city Moscow: Latest News

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka, India and several other countries abstained from voting on a draft resolution approved by the UN General Assembly that recognised that Russia must be responsible for making reparations to Ukraine.The draft resolution, ‘Furtherance of remedy and reparation for aggression against Ukraine’, introduced by Ukraine, was adopted on Monday (14) in the 193-member UN General Assembly by a recorded vote of 94 in favour, 14 against and 73 abstentions, including by India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.Those voting against the resolution were Belarus, China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Russia and Syria.General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, but they carry political weight.The resolution, co-sponsored by nearly 50 nations, recognised that Russia “must be held to account for any violations of international law in or against Ukraine, including its aggression in violation of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as any violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and that it must bear the legal consequences of all of its internationally wrongful acts, including making reparation for the injury, including any damage, caused by such acts.” In March, 141 members of the General Assembly voted to denounce Russia’s invasion, and 143 in October voted to condemn Moscow’s attempted annexation of parts of Ukraine. India had also abstained on those two votes.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is reassuring allies that the alliance will defend “every inch of NATO territory” as Eastern European member countries are raising concerns about the presence of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group in Belarus.

mercenary uprising demanded his ouster, inspecting troops in Ukraine in a video released Monday aimed at projecting a sense of order after the country’s most serious political crisis in decades.But uncertainty still swirled about his fate, that of rebellion leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and his private army, the impact on the war in Ukraine and even the political future of President Vladimir Putin.A feud between Wagner Group leader Prigozhin and Russia's military brass that has festered throughout the war erupted into a mutiny that saw the mercenaries leave Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city and march seemingly unopposed on Moscow, before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.The Kremlin said it had made a deal that Prigozhin will move to Belarus and receive an amnesty, along with his soldiers. Yet on Monday, Russian media reported that a criminal probe against him continued, and his whereabouts were unknown.The video of Shoigu — the first of him shown since the uprising that demanded his ouster — came as Russian media speculated that he and other top military leaders have lost Putin’s confidence and could be replaced.Shoigu was shown in the Defense Ministry video in a helicopter and then meeting with officers at a military headquarters in Ukraine.

Russian troops deployed to protect the capital withdrew Sunday after mercenary forces beat a retreat. But the short-lived revolt could have long-term consequences for President Vladimir Putin’s two-decade hold on power and his war in Ukraine.

led his troops out of Ukraine and into a key southern city.Putin denounced the uprising as "a stab in the back." It was the biggest threat to his leadership in over two decades in power.The private army led by Prigozhin appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow that runs Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said.As the fast-moving events unfolded in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is suffering "full-scale weakness" and that Kyiv was protecting Europe from "the spread of Russian evil and chaos."In his address, Putin called the actions by Prigozhin, whom he did not mention by name, a "betrayal" and "treason.""All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment," Putin said. "The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders."Prigozhin said his fighters would not surrender, as "we do not want the country to live on in corruption, deceit and bureaucracy.""Regarding the betrayal of the motherland, the president was deeply mistaken.

Canada said it is seizing a Russian-registered cargo aircraft, Moscow is warning that ties between the two countries are “already on the verge of being severed.”And the seizure would have “serious repercussions” for Canada-Russian relations, the Kremlin said.The Antonov 124 plane will be the first Russian physical asset captured by Canada under its asset forfeit law and second under the federal government’s sanctions regime. It comes more than a year after the plane first landed in the country at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.Ottawa announced the planned seizure of the aircraft on Saturday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a surprise visit to Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ukraine war entered a new phase over the weekend.After more than 15 months, the Canadian government ordered the seizure on Saturday of the Russian-registered cargo aircraft as a direct response to Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour that began in February 2022.This is the first physical asset of Russia that will be captured by Ottawa under the asset forfeit law and the second under Canada’s overall sanctions regime.Here is a look back at the developments, and at what happens next.The Antonov 124 aircraft landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Feb.

