NATO stages major military exercise in Latvia after Wales summit

RIGA - NATO staged a major military exercise in Latvia on Saturday in a practical demonstration of NATO leaders' commitment to defend its Baltic member states in the face of an assertive Russia.
A NATO meeting in Wales on Friday agreed to form a new rapid reaction force and to step up exercises in eastern Europe in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Allies in the Baltics fear Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the same rationale as he used to explain intervention in Crimea - defending Russian speakers - to justify an attack against one of the NATO countries in the Baltics, which also have Russian-speaking minorities.

Human rights are selectively used weapon of the West

The ongoing UN Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva has focused on two issues.
The situation in Ukraine and the U.S. sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka. Paradoxically, the two issues, which seem to have nothing common, excellently emphasize the fact that in the contemporary world, human rights have been turned into a powerful political weapon which is being selectively used. The notorious double-standards appear brighter in this area than any other sphere. Here is an opinion from expert at the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies Boris Volkhonsky.

Minorities in Turkey tagged by ‘race codes,’ official document reveals

An official document penned by the Istanbul Provincial Education Directorate has surfaced, revealing that Turkey’s population administration system has been recording citizens who have Armenian, Jewish or Anatolian Greek (Rum) origins with secret “race codes.”

The Armenian-Turkish weekly newspaper Agos published as its headline story on Aug. 1 a report on an official document that openly states “citizens with Armenian origin are coded with ‘2.’” 
The implementation is reported to have been in place since 1923, the foundation year of the Turkish Republic.