Section: United Arab Emirates
All for one; one for all
Qatar is a shining example of peaceful co-existence and co-operation among different communities. Although Islam is the official religion of Qatar, all faiths are respected and everyone enjoys the freedom to follow their own sets of belief in complete harmony. Expatriates also have the right to preserve their cultural identity as long as they...
Lithuania fears Russia will attempt to sway its elections
Lithuania’s intelligence agencies fear Russia will interfere in its forthcoming elections, including one in May to find a successor to the staunchly anti-Kremlin president, Dalia Grybauskaite. The Baltic state, ruled from Moscow for much of the 20th century but now a member of both the European Union and NATO, was rattled by Russia’s...
Soldiers to stay in Lithuania, vows Germany
Germany will invest a total of €110mn until 2021 in improving military bases in Lithuania, its defence minister said yesterday, underlining Berlin’s continued commitment to the defence of its Nato allies in the Baltic region. Germany leads a Nato force of 1,200 troops from 10 countries sent to Lithuania two years ago as part of...
Actor-comedian ahead in Ukraine presidential poll
A Ukrainian comedian who plays the country’s president in a TV series is currently the favourite to take on the real-life role in this spring’s election, recent polls show. As the deadline for candidate nomination expired overnight, surveys showed Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and incumbent Petro...
Head of Ukraine’s new Orthodox Church assumes office
KIEV (Ukraine): The newly elected head of the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church has officially assumed office in the capital of Kiev, a month after the church severed its centuries-long ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Epiphanius I, 40, was enthroned during a lavish service at St. Sophia Cathedral in central Kiev on Sunday,...
Russia suspends INF nuclear deal with US: Putin
* Putin tells government meeting Russia to work on new weapons * Russia accuses US of violating INF and other arms deals * US said it indentds to withdraw from INF deal in six month Russia has suspended the Cold War-era Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty after a similar move by the United States, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday,...
Venezuela crisis exposes fault line in US-Russia rivalry
The crisis in Venezuela has triggered fresh tensions between Washington and Moscow, with chilly exchanges at the United Nations, but analysts warn against the temptation of seeing the return of Cold War-style divisions.Since Venezuelan parliament leader Juan Guaido declared himself president on January 23 to challenge leader Nicolas Maduro, the...
EU parliamentarians to back visa-free travel for Britons after Brexit
A European Parliament committee is expected to propose on Tuesday that Britons enjoy visa-free travel to Europe after Brexit, regardless of whether the bloc’s divorce with Britain goes smoothly or becomes a damaging, abrupt split. The committee’s decision must then be endorsed by the full parliament next month, which is also likely as...
US lifts Rusal, En+ sanctions as Glencore shuffles stake
The US Treasury Department lifted sanctions on three firms tied to Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska, including United Co Rusal, a move that will provide relief to the global aluminium market. The metal fell in London.Deripaska, an ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, will remain under US sanctions, and his property will remain blocked. But the...
Suspect nabbed in brazen art theft from Moscow museum
MOSCOW: A man who snatched a 19th-century painting off the wall in a busy Moscow museum and calmy walked out has been arrested, authorities said on Monday. The suspect took a Crimean landscape by Russian artist Arkhip Kuindzhi and carried it through a room filled with visitors on Sunday evening, footage aired on state television showed. It is the...
