The Watergate scandal pales in comparison to events in Washington surrounding US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and alleged links between his campaign and Russia, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Wednesday.

Clapper questioned Trump&#39;s continued pro-Russian stance, saying his sharing of intelligence with Russia &quot;reflect either ignorance or disrespect, and either is very problematic&quot;.

&quot;I think if you compare the two that Watergate pales, really, in my view, compared to what we&#39;re confronting now,&quot; Clapper told reporters in Canberra, Australia&#39;s capital.

The break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington in 1972, and subsequent cover-up, brought down former Republican US&nbsp;President Richard Nixon in 1974.

Clapper&rsquo;s appearance in Canberra comes before highly anticipated testimony by sacked FBI director James Comey before the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday.

The committee is examining whether Trump&rsquo;s campaign colluded with Russian officials to interfere in the US&nbsp;presidential election.

Trump in May removed Comey as director of FBI, despite a US&nbsp;Justice Department probe into contacts between presidential aides and Russia, raising the spectre of political interference in the investigation.

Trump has called the probe a &quot;witch hunt&quot; and said there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia.

Clapper said it was &quot;inexplicable&quot; that Trump continued his pro-Russia stance despite evidence Moscow sought to interfere in the 2016 US&nbsp;presidential election.

&quot;His subsequent actions, sharing sensitive intelligence with the Russians and compromising its source, reflect either ignorance or disrespect and either is very problematic,&quot; said Clapper.

Trump disclosed highly classified information about a planned Islamic State operation to Russia&#39;s foreign minister in an Oval Office meeting in May, two US&nbsp;officials have said.

(Reuters)

'I think if you compare the two that Watergate pales, really, in my view, compared to what we're confronting now'

The Watergate scandal pales in comparison to events in Washington surrounding US President Donald Trump and alleged links between his campaign and Russia, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Wednesday. Clapper questioned Trump's continued pro-Russian stance, saying his sharing of intelligence with Russia "reflect either ignorance or disrespect, and either is very problematic". "I think if you compare the two that Watergate pales, really, in my view, compared to what we're confronting now," Clapper told reporters in Canberra, Australia's capital. The break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington in 1972, and subsequent cover-up, brought down former Republican US President Richard Nixon in 1974. Clapper’s appearance in Canberra comes before highly anticipated testimony by sacked FBI director James Comey before the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday. The committee is examining whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russian officials to interfere in the US presidential election. Trump in May removed Comey as director of FBI, despite a US Justice Department probe into contacts between presidential aides and Russia, raising the spectre of political interference in the investigation. Trump has called the probe a "witch hunt" and said there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia. Clapper said it was "inexplicable" that Trump continued his pro-Russia stance despite evidence Moscow sought to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election. "His subsequent actions, sharing sensitive intelligence with the Russians and compromising its source, reflect either ignorance or disrespect and either is very problematic," said Clapper. Trump disclosed highly classified information about a planned Islamic State operation to Russia's foreign minister in an Oval Office meeting in May, two US officials have said. (Reuters)

Watergate 'pales' compared with Trump-Russia: Former US intelligence head

A White House in crisis scrambled to allay public concern over reports that Donald Trump&#39;s son-in-law sought a secret communications link to Russia -- a bombshell allegation the US president swatted down as &quot;fabricated.&quot;

After returning late Saturday from his first foreign trip as president, Trump geared up to combat concerns over his advisers&#39; ties to Russia, including explosive reports about Jared Kushner, his indispensable aide-de-camp.

Trump met&nbsp;with attorneys at the White House on Sunday, presumably over the latest development in the long-running Russia intelligence saga, news reports said.

US media said the White House is creating a new rapid-fire communications unit to respond to the controversy, led by Kushner, senior presidential adviser Steve Bannon and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

Trump, who had been uncharacteristically quiet on Twitter during his nine-day trip abroad, resumed his favorite pastime with fury on Sunday, dismissing allegations of Russia ties as &quot;fake news&quot; and &quot;fabricated lies.&quot;

&quot;It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media,&quot; he wrote.

&quot;Whenever you see the words &#39;sources say&#39; in the fake news media, and they don&#39;t mention names it is very possible that those sources don&#39;t exsist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy!&quot; the US leader wrote, spelling errors and all.

In yet another tweet, amid criticism of his frequent Twitter rants, Trump wrote: &quot;the Fake News Media works hard at disparaging &amp; demeaning my use of social media because they don&#39;t want America to hear the real story!&quot;

No respite

The administration had hoped Trump&#39;s nine-day turn in the international spotlight would offer a respite from relentless coverage -- marked by an endless barrage of explosive revelations -- of an ever-widening probe into Russian meddling in last year&#39;s election and possible collusion by the Trump campaign.

However, the eve of his return brought the biggest story to date: A Washington Post report about Kushner&#39;s alleged proposal to the Russians to create a secret channel out of the reach of US spymasters.

The talks between Kushner and the Russians, if confirmed, would raise new questions about the Trump team&#39;s relationship with Moscow, which US intelligence agencies say tried to sway the November election in Trump&#39;s favor.

Meanwhile, a parade of senior administration officials tried to downplay the story, saying it was not all that unusual to establish &quot;back-channel&quot; ties with a foreign government.

Trump&#39;s National Security Advisor H R&nbsp;McMaster refused to talk about the allegations, but said that generally speaking, &quot;we have back-channel communication with a number of countries... I would not be concerned about it.&quot;

His comments were echoed by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

&quot;It&#39;s both normal in my opinion and acceptable,&quot; he told ABC News on Sunday.

&quot;Any way that you can communicate with people, particularly organizations that are maybe not particularly friendly to us, is a good thing and, again, it comes back to whatever the communication is, comes back into the government and shared across the government; so, it&#39;s not a bad thing to have multiple communication lines to any government,&quot; he said.

But the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which is investigating the Russian election meddling, was dubious about those assertions.

&quot;You have to ask, well, who are they hiding the conversations from?&quot; Representative Adam Schiff said in an interview with ABC News.

He added: &quot;Ultimately we&#39;re going to want Mr Kushner to come before the committee and I fully expect that to happen.&quot;

Kushner under fire&nbsp;

Kushner made his secret communications proposal on December 1 or 2 at Trump Tower in New York, according to intercepts of Russian communications reviewed by US officials, the Post reported late Friday.

Michael Flynn, who was Trump&#39;s national security adviser for just 24 days before being fired amid questions about meetings he held with the Russian ambassador, was also present, the newspaper reported.

Kushner boasts an enormous portfolio of domestic and international responsibilities, underscoring his importance as Trump&#39;s chief adviser despite having no experience in politics before the 2016 White House race.

He is the only person currently in the White House known to be under investigation.&nbsp;

Some critics have called for Kushner&#39;s security clearance to be revoked, others say he should temporarily step aside while his ties to Moscow are being reviewed.

The wider investigation into Russia&#39;s alleged election meddling is being led by Robert Mueller, a respected former FBI director who was given broad powers to pursue the case as a special counsel.

The Senate and House Intelligence committees are also leading their own investigations, but not with an eye to bringing criminal charges.

Meanwhile, some top Republicans cast doubts on the Post&#39;s reporting, suggesting the whole episode may be a Russian ruse to throw America&#39;s political system into a tailspin.

&quot;We&#39;re chasing our tails as a nation when it comes to the Russians,&quot; Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN.

