Section: AsiaOne (Singapore)
‘Back in the game’ Putin marks birthday with eye on Syria
MOSCOW – Vladimir Putin marked his 63rd birthday Wednesday with a focus on Syria, as supporters sang his praises – comparing him to a range of heroic figures from Buddha to Batman.The Russian president has been back in the international limelight since launching a bombing campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria last week,...
Street artists give Kiev colourful makeover
KIEV – In a mural splashed across a four-story building in central Kiev, a small boy nonchalantly throws paper planes.The peaceful image is just one example of the colourful street art springing up across the Ukrainian capital, reflecting a new mood of optimism in a city once criss-crossed by barricades.The artist, 28-year-old Oleksandr...
US defence chief warns Russia has ‘losing strategy’ in Syria
MADRID- US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said Monday that Russia is pursuing a “losing strategy” in Syria and that it must live up to its commitments in Ukraine.Speaking in Madrid at the start of a five-day trip to Europe, Carter told Spanish military officials that by carrying out bombing in Syria, Russia had only worsened the...
Ukraine starts light weapons withdrawal in east: Military
KIEV – Ukraine has started withdrawing tanks and light artillery from the frontline in the eastern region of Luhansk in accordance with a recent agreement with pro-Russian separatists, the Ukrainian military said on Monday. …read more Source:...
Obama urges China, Russia to pursue diplomatic solutions
United States President Barack Obama delivered blunt criticisms of China and Russia at the United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday, saying large nations had a greater obligation than small ones to engage in diplomacy and observe international laws.Speaking before Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin took...
Putin’s UN Syria show pushes Moscow back to center stage
UNITED NATIONS, United States – Russian President Vladimir Putin has stolen the spotlight at the United Nations with a swaggering push on the Syria crisis as he tried to shake off Western isolation over Ukraine.In his first speech to the UN General Assembly in a decade, Putin on Monday called for a broad UN-backed coalition to fight Islamic...
Putin gives go-ahead to Belarus airbase plan
Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed the establishment of an airbase in neighbouring Belarus, the latest move by Moscow to project its military power abroad.Saturday’s announcement, which comes at a time of tension with the West over Russian involvement in Ukraine and Syria, may also signal the Kremlin’s interest in keeping...
Russia to analyse possible consequences of new Ukraine sanctions: RIA cites deputy PM
MOSCOW – Russia will analyse the possible consequences of new sanctions introduced by Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich was quoted by RIA news agency as saying on Thursday.Ukraine extended or applied sanctions on over 400 individuals and 90 legal entities on Wednesday in response to a decision by separatist rebels to set the...
95,000 Russian troops in massive military drill
MOSCOW – Russia on Monday launched its largest military exercises of the year, Centre-2015, involving some 95,000 soldiers including ground troops, navy and airforce units.The long-announced war games are “the most large-scale drill of 2015,” the defence ministry said.Russia has recently intensified snap checks of its military...
Germany’s Merkel sees need to cooperate with Russia on Syria
Germany and other western European powers need to work with Russia as well as the United States to solve the crisis in Syria, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday.Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with his Russian, French and Ukrainian counterparts in Berlin on Saturday evening and said afterwards he saw growing support for...
