Section: theSun (Malaysia)
Pro-Western Georgia holds knife-edge parliamentary vote
TBILISI: Georgia votes on Saturday in bitterly contested parliamentary polls that have sparked fears of political instability in the Caucasus nation, with two pro-Western parties tied after a fraught campaign. The knife-edge elections see the ruling Georgian Dream party, led from behind the scenes by billionaire ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili,...
Putin calls to boost Russia’s defences
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called for a boost of Russia’s defences to keep the nation “strong” as he opened the new parliament session amid a fresh upsurge in tensions with the United States. Putin addressed the State Duma after a crushing victory for ruling party United Russia at elections last month that...
Russia detains Ukrainian journalist for ‘spying’
MOSCOW: Russia’s FSB security service on Monday said it had detained a Ukrainian journalist for spying, prompting Kiev to call for his immediate release. Journalist Roman Sushchenko — who has worked for Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform since 2002 — was detained in Moscow “while conducting espionage activities,”...
Bulgaria’s Georgieva unsettles race to be UN chief
UNITED NATIONS, United States: The newest candidate to be UN secretary-general, Kristalina Georgieva (pix), says she may be a “latecomer” to the race, but still has strong credentials to become the first woman to lead the United Nations. The 63-year-old Bulgarian economist who served as European budget commissioner has shaken up the...
US welcomes MH17 inquiry, notes Russian link
WASHINGTON: The United States welcomed Wednesday the preliminary results of a criminal inquiry into the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine, saying it supported Washington’s suspicions of Russian involvement. The United States was quick to blame Russian-backed separatists after the Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down in July 2014 with the...
Families: Investigation found MH17 downed from pro-Russia rebel held territory
NIEUWEGEIN, Netherlands: International prosecutors investigating the downing of a Malaysian airliner two years ago have concluded it was shot down by a Russian-made missile fired from rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine, victims’ family members said on Wednesday. Families were informed of the prosecutors’ findings shortly before a...
Dutch-led team to release initial MH17 criminal probe
THE HAGUE: A Dutch-led international team of criminal investigators on Wednesday will release initial findings into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 amid growing frustration among relatives over the probe’s pace. The preliminary findings are expected to shed light on the exact type of BUK missile which struck the Boeing 777...
Trump, Clinton compete to meet top leaders in New York
NEW YORK: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton met Egypt’s president in New York on Monday as the two US presidential candidates tried to bolster their diplomatic credentials at the United Nations. Democratic standard-bearer Clinton said last week that she would meet Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, along with leaders from Japan and Ukraine on the...
Putin’s party dominates in Russia parliament vote
MOSCOW: Russia’s ruling United Russia party on Sunday cruised to an easy victory in parliamentary polls that could pave the way for President Vladimir Putin to glide to a fourth term in 2018 elections, partial results showed. The ballot for the 450-seat State Duma was smooth sailing for authorities desperate to avoid a repeat of mass...
Russia votes in parliamentary polls
MOSCOW: Russians today voted in parliamentary polls, with parties loyal to President Vladimir Putin set to maintain their dominance despite the Kremlin making a show of cleaning up the vote after mass protests last time around. The nationwide elections follow several years of tumult that have seen the country annex Crimea from Ukraine, lurch into...
