More than 16,000 people have been forced to flee their homes after massive explosions at a military depot in Siberia left 12 people injured and one missing. Russian officials said 9,533 people have been evacuated and about 7,000 fled on their own after a fire at a military ammunition depot …
Read More »‘Russian asset’: Meme war between Trump and the Washington Post.
With the Washington Post stuck in a mud-slinging meme war with Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump, the capital’s paper of record has found itself on the receiving end of internet trolls’ meme-cannons. Confused? The sordid saga began Friday when the Post published an op-ed titled “Mitch McConnell is a …
Read More »South Korea fires hundreds of warning shots at Russian warplane.
South Korea says its jets fired warning shots at a Russian surveillance plane that entered its airspace on Tuesday. Officials said the plane twice violated the airspace over the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islands, which are occupied by South Korea but also claimed by Japan. South Korea’s Ministry of Defence said it …
Read More »Iraq deports 33 ‘Daesh children’ to Russia.
Iraq has handed over 33 Russian children of suspected Daesh militants to Russia, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry on Monday. The children born to Russian women were sent back to Russia last week in coordination with the Russian Embassy in Baghdad, ministry spokesman Ahmed Sahaf said in a statement. …
Read More »Russia intercepts US spy plane over Black Sea.
A Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet has intercepted a US spy plane that was approaching Russia’s border over the Black Sea. “A Su-27 fighter jet, as part of the Southern Military District’s air defenses, was scrambled to intercept the target,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday, adding, “The crew …
Read More »Fire kills 14 sailors on Russian Deep Sea Submersible.
A fire aboard a Russian navy research submersible has killed 14 crew members, the Russian defense ministry says. It says the crew members were poisoned by fumes when the vessel caught fire while taking biometric measurements in Russian territorial waters on Monday. The fire was later put out and the …
Read More »Ukraine fury as Russia gets human rights vote.
Five years after Russia had it’s voting rights removed because of the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly has voted to restore them. The assembly backed the proposal in the face of angry opposition from Ukraine, whose delegation later walked out. Russia had threatened to …
Read More »Putin on MH17 downing: Evidence presented against Russia is ‘no proof at all’
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed allegations by international investigators who have accused three Russians, one Ukrainian of using a surface-to-air missile, brought from Russia, to shoot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. Asked whether he thought it was time for Russia to acknowledge responsibility for the shooting down of the …
Read More »Russia uncovers 40,000-year-old wolf head, preserved in ice.
About 40,000 years ago, a wolf died in what we know as Siberia. Now its severed head has been found, and because of the freezing conditions, it is so well preserved that its fur, teeth, brain and facial tissue are largely intact. A Yakutia resident, Pavel Yefimov, found the head …
Read More »Chinese tombs yield the earliest evidence of cannabis use.
Researchers have uncovered the earliest known evidence of cannabis use, from tombs in western China. The study suggests cannabis was being smoked at least 2,500 years ago, and that it may have been associated with ritual or religious activities. Traces of the drug were identified in wooden burners from the …
Read More »‘Security of Persian Gulf, world of special import to us’: Hassan Rouhani
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the security of the entire world, especially the Persian Gulf region, is of high significance to Iran. Rouhani was speaking at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport on Thursday before leaving on a two-leg trip to the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek for a summit of the Shanghai …
Read More »Poland to get 1000 more US troops.
US President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda inked a new defense agreement at the White House on Wednesday that will station an additional 1,000 US troops in Poland on a rotational basis Trump marked the signing and Duda’s visit with a rare military display: a flyover of an …
Read More »Trump says he would accept dirt from foreign nations.
US President Donald Trump says he would be willing to accept damaging information from a foreign government on his opponent in the 2020 presidential election, after years of denying allegations that Russia helped him get elected in 2016. “I think you might want to listen… there’s nothing wrong with listening,” …
Read More »Russian police detain more than 400 at protest over journalist.
Hundreds of people have been detained at a Moscow rally demanding punishment for police who detained an anti-corruption journalist. Officers in riot gear clashed with protesters during the unauthorized march in support of Ivan Golunov. Among those detained at the rally were fellow journalists as well as opposition leader Alexei …
Read More »Moldovan court suspends president in a political standoff.
A Moldovan court temporarily relieved President Igor Dodon of his duties on Sunday to allow a stand-in to call a snap election, deepening a standoff between rival political parties over the formation of a new government after months of deadlock. Dodon’s replacement, former prime minister Pavel Filip, immediately announced a …
Read More »China’s Huawei will build Russia’s 5G network
Embattled Chinese tech company Huawei has struck a deal to build Russia’s first 5G wireless network. The agreement with Russia’s largest carrier, MTS, was signed on the sidelines of talks in Moscow between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It comes at a critical time for the …
Read More »China launches its 1st space rocket from a sea platform.
China has conducted a pioneering launch of a space rocket from a cargo ship, becoming “the first nation” to fully own and operate a floating launch platform. A Long March 11 carrier rocket lifted off from the pad installed on a civilian ship in the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, the …
Read More »Austrian chancellor ousted in a no-confidence vote.
The Austrian parliament has voted to oust Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his ministers, paving the way for a caretaker government before a new election in which the young leader and his party could emerge strengthened. Parliament needed only a majority vote Monday to pass the measure proposed by the opposition …
Read More »Syrians displaced called on Turkey to open border.
Camped on the Turkish border to escape bombardment by Russian and Syrian government forces, many displaced Syrians are angry and frustrated that Turkey has not done more to protect them from the bombs or let them cross the frontier to safety. The border wall a few hundred meters (yards) away …
Read More »Russia expels some Swedish diplomats.
Russia has expelled some Swedish diplomats from Moscow as part of a reciprocal move against Stockholm, TASS news agency cited Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying on Wednesday. Zakharova made the comment when asked at a weekly briefing whether Moscow had expelled two Swedish diplomats. She did not …
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