Section: United Arab Emirates
Russia says it supports the opposition Free Syrian Army for first time
His statement appeared to be the first time Moscow said it was actually supporting Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s opponents in the fight against ISIL forces. Mr Putin said last month the Russian air force had hit several “terrorist” targets provided by the Free Syrian Army.Western and Arab states carrying out air strikes against ISIL...
Ukraine invites Netherlands to help probe stolen art
KIEV: Ukrainian investigators on Thursday called on the Netherlands to help probe the fate of a batch of precious Dutch paintings reportedly being held by a volunteer battalion fighting pro-Russian insurgents in the east of the ex-Soviet state. “We are waiting — and they are welcomed here in Ukraine — the official investigators who can...
Ukraine won’t repay debt because ‘they are crooks:’ Russia
MOSCOW/KIEV: Russian officials blasted the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday for changing its long-established lending rules to keep supporting Ukraine and called Kiev’s authorities “crooks” who are unlikely to repay a $3 billion debt to Moscow. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Ukraine has 10 days after the Moscow-held Eurobond...
One soldier killed in renewed east Ukraine clashes
KIEV: One Ukrainian soldier was killed in fresh clashes between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in the war-torn country’s east, s military spokesman said on Sunday. “Over the last day, one soldier was killed in fighting,” spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told journalists, adding that clashes took place near a village right on the...
Georgia strips Saakashvili of citizenship
TBILISI: Georgia on Friday stripped former president Mikheil Saakashvili of his citizenship, in a move one of his supporters described as part of a settling of political scores. Georgian President Georgy Margvelashvili signed a decree removing his predecessor’s citizenship on the grounds that Saakashvili, now governor of Ukraine’s...
Behind Russian jet downing lies deep schism over defining Syria’s ‘terrorists’
The shooting down of a Russian warplane by Turkish F-16s is not just about a 17-second airspace violation or Ankara proving willing to defend its territorial sovereignty. The incident also highlights Russia’s consistent regional and international antagonism and draws attention to an issue as equally contentious as the fate of Syrian...
Crimea declares emergency after power lines blown up
CRIMEA: Crimea declared a state of emergency on Sunday after its main electricity power lines from Ukraine were blown up, leaving the Russian-annexed peninsula in darkness after the second such attack in a matter of days. Crimea depends on Ukraine for its electricity supplies, providing only 30 per cent of its own energy, according to the...
Angela Merkel marks 10 years in office
BERLIN: People who have witnessed Angela Merkel in private over the past weeks describe a changed woman. Known for tackling the major crises of her chancellorship, from Greece to Ukraine, with the detached sobriety of a scientist, the German leader is showing more emotion of late. She cracks dark jokes about her own fate. For the first time,...
Kuwait busts cell working to back, finance ISIS
KUNA said the cell planned to transfer arms – purchased in Ukraine, through Turkey. The arms included rockets …read more Source: Al...
The long read: Svetlana Alexievich, the keeper of haunted Belarusian memories
Weddings in the Belarusian capital of Minsk are not complete without a visit to the Island of Tears. To safeguard their unions, newlyweds must cross a humpback bridge from the affluent suburb of Traetskaye to a small island in a bend in the Svisloch river. The soil there is foreign, brought home by mothers who travelled to Afghanistan to find...