&quot;I don&#39;t trust this story as far as I can throw it,&quot; he said. &quot;The whole story line is suspicious.&quot;

(AFP)

&nbsp;

Trump dismissed allegations of Russia ties as 'fake news' and "fabricated lies'

A White House in crisis scrambled to allay public concern over reports that Donald Trump's son-in-law sought a secret communications link to Russia -- a bombshell allegation the US president swatted down as "fabricated." After returning late Saturday from his first foreign trip as president, Trump geared up to combat concerns over his advisers' ties to Russia, including explosive reports about Jared Kushner, his indispensable aide-de-camp. Trump met with attorneys at the White House on Sunday, presumably over the latest development in the long-running Russia intelligence saga, news reports said. US media said the White House is creating a new rapid-fire communications unit to respond to the controversy, led by Kushner, senior presidential adviser Steve Bannon and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. Trump, who had been uncharacteristically quiet on Twitter during his nine-day trip abroad, resumed his favorite pastime with fury on Sunday, dismissing allegations of Russia ties as "fake news" and "fabricated lies." "It is my opinion that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are fabricated lies made up by the #FakeNews media," he wrote. "Whenever you see the words 'sources say' in the fake news media, and they don't mention names it is very possible that those sources don't exsist but are made up by fake news writers. #FakeNews is the enemy!" the US leader wrote, spelling errors and all. In yet another tweet, amid criticism of his frequent Twitter rants, Trump wrote: "the Fake News Media works hard at disparaging & demeaning my use of social media because they don't want America to hear the real story!" No respite The administration had hoped Trump's nine-day turn in the international spotlight would offer a respite from relentless coverage -- marked by an endless barrage of explosive revelations -- of an ever-widening probe into Russian meddling in last year's election and possible collusion by the Trump campaign. However, the eve of his return brought the biggest story to date: A Washington Post report about Kushner's alleged proposal to the Russians to create a secret channel out of the reach of US spymasters. The talks between Kushner and the Russians, if confirmed, would raise new questions about the Trump team's relationship with Moscow, which US intelligence agencies say tried to sway the November election in Trump's favor. Meanwhile, a parade of senior administration officials tried to downplay the story, saying it was not all that unusual to establish "back-channel" ties with a foreign government. Trump's National Security Advisor H R McMaster refused to talk about the allegations, but said that generally speaking, "we have back-channel communication with a number of countries... I would not be concerned about it." His comments were echoed by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. "It's both normal in my opinion and acceptable," he told ABC News on Sunday. "Any way that you can communicate with people, particularly organizations that are maybe not particularly friendly to us, is a good thing and, again, it comes back to whatever the communication is, comes back into the government and shared across the government; so, it's not a bad thing to have multiple communication lines to any government," he said. But the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which is investigating the Russian election meddling, was dubious about those assertions. "You have to ask, well, who are they hiding the conversations from?" Representative Adam Schiff said in an interview with ABC News. He added: "Ultimately we're going to want Mr Kushner to come before the committee and I fully expect that to happen." Kushner under fire Kushner made his secret communications proposal on December 1 or 2 at Trump Tower in New York, according to intercepts of Russian communications reviewed by US officials, the Post reported late Friday. Michael Flynn, who was Trump's national security adviser for just 24 days before being fired amid questions about meetings he held with the Russian ambassador, was also present, the newspaper reported. Kushner boasts an enormous portfolio of domestic and international responsibilities, underscoring his importance as Trump's chief adviser despite having no experience in politics before the 2016 White House race. He is the only person currently in the White House known to be under investigation. Some critics have called for Kushner's security clearance to be revoked, others say he should temporarily step aside while his ties to Moscow are being reviewed. The wider investigation into Russia's alleged election meddling is being led by Robert Mueller, a respected former FBI director who was given broad powers to pursue the case as a special counsel. The Senate and House Intelligence committees are also leading their own investigations, but not with an eye to bringing criminal charges. Meanwhile, some top Republicans cast doubts on the Post's reporting, suggesting the whole episode may be a Russian ruse to throw America's political system into a tailspin. "We're chasing our tails as a nation when it comes to the Russians," Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN. "I don't trust this story as far as I can throw it," he said. "The whole story line is suspicious." (AFP)

Trump says report of Jared Kushner's outreach to Russia 'fabricated'

Levels of trust between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated since US&nbsp;President Donald Trump took office, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Asked about relations since Trump became president, Putin said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the Kremlin: &quot;One could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved, but rather has deteriorated.&quot;

Asked about accusations that Syria&#39;s government launched a chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, Putin said that Damascus had given up its chemical weapons stocks, Reuters reports.

He said he believed there were two main explanations for the incident in Idlib province: that Syrian government air strikes had hit rebel chemical weapons stocks, releasing poisonous gas, or that the incident was a set-up designed to discredit the Syrian government.

&nbsp;

Downplaying Russia-US connection?

Putin&#39;s claim that Moscow&#39;s relations have worsened since Trump has taken office comes as the FBI is investigating Russian interference in the US election designed to benefit Trump, and whether or not anyone in the Trump campaign actively worked with Russian agents.

It also comes a day after Eric Trump, the US President&#39;s son, also distanced Washington from Moscow.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph published yesterday, referring to America&#39;s strike last week against a Syrian airbase on April 4,&nbsp;US President Donald Trump&#39;s son Eric Trump asserted:&nbsp;&quot;If there was anything that Syria did, it was to validate the fact that there is no Russia tie.&quot;

Yesterday, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/fbi-obtained-court-order-to-monitor-ex-trump-adviser-in-russia-probe-washington-post-14431" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>&nbsp;reported that last summer&nbsp;the FBI convinced a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge that there was probably cause to believe that former Trump&nbsp;adviser Carter Page, who worked with the campaign during the 2016 federal election, was a Russian agent.

Just over two weeks ago it was reported that Trump&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner, himself a top White House adviser, met with Russian bank officials officially under Western&nbsp;sanctions.&nbsp;

Days ago it was reported that he failed to disclose dozens of such meetings&nbsp;on US security clearance forms. Failure to make such a&nbsp;disclosure&nbsp;could be a felony.

<a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/327753-kushner-didnt-disclose-meetings-with-russians-on-security-clearance" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reports that Kushners laws claim the omissions were an error, and that top White House aide&#39;s notified the FBI the following day with additional information. More, his aides claim&nbsp;he is only using a temporary security clearance now.

Trump&#39;s pick for National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had to resign after it came to light that he misled the administration about his concversation with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.

Trump&#39;s pick for Attorney General Jeff Sessions&nbsp;recused himself from the investigation into Trump-Russia after it emerged that he also lied under oath about meeting Ambassador Kislyak.

(WION)

The claim comes just after Trump's son also distanced Washington from Moscow, amid an FBI investigation into the connection between the two

Levels of trust between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated since US President Donald Trump took office, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Reuters reports. Asked about relations since Trump became president, Putin said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the Kremlin: "One could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved, but rather has deteriorated." Asked about accusations that Syria's government launched a chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, Putin said that Damascus had given up its chemical weapons stocks, Reuters reports. He said he believed there were two main explanations for the incident in Idlib province: that Syrian government air strikes had hit rebel chemical weapons stocks, releasing poisonous gas, or that the incident was a set-up designed to discredit the Syrian government. Downplaying Russia-US connection? Putin's claim that Moscow's relations have worsened since Trump has taken office comes as the FBI is investigating Russian interference in the US election designed to benefit Trump, and whether or not anyone in the Trump campaign actively worked with Russian agents. It also comes a day after Eric Trump, the US President's son, also distanced Washington from Moscow. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph published yesterday, referring to America's strike last week against a Syrian airbase on April 4, US President Donald Trump's son Eric Trump asserted: "If there was anything that Syria did, it was to validate the fact that there is no Russia tie." Yesterday, The Washington Post reported that last summer the FBI convinced a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge that there was probably cause to believe that former Trump adviser Carter Page, who worked with the campaign during the 2016 federal election, was a Russian agent. Just over two weeks ago it was reported that Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, himself a top White House adviser, met with Russian bank officials officially under Western sanctions. Days ago it was reported that he failed to disclose dozens of such meetings on US security clearance forms. Failure to make such a disclosure could be a felony. The Hill reports that Kushners laws claim the omissions were an error, and that top White House aide's notified the FBI the following day with additional information. More, his aides claim he is only using a temporary security clearance now. Trump's pick for National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had to resign after it came to light that he misled the administration about his concversation with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. Trump's pick for Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the investigation into Trump-Russia after it emerged that he also lied under oath about meeting Ambassador Kislyak. (WION)

Putin says US-Russia ties worse since Trump took office

Two years have passed since the signing of a deal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine but the bloody conflict has rumbled on, at the cost of another 5,000 lives.

