Section: AsiaOne (Singapore)
G-7 leaders ‘concerned’ over China’s island work
LUBECK, Germany – Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven advanced nations have criticised China’s reclamation work in the South China Sea and expressed concern about Beijing’s attempts to unilaterally “change the status quo” in the region.The first declaration on maritime security was issued by the G-7 ministers...
Dutch team find more remains at Ukraine MH17 crash site
THE HAGUE – Dutch investigators have recovered more body parts at the MH17 plane crash site in Ukraine after searching a location that was previously inaccessible, the Netherlands announced on Thursday.All 298 passengers and crew onboard the Malaysia Airlines jetliner – 193 of them Dutch – died when it was shot down over...
Putin accuses US of telling world leaders not to attend Word War Two parade
MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin accused Washington on Thursday of putting pressure on some world leaders not to attend events in Russia marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe.Russia will stage a military parade on May 9 in what Putin called a display of “respect for victims of Nazis and to pay tribute to...
Russia to build own space station by 2023: Putin
MOSCOW – Russia plans to build its own orbiting space station by 2023, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday during a marathon call-in session with the nation.”By 2023, we plan to create our own national space station in orbit,” Putin said.”This is something far-off in the future, but also necessary for us from the point...
Pro-Russia Ukrainian journalist shot dead in Kiev
KIEV – A prominent pro-Russian journalist was shot dead in Kiev on Thursday, the Ukrainian government said, the latest in a series of allies of the country’s former pro-Moscow leaders to die in suspicious circumstances.Oles Buzyna, 45, a supporter of ex-president Viktor Yanukovych, was shot in the street, interior ministry official...
Russia says US forced it to act on Ukraine
MOSCOW – Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Thursday blamed the United States and its allies for the conflict in Ukraine, saying their drive to bring Kiev closer to the West was a threat to Moscow and had forced it to react.Speaking at an annual security conference, Shoigu accused Washington of seeking worldwide military and...
Russian, Iranian companies discuss barter deal terms
Russian and Iranian companies are discussing terms for a barter deal which will not include oil deliveries, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday, trying to end confusion over the status of a long-heralded agreement.Russian officials said on Monday Russia was sending grain, equipment and construction materials to Iran in an...
Putin earns less than many in the Kremlin
MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin earned about US$151,000 in 2014, less than many others in the presidential administration, according to details of his income declaration published by the Kremlin on Wednesday.Putin’s wealth has long been the focus of speculation by opponents who portray him as one of the richest men in the...
IMF predicts more gloom for Moscow and former Soviet region
MOSCOW – The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday predicted more pain for the Russian economy and gloom around the ex-Soviet region despite positive noises from Moscow that the worst of the crisis might be over.Russia’s economy is expected to shrink by 3.8 per cent this year as sanctions imposed by the West over the conflict in...
Exhibit showcases world of children during Holocaust
JERUSALEM, Israel – Zeev Portenoy was nine when the Nazis invaded Tuchin, his Ukrainian hometown, in 1941, forcing his family and the other Jews into a ghetto while he went on the run.For the next four years, he wandered aimlessly around the countryside, pretending to be Ukrainian or Polish just to survive. He knew he was Jewish but just...
