Section: theSun (Malaysia)
Crimean archbishop accuses Russia of trying to tarnish his name
SIMFEROPOL: The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Moscow-annexed Crimea said on Monday he had been released by police, accusing Russian authorities of seeking to tarnish his reputation.Archbishop Kliment was taken off a bus in the Crimean capital of Simferopol on Sunday as he was preparing to travel to southern Russia to visit a Ukrainian...
Ukrainian Church Archbishop says arrested in Crimea
SIMFEROPOL: The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Crimea said he has been arrested by authorities in the Russian-annexed peninsula on Sunday.Father Kliment told AFP he was speaking by phone from a police station in the Crimean capital of Simferopol, where he had been arrested at a bus station.Police did not tell him why he was being held,...
For Russians, growing worries over ‘eternal poverty’
AT a Saint Petersburg cafe, a singer performs Soviet-era tunes for 50 pensioners enjoying a mid-day meal.In the basement of a central apartment block, the cafe offers free food for the elderly – a group particularly hard hit by the economic strains causing growing anger in Russia.Despite icy pavements making crossing the northern city difficult,...
Far-right poised for gains in Estonia vote
TALLINN: Estonia’s centre-left coalition is fighting for survival in a general election Sunday, challenged by its traditional liberal rival but also a far-right party boosted by a backlash from mostly rural regions in the Baltic eurozone state.The largely lacklustre campaign has focused on taxation, tensions over Russian language education...
US asks Moldova to keep ‘democratic trajectory’ after vote
WASHINGTON: The US called Wednesday on Moldova’s leaders to stay on the “democratic trajectory” after pro-Russia forces narrowly won the largest share of a chaotic vote.Sunday’s inconclusive parliamentary election raised fear of turmoil and the prospect of fresh polls in the tiny nation nestled between Ukraine and Romania.“The US...
Moldova set for turmoil with no parliamentary majority
CHISINAU: Torn between the EU and Moscow, ex-Soviet Moldova elected a parliament with no clear majority, results showed Monday, potentially throwing the impoverished country into political turmoil.The inconclusive result will make coalition talks difficult and could lead to protests or even another election within weeks.After a chaotic weekend...
Pro-Russian party leads in Moldova vote but without majority (Updated)
CHISINAU: Moldova’s pro-Russian Socialist party edged out its pro-European rival to take the most votes in a parliamentary election, results showed Monday, but without the majority needed to avoid a hung parliament.Sunday’s vote was being watched for signs of whether ex-Soviet Moldova would seek to strengthen ties with Moscow or move...
Pro-Russian party leads in Moldova parliamentary vote
CHISINAU: A pro-Russian party has taken the lead in parliamentary elections in Moldova, results showed Monday, but without the clear majority needed to avoid a hung parliament.With nearly all votes counted, the Socialist party close to President Igor Dodon was ahead with 31%, the election commission said.The pro-European ACUM bloc came second...
In tiny Moldova, voters choose between Russia and Europe
CHISINAU: Voters in Moldova head to the polls on Sunday for a parliamentary election reflecting the tiny ex-Soviet republic’s long-standing division between pro-Russians and pro-Europeans.Wedged between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova has struggled to find its place since gaining independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.While...
Young Moldovans fight corruption as election nears
CHISINAU: For Andrei Trupceac, the breaking point came when courts in his native Moldova overturned the results of a local election that had been won by an opposition candidate.“That day I understood that justice doesn’t work here,“ said the 30-year-old, one of thousands of people who protested the decision last summer in the Moldovan...
