Russia plays up Council of Europe ties ahead of key summit
For its part, Russia, which has previously threatened to quit the watchdog altogether, said the two-day meeting ?will play a decisive role for the fate of the Council of Europe.? ?Russia is interested in preserving and strengthening the Council of Europe as one of the most authoritative and respectable international organisations on the European continent,? the foreign ministry said. ?We ...
Four troops killed in Ukraine helicopter crash
KIEV (AFP) - An army helicopter has crashed in western Ukraine killing four servicemen, the military said on Thursday. The Mi-8 helicopter crashed in the western Rivne region during a training flight late Wednesday, killing three crew members and the commander of the 16th Separate Army Aviation Brigade of Ground Forces, a statement said. Zelensky, a former comedian, swept ...
Saudi calls on Muslim world to reject Iran 'interference'
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday sought to rally support among Islamic nations against arch-rival Iran, demanding ?firmness? over attacks on Gulf oil facilities as regional tensions soar. Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf blasted Iranian ?interference? in the region, just hours after United States National Security Advisor John Bolton said Tehran was almost certainly behind oil tanker attacks. Know more: ...
Philippines says envoy recalled over Canada trash row
In a statement, Ottawa said it is ?disappointed? by the recall, but ?remains committed to finalizing these arrangements for the return of the waste to Canada.? ?We will continue to closely engage with the Philippines to ensure a swift resolution of this important issue,? it added. Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said letters recalling the ambassador and consuls from Canada ...
NZ unveils new 'wellbeing' budget with $2.5bn spending; slashes growth forecast
New Zealand on Thursday unveiled a $2.5 billion spending package under a much-hyped 'wellbeing' budget, prioritising mental health and alleviating child poverty, but it expects a smaller surplus and slower economic growth over the next year. The budget increases the annual operating allowance for new spending to NZ $3.8bn (US$2.48bn) per year over the four-year forecast period, from a ...
‘Perfect storm’: Brazil’s Bolsonaro faces anger over education freezes
Tens of thousands of students, teachers and professors marched in ?defense of education? in Brazil?s biggest cities after the government said it would suspend 30 percent of discretionary spending for public universities in the second half of this year. On the eve of the protests, economy minister Paulo Guedes reduced the government?s forecast for 2019 economic growth to 1.5 ...
China backs Iran during U.S. tensions
?China resolutely opposes the U.S. implementation of unilateral sanctions and so-called ?long arm jurisdiction?, understands the current situation and concerns of the Iranian side, and supports the Iranian side to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,? China?s Foreign Ministry paraphrased Wang as saying.
Pompeo says Iran aimed at oil markets in UAE ship attacks
Pompeo?s remarks came a day after John Bolton, President Donald Trump?s national security advisor, said in Abu Dhabi that Iran was "almost certainly" behind the May 12 sabotage of four ships including two tankers from Iran?s arch-rival Saudi Arabia. The United States is seeking to end of Iran?s sales of oil, its key export, as part of a campaign ...
Italy’s 5-Star backs Di Maio to carry on as leader after EU vote defeat
Di Maio got the backing of 80% of the 56,127 5-Star members who voted on the party?s online platform known as Rousseau, the movement said on its blog. The 32-year-old Di Maio called for the ballot after 5-Star took just 17% of the vote at Sunday?s European election, half the tally of its coalition partner, the right-wing League, triggering ...
Italy, Malta rescue stricken migrants in Mediterranean
The Italian navy rescued 100 migrants stranded in the Mediterranean on Thursday, as 178 others were taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa, and Malta, officials said. The migrants, who sent an SOS signal to Alarm Phone, a volunteer-run Mediterranean rescue hotline, had said that a five-year-old girl on board had perished, but the navy said no one had ...
Thousands protestin Brazil over education cuts
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Brazil?s capital Thursday following calls for a second nationwide demonstration in as many weeks over the government?s plan to slash education spending. Tens of thousands protested across Brazil on May 15, but Thursday?s turnout could be lower after the government said it would free up 1.59 billion reais in funding (about ...
Moscow’s intra-Afghan meeting ends without decision
Taliban and senior Afghan political leaders have wrapped up their two-day talks in Moscow on peace, but failed to reach agreement on any issue. ?Both sides discussed ceasefire, release of prisoners, withdrawal of foreign troops, end to foreign interference, security of civilians, enforcement of Islamic system, national sovereignty, territorial integrity, women rights and other issues,? said the statement. Although ...
Germany urges resumption of Ukraine peace talks
Earlier this week a Moscow court upheld extending the arrest of 24 Ukrainian sailors seized by Russia off Crimea last year, defying an international tribunal that urged their immediate release. Zelensky was elected in a landslide in April but Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no sign that he wants a fresh start with Kiev, insisting instead that its ...
Trump would be 'in handcuffs' if not president, says Democrat Warren
The progressive US senator from Massachusetts, one of the leading Democrats for the party?s 2020 nomination, was the first presidential candidate to speak out in favor of launching impeachment proceedings against Trump. While several other Democratic presidential hopefuls are also calling for impeachment proceedings, House leaders remain reluctant to begin the process during the 2020 election campaign. ...
Narendra Modi sworn in as India's Prime Minister for second term
New Delhi: India?s Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his historic second term at a solemn ceremony in front of cheering supporters Thursday ahead of unveiling a revamped Hindu nationalist government. Modi was the first of more than 50 cabinet ministers and deputy ministers to be sworn in at the presidential palace in front of 8,000 people including South Asian ...
President Trump admits Russia helped elect Him—then does a U-turn
In series of testy tweets , he said he ?had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected.? ?No, Russia did not help me get elected,? Trump told reporters as he departed Washington for Colorado Springs. The original comment, a clause in one of several Twitter posts Thursday, is an extraordinary admission from Trump, who has avoided ...
Congo’s Ebola epidemic inflicts heavy toll on children
?How is my big sister doing?? he asked health workers again and again at an Ebola treatment centre on the outskirts of Butembo, a major trading hub set amid volcanic hills in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. ?His sister was his best friend,? said Desy Shabani, who provides psycho-social support to the patients. More than a quarter of the ...
Ardern’s ‘wellbeing’ budget spreads good vibes in New Zealand
?Today we have laid the foundation for not just one wellbeing budget, but a different approach for government decision-making altogether.? While dismissed by critics as marketing spin, Ardern views the budget as a way to deliver the reformist agenda she campaigned on in the 2017 election. ?I have no idea what that means and, outside the Wellington bureaucracy, I?m not ...
US looks to improveties with Indonesian special forces
The United States announced in 2010 that it had lifted its outright ban on US military contacts with the Indonesian special forces unit, known as Kopassus, which was accused of rights abuses in East Timor as it prepared for independence. The two sides said in a joint statement after the meeting between Shanahan and his Indonesian counterpart, Ryamizard Ryacudu, ...
Top US Democrat slams Facebook over deceptive video
The video clip of Pelosi, which was tweeted by President Donald Trump last week and shared feverishly by his supporters, was edited to make it appear that the powerful Democratic politician was stammering, slurring her words and maybe even intoxicated during a press conference. ?Facebook knows that this is false,? Pelosi said in a transcript of an interview with ...
