Section: The Guardian (The United Kingdom)
Why nothing will dent Vladimir Putins soaring popularity at home | Marc Bennetts
Neither western sanctions nor claims of Russias involvement in flight MH17 influence its citizens, who live on a diet of state propagandaThere is a satirical cartoon doing the rounds online in Russia that depicts a figure slouched in front of a television set, both the screen and the anonymous viewers brain filled with identical swirls of...
Foreign investigators reach MH17 crash site in Ukraine
Dutch and Australia experts expected to focus initially on retrieving bodies still on site and collecting victims’ belongingsAn international team of investigators in eastern Ukraine has reached the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines flight 17.Fighting between government troops and pro-Russian separatist rebels had kept the delegation from...
Tony Abbott says airlines should tell passengers about routes over war zones
However, the prime minister says he would not force Qantas to bypass IraqTony Abbott has called on airlines to tell passengers about flight routes over war zones, but resisted union demands for a prescriptive approach to force Qantas to bypass Iraq.The Transport Workers Union called on the government to compel all Australian-registered airlines...
Nato unprepared for potential threats from Russia, say MPs
Cross-party report issued as group of former Russian and European defence ministers warn of risk of accidental warNato is ill-prepared to confront new threats posed by Russia, and members of the western military alliance may not have the collective political will to take concerted action to deter an attack, a cross-party group of MPs warn on...
Europe adds Putin cronies, aide and bank to sanctions blacklist
Expanded list of those subject to EU asset freezes and travel bans is unprecedented in its reach into president’s inner circleThe EU has added three longstanding “cronies” of Vladimir Putin, an important presidential aide and a Russian bank to its sanctions blacklist in the latest punitive measure aimed at Moscow for its...
MH17: Bishop reacts to claim rebels are laying landmines near crash site
If true, it is utterly despicable, says foreign minister Julie Bishop, while reports suggest remains of up to 80 bodies are still on siteJulie Bishop has responded to claims that MH17 investigators are being deterred from the crash site by the laying of landmines, saying such an act would be utterly despicable.The Australian foreign minister says...
The Guardian view on sanctions against Russia | Editorial
The Ukraine crisis did not come out of nowhere but followed a long period in which trust between Moscow and the west had eroded. Are we heading for a new cold war?The United States and the European Union have now enacted a substantial range of sanctions on Russia, cutting off credit, banning arms exports and limiting the transfer of so-called...
Donetsk residents distraught after homes shelled by Ukrainian military video
Residents start to repair damaged apartment buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Tuesday after the military shelled residential areas. Municipal officials in the nearby town of Horlivka say up to 17 people, including several children, were killed in fighting on Monday. Ukrainian forces have been pushing rebels back towards their...
MH17: vast majority of Russians believe Ukraine downed plane, poll finds
Independent survey discovers 82% of Russians blame Kiev for downing Malaysia Airlines aircraft with loss of 298 livesThe vast majority of Russians believe the Ukrainian military shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a new poll has shown, underlining how differently the tragedy has been presented in Russia than in the west.Western leaders have...
West is ready to ratchet up sanctions against Russia, says Hammond
Foreign secretary makes threat as EU sanctions are imposed on trade with Russia’s defence, banking and energy industriesThe west is prepared to “tighten the screws” further on Russia if it continues to arm rebels suspected of shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine, Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, has...
