Section: The National (United Arab Emirates)
The long read: From Russia with love – how Putin is winning over hearts and minds
What does the furore surrounding the alleged rape of an ethnic Russian teenager in Berlin have in common with a Moscow-linked bank’s controversial multimillion euro loan to France’s far-right National Front party? Western governments and the media have portrayed both events as two sides of the same coin: insidious examples of a new...
Russia plays key role in stability of the world, Qatar Emir tells Putin
Moscow // President Vladimir Putin and the Emir of Qatar on Monday discussed the Syrian crisis, as global powers seek to push the warring sides towards the negotiating table.“Russia plays a main role when it comes to stability in the world,” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said at the start of the meeting at the Kremlin.“We very much want to...
Malaysia Airlines lifts bag ban on Europe flights after backlash on social media
KUALA LUMPUR // Malaysia Airlines on Wednesday lifted a much-criticised ban on checking in baggage on flights to Paris and Amsterdam, just one day after limiting bags to lighten the plane and save fuel.The airline had banned check-in baggage for Tuesday and Wednesday flights to the two European cities due to “unseasonably strong headwinds” on a...
Pre-historic migration from Middle East brought farming to Ireland
WASHINGTON // Ireland underwent a massive prehistoric wave of immigration from the Middle East and eastern Europe, which could explain how modern farming arrived in the region, researchers said in a study released on Monday.The major finding, traceable via in genome sequencing, may end a long-running debate among scientists, some of whom thought...
Year in review 2015: Russian intervention adds to uncertainty in Syria
Much about Syria in 2015 was sadly predictable. The continuing violence, the worsening refugee crisis and the steadily climbing toll of dead, wounded and disappeared. That there would be no end in sight to this most appalling of modern wars during its fifth year was no shock to anyone.Russia’s deployment of its air power and a limited corps...
Number of refugees and displaced to hit record number in 2015, says UN
GENEVA // The number of people who have been forced to flee war, violence and persecution looks set to soar in 2015 past last year’s record of nearly 60 million, the United Nations said on Friday.The UN refugee agency released a report showing increasing numbers of people living as refugees, asylum seekers or who are displaced within their...
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s end of year address
MOSCOW // The latest news from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s end of year news conference:On Russia’s military operation in SyriaPresident Vladimir Putin said that Russian military operation in Syria will continue until a political process starts. Mr Putin said at a televised news conference that once the Syrians decide it is time...
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...
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...
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...