The identification and business card of former FBI agent Robert Hanssen are seen inside a display case at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, May 12, 2009. Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison without parole for spying for the Soviet Union and Robert Hanssen, the former FBI agent who was serving a life sentence for being a Soviet and Russian spy, was found dead in his prison cell Monday. Hanssen, 79, was found unresponsive at the Federal Correctional Complex in Florence, Colorado, around 6:55 a.m.

A view of Dubai downtown in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on November 21, 2022. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Who says you cannot reach for the moon? A proposed $5 billion real estate project wants to take skyscraper-studded Dubai to new heights — by bringing a symbol of the heavens down to Earth.Canadian entrepreneur Michael Henderson envisions building a 274-meter (900-foot) replica of the moon atop a 30-meter (100-foot) building in Dubai, already home to the world's tallest building and other architectural wonders.Henderson's project, dubbed MOON, may sound out of this world, but it could easily fit in this futuristic city-state. Dubai already has a red-hot real estate market, fueled by the wealthy who fled restrictions imposed in their home countries during the coronavirus pandemic and Russians seeking refuge amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine.And even though a previous booms-and-bust cycle saw many grand projects collapse, Henderson and others suggest his vision, funded by Moon World Resorts Inc., where he is the co-founder, might not be that far-fetched."We have the biggest ‘brand’ in the world," Henderson told The Associated Press, alluding that the moon itself — the heavenly body — was his brand.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, on Thursday accused regular Russian army units of pulling back 570 meters north of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, leaving his own fighters’ flanks exposed.

FILE - US President Joe Biden (L) and Fumio Kishida, Japans prime minister, shake hands prior to a bilateral meeting ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit on May 18, 2023 in Hiroshima, Japan. The G7 summit will be held in Hiroshima from 19- HIROSHIMA, Japan - World leaders landed Thursday for a Group of Seven meeting in Hiroshima, the site of the world’s first atomic bomb attack, with Russia’s war in Ukraine expected to be high on the agenda.Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicked off his summit diplomacy by meeting with U.S.

Canada’s financial intelligence agency is warning that Russians subject to economic sanctions due to Moscow’s attack on Ukraine could try to evade them using shell companies, cryptocurrency and real-estate transactions.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told her supporters on Monday to be ready to grab any chance to turn her country into a democracy as speculation about the health of veteran President Alexander Lukashenko swirled.Shortly after her message to supporters via Twitter, a Belarusian state news channel released a photo of Lukashenko, 68, at what it said was a military command center in what would be his first public appearance in almost a week.State TV later broadcast a clip of Lukashenko at what it said was a central air force command base. It showed him sitting in a chair talking to officers.

FILE - A photograph taken on May 30, 2018, of the Kremlin in Moscow. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)WASHINGTON - The Justice Department said Tuesday that it had disrupted a long-running Russian cyberespionage campaign that stole sensitive information from computer networks in dozens of countries, including the U.S.

A massive fire erupted at an oil depot in Crimea after it was hit by two of Ukraine’s drones, a Russia-appointed official there reported Saturday, the latest in a series of attacks on the annexed peninsula as Russia braces for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Russian President Putin suffered 'severe pain' in his head recently. He also experienced a partial loss of sensation in his right arm and leg'. Subsequently, a 'council of doctors' performed first aid, and ordered Putin to take medication and rest for several days.

NEW YORK - Saying she is ready to share the "unfathomable" experience of being arrested and incarcerated in Russia, basketball star Brittney Griner is working on a memoir that is scheduled for spring 2024.Griner was arrested last year at the airport in Moscow on drug-related charges and detained for nearly 10 months, much of that time in prison. Her plight unfolded at the same time Russia invaded Ukraine and further heightened tensions between Russia and the U.S., ending only after she was freed in exchange for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.A WNBA All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner had flown to Moscow in February 2022 to rejoin UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian women’s team she has played for in the off-season since 2014."That day (in February) was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share," Griner said in a statement released Tuesday by Alfred A.

