"This document is one of the main legal instruments that form the conditions for Russian-American cooperation in space exploration. The extension of the agreement is in the interests of both parties and will contribute to the effective implementation of joint space projects."First signed in 1992 between then-President George W. Bush and Russia's first post-Soviet leader, Boris Yeltsin, the pact has been extended four times since then.
The newly signed bill comes after the country voted in favor of a new constitution last summer, with 78.56% of voters supporting the changes, according to the official tally.
Putin is currently in the middle of his second consecutive stint in the Kremlin, and his fourth in total. Under the old rules, presidents were banned from serving as head of state for more than two terms in a row. This meant that Putin would have been unable to contest the race for the Kremlin next time around.
One of last year's approved constitutional amendments reset Putin's number of term clock to zero, meaning that he could potentially lead the country until 2036. By then, he will be 84 years old.
With Putin's signature, these amendments are now officially part of Russia's Federal Law.
The new legislation also removes the term "consecutively" from the constitution, meaning any future president can only lead the country for two stints, regardless of any gap between them. This means that, in addition to Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, who served as head of state between 2008 and 2012, is now legally able to run two more times for the country's highest office.
As well as resetting Putin's terms, the new document also establishes additional requirements for a president. The new rules state that candidates must not have ever held any other citizenship or residence permit from a foreign country, and must have permanently resided in Russia for at least 25 years.
While the constitutional amendment package allowing Putin to run two more times received over 70% support, the country's opposition parties slammed the changes.
The vote was derided by Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, who accused the constitutional process of having "incomprehensible rules."
In March, the Council of Europe's Venice Commission criticized the constitutional amendments, including the resetting of Putin's terms, as "beyond what is appropriate," noting that it had "disproportionately strengthened the position (of the president)."
GA Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger seems like he has a secret. The man in charge of ensuring fair elections in the Peach State really doesn't want anyone looking at the actual ballots from the Nov 3rd U.S. general election.
There is an old proverb — those with nothing to hide don't try to hide things.
Fair election activists from VoterGA.org have worked hard and succeeded in gaining access to ballots from Fulton County, GA for a forensic audit. A judge will rule on the procedures later this month.
This is scaring the pants off those who enabled the massive election fraud in November's general election and the GA Senate run-off in January.
We have seen the same obstruction of justice in Maricopa County, AZ and other swing-states which were hit by fraud.
The GA Secretary of State's office filed an amicus brief yesterday in support of corrupt Fulton County election officials.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Friday on Israel to ensure "equal" treatment of the Palestinians as the new US administration cautiously steps up efforts for a two-state solution.There was no mention of the ICC's decision to investigate US war crimes.
In a telephone call with Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Blinken "emphasized the administration's belief that Israelis and Palestinians should enjoy equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity and democracy," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Blinken also committed to Israel's security, the "strengthening all aspects of the US-Israel partnership" and voiced support for the Jewish state's agreements over the past year to normalize relations with four more Arab nations.
US President Joe Biden, while stressing his support for Israel, has also signaled he will back away from the unwavering support of the right-wing Netanyahu by his predecessor Donald Trump.
The administration has stepped up humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and in recent days made clear that it believes that Israel's control of the West Bank is "occupation.""We believe when it comes to settlement activity that Israel should refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and that undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution."Blinken has nonetheless made clear that the administration will not roll back some of Trump's signature moves, including recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Blinken's call with Ashkenazi came the same day the US revoked sanctions on top officials at the International Criminal Court that were imposed under the Trump administration. He said the economic sanctions imposed on ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and a top aide in 2019 "were inappropriate and ineffective," and were therefore lifted.
Last month, the administration said it "firmly" opposes the ICC's decision to open an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
Comment: Setting aside all the statistical differences between a country and a business, along with reasons why these comparisons are questionable, the findings are quite startling.