Section: Malaysia
New Sri Lanka leader has instant immunity from corruption charges
Gotabaya Rajapaksa (centre) was indicted on charges of siphoning US$185,000 in state funds. (AP pic)COLOMBO: Corruption charges against Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa were dropped Thursday by a court, which handed his passport back as he acquired immunity from prosecution after being elected last weekend. Under Sri Lanka’s...
Three navy ships held by Russia return to Ukraine port
KIEV: Three navy vessels that Moscow seized last year and handed back to Ukraine have arrived at a Ukrainian port, though Kiev said they were stripped of equipment.The Nikopol, the Berdyansk and the Yany Kapu were seized in November last year in the Kerch Strait, in the most serious confrontation between Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of...
Kazakhstan holds doctor over illegal organ transplants
NUR-SULTAN: Police in Kazakhstan detained a doctor this week for harvesting organs from poor people and using them in illegal transplants for wealthy foreigners, the interior ministry said.People from Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were among those who had been “forced to sell their kidneys due to (their) difficult financial situation,”...
Ambassador brings Pompeo deeper into Trump impeachment
WASHINGTON: A US envoy said Wednesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo directed him to coordinate Ukraine policy with President Donald Trump’s lawyer, further implicating the top US diplomat in the impeachment drama.Gordon Sondland — the US ambassador to the European Union who, unlike previous diplomats who testified in the inquiry, is a...
Ukraine knew about aid issue, says Pentagon official
Cooper received emails from the Ukrainian embassy in Washington and the House Foreign Affairs Committee enquiring about the aid. (AP pic)WASHINGTON: Ukraine voiced concern over a US aid holdup in July, earlier than known until now, meaning Kiev was aware of the freeze at the time of a controversial telephone call with President Donald Trump, a...
‘Everyone was in the loop’, diplomat says of US govt involvement in Ukraine pressure
Gordon Sondland is the US ambassador to the European Union. (AP pic)WASHINGTON: A senior US diplomat on Wednesday described broad involvement at the upper levels of the Trump administration in a pressure campaign against Ukraine, giving testimony that for the first time put the secretary of state and vice president at the heart of the impeachment...
Trump’s demands of Ukraine improper, says White House official
Alexander Vindman leaves after testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill. (AP pic)WASHINGTON: A White House official told impeachment investigators yesterday that President Donald Trump’s request that Ukraine investigate a political rival was an improper demand as he fended off Republican efforts to cast doubt on...
Trump calls public hearings a ‘disgrace’ and an ’embarrassment’
Trump says he does not know Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman. (AP pic)WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called the public congressional impeachment hearings a “a disgrace” and an “embarrassment” to the nation, but said it was up to Americans to make their own judgment about the witness testimony. Trump, who has previously...
Impeachment witness reveals Ukraine offered him minister post
Kiev-born Vindman flatly turned down the offer. (AP pic)WASHINGTON: A key witness in the impeachment investigation into US President Donald Trump’s alleged arms-for-investigations Ukraine scandal testified Tuesday that a senior Kiev official offered him the job of defence minister. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine expert on...
Russia gives ships back to Ukraine ahead of summit
KIEV: Russia on Monday handed over three navy ships it seized a year ago from Ukraine, Moscow and Kiev authorities said, in the latest move to ease tensions between the two countries ahead of a crucial summit.After an exchange of prisoners in September and the withdrawal of some frontline forces over the last few weeks, the handover marked...