The Minsk II accord saw Kremlin-backed rebels agree with Kiev and Moscow on a halt to the fighting and outlined a complex roadmap for securing peace.

It was hammered out by the presidents of Ukraine and Russia with the help of their French and German counterparts and signed on February 11 two years ago.

The deal was inked during a period of intense combat and rising fears of an open war between the two neighbours. Kiev was accusing the Kremlin of covertly sending in thousands of troops -- putting huge pressure on Moscow&#39;s ties with the West.

What Minsk II did was rein in worries of a broader war. But it never eliminated the violence and deep mistrust blocking progress toward a political solution.&nbsp;

Today&#39;s death toll stands at more than 10,000 and swathes of Ukraine&#39;s coal-and-steel-producing east are still controlled by the self-proclaimed &quot;people&#39;s republics&quot; of Lugansk and Donetsk.&nbsp;

And damaging Western sanctions against Moscow remain in place.

So where did Minsk II go wrong?&nbsp;

&quot;It is everyone&#39;s fault and there is no political will,&quot; one Western diplomat in Kiev told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The West is convinced that Russia sparked the conflict and is continuing to stoke it.

But it also believes Kiev must now share the burden over its refusal to handsome autonomy to the rebel fiefdoms in line with the terms of the deal.&nbsp;

13-point plan

Minsk II followed on from the collapse of a September 2014 agreement that triggered some of the heaviest fighting of the entire war.

The deal emerged from 18 hours of talks between Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine&#39;s Petro Poroshenko. Their French and German counterparts acted as mediators between the two sworn foes.

But the real meat of Minsk II was a separate 13-point plan that called for an &quot;immediate and comprehensive ceasefire&quot; and the quick withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front.

It granted Kiev control over all of its border with Russia on condition that Ukraine change its constitution to grant the separatist regions near Russia &quot;special status&quot; and &quot;interim local self-government&quot; by the end of 2015.

But none of these conditions was met and the agreements have been repeatedly extended as international powers cling on to them as the only hope of ending the 33-month war.

One key factor is the refusal of the dominant nationalist and populist forces in Ukraine&#39;s parliament to grant extra powers to the rebels for fear they would hand the regions over to Russia.

The insurgents themselves have never held OSCE-monitored elections under Ukrainian law, &nbsp;as stipulated in the deal, and instead pushed ahead with their own local council votes that infuriated Kiev.

And the Russian-Ukrainian border remains open wide enough for the Kremlin to send in tanks and other weapons to assist the separatists.

Frozen conflict

The deal has succeeded in limiting the scope of clashes to specific hotspots. Flare-ups like this month&#39;s battle in Avdiivka that killed dozens are increasingly rare.

What Ukraine fears most is that the war will turn into a &quot;frozen conflict&quot;, like the situation in two Georgian regions seized by Russia and declared independent in 2008.&nbsp;

Georgia still considers them its own territory and had previously vowed to win them back through a new military offensive.&nbsp;

Kiev is also concerned that Western sanctions may be eased with the arrival of Donald Trump.

The new White House chief has taken a more conciliatory tone toward Moscow and Ukraine fears that this may result in US concessions over its future.

It is also frustrated that Western powers, fearful of inciting Putin, have refused to provide Ukrainian troops with the modern weaponry that could make Moscow&#39;s intervention more costly.

The past two years have seen every truce collapse and have left Poroshenko at a loss about what to do.

For now, all eyes are on Washington.

&quot;I think that inside the US administration, they are still looking for their Russian strategy,&quot; German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on February 4.

&quot;We all hope that (possible deals) between Russia and the US will not be made at the expense of Ukraine or Europe, and will lead to a detente between both global powers,&quot; he said.

(AFP)

The past two years have seen every truce collapse and have left Poroshenko at a loss about what to do

Two years have passed since the signing of a deal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine but the bloody conflict has rumbled on, at the cost of another 5,000 lives. The Minsk II accord saw Kremlin-backed rebels agree with Kiev and Moscow on a halt to the fighting and outlined a complex roadmap for securing peace. It was hammered out by the presidents of Ukraine and Russia with the help of their French and German counterparts and signed on February 11 two years ago. The deal was inked during a period of intense combat and rising fears of an open war between the two neighbours. Kiev was accusing the Kremlin of covertly sending in thousands of troops -- putting huge pressure on Moscow's ties with the West. What Minsk II did was rein in worries of a broader war. But it never eliminated the violence and deep mistrust blocking progress toward a political solution. Today's death toll stands at more than 10,000 and swathes of Ukraine's coal-and-steel-producing east are still controlled by the self-proclaimed "people's republics" of Lugansk and Donetsk. And damaging Western sanctions against Moscow remain in place. So where did Minsk II go wrong? "It is everyone's fault and there is no political will," one Western diplomat in Kiev told AFP on condition of anonymity. The West is convinced that Russia sparked the conflict and is continuing to stoke it. But it also believes Kiev must now share the burden over its refusal to handsome autonomy to the rebel fiefdoms in line with the terms of the deal. 13-point plan Minsk II followed on from the collapse of a September 2014 agreement that triggered some of the heaviest fighting of the entire war. The deal emerged from 18 hours of talks between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko. Their French and German counterparts acted as mediators between the two sworn foes. But the real meat of Minsk II was a separate 13-point plan that called for an "immediate and comprehensive ceasefire" and the quick withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front. It granted Kiev control over all of its border with Russia on condition that Ukraine change its constitution to grant the separatist regions near Russia "special status" and "interim local self-government" by the end of 2015. But none of these conditions was met and the agreements have been repeatedly extended as international powers cling on to them as the only hope of ending the 33-month war. One key factor is the refusal of the dominant nationalist and populist forces in Ukraine's parliament to grant extra powers to the rebels for fear they would hand the regions over to Russia. The insurgents themselves have never held OSCE-monitored elections under Ukrainian law, as stipulated in the deal, and instead pushed ahead with their own local council votes that infuriated Kiev. And the Russian-Ukrainian border remains open wide enough for the Kremlin to send in tanks and other weapons to assist the separatists. Frozen conflict The deal has succeeded in limiting the scope of clashes to specific hotspots. Flare-ups like this month's battle in Avdiivka that killed dozens are increasingly rare. What Ukraine fears most is that the war will turn into a "frozen conflict", like the situation in two Georgian regions seized by Russia and declared independent in 2008. Georgia still considers them its own territory and had previously vowed to win them back through a new military offensive. Kiev is also concerned that Western sanctions may be eased with the arrival of Donald Trump. The new White House chief has taken a more conciliatory tone toward Moscow and Ukraine fears that this may result in US concessions over its future. It is also frustrated that Western powers, fearful of inciting Putin, have refused to provide Ukrainian troops with the modern weaponry that could make Moscow's intervention more costly. The past two years have seen every truce collapse and have left Poroshenko at a loss about what to do. For now, all eyes are on Washington. "I think that inside the US administration, they are still looking for their Russian strategy," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on February 4. "We all hope that (possible deals) between Russia and the US will not be made at the expense of Ukraine or Europe, and will lead to a detente between both global powers," he said. (AFP)

Two years on since peace deal, war simmers in Ukraine

BBC&#39;s Washington&nbsp;correspondent Paul Wood has<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38589427#pq=RbIoXb"> published </a>what he knows about the explosive allegation that Russia has compromising personal and financial information over Trump.&nbsp;While the BBC opted not to break the story earlier because they hadn&#39;t seen the alleged recordings themselves, if they do in fact exist,&nbsp;Wood adds more&nbsp;details&nbsp;about the allegations.&nbsp;

Wood describes hearing about the alleged tapes through as many as four sources. It is not clear whether these sources got their information from the same place.&nbsp;The claims here are still allegations.&nbsp;

Wood says &quot;The CIA finds it credible that the Kremlin has such Kompromat--or compromising material--on the next US commander in chief&quot;, and that&nbsp;there is also a joint task force comprising of the CIA and FBI investigating whether Russia sent money to Trump&#39;s election campaign.