MOSCOW - A volcano erupted early Tuesday on Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, spewing clouds of dust 20 kilometers (65,600 feet) into the sky and covering broad areas with ash.The ash cloud from the eruption of Shiveluch, one of Kamchatka's most active volcanoes, extended over 500 kilometers (more than 300 miles) northwest and engulfed several villages in grey volcanic dust.Officials closed the skies over the area to aircraft. Local authorities advised residents to stay indoors and shut schools in several affected communities.

Global food priecs may have eased following the UN’s Black Sea Grain Initiative, but they continue to rule above the levels seen before the Russia-Ukraine war and the covid outbreak, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a recent report. This assume significance for India as it is witnessing a sharp surge in food prices, including those of milk. Inflation in the food basket in February was at 5.95%, up from 5.94% in January.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A U.S. review led by the National Security Council of the chaotic 2021 withdrawal of U.S.

Russia’s security service arrested an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal on espionage charges, the first time a U.S. correspondent has been detained on spying accusations since the Cold War.

Russia has struck a deal with neighboring Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory but will not violate non-proliferation agreements, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.

FILE IMAGE - Chinas President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders summit in Samarkand on Sept. 15, 2022.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the Black Sea peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine on Saturday, the day after the International Criminal Court’ issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader accusing him of war crimes.Putin visited an art school and a children’s center, locations that appeared to have been chosen in response to the court's action on Friday.The court specifically accused him Friday of bearing personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion of the neighboring country that started almost 13 months ago.Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world denounced as illegal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has demanded that Russia withdraw from the peninsula as well as the areas it has occupied since last year.Putin has shown no intention of relinquishing the Kremlin’s gains.

International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.The ICC said in a statement on Friday that Putin is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of children, and that of unlawful transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia since Feb. 24, 2022 – the day Putin ordered a wide-scale invasion in the neighbouring country.The ICC cited the charges under articles in the Rome Statute of the ICC.

FILE-Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose during their meeting in Beijing, on February 4, 2022. (ALEXEI DRUZHININ/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images) BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday, in an apparent show of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin amid sharpening East-West tensions over the war in Ukraine.Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine is expected to dominate Putin and Xi's discussions.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security is warning about a significant vulnerability impacting Microsoft email users that allows threat actors to steal victims’ identities.

KYIV, Ukraine - A Russian fighter jet on Tuesday struck the propeller of a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea, causing American forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle in international waters, the U.S.

The United States’ list of recently sanctioned entities for alleged support for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine includes two Canadian companies, U.S. and Canadian authorities said on Monday.

Russia’s Wagner mercenary force has said his troops now tightening their grip on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut are being deprived of ammunition and that, if they are forced to retreat, the entire front will collapse.Yevgeny Prigozhin had said on Friday that his units had “practically surrounded Bakhmut,” where fighting has intensified in the past week after months of attritional warfare, with Russian forces attacking from three sides. Read more: Battle for Bakhmut rages on as Russian shelling elsewhere kills civilians  Wagner often appears to operate autonomously from the regular army, or even in competition with it – and in a video published over the weekend, Prigozhin complained that the ammunition that Moscow had promised it had not been delivered.“If Wagner retreats from Bakhmut now, the whole front will collapse,” Prigozhin said.

Bakhmut, as residents attempted to flee with help from troops who Western analysts say may be preparing to withdraw from the key eastern stronghold. Read more: Canada’s defence chief makes first trip to Ukraine since Russian invasion A woman was killed and two men were badly wounded by shelling while trying to cross a makeshift bridge out of the city in Donetsk province, according to Ukrainian troops who were assisting them.A Ukrainian army representative who asked not to be named for operational reasons told The Associated Press that it was now too dangerous for civilians to leave Bakhmut by vehicle and that people had to flee on foot instead.Bakhmut has for months been a prime target of Moscow’s grinding eastern offensive in the war, with Russian troops, including forces from the private Wagner Group, inching ever closer.An AP team near Bakhmut on Saturday saw a pontoon bridge set up by Ukrainian soldiers to help the few remaining residents reach the nearby village of Khromove.

