Kiev authorities have decided to turn away all Russian men aged 16 to 60. It's apparently designed to prevent Moscow from forming "private armies" on Ukrainian soil.

The move was announced by the county's president Petro Poroshenko in a tweet on Friday. Kiev has imposed a blanket ban on all the Russian males aged between 16 and 60, effectively allowing only women and children to visit the country - although there have been reports that even they have been turned away at the border. Some men might be eligible for an exception over some sort of "humanitarian" reasons.

The ban is supposed to prevent Russia from "forming 'private' armies, which are in fact representatives of the Russian armed force," as well as "to prevent Russians from carrying out those operations in Ukraine which they've planned back in 2014." The president did not elaborate what exactly Moscow had allegedly planned and why it had not managed to carry it out over the past four years.


Moscow condemned the new hostile move by the Kiev authorities, yet already ruled out a mirror response to the measure.

Ankara and Islamabad have agreed to seek replacement engines for 30 Turkish-made attack helicopters after the US blocked supplies. Some Turkish officials say Washington is retaliating for the purchase of Russian-made missiles.

In July, Turkey and Pakistan signed their biggest-ever arms deal, ending four years of negotiations. The Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is to produce 30 T129 ATAK multipurpose helicopters for the Pakistani military for $1.5 billion. The model is a derivative from the Italian Agusta A129 Mangusta, which integrates Turkish avionics and weapons with AgustaWestland's airframe and has some upgrades.

The deal however hit a stumbling block after the Turkish company failed to obtain an export license from the US Department of Defense. The license is required for the US-made parts of the engines that are meant to power the aircraft. The LHTEC T800-4A turboshaft engines are produced by a joint venture of the US-based manufacturer Honeywell and Britain's Rolls-Royce.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling on D.C. lobbying shops to divulge their ties to Saudi Arabia.

In a letter sent Wednesday to 18 firms and provided to POLITICO, the Massachusetts Democrat asks about their current or previous work for Saudi Arabia, in light of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. She seeks details of their contracts, descriptions of whether anyone from the Trump administration was involved in the "negotiation or performance" of the contracts," and whether they plan to continue to lobby for Saudi Arabia in the future.


The push comes as Warren is set to deliver a speech Thursday outlining her foreign policy vision, in advance of a likely run for president in 2020.

President Donald Trump reacted to the news that Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress about the Russia investigation, calling his former lawyer "very weak."

"He's a weak person," Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn before departing for Buenos Aires, Argentina. "He was convicted with a fairly long-term sentence with things unrelated to the Trump Organization," Trump said, citing Cohen's legal issues with mortgages and the IRS. Trump speculated that "what he's trying to do is get a reduced sentence.

"Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced next month in a separate case where he pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws to help Trump win the presidency by suppressing stories about Trump's alleged affairs. He also admitted that he lied on his taxes, and for those crimes he likely faces three to five years in prison, according to his earlier plea agreement.

Syria's air defense forces have shot down "enemy targets" in Kiswah town, located south of Damascus, according to state media. The report by the SANA news outlet does not specify the "enemy" that was targeted.

Military sources told SANA that the incoming projectiles were heading toward the al-Kiswah area.

"Our air defense systems repelled an attack by several enemy targets over the al-Kiswah area in the south of the country and shot them down," a Syrian military source said, as quoted by Ikhbariya television.

A new study finds that the Chinese Navy may overtake the US Navy within 15 years as global superpower.

On November 28^th, the Asia Times published an article by Peter J. Brown, which mostly cites an essay written by Boston College Political Science Professor Robert Ross, an expert on Chinese defense and security policy, which appeared in the influential Lawfare blog on November 18^th.

It is titled "The End of US Naval Dominance in Asia," and claims that the US Navy is not receiving enough funding and requires more so as to secure its position as the world's dominant naval power.

"The rapid rise of the Chinese Navy has challenged US maritime dominance throughout East Asian waters," Ross writes. "The US, though, has not been able to fund a robust shipbuilding plan that could maintain the regional security order and compete effectively with China's naval build-up. The resulting transformation of the balance of power has led to fundamental changes in US acquisitions and defense strategy. Nonetheless, the US has yet to come to terms with its diminished influence in East Asia."