Wood saw the report written by&nbsp;the former British intelligence agent, now identified in various world media as&nbsp;Chistopher Steele,&nbsp;alleging&nbsp;that Trump was filmed with a group of prostitutes in the presidential suite of Moscow&#39;s Ritz-Carlton hotel. He states that the BBC decided not to break the story when he was shown the report, which was in the week of the election,&nbsp;because they had not seen the alleged tapes, if such tapes&nbsp;do in fact exist.

The opposition research that prompted Steele&#39;s investigation&nbsp;was initially funded by an anti-Trump super pac (political&nbsp;action committee) during the Republican primaries, but then was funded by an anomyous Democratic Party supporter.

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<h5>He got a message back: there was &quot;more than one tape&quot;, &quot;audio and video&quot;, on &quot;more than one date&quot;, in &quot;more than one place&quot;, and that the material was &quot;of a sexual nature&quot;.</h5>
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While Trump was relentless in his criticism of these reports, likening his&nbsp;situation&nbsp;to&nbsp;Nazi Germany&nbsp;and calling them &quot;sick people [who] put that crap together&quot;, Wood says &quot;these are not political hacks&quot;.

Nobody, not even Trump, disputes that the intelligence briefing describing the above allegations&nbsp;were definitely brought to the attention of President Obama&nbsp;and, indeed, even Donald Trump. But the allegations in the report remain unverified.

Wood points out that both the Washington Post and the New York Times report that the allegations were sufficiently credible to be brought to the attention of the president. On the night&nbsp;the main tape was supposedly made,&nbsp;in 2013, Trump appeared on television in Moscow&nbsp;attending his Miss Universe competition.

Wood does not characterise this as a political hack. He says Christopher Steele&#39;s line of research is &quot;country analysis and commercial risk assessment&quot;, and that Steele&nbsp;&quot;apparently&quot; gave the dossier he collected on Trump to the FBI against the wishes of the firm who employed him.&nbsp;As early as August, Wood was told of this claim&nbsp;by a retired spy, who learned it from&nbsp;the &quot;head of an East European intelligence agency&quot;.&nbsp;

Wood used a go-between to pass questions along to the CIA officers tasked with this file. He got a message back: there was &quot;more than one tape&quot;, &quot;audio and video&quot;, on &quot;more than one date&quot;, in &quot;more than one place&quot;, and that the material was &quot;of a sexual nature&quot;.

Wood says that a Russian specialist says FSB agents are prone to boasting about public figures on which they have tapes. A CIA officer who spoke to Wood said he spoke to an FSB agent, who concluded,&nbsp;&quot;it&#39;s hokey as hell&quot;.

There are&nbsp;still&nbsp;ongoing inter-agency investigations looking into Trump&#39;s connection with Russian money, and it&#39;s not clear what will come of the&nbsp;task force investigating&nbsp;Trump under Trump&#39;s presidency. They may not be allowed to work.

Russia has denied all accusations, and so has Trump. Wood says that Michael Hayden, the former head of both the CIA and NSA, referred to Trump as a &quot;polezni durak&quot;-- a useful fool.

During the election, Clinton called Trump a &quot;puppet&quot; of Russia&#39;s leader Vladimir Putin.

Wood points out that a New York Times opinion&nbsp;piece from the summer written by former CIA director Michael Morrell wrote, &quot;In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr Putin had recruited Mt Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation&quot;.

Wood closed the piece declaring Americans will need to look at all the facts and judge for themselves.

(WION)

The BBC correspondent, who before the election had seen the report alleging Russia had compromising info on Trump, describes what he knows

BBC's Washington correspondent Paul Wood has published what he knows about the explosive allegation that Russia has compromising personal and financial information over Trump. While the BBC opted not to break the story earlier because they hadn't seen the alleged recordings themselves, if they do in fact exist, Wood adds more details about the allegations. Wood describes hearing about the alleged tapes through as many as four sources. It is not clear whether these sources got their information from the same place. The claims here are still allegations. Wood says "The CIA finds it credible that the Kremlin has such Kompromat--or compromising material--on the next US commander in chief", and that there is also a joint task force comprising of the CIA and FBI investigating whether Russia sent money to Trump's election campaign. Wood saw the report written by the former British intelligence agent, now identified in various world media as Chistopher Steele, alleging that Trump was filmed with a group of prostitutes in the presidential suite of Moscow's Ritz-Carlton hotel. He states that the BBC decided not to break the story when he was shown the report, which was in the week of the election, because they had not seen the alleged tapes, if such tapes do in fact exist. The opposition research that prompted Steele's investigation was initially funded by an anti-Trump super pac (political action committee) during the Republican primaries, but then was funded by an anomyous Democratic Party supporter. He got a message back: there was "more than one tape", "audio and video", on "more than one date", in "more than one place", and that the material was "of a sexual nature". × While Trump was relentless in his criticism of these reports, likening his situation to Nazi Germany and calling them "sick people [who] put that crap together", Wood says "these are not political hacks". Nobody, not even Trump, disputes that the intelligence briefing describing the above allegations were definitely brought to the attention of President Obama and, indeed, even Donald Trump. But the allegations in the report remain unverified. Wood points out that both the Washington Post and the New York Times report that the allegations were sufficiently credible to be brought to the attention of the president. On the night the main tape was supposedly made, in 2013, Trump appeared on television in Moscow attending his Miss Universe competition. Wood does not characterise this as a political hack. He says Christopher Steele's line of research is "country analysis and commercial risk assessment", and that Steele "apparently" gave the dossier he collected on Trump to the FBI against the wishes of the firm who employed him. As early as August, Wood was told of this claim by a retired spy, who learned it from the "head of an East European intelligence agency". Wood used a go-between to pass questions along to the CIA officers tasked with this file. He got a message back: there was "more than one tape", "audio and video", on "more than one date", in "more than one place", and that the material was "of a sexual nature". Wood says that a Russian specialist says FSB agents are prone to boasting about public figures on which they have tapes. A CIA officer who spoke to Wood said he spoke to an FSB agent, who concluded, "it's hokey as hell". There are still ongoing inter-agency investigations looking into Trump's connection with Russian money, and it's not clear what will come of the task force investigating Trump under Trump's presidency. They may not be allowed to work. Russia has denied all accusations, and so has Trump. Wood says that Michael Hayden, the former head of both the CIA and NSA, referred to Trump as a "polezni durak"-- a useful fool. During the election, Clinton called Trump a "puppet" of Russia's leader Vladimir Putin. Wood points out that a New York Times opinion piece from the summer written by former CIA director Michael Morrell wrote, "In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr Putin had recruited Mt Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation". Wood closed the piece declaring Americans will need to look at all the facts and judge for themselves. (WION)

Four sources to possible claims of Trump-Russia blackmail: BBC's Paul Wood

Russia has strongly protested with India on cash shortage affecting the working of its Mission after demonetisation, and wants a quick resolution of the issue, failing which it may explore other options including summoning Indian diplomat in Moscow.

