Section: Independent Online (South Africa)
Russia vetoes MH17 tribunal at UN
Russia vetoed a UN resolution that sought to set up a special tribunal to try those responsible for shooting down flight MH17. ||| New York – Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Wednesday that sought to set up a special tribunal to try those responsible for shooting down flight MH17 over Ukraine.Eleven of the 15...
Putin says opposes MH17 tribunal
President Vladimir Putin said he opposed the creation of an international tribunal to prosecute those who shot down flight MH17. ||| Moscow – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he opposed the creation of an international tribunal to prosecute those who shot down a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine, hours before a UN...
Oil dims Russia’s outlook
For an economy that lives and dies by crude prices, the latest downturn in the world oil market means Russia’s recession may stretch into next year for the longest slump in two decades. ||| Moscow – For an economy that lives and dies by crude prices, the latest downturn in the world oil market means Russia’s recession may...
Silvio: Putin wants to give me a job
President Vladimir Putin wants to give Silvio Berlusconi Russian citizenship and the job of running the economy ministry, a report said. ||| Moscow – Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to give Silvio Berlusconi Russian citizenship – and the job of economy minister – the disgraced Italian billionaire politician was quoted as...
Gorbachev urges closer ties with Berlin
The former Soviet leader urged Moscow and Berlin to “re-establish trust” amid fierce tension caused by the Ukraine crisis. ||| Moscow – Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev urged Moscow and Berlin on Tuesday to “re-establish trust” amid fierce tension caused by the ongoing Ukraine crisis. The ageing Russian leader said he is concerned by...
Ukraine ceasefire brings limited respite
People in Donetsk are trying to make the most of the five-month-old ceasefire, a breathing space in a 15-month-old conflict that has killed over 6 500. ||| Donetsk, Ukraine – Natalya Brazhnikova goes to sell bread each day at a badly charred market on the outskirts of Donetsk in east Ukraine despite the risk of shelling and gunfire. Since...
Last major Soviet statues come down
Workers started dismantling the last major Soviet artworks in a city now on the eastern frontier of the European Union and NATO. ||| Vilnius – Workers started dismantling monumental statues of soldiers, students, labourers and farmers in Lithuania’s capital early on Monday, the last major Soviet artworks in a city now on the eastern...
Ukraine, rebels trade shelling blame
The Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists accused each other of shelling residential districts of separatist-held Donetsk. ||| Donetsk, Ukraine – The Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists accused each other on Sunday of shelling residential districts of separatist-held Donetsk overnight, the first attack on central parts...
Germans heed Merkel’s warning
German lawmakers clear the way for talks on a third Greek bailout after Chancellor Angela Merkel warnings. ||| Berline – German lawmakers cleared the way for talks on a third Greek bailout after Chancellor Angela Merkel warned failing to try would be reckless and sow chaos. With Europe’s currency union under threat, Merkel faced down...
MH17: day of truth may soon come
Should anyone be surprised that a year after Flight MH17 was shot down, that there is still no admission as to who was responsible? ||| On a hillside an hour or so outside of Donetsk, men equipped with stretchers, body bags and green rubber gloves were doing the best they could. The wreckage and debris from MH17 had scattered far and wide, and so...
