Putin-Obama Mutual Snubs Spell ‘Reset’ Crisis – Analysts
May 16, 2012
The current diplomatic contretemps between Russia and the United States is a crisis for the reset policy in bilateral relations, which are still based on Cold War-era distrust, Russian analysts said. “Neither side is attempting sincere collaboration. We’re still ruled by mutual suspicion,” Viktor Kremenyuk, deputy director of the Institute of the USA and Canada in Moscow, said on Wednesday. Moscow and Washington traded mutual snubs in the past weeks, starting with freshly inaugurated Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing last week that he would not be attending the G8…
Germany to give $190 mn to Afghanistan after 2014
May 16, 2012
Berlin, May 16: Germany will give 150 million euros ($190 million) worth of cash aid to Afghanistan a year after international peacekeeping forces pull out on schedule in 2014 as part of an agreement signed by both countries Wednesday. Chancellor Angela Merkel said the aid to Afghanistan was a reflection of Germany’s long-term commitment to the…
Greece to decide on interim government
May 16, 2012
ATHENS, Greece – Greece’s president convened the crisis-struck country’s political leaders once more Wednesday, this time to appoint a caretaker government that will lead the country into new elections next month after nine days of power-sharing talks collapsed. The last election on May 6 left no party with enough votes for a majority in parliament, after voters furious with the handling of the country’s severe financial crisis deserted the two formerly dominant parties, the conservatives and socialists. They turned instead to a myriad of…
Sierra Leone trial: Charles Taylor set to address court
May 16, 2012
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is expected to address the international court that found him guilty of war crimes in Sierra Leone. It is his last chance to speak at the tribunal in The Hague before being sentenced later this month. The prosecution will press its case for an 80-year prison term, which the defence has dismissed as…
Bosnia war crimes trial of ex-army chief Mladic to open
May 16, 2012
AFP – Bosnian Serb ex-army chief Ratko Mladic goes on trial Wednesday, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in his campaign of ethnic cleansing and the massacre of Muslims at Srebrenica. Prosecutors will open his long-awaited trial at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) before judges at the ex-Yugoslavia war crimes court in The Hague, just short of a year following his arrest in Serbia after 16 years on the run. Mladic, now 70, has been indicted on 11 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the Balkan country’s…
China dissident tells US of abuse of family
May 15, 2012
A dissident at the center of a standoff between Beijing and Washington accused Chinese authorities of a pattern of abuse against his family as he again took his case to US lawmakers. Chen Guangcheng, a blind self-taught lawyer who last month dramatically escaped house arrest for the safety of the US embassy, telephoned a hearing of the US Congress for the second time this month from a hospital bed in Beijing. Unlike in the previous hearing, Chen did not voice concern over his own conditions. But he charged that local authorities in the eastern province of Shandong were seeking revenge by filing a murder charge…
Merkel, Hollande press to keep eurozone together
May 15, 2012
French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed their desire to keep the eurozone together on Tuesday in key talks just hours after France’s new leader was inaugurated. With all eyes on their first-ever talks, the two leaders also vowed that the two European powerhouses were aware of their responsibilities and ready to help find solutions to the eurozone crisis. Hollande, the newly inaugurated French Socialist, arrived late for his first talks with Merkel after his plane was apparently struck by lightning and had to return to Paris where he changed aircraft. Hanging over the meeting was the grim news from Athens, which…
Pakistan president to attend NATO summit
May 15, 2012
Pakistan has confirmed its president will attend a summit of NATO leaders this weekend in Chicago as negotiations with US to reopen supply lines into Afghanistan continues. Nadeem Hotiana, an embassy spokesman in Washington, said on Tuesday that Asif Ali Zardari will attend the May 20-21 summit. “This meeting will underline the strong commitment of the international community to the people of Afghanistan and to its future. Pakistan has an important role to play in that future,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in a statement. Ties between the United States and Pakistan have been severely strained over the past year, fuelling speculation Islamabad might be excluded from the…
‘Black box’ found of Russia jet in Indonesia crash
May 15, 2012
JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian official says special forces have found the voice-and-data recorder of a Russian passenger jet that slammed into a jagged, mist-shrouded cliff on a dormant volcano. The “black box” could help explain the cause of the deadly crash. Search and Rescue agency…
Greece to go back to the polls after President fails to form Coalition
May 15, 2012
“It is absolutely necessary to have the broader support of political parties” … Antonis Samaras, New Democracy leader. Photo: AFP ATHENS: Greece will be going to elections next month after its President failed to form a Coalition government in a last-ditch attempt to break a deadlock between political parties. The President, Karolos Papoulias, met yesterday with the heads of five of the seven parties that won seats, in an effort to find agreement after elections on May 6…