In a letter, Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin has raised the issue of diplomats not being able to withdraw enough money hampering the normal functioning of the mission and sought intervention of the external affairs ministry so that the withdrawal restrictions for diplomatic staff are lifted.

&quot;We are awaiting a reply from the MEA and hope that this is resolved quickly. Otherwise, we will be forced to explore other options which may include raising the issue in Moscow with your Embassy by summoning Indian Minister Counsellor,&quot; a senior Russian embassy official said here.

Other options may also include restriction on the cash withdrawals for Indian diplomats posted in Russia, the official indicated.

There are approximately 200 staffers in Russian mission here.

There was no immediate reaction from the Indian side on the complaint.

Earlier, the Dean of Diplomatic Corps had also raised the issue, complaining about the problems faced by the missions. It is also understood that some other countries like Ukraine and Kazakhstan have also protested to the ministry.

These diplomatic missions have urged the Indian government for an immediate redressal of their problems.

After the demonetisation last month, MEA had said it has approached Department of Economic Affairs over three or four types of requests including those related to maintaining sufficient flow of funds to diplomatic missions following the demonetisation and was awaiting a decision from it.

(Agencies)

Diplomatic missions of Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Sudan too have written letters to the Indian government seeking a solution to the issue

Russia has strongly protested with India on cash shortage affecting the working of its Mission after demonetisation, and wants a quick resolution of the issue, failing which it may explore other options including summoning Indian diplomat in Moscow. In a letter, Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin has raised the issue of diplomats not being able to withdraw enough money hampering the normal functioning of the mission and sought intervention of the external affairs ministry so that the withdrawal restrictions for diplomatic staff are lifted. "We are awaiting a reply from the MEA and hope that this is resolved quickly. Otherwise, we will be forced to explore other options which may include raising the issue in Moscow with your Embassy by summoning Indian Minister Counsellor," a senior Russian embassy official said here. Other options may also include restriction on the cash withdrawals for Indian diplomats posted in Russia, the official indicated. There are approximately 200 staffers in Russian mission here. There was no immediate reaction from the Indian side on the complaint. Earlier, the Dean of Diplomatic Corps had also raised the issue, complaining about the problems faced by the missions. It is also understood that some other countries like Ukraine and Kazakhstan have also protested to the ministry. These diplomatic missions have urged the Indian government for an immediate redressal of their problems. After the demonetisation last month, MEA had said it has approached Department of Economic Affairs over three or four types of requests including those related to maintaining sufficient flow of funds to diplomatic missions following the demonetisation and was awaiting a decision from it. (Agencies)

Demonetisation: Russia, Ukraine, 3 other countries protest cash shortage

After Ukraine launched a bid at the United Nations to condemn rights abuses in Crimea by Russian troops, the European Union today added six Russian MPs from Crimea to its sanctions blacklist.&nbsp;

The Union accused the MPs who were recently elected to the Russian Parliament for supporting Moscow&#39;s seizure of the region from Ukraine.&nbsp;

The EU refuses to recognise Moscow&#39;s 2014 annexation of Crimea and said it the &quot;persons who become members of the State Duma as a result of the elections in Crimea are placed under sanctions&quot; as per their policy. &nbsp;

The statement issued by the 28-member Council said, &quot;these sanctions consist of an asset freeze and a travel ban which will now apply to a total of 152 persons and 37 entities.&quot;

Over the last year, the bloc has repeatedly extended sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian individuals and companies said to have aided Russia&#39;s takeover of the Black Sea peninsula.&nbsp;

The leaders will review the effectiveness of the economic sanctions at a summit in December.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

In line with its non-recognition policy, the EU placed six Russian MPs under economic sanctions for backing Moscow's seizure of Crimea

After Ukraine launched a bid at the United Nations to condemn rights abuses in Crimea by Russian troops, the European Union today added six Russian MPs from Crimea to its sanctions blacklist. The Union accused the MPs who were recently elected to the Russian Parliament for supporting Moscow's seizure of the region from Ukraine. The EU refuses to recognise Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and said it the "persons who become members of the State Duma as a result of the elections in Crimea are placed under sanctions" as per their policy. The statement issued by the 28-member Council said, "these sanctions consist of an asset freeze and a travel ban which will now apply to a total of 152 persons and 37 entities." Over the last year, the bloc has repeatedly extended sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian individuals and companies said to have aided Russia's takeover of the Black Sea peninsula. The leaders will review the effectiveness of the economic sanctions at a summit in December. (WION with inputs from agencies)

European Union sanctions six Russian MPs from Crimea

Accepting the United States is probably the world`s sole superpower, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow was ready to work with Washington. 
 
Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, Putin said: &quot;America is a great power.&nbsp;Today, probably, the only superpower. We accept that.&quot; 
 
&quot;We want to and are ready to work with the United States,&quot; Putin added. 
 
Hinting to the US-EU sanctions on Russia in response to its military actions in Ukraine, Putin said: &quot;The world needs such strong nations, like the US. And we need them.&nbsp;But we don`t need them constantly getting mixed up in our affairs, instructing us how to live, preventing Europe from building a relationship with us.&quot; 
 
When asked about presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, Putin called him as a &quot;flamboyant&quot; or &quot;colourful&quot; man. 
 
Putin also spoke about the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, saying he did not work much with her directly when she was the secretary of state. 
 
&quot;She probably has her own view of US-Russian relations,&quot; he said. The Russian President, however, praised her husband and former US president Bill Clinton. 
 
&quot;We had a very nice relationship,&quot; the Guardian quoted Putin as saying.&nbsp; 
(ANI)

Russian President doesn't really know Hillary Clinton but praises Bill

Accepting the United States is probably the world`s sole superpower, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow was ready to work with Washington. Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, Putin said: "America is a great power. Today, probably, the only superpower. We accept that." "We want to and are ready to work with the United States," Putin added. Hinting to the US-EU sanctions on Russia in response to its military actions in Ukraine, Putin said: "The world needs such strong nations, like the US. And we need them. But we don`t need them constantly getting mixed up in our affairs, instructing us how to live, preventing Europe from building a relationship with us." When asked about presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, Putin called him as a "flamboyant" or "colourful" man. Putin also spoke about the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, saying he did not work much with her directly when she was the secretary of state. "She probably has her own view of US-Russian relations," he said. The Russian President, however, praised her husband and former US president Bill Clinton. "We had a very nice relationship," the Guardian quoted Putin as saying. (ANI)

Putin says America 'probably' the only superpower and calls Donald Trump 'flamboyant'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cancelled his planned visit to France next week after escalating tensions between Moscow and the Western nations over Syria. &quot;The president has decided to cancel this visit,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, referring to a long-planned trip to Paris set for October 19.

Moscow&#39;s decision to veto a French-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria over the weekend angered French officials, leading them to reconsider whether to host Putin.

The French presidency had told the Russians President Hollande would only meet Putin for talks on Syria during the planned visit.&nbsp;

&quot;There were contacts between the Kremlin and the Elysee this morning to offer to Putin a working visit on Syria, but excluding all other events that President Hollande could have taken part in,&quot; the source said.

But the Kremlin declined the offer, saying&nbsp;Putin will meet Hollande when the French president is ready. &quot;From the very start of his exchanges with his French colleague, President Putin noted that he is ready to visit Paris when it is comfortable for President Hollande. So we&#39;ll wait for when that comfortable time comes.&quot;

The Russian leader was scheduled to inaugurate a new Russian Orthodox cathedral and visit a Russian art exhibition in the French capital.

