by Jim Mannion Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President-elect Donald Trump dismissed a brewing storm over Russian cyber meddling in the US election, rejecting as “ridiculous” US intelligence reports that Moscow tried to help him win the White House. “I don’t believe it,” Trump said in a pre-recorded interview that was broadcast Sunday on Fox News. “I think it’s ridiculous,” Trump said, putting it down as an attempt by Democrats to find […]
Tag: Russia
Russia interfered in US election to help Trump win: report
by Paul Handley Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A secret CIA assessment has found that Russia sought to tip last month’s US presidential election in Donald Trump’s favor, The Washington Post reported Friday, a conclusion that drew an extraordinary rebuke from the president-elect’s camp. “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,” Trump’s transition team said, launching a broadside against the spy agency. “The election […]
Russia says Syria army halts Aleppo attacks as rebels cornered
by Karam al-Masri with Sara Hussein in Beirut Agence France-Presse ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — Syria’s army has halted its attacks in Aleppo to allow trapped civilians to be evacuated, Russia’s foreign minister said, after advancing regime forces cornered rebels in the city. Immediately after the announcement, AFP correspondents in Aleppo said air strikes ceased and artillery fire was far less intense, but later reported that the army was continuing to shell two rebels districts, Kalasseh […]
For some Japanese, Japan-Russia bilateral last chance for northern territory issue
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) –Every December, 80-year-old Takashi Kawata travels to Tokyo from his home in northern Japan to participate in a rally calling for the return of the island he grew up on which is at the heart of a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia. He is one of the 17,000 Japanese who were expelled from a string of islands in the extreme north of Japan by the Soviet Union when it laid claim […]
Russia privatises 19.5 percent of oil giant Rosneft: Kremlin
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) – by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber The Kremlin on Wednesday said that Russia had finalised a deal to privatise 19.5 percent of state-owned oil giant Rosneft. Rosneft chief Igor Sechin informed President Vladimir Putin “about the completion of a privatisation deal of 19.5 percent of shares of the largest Russian oil company Rosneft,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He added that its investors were the Glencore Consortium and Qatar’s sovereign fund and that […]
Russia, Philippines to develop military cooperation
The foreign ministers of Russia and the Philippines said Monday, December 6 that the two countries are ready to develop bilateral cooperation in the military sphere, but clarified that they do not favor creating new military alliances in the Asia-Pacific Region. In a joint conference with his Philippine counterpart Secretary Perfecto Yasay, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “as far as military alliances and military blocs are concerned, the position is that security issues in the Asia-Pacific […]
Russia, China veto UN resolution demanding Aleppo truce
UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — Russia and China on Monday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a seven-day ceasefire in the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo. Venezuela also voted against the text, while Angola abstained. The 11 other council members voted in favor. The vote marked the sixth time Russia has blocked a council resolution on Syria since the conflict began in March 2011, and the fifth for China. A close ally […]
Space freighter burns up after launch to to ISS: Russia
by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — An unmanned cargo ship travelling to the International Space Station burned up in the atmosphere shortly after launch on Thursday, Russia’s space agency said. “According to preliminary information, as a result of an abnormal situation, the cargo ship’s loss occurred some 190 kilometers (110 miles) above the remote, unpopulated mountainous territory of (Russia’s) Tuva region, and most fragments burned up in dense layers of the atmosphere,” Roscosmos said […]
ASEAN expert from Russia highlights benefits of closer Philippines-Russia-ASEAN ties
(Eagle News) — Russia, the Philippines, and the whole of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will stand to benefit from a closer relationship among these countries as ASEAN pushes its development agenda. In a roundtable discussion of the New Era University ASEAN Studies Center, a Russian academician and political affairs expert, Dr. Ekaterina Koldunova said that even the closer relationship between Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Russian President Vladimir Putin would mean more […]
Putin, Iran’s Rouhani back OPEC bid to stabilise oil prices
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Monday expressed support for OPEC’s plans to limit the cartel’s output ahead of a crucial meeting this week. In a telephone conversation, the two leaders said the cartel’s efforts were “an essential element” for returning stability to global oil prices, a Kremlin statement said. “The importance of steps taken by OPEC to limit the production of commodities was emphasized as […]
Football: Russia under scrutiny at Confederations Cup draw
Kazan, Russia ( AFP ) — The wisdom of awarding Russia the right to stage the 2018 World Cup will come under sharp scrutiny in Kazan on Saturday at the draw for next year’s Confederations Cup. Kicking off in Kazan on June 17 and ending in a Saint Petersburg final on July 2, the Confederations Cup involves only eight nations but is widely seen as important preparation for the World Cup the following year. And so far the […]
Japan PM says Russian missile deployment on disputed isles “regrettable”
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday (November 25) that Russia’s deployment of missile systems on islands in the western Pacific isles that are also claimed by Tokyo was “regrettable”. His comments came less than a month before Russian President Vladimir Putin is to visit Japan for talks aimed at progress on the decades-old territorial row. Moscow has already said it hoped the deployment would not damage efforts to settle […]





