.
Europe
Lithuania
Jul 26, 2024 at 1:31 PM EDT NATO member state Lithuania is drawing up plans for a mass evacuation of civilians 'in preparation for the possibility of a war breaking out', the country's Interior Ministry said. Lithuania's Interior Minister Bilotaite was cited as saying on Thursday that authorities should be prepared to relocate a quarter of the country's population of 2.6 million - giving priority to pregnant women, families with young children, and people with disabilities. On July 5, Vilnius Mayor Benkunskas outlined some other measures that would allow the country to protect its civilians in the event of an attack, including developing a network of shelters. To date, 41 warning sirens have been installed in the city of Vilnius. They cover approximately thirty percent of the city's territory. (Source: newsweek *)
* an American magazine
Asia
Kazakhstan
26 July 2024 23:34 (UTC+04:00) Russia and Kazakhstan are both committed to advancing the International North-South Transport Corridor, according to Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia. "Equally important is the enhancement of transport routes towards China, given the increasing access to Chinese agricultural markets. We must support these opportunities with a conducive business environment and modern infrastructure," he stated during a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Cooperation between the two countries in Astana. The North-South International Transport Corridor is a 7,200 km multimodal route linking St. Petersburg with the ports of Iran and India. It serves as an alternative to the traditional sea route through the Suez Canal. The corridor features both western and eastern branches through Iran. The western branch includes road transport via Rasht, while the eastern branch utilizes rail. The corridor ends at the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran, from where cargo can be shipped to India. The western branch also traverses Azerbaijan, while the eastern branch goes through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Overchuk also highlighted ongoing efforts to improve checkpoints and infrastructure connectivity between Russia and Kazakhstan. In trade relations, Kazakhstan and Russia saw a turnover of $9.7 billion from January to May 2024, a 12.5 percent decrease from $11.1 billion during the same period in 2023. Kazakhstan's exports to Russia in the first five months of 2024 totaled $3.36 billion, marking a 21.5 percent decline from $4.3 billion year-on-year. Conversely, imports from Russia fell by 6.7 percent to $6.3 billion, down from $6.8 billion in the same period of 2023. (Source: azernews *)
* a centre-right orientation, weekly newspaper in Azerbaijan
.4 9 9
