The country’s defense chief vows to use ‘credible military force’ to deter Beijing, if needed Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton warned China could use Russia’s conflict with Ukraine as a “distraction” to launch its “own acts of aggression” as thousands of US troops deploy to Australia.

Russia has officially informed the Council of Europe of its withdrawal from the organization. As Deputy Speaker of the Russian Duma Pyotr Tolstoy announced on Tuesday, a letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov has been handed over to the Secretary General of the organization.

The foreign ministry in Moscow suggested Ottawa was competing with Washington in its “Russophobic rage” The Russian Foreign Ministry has sanctioned over 300 Canadian individuals in response to a similar move by the Canadian government. Delivered on Tuesday in response to what it calls the “outrageous hostility of the current Canadian regime,” Moscow’s sanctions list…