Section: The News International (Pakistan)
Political novice wins Lithuania presidential race
VILNIUS: Gitanas Nauseda, a centre-right independent and political novice, won Lithuania’s presidential runoff in a race marked by low populist sentiment and concerns over inequality in the Baltic eurozone state.Although Lithuanian presidents do not directly craft economic policy, bread-and-butter issues have dominated the race. Experts...
Pompeo heads to Russia as US diplomacy turns schizophrenic
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Russia with an unusual and thankless task — standing firm against the rival power even as his boss, President Donald Trump, reaches out to reconcile.Pompeo will meet Tuesday with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, in the highest-level US engagement with the Russian leader since a...
US diplomacy turns schizophrenic Pompeo heads to Russia
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Russia with an unusual and thankless task — standing firm against the rival power even as his boss, President Donald Trump, reaches out to reconcile.Pompeo will meet on Tuesday with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, in the highest-level US engagement with the Russian leader since a July...
Putin fast-tracks Russian citizenship for more Ukrainians
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree fast-tracking Russian citizenship for more Ukrainians, a controversial new move expected to deepen the crisis between the two countries.The latest move comes during a hugely sensitive transitional period in Ukraine where a comedian with no political experience, Volodymyr Zelensky, won a...
Putin floats ?common citizenship? for Russians, Ukrainians
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Ukrainians and Russians were “one people” and would benefit from common citizenship, after he angered Kiev by offering to fast-track Russian passports for Ukrainians.”I’ve said many times that Ukrainians and Russians are brotherly nations. More over, I believe...
US military spending up for first time in 7 years: Sipri
STOCKHOLM: US military spending has risen for the first time in seven years, reflecting Trump administration policy, according to a new report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.Worldwide military spending also rose by 2.6 percent to $1.8 trillion overall last year, SIPRI calculated. It was the second year...
Ukraine?s president-elect offers passports to Russians
KIEV: President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed an offer by Vladimir Putin to provide passports to Ukrainians, and pledged instead to grant citizenship to Russians who “suffer” under the Kremlin’s rule.The Russian president on Saturday said Moscow was considering plans to make it easier for all Ukrainians to obtain Russian...
Macron and Merkel: a relationship on the rocks?
PARIS: The relationship between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, long seen as Europe’s defining political alliance, is undergoing a period of unprecedented strain as reality clashes with expectation.At a news conference on Thursday night, Macron unexpectedly laid bare the extent of his disappointment...
Chinese navy shows off new warship in 70th anniversary parade
BEIJING: China celebrated the 70th anniversary of its navy on Tuesday by showing off its growing fleet in a sea parade featuring a brand new guided-missile destroyer.Under grey, foggy skies, Chinese President Xi Jinping stood on a warship to take the salute from 32 Chinese vessels, including submarines, and 39 planes off the eastern city of...
Ahead of new warships reveal, navy chief says China wants ?tranquility?
QINGDAO: China’s navy wants maritime “tranquillity and good order”, its chief said on Monday, ahead of a parade to mark its 70th anniversary at which the military is expected to display new warships including nuclear submarines and destroyers.President Xi Jinping is overseeing a sweeping plan to refurbish the People’s Liberation Army...