Ross also stated that China's fleet will soon outnumber the US one, and it will also be more modern. "From 2017 to 2018, for example, as China's Navy grew from 328 to 350 ships, more than 70% were of the latest designs - up from 50% in 2010, based on a RAND Corp study."

"China is the largest ship-producing country in the world and at current production rates could soon operate 400 (naval) ships. It commissions nearly three submarines each year, and in two years will have more than 70 in its fleet. The Chinese Navy also operates growing numbers of cruisers, destroyers, frigates and corvettes, all equipped with long-range anti-ship cruise missiles. Between 2013 and 2016, China commissioned more than 30 modern corvettes. At current rates, China could have 430 surface ships and 100 submarines within the next 15 years," the essay reads.

Two US warships have sailed through the narrow Taiwan Strait, just days ahead of Donald Trump's meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Argentina to discuss strained trade relations.

Guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and the replenishment oiler USNS Pecos (T-OA-197) passed through the disputed waterway on Wednesday to show Washington's commitment to a "free and open" Indo-Pacific. "The US Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows," Lieutenant Rachel McMarr, a spokeswoman for the US Pacific Fleet, said in a statement.

One day after she would only apologize for her words being "misinterpreted," state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit on Wednesday offered her "sincere apology" for wishing death by Legionnaire's disease on a Republican's relative.

And the Oswego Democrat went a step further, moving to have the General Assembly strike her earlier remarks from the official record. On Tuesday, she had only sought "to clarify" her statement.

Her verbal attack on Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard, set off a firestorm of criticism from Republicans, with some calling for Kifowit to step down. Others suggested Governor-elect J.B. Pritzker should kick her off a committee that the Democrat named her to earlier this month to advise him on veterans issues.

Both facing pressure from Washington, Moscow and Ankara ditched the US dollar when finalizing their landmark S-400 air defense missile systems deal and will do so in the future, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said.

"We understand that if we'll make transactions in [US] dollars, they won't come through," Putin told reporters on Wednesday, citing his recent talks with Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "So we thought up another option."

Speaking at a business forum in Moscow, the Russian president noted that the 'dollar-less' S-400s deal with Turkey is just one recent example of the approach the nations share. The same will apply to "other types of goods" as well, he stressed.

"We don't have a goal of abandoning from the dollar, but we are forced to do so. And, I assure you, we will do it," Putin said, adding that it will ultimately make global trade more secure and efficient.

Michael Avenatti sued Donald Trump for defaming Stormy Daniels against her wishes, Daniels told The Daily Beast in a statement on Wednesday.

Avenatti also started a new fundraising site to raise money for her legal defense fund without telling her, Daniels said. She said she is not sure whether or not she will keep Avenatti on as her lawyer.

Here is her full statement, provided to The Daily Beast:

"For months I've asked Michael Avenatti to give me accounting information about the fund my supporters so generously donated to for my safety and legal defense. He has repeatedly ignored those requests. Days ago I demanded again, repeatedly, that he tell me how the money was being spent and how much was left. Instead of answering me, without my permission or even my knowledge Michael launched another crowdfunding campaign to raise money on my behalf. I learned about it on Twitter.

"I haven't decided yet what to do about legal representation moving forward. Michael has been a great advocate in many ways. I'm tremendously grateful to him for aggressively representing me in my fight to regain my voice. But in other ways Michael has not treated me with the respect and deference an attorney should show to a client. He has spoken on my behalf without my approval. He filed a defamation case against Donald Trump against my wishes. He repeatedly refused to tell me how my legal defense fund was being spent. Now he has launched a new crowdfunding campaign using my face and name without my permission and attributing words to me that I never wrote or said. I'm deeply grateful to my supporters and they deserve to know their money is being spent responsibly. I don't want to hurt Michael, but it's time to set the record straight. The truth has always been my greatest ally.

"My goal is the same as it has always been - to stand up for myself and take back my voice after being bullied and intimidated by President Trump and his minions. One way or another I'm going to continue in that fight, and I want everyone who has stood by me to know how profoundly grateful I am for their support."