Section: Egypt Independent (Egypt)
Kerry reassures Afghanistan’s neighbors over US troop drawdown
US Secretary of State John Kerry sought on Tuesday to reassure the rulers of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan that Washington remained committed to Central Asia’s security, even though it is withdrawing troops from neighboring Afghanistan. Both countries fear the spread of Islamist militancy, and US officials worry that government crackdowns...
‘No margin for error’: dangerous work for Ukraine’s rebel deminers
Pro-Russian rebel Konstantin carefully carried an unexploded shell to a hole in the earth under a tree. Laying a charge of TNT, he then blew it up in cloud of black smoke.After some 18 months the fighting in east Ukraine has all but ground to a halt as a ceasefire has largely taken hold over the past six weeks, but for Konstantin dangerous work...
Poland votes, conservative eurosceptic party looks set to win
Poles vote in an election on Sunday that could end nearly a decade of economic and political stability in the country of 38 million, bringing to power a conservative, eurosceptic party whose policies diverge from many of Poland’s European allies. If opinion polls are correct, the ruling Civic Platform (PO), a pro-market, centrist grouping...
US President Obama vetoes $612 billion defense bill
U.S. President Barack Obama has vetoed the $612 billion defense policy bill, citing sections impeding the closure of Guantanamo Bay prison and keeping sequestration caps on defense budget.Obama signed the veto document inside the Oval Office on Thursday where the media was invited to observe the ceremony. This was the first time the president did...
Syria air strikes push Putin’s rating to new high: Russian state pollster
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating has hit a record high of almost 90 percent, primarily as a result of his decision to launch air strikes against Islamist militants in Syria, Russia’s state pollster said on Thursday. VTsIOM, the pollster, said Putin’s rating had reached 89.9 percent in October, up from a...
Election puts Poland’s ties with EU, Germany at risk
Poland’s general election on Sunday may propel a new nationalist-minded government into European politics, deepening divisions over the migration crisis and straining relations with Berlin, Brussels and Moscow. The Eurosceptic Law and Justice party (PiS), led by former prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has toned down its anti-EU rhetoric...
Flight MH17 shot down over Ukraine by Russian-built Buk missile, Dutch report says
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian-made Buk missile, the Dutch Safety Board concluded on Tuesday in its final report on the July 2014 crash that killed all 298 people on board. The long-awaited findings of the board, which was not empowered to address questions of responsibility, did not specify who...
EU to suspend sanctions on ‘Europe’s last dictator’ after vote
The European Union has agreed to suspend sanctions against the regime of Belarussian strongman Alexander Lukashenko after he won a fifth term as president, even though observers said the poll was flawed.Once dubbed “Europe’s last dictator” by Washington, Lukashenko, 61, won a fifth consecutive term on Sunday, picking up 83.5...
Belarus re-elects ‘last dictator in Europe’ for fifth term
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko won a fifth term in office by a landslide on Sunday in an election that could see an easing of relations with the West and raise questions about his ties to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Lukashenko’s re-election five years ago led to mass protests and the imprisonment of leading opposition...
Ukraine leader says he hopes ‘fragile truce’ will hold
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko struck a conciliatory tone on Friday in his comments on Russia and Moscow-backed rebels during his visit to Kazakhstan, the Kremlin’s ally in Central Asia. “Few had believed this (but) we did our best and, as a result of our efforts, guns have been silent for more than two weeks and this gives...