France has said it is vital to keep the dialogue with Moscow open and not completely cut ties. But with Russia blocking UN action to end the bombing in Syria, using its veto power for the fifth time, relations have further deteriorated.&nbsp;

French President Francois Hollande said he was prepared to meet Vladimir Putin &quot;at any time...to further peace&quot; after his Russian counterpart cancelled a visit to Paris in a row over Syria. &quot;Dialogue is necessary with Russia but it must be firm and frank,&quot; Hollande said in the northeastern French city of Strasbourg.

French officials have been grappling for ways to put new pressure on Russia. Hollande even suggested Russia could face war crimes charges over its bombardment of the Syrian&nbsp;city&nbsp;Aleppo, a move supported by the United States. France had also lead discussions on whether to impose new European Union sanctions on Moscow over Syria.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The Kremlin decided to postpone the visit after President Hollande said talks would be confined to Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cancelled his planned visit to France next week after escalating tensions between Moscow and the Western nations over Syria. "The president has decided to cancel this visit," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, referring to a long-planned trip to Paris set for October 19. Moscow's decision to veto a French-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria over the weekend angered French officials, leading them to reconsider whether to host Putin. The French presidency had told the Russians President Hollande would only meet Putin for talks on Syria during the planned visit. "There were contacts between the Kremlin and the Elysee this morning to offer to Putin a working visit on Syria, but excluding all other events that President Hollande could have taken part in," the source said. But the Kremlin declined the offer, saying Putin will meet Hollande when the French president is ready. "From the very start of his exchanges with his French colleague, President Putin noted that he is ready to visit Paris when it is comfortable for President Hollande. So we'll wait for when that comfortable time comes." The Russian leader was scheduled to inaugurate a new Russian Orthodox cathedral and visit a Russian art exhibition in the French capital. France has said it is vital to keep the dialogue with Moscow open and not completely cut ties. But with Russia blocking UN action to end the bombing in Syria, using its veto power for the fifth time, relations have further deteriorated. French President Francois Hollande said he was prepared to meet Vladimir Putin "at any time...to further peace" after his Russian counterpart cancelled a visit to Paris in a row over Syria. "Dialogue is necessary with Russia but it must be firm and frank," Hollande said in the northeastern French city of Strasbourg. French officials have been grappling for ways to put new pressure on Russia. Hollande even suggested Russia could face war crimes charges over its bombardment of the Syrian city Aleppo, a move supported by the United States. France had also lead discussions on whether to impose new European Union sanctions on Moscow over Syria. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Russian President Putin cancels France visit amid tensions over Syria

A French court today jailed three Russian football supporters for up to two years for their role in violence in Marseille before the England-Russia Euro 2016 match. 
 
Alexei Yerunov, Nikolai Morozov and Sergei Gorbachev were among 43 Russian supporters detained by French police in southern France on Tuesday after the pitched battles which left more than 30 people injured. 
 
Yerunov, 29, who is supporters&#39; liaison officer at Lokomotiv Moscow according to the club&#39;s website, received the longest prison sentence of 24 months. 
 
He admitted he was at the scene of an attack on an English supporter who was left in a critical state after being beaten around the head with an iron bar. He denied being responsible. 
 
&quot;I apologise. I recognise that I was there but I didn&#39;t hit anyone. My hands are clean,&quot; he told the court. 
 
Gorbachev, who leads a supporters&#39; club at Russian second division club Arsenal Tula, was jailed for 18 months. 
 
Morozov, 28, received the shortest sentence of 12 months. 
 
Prosecutor Andre Ribe described the Russians&#39; behaviour in the chaotic scenes in Marseille on Saturday: &quot;It was a hunt. They ran off together, staying in a group and keeping enough energy for what they call &#39;the fight&#39;.&quot; 
(AFP)

Alexei Yerunov, Nikolai Morozov and Sergei Gorbachev were among 43 Russian supporters detained by French police on Tuesday

A French court today jailed three Russian football supporters for up to two years for their role in violence in Marseille before the England-Russia Euro 2016 match. Alexei Yerunov, Nikolai Morozov and Sergei Gorbachev were among 43 Russian supporters detained by French police in southern France on Tuesday after the pitched battles which left more than 30 people injured. Yerunov, 29, who is supporters' liaison officer at Lokomotiv Moscow according to the club's website, received the longest prison sentence of 24 months. He admitted he was at the scene of an attack on an English supporter who was left in a critical state after being beaten around the head with an iron bar. He denied being responsible. "I apologise. I recognise that I was there but I didn't hit anyone. My hands are clean," he told the court. Gorbachev, who leads a supporters' club at Russian second division club Arsenal Tula, was jailed for 18 months. Morozov, 28, received the shortest sentence of 12 months. Prosecutor Andre Ribe described the Russians' behaviour in the chaotic scenes in Marseille on Saturday: "It was a hunt. They ran off together, staying in a group and keeping enough energy for what they call 'the fight'." (AFP)

Russian fans jailed for up to 2 years for Euro 2016 violence

US&nbsp;secretary of State John&nbsp;Kerry&nbsp;said on Tuesday that&nbsp;he raised the issue of Russia&#39;s involvement in a Democratic National Convention email hacking incident with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Vientiane.

The meeting in Laos happened amid accusations that Russia is behind the hacking of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails released by Wikileaks on Friday.

Earlier, Lavrov brushed aside the accusations that Russia was involved, saying: &quot;I don&#39;t want to use four-letter words.&quot; 
 
&quot;With respect to foreign minister Lavrov I did raise the issue of the DNC (Democratic National Convention) and as you know the FBI is investigating the incident and it&#39;s important for the FBI to do its work and before we draw any conclusions in terms of what happened or who&#39;s behind it, it&#39;s very important that whatever public information is put out is based on fact, so I raised the question and we will continue to work to see precisely what those facts are and the FBI has responsibility for this investigation and we&#39;ll let them speak as they proceed forward gathering those facts,&quot; said&nbsp;Kerry.

Cyber security experts and US&nbsp;officials have said there is evidence that Russia engineered the release of the emails in order to influence the US&nbsp;presidential election.

Although the hacking of the DNC was known to officials and cyber security experts a month ago, the timing of the release of the contents of communications within the party is the concern for US&nbsp;authorities. 
 
Lavrov denies Moscow&#39;s involvement
Lavrov batted away allegations that Moscow was behind hacking of the Democratic National Committee emails ahead of the meeting on Tuesday. 
 
The FBI is investigating whether Russian hackers were responsible for the breach, which has caused deep embarrassment to the Democratic Party and prompted accusations that Moscow is trying to influence the US presidential election. 
 
Lavrov, in the Laos capital Vientiane for a regional security forum, shrugged when asked by reporters if Russia was responsible. 
 
&quot;Well I don&#39;t want to use four-letter words,&quot; he said cryptically, before greeting Kerry with a handshake. 
 
Disseminated by WikiLeaks, the emails revealed that Democratic Party leaders sought to undermine the campaign of party&#39;s presidential nomiee Hillary Clinton&#39;s rival Bernie Sanders, and have prompted the party boss to resign. 
 
Clinton&#39;s campaign was quick to point fingers at Russia, saying it was an attempt to boost Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump&#39;s shot at the White House. 
 
Trump has made no secret of his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, leading some to conjecture that the Russian leader was working to put the real estate billionaire in the White House. 
 
