Section: The Jakarta Globe (Indonesia)
Russia Backs Ukraine Rebel Vote Despite West Criticism
Donetsk. Russia endorsed a crushing victory for Ukraine’s pro-Moscow rebel leadership after controversial polls on Sunday that the EU slammed as a “new obstacle” for peace in the country’s strife-torn east. The swift acceptance of the results by Russia looked certain to spark a diplomatic firestorm, with a fresh round of Western...
Malaysia Airlines Sees First Lawsuit on Missing Flight MH370
Two children of a passenger on Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 have sued the company and the Malaysian government for damages, the first lawsuit to be filed over the aircraft which disappeared in March. The two Malaysian boys, aged 13 and 14, filed the suit at the High Court registry, also naming the heads of the Department of Civil Aviation, the...
Venezuela, Malaysia, Angola, NZ, Spain win UN Council Seats
United Nations. Venezuela, Malaysia, Angola, New Zealand and Spain won seats on the United Nations Security Council on Thursday for two years from January 1, 2015. The 193-member UN General Assembly elected Venezuela with 181 votes, Malaysia with 187 votes, Angola with 190 votes. All three countries campaigned unopposed for their seats after...
No WTO Judgment in Tobacco Packaging Dispute Until at Least 2016
Geneva. The World Trade Organization will not rule on a legal challenge to Australia’s landmark tobacco packaging laws until at least the first half of 2016, the panel of judges said on Tuesday, a delay that could slow anti-tobacco laws elsewhere. Australia’s “plain packaging” rules ban colorful logos and are seen by public health...
Australia PM Says He Will Confront Putin at G-20 Over Downed Flight MH17 ‘Murders’
A picture taken on July 17, 2014 shows wreckage from the Malaysian airliner from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur after it crashed, near the town of Shaktarsk, in rebel-held east Ukraine. (AFP Photo/Dominique Faget) Sydney. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Monday that he would use an upcoming Group of 20 leaders summit to confront Russian...
Five Countries, Including Malaysia, Set to Join World’s ‘Top Table’ at UN Security Council
United Nations. Years of campaigning for a seat at the world’s “top table” come to a head this week when elections are held to the UN Security Council, which decides on such weighty matters as sanctions, war and peace. Five seats are up for grabs in the 15-member Council, where the elected countries will join the five permanent powers —...
More Than 330 Killed in Ukraine Since Truce: UN
Geneva. More than 330 people have been killed in Ukraine since a fragile truce began a month ago, with five million people affected by continuing violence, the United Nations said on Wednesday. A report from the UN rights agency also found that before the September 5 ceasefire, pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine had seen their numbers...
Putin Celebrates ‘Herculean’ Birthday
Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday marked his 62nd birthday in the Siberian wilderness as supporters compared his takeover of Crimea to one of the “12 Labors of Hercules” and 100,000 marched in his honor in Chechnya. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had taken a day off from his “extremely intense” agenda to celebrate...
One Month In, Ukraine Truce Exists in Name Only
Donetsk. Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatist fighters marked one month on Sunday since the signing of a Kremlin-backed truce with one the most heated battles of the six-month war in the ex-Soviet state’s eastern rustbelt. Artillery blasts rocked Donetsk on Sunday morning, exactly one month since the rebels signed a 12-point...
Putin Says ‘Utter Fooloishness’ of Sanctions Will Not Hold Back Russia
President Vladimir Putin dismissed Western sanctions as “utter foolishness” on Thursday and said they would not stop Russia developing into a stronger economic power. Attempting to take the higher ground in a speech to foreign and Russian investors, Putin said he was relaxed about the measures imposed on his country over Ukraine even though they...
