A diplomatic spat between the U.S. and Russia has resulted in the removal of two American and two Russian diplomats. The United States expelled two Russian officials in response to a video-taped incident of an American diplomat being attacked by a policeman in Moscow in June. After the decision was announced, the Russian government said on Saturday that it had declared two US officials persona non grata, according to Russian state media. The decision to expel each other’s diplomats comes within an increasingly tough relationship between the two nations.

An announcement published on Wednesday states that the U.S. Navy will spend $240 million to construct new buildings and repair existing ones at its base at Guantanamo Bay. The work will be done over the next five years and up to five companies will be selected to carry it out. The work does not include any improvements to the detention centre, which is located on the Navy base but is provided for in a separate budget. One of the five companies, Munilla Construction Management LLC of Miami, will be paid $63 million to build a school for the children of military and civilians working on the island.

American and South Korean military authorities agreed to deploy an innovative missile defence system in order to counter North Korean operations in the region and to improve the South Korean defence. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) would be deployed mainly to counter the North Korean operations, especially that Pyongyang proceeded to new nuclear test and rocket launch earlier this year. American and South Korean military authorities claim that the THAAD would be a critical instrument to the South Korean security and defence and that the defence system is made in respect of the environmental, health and safety standards.

Eduardo Cunha stepped down on Thursday as speaker of the lower house of Congress, after spearheading the ongoing impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. He denies obstructing justice and did so again on Thursday. Cunha is still being investigated for corruption and perjury allegations and had been facing suspension from the lower housing. Since his suspension in May, Waldir Maranhao was named interim lower house. Eduardo Cunha will remain on as speaker until February 1st 2017, meanwhile, the house will hold five sessions to elect his replacement.

Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister said he expressed "sorrow, regret and apology" for the war in Iraq. This was his response to published Chilcot report. It is very critical on the decision of the accession of the UK to war in 2003. However, Tony Blair defended his decision and admitted it was taken “out of good motives”. Since 2009 it has been conducting an investigation, which resulted in a Sir John Chilcot report published on Wednesday. The long-awaited report by Sir John Chilcot supported almost all of the arguments made by critics of the war in Iraq. Opponents of the conflict were confirmed in their beliefs about the lack of fairness for the war.

On Wednesday, after an eight-week trial in France, a Paris court jailed for life two former Rwandan mayors. They were accused of orchestrating the massacre of hundreds of Tutsis. It took place during the genocide in 1994. Over 90 witnesses and six experts had testified at the trial in this case. The court said Octavien Ngenzi and Tito Barahira were guilty of "crimes against humanity", "massive and systematic summary executions" and "genocide" in village of Kabarondo. It is worth to recall that during the ethnic cleansing about 2,000 people hid in the church in their village. All of them were killed. Murder weapons, used by the captors were mostly machetes.