(Reuters, AFP) 
&nbsp;

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had rebuffed accusations that Moscow was behind the hacking of DNC emails

US secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that he raised the issue of Russia's involvement in a Democratic National Convention email hacking incident with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Vientiane. The meeting in Laos happened amid accusations that Russia is behind the hacking of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails released by Wikileaks on Friday. Earlier, Lavrov brushed aside the accusations that Russia was involved, saying: "I don't want to use four-letter words." "With respect to foreign minister Lavrov I did raise the issue of the DNC (Democratic National Convention) and as you know the FBI is investigating the incident and it's important for the FBI to do its work and before we draw any conclusions in terms of what happened or who's behind it, it's very important that whatever public information is put out is based on fact, so I raised the question and we will continue to work to see precisely what those facts are and the FBI has responsibility for this investigation and we'll let them speak as they proceed forward gathering those facts," said Kerry. Cyber security experts and US officials have said there is evidence that Russia engineered the release of the emails in order to influence the US presidential election. Although the hacking of the DNC was known to officials and cyber security experts a month ago, the timing of the release of the contents of communications within the party is the concern for US authorities. Lavrov denies Moscow's involvement Lavrov batted away allegations that Moscow was behind hacking of the Democratic National Committee emails ahead of the meeting on Tuesday. The FBI is investigating whether Russian hackers were responsible for the breach, which has caused deep embarrassment to the Democratic Party and prompted accusations that Moscow is trying to influence the US presidential election. Lavrov, in the Laos capital Vientiane for a regional security forum, shrugged when asked by reporters if Russia was responsible. "Well I don't want to use four-letter words," he said cryptically, before greeting Kerry with a handshake. Disseminated by WikiLeaks, the emails revealed that Democratic Party leaders sought to undermine the campaign of party's presidential nomiee Hillary Clinton's rival Bernie Sanders, and have prompted the party boss to resign. Clinton's campaign was quick to point fingers at Russia, saying it was an attempt to boost Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's shot at the White House. Trump has made no secret of his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, leading some to conjecture that the Russian leader was working to put the real estate billionaire in the White House. (Reuters, AFP)

John Kerry raises issue of DNC email hacking with Russian counterpart Lavrov

Romanian legend Radu Beligan, who held the Guinness record as the world&#39;s oldest theatre actor, has died at age 97 in a hospital in the capital Bucharest, medical staff said. 
 
After a prolific career spanning more than 70 years, the star passed away in his sleep today, said the director of the Elias hospital, Dana Safta. 
 
Beligan last performed in April at the National Theatre in Bucharest, where he had played a lead role in Jean Anouilh&rsquo;s &#39;Number Number&#39; to sellout audiences since 2004. 
 
Born on December 18, 1918, Beligan made his debut in 1937 in Bucharest in a stage version of &#39;Crime and Punishment&#39;, a classic Russian novel written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. 
 
He went on to star in some 100 plays and films and became a well-known TV and radio personality.&nbsp;But he was also criticised in artists&#39; circles for his membership of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party between 1969 and 1989. 
 
After the fall of communism, he was forced to step down as director of the National Theatre in 1990 after protests from his peers.&nbsp;In December 2013, the Guinness World Records awarded Beligan the title of &quot;oldest active theatre professional&quot;. 
 
The vote raised some eyebrows in Russia, where actor Vladimir Zeldin celebrated his 101st birthday earlier this year on stage in Moscow. 
 
(AFP)

After a prolific career spanning more than 70 years, the star passed away in his sleep today

Romanian legend Radu Beligan, who held the Guinness record as the world's oldest theatre actor, has died at age 97 in a hospital in the capital Bucharest, medical staff said. After a prolific career spanning more than 70 years, the star passed away in his sleep today, said the director of the Elias hospital, Dana Safta. Beligan last performed in April at the National Theatre in Bucharest, where he had played a lead role in Jean Anouilh’s 'Number Number' to sellout audiences since 2004. Born on December 18, 1918, Beligan made his debut in 1937 in Bucharest in a stage version of 'Crime and Punishment', a classic Russian novel written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. He went on to star in some 100 plays and films and became a well-known TV and radio personality. But he was also criticised in artists' circles for his membership of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party between 1969 and 1989. After the fall of communism, he was forced to step down as director of the National Theatre in 1990 after protests from his peers. In December 2013, the Guinness World Records awarded Beligan the title of "oldest active theatre professional". The vote raised some eyebrows in Russia, where actor Vladimir Zeldin celebrated his 101st birthday earlier this year on stage in Moscow. (AFP)

World's oldest theatre actor dies at age 97

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said today he has never faced pressure from Russia to step aside, as US secretary of state John Kerry headed to Moscow seeking to revive stalled peace efforts. 
 
Speaking to NBC News in Damascus, Assad insisted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had never raised the issue of his departure or a political transition. 
 
&quot;Only the Syrian people define who&#39;s going to be the President, when to come, and when to go. They never said a single word regarding this,&quot; he said. 
 
Assad&#39;s fate is a key question in efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement to Syria&#39;s five-year civil war.&nbsp; 
 
Hopes for the existing peace process rest on the UN-backed blueprint sketched out by the 22-nation, US and Russian-led International Syria Support Group. 
 
Under this road map, signed by both Syria&#39;s ally Iran and Assad&#39;s pro-rebel foe Saudi Arabia, a nationwide ceasefire will precede Geneva-based talks on &quot;political transition&quot;. 
 
But there has been little progress towards a resumption of talks that had been expected to take place this month. 
 
And the prospects for a political transition beginning August, as laid out in the road map, now appear slim. 
 
Kerry was due to arrive later today in Moscow, a close ally of Assad&#39;s government that launched air strikes in support of regime forces last September. 
 
Kerry said before leaving Washington that he would meet Putin &quot;to see if we can somehow advance this (the peace process) in the important ways that people want us to&quot;. Moscow and Washington brokered a landmark partial ceasefire in Syria in February but it has since all but collapsed amid continued heavy fighting. 
 
Kerry&#39;s spokesman John Kirby told reporters his boss was &quot;extremely frustrated&quot; with the failure of peace efforts and &quot;his patience was growing thin&quot;. 
 
In Washington, many observers have criticised Kerry&#39;s outreach to Russia on Syria, arguing he has been strung along by Putin as he seeks to protect his client Assad. 
 
But Kirby insisted the administration is not being naive, and that today&#39;s visit to Moscow, Kerry&#39;s third this year, would &quot;probe the sincerity&quot; of Putin&#39;s promises. 
 
Syria&#39;s conflict began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations and has evolved into a complex multi-front war that has left more than 280,000 dead and forced millions from their homes. 
 
Efforts to bring an end to the war have taken on greater urgency since the emergence of the Islamic State group, which seized control of large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in mid-2014. 
 
The jihadist group has committed widespread atrocities in areas under its control and organised or inspired a wave of attacks across the Middle East and in Western cities. 
 
A US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against the jihadists in Syria and Iraq and recent months have seen IS lose significant territory. 
 
The Washington Post reported today that Washington was to offer to cooperate with Russia in joint military action against IS and the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front. 
 
In Paris before heading to Moscow, Kerry did not deny the report, but refused to discuss the proposal in detail until he had been to the Kremlin. 
 
According to the Post, which cited sections of what it said was a draft agreement, US and Russian commanders would set up a joint command and control centre to direct intensified air strikes against the groups. 
 
Such a deal is likely to face criticism that it amounts to a tacit acceptance of Putin&#39;s efforts to shore up Assad&#39;s regime.&nbsp; 
 
It was her own fault 
In his interview with NBC, Assad also said a US reporter killed in alleged Syrian government bombardment in 2012 was responsible for her own death. 
 
Marie Colvin, a 56-year-old war correspondent working for British newspaper The Sunday Times, died in the rebel-held Baba Amr district of Syria&#39;s third city Homs. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a war and she came illegally to Syria. She worked with the terrorists, and because she came illegally, she&#39;s been responsible of everything that befall on her,&quot; Assad said, speaking in English. 
 
Asked if she was responsible for her own death, Assad replied &quot;of course&quot;, though he denied that his forces had targeted her. 
 
His comments came days after relatives of Colvin filed a lawsuit in a US court alleging Assad&#39;s regime targeted her to stop her covering government atrocities. 
 
