Washington, United States | AFP | US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday vehemently denied any collusion with Russia to tilt last year’s election in Donald Trump’s favor, branding the suggestion an “appalling and detestable lie.” In closely-watched congressional testimony, Sessions angrily denounced allegations he acted improperly during meetings with …
Read More »Russia almost ready for World Cup with a year to go
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Despite fears over security and construction delays at several stadiums, Russia looks largely on course one year from the kick-off of the World Cup in June 2018. There was already a whiff of scandal around the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Comey’s bombshell recollections of Trump talks
Washington, United States | AFP | Former FBI director James Comey gave damaging details Wednesday of a series of nine meetings or conversations he had with President Donald Trump before being sacked last month. The following are some of the key points from testimony that Comey published ahead of …
Read More »RUSSIA: We’re getting tired of reacting to unsubstantiated banalities
Moscow says ‘zero’ proof Russian hackers involved in Qatar crisis Moscow, Russia | AFP | Moscow on Wednesday dismissed allegations that Russian hackers helped spark the diplomatic crisis around Qatar, after CNN reported that US officials believed they planted a false news story. “We’re getting tired of reacting to unsubstantiated …
Read More »CLAPPER: Watergate pales in comparison to Trump scandals
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Watergate pales in comparison to the scandals engulfing Donald Trump and the Russia connection, former top US intelligence official James Clapper said Wednesday ahead of a key Senate hearing in Washington. Clapper, who has worked in intelligence under every US leader from John F. Kennedy …
Read More »Ex-FBI director Comey to testify on Russia probe next week
Washington, United States | AFP | Former FBI director James Comey will testify on June 8 before a congressional panel probing allegations of Russian interference in last year’s US election, the Senate Intelligence Committee said Thursday. Comey was fired by President Donald Trump early last month as the FBI’s own …
Read More »White House shaken as Russia probe pierces Trump’s inner circle
Washington, United States | AFP | The probe into Russia’s role in the US election pierced the innermost circle of the White House Saturday, with reports that Donald Trump’s son-in-law sought a secret communications line with Moscow — the most damning allegation yet from the scandal. With the president …
Read More »Trump son-in-law sought secret line to Moscow: report
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, made a pre-inauguration proposal to the Russian ambassador to set up a secret, bug-proof communications line with the Kremlin, the Washington Post reported Friday evening. Kushner, then and now a close adviser to Trump, went so far as to …
Read More »Philippines’ Duterte heads to Russia in blow to US
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Russia on Monday to meet his hero, seek arms and steer his nation’s foreign policy further away from longtime ally the United States. The five-day trip will cement a dramatic improvement in relations with Russia since Duterte came to …
Read More »Putin congratulates Iran’s Rouhani on re-election
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on his re-election Saturday, calling for deeper ties between Moscow and Tehran. In a telegram to Rouhani, Putin “confirmed the readiness to continue active joint work to further develop the Russian-Iranian cooperation partnership,” the Kremlin …
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