BRICS Report: Russia

A month before parliamentary elections, President Vladimir Putin has replaced his long-time ally Sergei Ivanov as Kremlin chief of staff, appointing a low-profile former diplomat in his place on Friday. Putin named Anton Vaino, 44, to the important post which involves drafting laws for the president to submit to parliament, monitoring their enforcement and conducting analysis of domestic and foreign affairs for the president. Two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva says she will never accept or forgive the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to uphold her ban from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Current world record holder Isinbayeva says that first place at the Games will forever be in question because of her exclusion. Heavy rain in Moscow has caused a river to burst its banks and flooded streets, trapping people in cars and buses. Russian state news organizations said about 200 people had to be evacuated from stalled vehicles on Monday. No injuries were reported. The weather service said that by early evening 92 millimeters (3.7 inches) of rain had fallen in Moscow, which is well over the monthly average for August.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.