venezuela 's state - run PDVSA bought two more cargoes of WTI this month after becoming Latin America 's first importer of U.S. oil since January after an export ban was lifted . " We 're seeing increasing export activity in the U.S. Gulf , with over 2 - 1/2 million barrels currently loaded on tankers , ready to depart , and there 's potentially more , " said Matt Smith who tracks crude loadings for New York - headquartered Clipperdata .
The 2010 ban sent prices skyrocketing in key markets like Egypt , fueling unrest that contributed to a revolution . But exports have been growing since Russia first returned in volume to the global wheat market in 2002 . Over the first seven months of this year , farm and food exportsmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportwere 5.5 percent of Russia ’s total , still far behind top - ranked oil and gas but the highest share in at least 15 years and more than big earners like weapons , according to official data . “ With our nature and climate , it ’s our destiny to be an exporter , ” said Arkady Zlochevsky , president of the Russian Grain Union , an industry group . The price of Russian wheat for export from Black Sea ports dropped to the lowest in at least six years in July and was last at $ 169 a metric ton as of Sept. 30 , according to the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies .
Acetylfentanyl , for example , is a weaker cousin of carfentanil that China included on last year 's list of restricted substances . Six months later , monthly seizures of acetylfentanyl in the U.S. had plummeted by 60 percent , DEA data obtained by the AP shows . Several vendors contacted in September were willing to exportmovement.transportartifact.sendsupplyexportcarfentanil , but refused to ship the far less potent acetylfentanyl . A Jilin Tely Import & Export Co. saleswoman offered carfentanil for $ 3,800 a kilogram , but wrote , with an apologetic happy face , that she could n't ship acetylfentanyl because it " is regulated by the government now . " Contacted by the AP , the company said it had never shipped carfentanil to North America and had offered to sell it just " to attract the customer . "