The Kremlin warned of escalating nuclear tensions and said Russia was taking action to protect its security in response. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said there is "clearly no basis" for holding a summit of the "Nuclear Five" members of the UN Security Council—the U.S., Russia, China, the U.K., and France.

Power grids, high altitude flights, GPS and even missile defence systems are all vulnerable to the sun's solar storms - Britain is leading the response

Beijing and Brussels are marking 50 years of diplomatic relations but one third party is putting a damper on the festivities.

"Cooperation among China, Russia, and India not only aligns with the respective interests of the three countries, but also contributes to regional and global peace, security, stability, and progress," the spokesperson, Lin Jian, told a regular briefing in Beijing.

Russia sought to do this naval drill primarily to show it is still interested in joint cooperation with Iran. Iran and Russia began a naval exercise on Monday.

YouTube removed nearly 11,000 channels in the second quarter. These channels spread state-linked propaganda, mainly from China and Russia. Google also

Russia's largest carmaker Avtovaz on Tuesday said it may shorten its working week to four from five days, a rare move from a major state-owned employer, as high interest rates and competition from China squeeze its sales.

"Strengthening air defense capabilities is clearly an urgent priority for Iran at the moment," expert Hongda Fan told Newsweek.