Section: The Jakarta Post (Indonesia)
North Korea officially squelches speculation of Kim trip
North Korea announced Monday that the head of its parliament will attend this month’s Victory Day celebration in Moscow, squelching speculation that supreme leader Kim Jong Un would use the event to make his international debut.Moscow said in March that Kim was among dozens of world leaders invited to the May 9 celebrations, which mark the...
Kazakhstan’s longtime leader secures crushing election win
Preliminary results of weekend nationwide polls in Kazakhstan show the long-ruling president confirming his incumbency with 97.7 percent of the vote amid a record turnout, election officials said Monday.A crushing victory for 74-year-old Nursultan Nazarbavev was widely expected from the moment Sunday’s snap elections were announced....
France still undecided about delivery of warship to Russia
French President Francois Hollande says he has still not decided on whether France will deliver a Mistral-class warship to Russia amid growing speculation that he could choose to refund it.France suspended the delivery “until further notice” last year because of the conflict in Ukraine.A top French diplomatic official earlier this...
Kazakhstan votes for continuity while keeping eye on Ukraine
As oil-rich Kazakhstan votes for a president Sunday, the governing elite is pounding home a mantra of stability as fears percolate about the country’s massive Russian minority taking inspiration from the Moscow-backed insurgency in Ukraine.With authorities clamping down on all opposition, Nursultan Nazarbayev’s re-election is a done...
Anthropologist criticized for showing images of MH17 victims
An anthropologist and pathologist who is part of the international team working to identify people killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was brought down over Ukraine was publicly rebuked Thursday for discussing the case and showing photos of victims in a lecture to students.Arie de Bruijn, head of the Dutch police forensics unit that is...
Sweden mulls 2026 Winter Games bid after aborted ’22 effort
Stockholm is mulling a run for the 2026 Winter Olympics based on the concept of its aborted bid for the 2022 Games.Swedish Olympic Committee spokesman Bjorn Folin said Thursday there were “no concrete plans” yet but the issue had been discussed at the committee’s annual meeting earlier this week.Folin said the committee plans to...
France OK to refund Russia if warship not delivered
French President Francois Hollande has acknowledged for the first time that France will have to give Russia a refund if the country doesn’t sell the Mistral-class warship whose delivery has been suspended last year because of the conflict in Ukraine.At a press conference Wednesday with Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko, Hollande said:...
EU charges Russia’s Gazprom gas giant with market abuse
The European Union on Wednesday charged Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom energy giant of abusing its dominant position in central and eastern EU nations in an antitrust case that will further test tense relations between Brussels and Moscow.EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Gazprom is strong-arming customer nations...
Guess what?: Dwiki Dharmawan to perform at Int’l Jazz Day
Kapanlagi.comJazz musician Dwiki Dharmawan will take part at this year’s celebration of the UNESCO International Jazz Day in Ukraine.Since 2011, UNESCO has set April 30 as International Jazz Day. For this year’s event, Dwiki has received an invitation to perform in the Master Jam Festival, a part of the Jazz Day celebration. “It was...
Iran needs ‘up to 500 airliners’ in next decade
Iran will need to acquire 400-500 airliners over the coming decade to renew its aging fleet, suffering from years of US sanctions over its controversial nuclear program, the country’s aviation chief says. Those sanctions ban manufacturers from selling new aircraft or parts to Iranian companies, which has grounded much of the fleet. Under an...
