Section: Free Malaysia Today (Malaysia)
Ukraine raids Kiev offices of Russian state media
Ukraine’s state security service searched the Kiev offices of RIA Novosti and RT. (AFP pic) KIEV: Ukraine’s state security service searched the Kiev offices of Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency and TV channel RT on Tuesday after detaining one journalist near his home, officials said. “Investigative actions are...
Putin opens new bridge to Crimea, provoking Ukraine, Western ire
Russian President Vladimir Putin (centre) giving a speech during the opening ceremony of the road-and-rail Crimean Bridge over the Kerch Strait.(AFP pic) KERCH: President Vladimir Putin drew condemnation from the US, Europe and Ukraine on Tuesday after he opened a new bridge linking mainland Russia and Moscow-annexed Crimea by driving a truck...
Hungary detects fresh case of African swine fever in wild boar
It is possible for wild boar to transmit African swine fever to domestic pigs. (Reuters pic) BUDAPEST: Hungary detected a fresh case of African swine fever in wild boar this week but the disease has not spread to domestic pigs, the national food safety authority NEBIH said. Russia’s agriculture safety watchdog on Monday introduced temporary...
Latvia’s Russians mark 73 years since Soviet victory
More than 100,000 Latvians fought in World War Two. (AFP pic) RIGA: Latvians of Russian descent gathered in the capital Riga on Wednesday in tribute to fallen Red Army soldiers 73 years since the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany ended World War Two on the eastern front. Around 20,000 Russian-Latvians laid flowers at the foot of the controversial...
Russian protest leader Navalny detained at anti-Putin rally
Russian police detain opposition leader Alexei Navalny during an unsanctioned anti-Putin rally on Saturday.(AFP pic) MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detained on Saturday at an unsanctioned rally in central Moscow, two days ahead of Vladimir Putin’s inauguration for a fourth Kremlin term. The 41-year-old protest leader...
Record heat has not yet damaged grain crop in Ukraine, forecaster says
Wheat is among Ukraine’s chief exports. (Reuters pic) KIEV: Unusually hot and dry weather across almost all Ukrainian regions has not yet damaged grain crops but there is no reason to expect a bumper harvest of early spring grains this year, a senior weather forecaster said on Thursday. Favourable weather this mild winter and early spring...
Sanctions force Russia to cut defense spending
Russia’s military expense last year came in at US$66.3 billion. (AFP pic) STOCKHOLM: Russia’s military spending fell sharply in 2017 for the first time since 1998 as a slew of Western economic sanctions hit government coffers hard, a closely followed review said on Wednesday. Despite soaring tensions between Moscow and the West,...
Belarus leader says may loosen grip on power – but not yet
Alexander Lukashenko has been President of Belarus since 1994. (Reuters pic) MINSK: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday said the constitution could be “improved” to share some of his powers, but not in the near future. Lukashenko has run Belarus in authoritarian style since 1994, during which time he changed the constitution to...
Some US allies caught in crossfire of sanctions on Russian arms
The Indian Air Force’s Russian-made Sukhoi-30 aircraft fly past during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. (Reuters pic) NEW DELHI: US sanctions on Russian military exports have put the brakes on a $6 billion deal with India and may derail the arms purchases of other US allies around Asia, experts say. Under a law that US President Donald...
German defense ministry wants to spend billions on armaments this year
Germany has been steadily increasing its military spending since 2014. (Reuters pic) BERLIN: The German Defense Ministry plans to spend billions of euros on armaments this year to tackle deficiencies in the armed forces’ equipment, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Sunday. Germany sharply curtailed military spending after the end of...
