Section: theSun (Malaysia)
Russia drops treason charges against mother of seven
MOSCOW: Russia on Friday dropped treason charges against a mother of seven, whose arrest for allegedly informing Ukraine about Russian troop movements sparked an outcry in the country, her lawyer said. “Good news has come: the criminal case against Svetlana Davydova has been dropped due to the absence of a crime,” her lawyer Ivan...
Astronauts return to Earth on Russian Soyuz spaceship
DZHEZKAZGAN: Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut on Thursday returned to Earth aboard a Soyuz space capsule after six months at the International Space Station. Yelena Serova — the first female Russian cosmonaut to have spent time on the ISS — landed along with Alexander Samokutyaev and Barry Wilmore in snowy Kazakhstan just after...
US condemns ‘reign of terror’ in Crimea, east Ukraine
WASHINGTON: The top US diplomat for Europe declared Tuesday that Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine were subject to a “reign of terror”, blaming Russia for a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives. “Even as Ukraine is building a peaceful, democratic, independent nation across 93% of its territory, Crimea and parts of...
Japan vows to stop gaffe-prone ex-PM visiting Crimea
TOKYO: Japan vowed today to try to stop a gaffe-prone former prime minister from visiting Crimea to ask its citizens how they feel about being annexed by Russia. A clearly exasperated Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said the government was trying to prevent Yukio Hatoyama from making the trip, amid fears he might muddy the diplomatic waters and...
China holds man who ‘sold 500 aircraft carrier images’
BEIJING: A Chinese man who sold 500 pictures of the country’s first aircraft carrier has been detained in a spying investigation, local media reported, the latest web user allegedly exploited by foreign intelligence agencies. The man, surnamed Zhang, began taking pictures of the Liaoning – a Soviet-era vessel bought from Ukraine – after he...
Carnegie Hall debut cancelled over Nazi anthem
NEW YORK: A debut at Carnegie Hall meant to showcase a young composer was abruptly cancelled after management realized it featured a snippet of a Nazi German anthem. The New York Youth Symphony was set to premiere the orchestral work on Sunday at the prestigious concert hall but the orchestra’s management removed it, saying that such an...
Putin describes secret operation to seize Crimea
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin has revealed the moment he says he gave the secret order for Russia’s annexation of Crimea and described how Russian troops were ready to fight to rescue Ukraine’s deposed, pro-Moscow president. In a trailer shown Sunday for an upcoming documentary on state-run Rossiya-1 television called Homeward...
Russia arrests two over Nemtsov killing
MOSCOW: Two suspects have been arrested over the killing of Russian opposition activist Boris Nemtsov, who was gunned down last week near the Kremlin in a brazen assassination that shocked the country, the state security agency said Saturday. “Two suspects were arrested today in connection with this crime, they are Anzor Gubashev and Zaur...
Patriotism, adventure lure Russian volunteers to Ukraine conflict
SAINT PETERSBURG: Filled with patriotic bravado and a thirst for adventure, Yevgeny Pavlenko and his friend Yevgeny Markin volunteered with dozens others to leave their home in Russia to go and fight in eastern Ukraine. But only one of the two would survive. Markin, 25, accompanied Pavlenko’s remains back to the city of Saint-Petersburg for...
Italy’s Renzi seeks key role for Russia in Libya crisis
MOSCOW: Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Thursday Russia could play a decisive role in resolving the crisis in Libya, during a rare visit by a European leader to Moscow. Renzi held talks with President Vladimir Putin in a visit that also focused on the conflict in Ukraine and Russia’s chilly relations with the European Union over...