A Russian virologist who one of the scientist who helped develop Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine was found dead in his Moscow apartment, the Russian Media has reported.  It was found that he was strangled to death with a belt in his Moscow apartment and a murder investigation launched on this.    Andrey Botikov, 48, was one of the 18 scientist who developed Sputnik V vaccine at the Gamaleya National Research Center.  According to some local media reports, a intruder had broke into his home and started asking for money. According to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, on March 2, 2023, in an apartment building located on Rogova Street in Moscow, a 29-year-old young man, during an argument, strangled the 47-year-old owner of the apartment with a belt and fled the scene.

DNA they collected and the contents of his phone, experts say."If any of those kids' DNA or the dog's DNA was either in his apartment or in the car, his goose is cooked," said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "There's no way you're going to explain that away."Four University of Idaho students — Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, and Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20 — were found stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of Nov.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (top C) walks past Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (lower) during the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on March 2, 2023. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) NEW DELHI - U.S.

Read more: Russian attacks on Ukrainian health workers, hospitals amount to war crimes: report Read next: Part of the Sun breaks free and forms a strange vortex, baffling scientists Samsonenko, who moved to Canada last May after fleeing the war in Ukraine, knew two decades of work experience in the field wouldn’t be relevant in Canada.But he managed to find work in the same industry within a month of arriving in Canada.“I’m glad to be here in Canada (and) do my favourite work,” said Samsonenko, who has been working as an estimator for a British Columbia-based construction company.He said it wasn’t hard finding a job in his preferred industry but it will be a while before he becomes a professional civil engineer in Canada — requiring him to write a series of tests and continue gaining experience.Samsonenko’s situation isn’t unique. People working in immigration say newcomers often struggle to land meaningful jobs that are in line with their qualifications or previous work experience.“It boils down to the lack of Canadian experience (for many employers),” said Darrel Pinto, employment director at Jumpstart Refugee Talent, a refugee-led non-profit organization helping newcomers find relevant jobs.Newcomers often feel they get screened out of opportunities, he said.

Two soldiers patrol the area as the first anniversary of the war between Russia and Ukraine nears in Irpin, Ukraine on February 22, 2023. (Ignacio Marin Fernandez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) TAIPEI, Taiwan - One year into Russia's war against Ukraine, China is offering a 12-point proposal to end the fighting.The proposal follows China's recent announcement that it is trying to act as mediator in the war that has re-energized Western alliances viewed by Beijing and Moscow as rivals.

Russian officials and state media downplayed President Joe Biden’s surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday, painting Kyiv as a U.S. puppet and maintaining Moscow’s forces will prevail despite Washington’s pledges to send more weapons to Ukraine.

President Joe Biden’s motorcade slipped out of the White House around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. No big, flashy Air Force One for this trip -– the president vanished into the darkness on an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 normally used for domestic trips to smaller airports.The next time he turned up — 20 hours later — it was in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine.Biden’s surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday was the first time in modern history that a U.S.

China is “deeply worried” about the escalation of the Ukraine conflict and the possibility of the situation spiraling out of control, China’s foreign minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday.

Russia‘s ambassador in Ottawa says Canada is a “very dangerous country” for Russians to visit. Read more: Canada slaps new sanctions on Russia targeting ‘disinformation actors’ Read next: Part of the Sun breaks free and forms a strange vortex, baffling scientists Oleg Stepanov says Canada keeps sanctioning people and claimed that Russians are regularly experiencing racism.In a Russian-language interview last Friday, Stepanov said, “I would not recommend (visiting Canada) for tourism, education or business.”However, he added that most Canadians treat Russians well, and Moscow’s travel advisory for Canada only warns of street gangs and a “rather harsh climate.”Stepanov says relations between Ottawa and Moscow are in a deep freeze and claimed that Russia has been unable to open a consulate in Vancouver.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka is planning to attract over 5,000 Russian visitors a month, said Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation, Prof. Janita A.

