Section: theSun (Malaysia)
Hollande, Merkel slam Russia over Aleppo, leave door open to sanctions
BERLIN: The leaders of France and Germany lashed out Thursday at President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s bombardment of Syria’s Aleppo and refused to rule out imposing sanctions on Russia. “What is happening in Aleppo is a war crime, one of the first demands is that the bombardments by the regime and its (Russian) backers must...
France confirms talks on Syria to take place in Berlin
PARIS: France on Tuesday confirmed that the French, Russian and German leaders will hold a “working meeting” on the Syrian crisis in Berlin. The meeting Wednesday will be aimed at “giving the same message to Vladimir Putin on Syria: a durable ceasefire in Aleppo and humanitarian access so that the devastation of this city can...
Pro-Russian rebel commander killed in Ukraine elevator bombing
DONETSK, Ukraine: A military chief of Ukraine’s pro-Russian rebels, Arseny Pavlov, was killed Sunday in a bomb attack in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, local authorities said, calling it a “declaration of war”. Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, backs a separatist, pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern...
Montenegro votes as veteran PM warns of anti-Nato threat
PODGORICA, Montenegro Montenegro votes Sunday with opposition groups hoping to end the quarter-century rule of pro-Western premier Milo Djukanovic, who warns that his rivals would derail imminent Nato accession. Djukanovic, who led the small Balkan nation to independence from Serbia in 2006, has forged closer ties with Western countries, pursuing...
Warplanes hit Syria’s Aleppo ahead of new diplomatic push
BEIRUT: Russian and Syrian warplanes pounded Aleppo again on Thursday after two days of heavy bombardment that killed more than 70 civilians, as world powers prepared for last-ditch weekend talks on a ceasefire. Syria has been plunged into some of the worst violence of its five-year war after the collapse of a hard-won truce brokered by...
Turkey ‘fears Russia-US war’ over Syria
ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey said on Wednesday it fears the world will be plunged into a global conflict with superpowers Russia and the US on opposing sides if the proxy war in Syria continues. “If this proxy war continues, after this, let me be clear, America and Russia will come to a point of war,” Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus...
Clinton blames Trump, WikiLeaks, Moscow after new leaks
WHITE PLAINS, United States: The head of Hillary Clinton’s campaign team John Podesta slammed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday for helping Republican rival Donald Trump in the bitter White House race, while accusing Moscow of being behind the hack. The anti-secrecy website has published thousands of emails from John...
Hollande uncertain on Putin visit after Aleppo veto
PARIS: French President Francois Hollande has not yet decided whether to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Paris next week, after the Kremlin blocked a UN bid to end the bombing of Aleppo, Paris said Monday. Putin is due in Paris on Oct 19 to inaugurate a new Orthodox church near the Eiffel Tower in a visit that is fast turning into a...
Russia deploys nuclear-capable missiles on NATO doorstep
VILNIUS: Russia is again deploying nuclear-capable Iskander missiles into its Kaliningrad outpost that borders two NATO members, Lithuania said Saturday, warning the move was aimed at pressuring the West into making concessions over Syria and Ukraine. Poland also reacted angrily to Moscow’s move while Lithuania added that it could breach a...
Ruling party wins Georgia vote, opposition alleges fraud
TBILISI: The ruling Georgian Dream party won Georgia’s parliamentary polls, early results showed Sunday, but accusations of vote rigging from the opposition sparked fears of political instability in the Caucasus nation. Georgia’s Western allies are watching closely to see if the strategic nation – praised as a rare example of...
