News

Countdown starts for 2019

Maxim Shemetov, Reuters
Posted at Dec 18 06:47 PM

A man stands by an installation depicting "2019" in the Red Square in Moscow, Russia on Monday.  Read more »

Japan bolsters military to counter China, Russia in East Asia

Reuters
Posted at Dec 18 11:46 AM

TOKYO - Japan will accelerate spending on advanced stealth fighters, long-range missiles and other equipment over the next 5 years to support US forces facing China's military in the Western Pacific, two new government defense papers said.  Read more »

Ethiopian Airlines reopens Moscow route after 27 years

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Dec 18 07:03 AM

Ethiopian Airlines on Monday resumed flights to Moscow after a gap of 27 years stretching back to the demise of the Soviet Union, which saw relations with Moscow dive. Read more »

Kremlin should take the lead on rap music, not shut it down, Putin says

Reuters
Posted at Dec 16 10:53 AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday the Kremlin should play a leading role in Russian rap music and in youth culture, rather than trying to shut it down.  Read more »

Trump ex-lawyer Cohen given 3 years in prison, blames 'blind loyalty'

Brendan Pierson, Nathan Layne, and Karen Freifeld, Reuters
Posted at Dec 13 05:54 AM

NEW YORK - President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to 3 years in prison on Wednesday for orchestrating hush payments to women in violation of campaign laws before the 2016 election and financial crimes, posing potential legal and political risks to Trump. Read more »

Russian cosmonauts take samples on 6th hour of spacewalk to crack mystery

Reuters
Posted at Dec 12 07:27 AM

Two Russian cosmonauts have taken samples of their capsule's exterior in the sixth hour of a spacewalk seeking to resolve the mystery of a small hole found in the craft docked at the International Space Station, a live broadcast by Russian space agency Roscosmos showed early on Wednesday. Read more »

Russia allows fisheries exports from Philippines

Niel Caburnay Tero, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Posted at Dec 11 09:51 AM

Bigfish Foods, Century Pacific Food and RDEX Food International passed all inspections and met requirements of the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance. Read more »

Climate change advocate highlights importance of report on global warming

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Dec 09 07:55 PM

A climate change advocate raised concerns on the refusal of several world powers to recognize the findings of a landmark report on the impact of global warming. Read more »

US prosecutors name Trump in hush payments, detail Russian contacts

Nathan Layne and Brendan Pierson, Reuters
Posted at Dec 08 02:40 PM

In court filings, federal prosecutors in New York and those working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller made the case for why Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, deserved prison time. Read more »

Russian sought 'synergy' with Trump campaign in 2015: Mueller

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Dec 08 02:17 PM

The unidentified Russian made the offer to Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen, proposing a meeting between then-Republican candidate Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the Mueller filing said. Read more »

PH to buy US helicopters, not Russian, due to sanctions: Lorenzana

Reuters
Updated as of Dec 07 08:39 PM

The Philippine Air Force is also seeking to acquire up to 10 attack helicopters next year. Read more »

PH showcases products in Russian bazaar

Niel Caburnay Tero, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Updated as of Dec 07 12:23 PM

MOSCOW, Russia - The Philippine Embassy in Moscow was among the 100 participants at the recently concluded 29th International Women’s Club (IWC) Winter Bazaar 2018 held at Radisson Hotel.   Read more »

Trump shaping new 'liberal' order to block Russia, China, Iran, says Pompeo

Robin Emmott, Reuters
Posted at Dec 05 05:35 PM

US President Donald Trump's top diplomat promised on Tuesday a new democratic world order in which Washington will strengthen or jettison international agreements as it sees fit to stop "bad actors" such as Russia, China and Iran from gaining. Read more »

Phantom-like Robert Mueller holds Washington spellbound

Paul Handley, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Dec 05 02:13 PM

He hovers over Washington's seething political swamp like The Phantom. No one ever sees Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the Russia collusion investigation; he never speaks. Read more »

OPEC works on deal to cut output, still needs Russia on board

Rania El Gamal and Ahmad Ghaddar, Reuters
Posted at Dec 04 08:06 PM

OPEC and its allies are working towards a deal this week to reduce oil output by at least 1.3 million barrels per day, four sources said, adding that Russia's resistance to a major cut was so far the main stumbling block. Read more »

Trump wants talks with Putin, Xi to end 'uncontrollable arms race'

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Dec 04 08:15 AM

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Monday proposed talks with the leaders of China and Russia aimed at halting what he described as an "uncontrollable" arms race. Read more »

Britain's spy chief breaks silence to warn Putin

Dmitry Zaks, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Dec 04 07:48 AM

Britain's spy chief warned Vladimir Putin on Monday that London would no longer take the Kremlin at its word as it fights Russia's "perpetual confrontation" with the West.   Read more »

Trump urges 'full sentence' for his ex-lawyer Cohen in Russia probe

Doina Chiacu and Jan Wolfe, Reuters
Posted at Dec 04 06:01 AM

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Monday called for a "full and complete" sentence for his former lawyer Michael Cohen, accusing him of lying about Trump's business dealings with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign to get reduced jail time. Read more »

Under-fire Putin briefs Trump over Ukraine as EU leaders up pressure

Maria Panina and Jan Dörner, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Dec 02 08:12 AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he briefed his US counterpart Donald Trump on the Ukraine crisis Saturday as he came under pressure over Moscow's robust foreign policy at the G20 summit in Argentina.  Read more »

Merkel set for late G20 arrival after 'serious' plane malfunction

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Nov 30 04:50 PM

The government Airbus A340-300 made an unscheduled landing in Cologne shortly after leaving Berlin on Thursday, causing a delay that means Merkel will miss the start of the two-day G20 summit in the Argentine capital. Read more »