Section: theSun (Malaysia)
Baltics to ask NATO for thousands of boots on ground
VILNIUS: The Baltic states will formally ask Nato to deploy several thousand troops as a deterrent, Lithuania said Thursday, amid tensions with Russia over the conflict in eastern Ukraine. “We are seeking a brigade-size unit so that every Baltic nation would have a battalion,” military spokesman Captain Mindaugas Neimontas told AFP....
Nemtsov report ‘proves’ Russian army presence in Ukraine
MOSCOW: Allies of murdered Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov on Tuesday unveiled a report based on research he collected that they claimed proved Russian military involvement in Ukraine. “We gathered what we think is comprehensive proof of the presence of Russian troops,” said Ilya Yashin, one of the authors of the report...
Komorowski’s presidential setback spells trouble for Polish govt
WARSAW: Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski’s (pix) shock setback in the first round of the presidential election spells serious trouble for the governing liberals just months ahead of the parliamentary polls. The 62-year-old incumbent conceded defeat late Sunday to Andrzej Duda – a 42-year-old lawyer backed by the Law and Justice (PiS)...
Polish president’s re-election bid falters at first hurdle
WARSAW: Conservative opposition challenger Andrzej Duda pulled off a surprise first-round lead in Poland’s presidential ballot on Sunday, edging ahead of incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski with promises of generous social spending. Duda scored 34.8% against Komorowski’s 32.2 percent, with rock star and political novice Pawel Kukiz...
Merkel says ‘still no ceasefire’ in east Ukraine
MOSCOW: German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday said there was still no genuine ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, as she paid a visit to Moscow to commemorate millions of Soviet soldiers and civilians who died in WWII. “Unfortunately we still do not have a ceasefire today,” Merkel said after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin....
Poles vote for president
WARSAW: Poles voted today in presidential elections after a lacklustre campaign focused on national security and social issues, with incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski expected to win, but not without a struggle. The 62-year-old historian, who was elected in 2010 and is close to the governing centrist Civic Platform (PO) party, appears unlikely to...
Russia to show off new weapons at WWII victory parade
MOSCOW: Russia will use the grandiose Red Square parade on May 9, marking 70 years since victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, to show off a range of new weaponry. According to IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, some of the armoured vehicles on show “represent the biggest change in Russia’s armoured fighting vehicle families since...
Five Ukrainian soldiers killed, 12 wounded in past day: Kiev
KIEV: Five Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 12 wounded over the last 24 hours as clashes rumbled on between government forces and pro-Russian rebels, a military spokesman said Wednesday. Four of the soldiers died when their armoured vehicle hit a landmine close to the frontline town of Avdiivka, while the fifth was killed in a rebel ambush,...
Record 38 million people internally displaced by conflicts
GENEVA: Conflicts and violence in places like Syria and Ukraine have displaced a record 38 million people inside their own countries, equivalent to the total populations of New York, London and Beijing, a watchdog group said Wednesday. Nearly one third of them — a full 11 million people — were displaced last year alone, with an average of 30,000...
China’s Xi to visit Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping (pix) will visit Russia this week to attend World War II anniversary celebrations, the foreign ministry announced on Monday, with Kazakhstan and Belarus also on his itinerary. Xi will visit Moscow from Friday through Sunday at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry said on its...