MOSCOW - Brittney Griner spent her 32nd birthday in a Russian prison, awaiting an appeal to her nine-year sentence for drug possession that’s set for next week.The WNBA star has been especially down lately, according to her lawyers. They were with her for part of her birthday on Oct. 18.Maria Blagovolina, a partner at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin, said it wasn’t much of a celebration, but that Griner’s attorneys passed along well wishes from family and friends."She did smile, it was really good to see her smiling," Blagovolina wrote in an email to The Associated Press.Griner later released a statement through her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas."Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me home.

MOSCOW - Basketball star Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on drug possession charges, is growing increasingly nervous about the prospects of being released, her lawyer said.Griner was in Russia to compete during the WNBA offseason when Russian authorities said she had vape canisters with cannabis oil inside her luggage while traveling through an airport in Moscow in February.The Biden administration reportedly talked about a potential prisoner swap to free her and another American held in a Russian jail, Paul Whelan. But Griner's lawyer, Alexandr D.

nuclear weapons — but should he pull the trigger, his own military might not obey him, according to a  former U.S. ambassador to NATO.That’s because the Russian forces likely know what consequences await them if they do, Kurt Volker told The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson in an interview, airing Sunday.“He’s been told very clearly by the United States, by NATO, that any use of nuclear weapons — any use — would be met with a devastating response.

Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow was open to talks with the West on the Ukraine war but had yet to receive any serious proposal to negotiate.In an interview on state TV, Lavrov said Russia was willing to engage with the United States or with Turkey on ways to end the war, now in its eight month.His emphasis on Russia’s receptiveness to talks came after a series of stinging defeats since the start of September that have swung the momentum of the conflict in favour of Ukraine. Trudeau ‘appalled’ by Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian civilians, vows accountability Lavrov said officials including White House national security spokesman John Kirby had said the United States was open to talks but that Russia had refused.“This is a lie,” Lavrov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called the attack that damaged the huge bridge connecting Russia to its annexed territory of Crimea "a terrorist act" masterminded by Ukrainian special services.The Kerch Bridge, which holds important strategic and symbolic value to Russia in its faltering war in Ukraine, was hit a day earlier by what Moscow has said was a truck bomb. Road and rail traffic on the bridge were temporarily halted, damaging a vital supply route for the Kremlin’s forces."There’s no doubt it was a terrorist act directed at the destruction of critically important civilian infrastructure of the Russian Federation," Putin said during a meeting with the chairman of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Russian 'Aeroflot' airline will resume flights to Sri Lanka after five months.Accordingly, the airline will operate flights to Sri Lanka for two days every week in the future.Flights between Sri Lanka and Moscow have remained suspended since last June in protest against the measures taken by Sri Lankan authorities to ground an aircraft belonging to the Russian airline in accordance with a Court order.On June 2nd, the Colombo Commercial High Court issued an injunction order preventing an aircraft belonging to the Russian 'Aeroflot' airline from leaving Sri Lanka.The order was issued after taking up a complaint filed by the company Celestial Aviation Trading Limited located in Ireland.Russian authorities then expressed their displeasure regarding the detention of the flight by the Sri Lankan authorities, after which the order was lifted, and the Minister of Transport, Bandula Gunawardena apologized to Russian authorities.

as suspicions of sabotage remain high.In what could have been the largest methane leak in history, four sites along the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipeline have been examined by Danish and Swedish authorities after first being discovered last week in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark."There have been detonations near Nord Stream 1 and 2, within the Swedish economic zone, resulting in extensive damage to the gas pipelines," Swedish security police said in a statement reported by Reuters. The area is no longer being cordoned off and the leaks have stopped, but authorities have said the investigation remains ongoing as some material needs additional analysis."The continued investigation will show whether anyone can be suspected of, and later prosecuted for, this crime," the statement continued. Both Moscow and Western nations have pointed fingers at one another over what some have described as intentional "sabotage."Nations like the U.K. and the Netherlands have responded to the leaks by increasing their maritime security presence in the North Sea "to reassure those working near the gas pipelines," the U.K.