The suit, based on information from captured government documents as well as defectors, claims the Syrian military intercepted Colvin&#39;s communications and unleashed a barrage of rocket fire on her location, killing her and French photographer Remi Ochlik. 
 
(AFP)

'Only the Syrian people define who's going to be the President, when to come, and when to go,' he said

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said today he has never faced pressure from Russia to step aside, as US secretary of state John Kerry headed to Moscow seeking to revive stalled peace efforts. Speaking to NBC News in Damascus, Assad insisted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had never raised the issue of his departure or a political transition. "Only the Syrian people define who's going to be the President, when to come, and when to go. They never said a single word regarding this," he said. Assad's fate is a key question in efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement to Syria's five-year civil war. Hopes for the existing peace process rest on the UN-backed blueprint sketched out by the 22-nation, US and Russian-led International Syria Support Group. Under this road map, signed by both Syria's ally Iran and Assad's pro-rebel foe Saudi Arabia, a nationwide ceasefire will precede Geneva-based talks on "political transition". But there has been little progress towards a resumption of talks that had been expected to take place this month. And the prospects for a political transition beginning August, as laid out in the road map, now appear slim. Kerry was due to arrive later today in Moscow, a close ally of Assad's government that launched air strikes in support of regime forces last September. Kerry said before leaving Washington that he would meet Putin "to see if we can somehow advance this (the peace process) in the important ways that people want us to". Moscow and Washington brokered a landmark partial ceasefire in Syria in February but it has since all but collapsed amid continued heavy fighting. Kerry's spokesman John Kirby told reporters his boss was "extremely frustrated" with the failure of peace efforts and "his patience was growing thin". In Washington, many observers have criticised Kerry's outreach to Russia on Syria, arguing he has been strung along by Putin as he seeks to protect his client Assad. But Kirby insisted the administration is not being naive, and that today's visit to Moscow, Kerry's third this year, would "probe the sincerity" of Putin's promises. Syria's conflict began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations and has evolved into a complex multi-front war that has left more than 280,000 dead and forced millions from their homes. Efforts to bring an end to the war have taken on greater urgency since the emergence of the Islamic State group, which seized control of large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in mid-2014. The jihadist group has committed widespread atrocities in areas under its control and organised or inspired a wave of attacks across the Middle East and in Western cities. A US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against the jihadists in Syria and Iraq and recent months have seen IS lose significant territory. The Washington Post reported today that Washington was to offer to cooperate with Russia in joint military action against IS and the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front. In Paris before heading to Moscow, Kerry did not deny the report, but refused to discuss the proposal in detail until he had been to the Kremlin. According to the Post, which cited sections of what it said was a draft agreement, US and Russian commanders would set up a joint command and control centre to direct intensified air strikes against the groups. Such a deal is likely to face criticism that it amounts to a tacit acceptance of Putin's efforts to shore up Assad's regime. It was her own fault In his interview with NBC, Assad also said a US reporter killed in alleged Syrian government bombardment in 2012 was responsible for her own death. Marie Colvin, a 56-year-old war correspondent working for British newspaper The Sunday Times, died in the rebel-held Baba Amr district of Syria's third city Homs. "It's a war and she came illegally to Syria. She worked with the terrorists, and because she came illegally, she's been responsible of everything that befall on her," Assad said, speaking in English. Asked if she was responsible for her own death, Assad replied "of course", though he denied that his forces had targeted her. His comments came days after relatives of Colvin filed a lawsuit in a US court alleging Assad's regime targeted her to stop her covering government atrocities. The suit, based on information from captured government documents as well as defectors, claims the Syrian military intercepted Colvin's communications and unleashed a barrage of rocket fire on her location, killing her and French photographer Remi Ochlik. (AFP)

Have never faced pressure from Russia to step aside: Assad

Recent graduate Maxim Kormelitsky did not think twice when he shared a picture online with an expletive-ridden caption about Russian Orthodox believers and their tradition of jumping into freezing cold water. 
 
But then he got a summons from investigators in his small Siberian hometown. Within a few months the 21-year-old was put on trial on charges of inciting hatred and sentenced to more than a year in jail. 
 
The harsh punishment for Kormelitsky is part of a broader trend in Russia that has seen a small but growing number of people prosecuted for reposting messages online. For critics, this is a crackdown on the one place authorities don&#39;t yet control, the internet. 
 
&quot;I think being tried for reposts especially for ones like these, especially for real prison time is complete and utter nonsense,&quot; Kormelitsky, who is still free as he appeals his sentence, wrote to AFP. 
 
The young man was denounced by local religious believers but he thinks officials singled him out because of his previous support for an opposition party. 
 
Others who fell foul of the powers that be have been prosecuted under a vaguely defined law on &quot;extremism&quot; that rights defenders feel gives authorities far too much power. 
 
Among them was Andrei Bubeyev, an electrician from the central Russian town of Tver. 
 
Earlier this year he was sentenced to more than two years behind bars for sharing a picture of a tube of toothpaste with the inscription &quot;Squeeze Russia out of yourself!&quot; 
 
Last year some 200 people were convicted for online posts with 43 of them sentenced to jail, according to the Sova Centre, a Moscow-based group that studies xenophobia and nationalism. 
 
Most of the prison cases were for posts &quot;aimed against the authorities and the President of Russia personally, Russia&#39;s meddling in Ukraine&#39;s affairs and calls for armed jihad&quot;, the group said. 
 
Rights activists have warned that this recent string of convictions could pave the way for a broader crackdown on online dissent. 
 
&quot;This example (Kormelitsky&#39;s case) is sufficient to show that hundreds of thousands of people could be imprisoned,&quot; veteran human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov told AFP. 
 
And the proliferation of cases was meant to &quot;scare people so they don&#39;t criticise authorities and go onto the streets&quot; in case the country&#39;s current economic woes fuel discontent, he said. 
 
Denounced herself 
 
As mass protests against a pro-Kremlin leader roiled Ukraine in early 2014, President Vladimir Putin approved a law that stepped up the potential penalties for statements online. 
 
At the same time, authorities started invoking existing legislation on extremism which critics says is so vaguely defined it can be easily abused against those who expressed their disapproval of Moscow&#39;s meddling in Ukraine. 
 
The head of the Sova centre Alexander Verkhovsky thinks the current cases are not a deliberate attempt to imprison government opponents but part of a wider crackdown that dates back to the start of the Ukraine crisis. 
 
The majority of prison sentences for extremism were against individuals with ties to far-right and jihadist groups, he said, but some opposition activists have been caught in the mix. 
 
Verkhovsky said he doubted Kormelitsky will serve his sentence, saying that only a small portion of online dissenters were actually imprisoned.&nbsp;Nonetheless, the situation could be set to get worse. 
 
New legislation signed into law by Putin on Thursday in spite of wide-ranging criticism increases the maximum prison time from four to five years for inciting hatred online. 
 
But even the few harsh punishments doled out so far seem to have been enough to frighten some internet users. 
 
In Novosibirsk, activist Svetlana Kaverzina denounced herself to authorities after posting the same picture that saw Kormelitsky sentenced and is waiting to see if she will face charges. 
 
Russia&#39;s powerful Investigative Committee, the main national investigating authority, called her in this month &quot;for a chat&quot;, Kaverzina told AFP, to ask her about her attitudes toward the Orthodox Church, which enjoys a cosy relation with the state. 
 
&quot;I might understand if they gave you a fine or community service,&quot; Kaverzina said. &quot;But prison, criminal responsibility, that&#39;s just out of line.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Few dissenters end up in prison, but the laws may scare internet users from criticizing the government

Recent graduate Maxim Kormelitsky did not think twice when he shared a picture online with an expletive-ridden caption about Russian Orthodox believers and their tradition of jumping into freezing cold water. But then he got a summons from investigators in his small Siberian hometown. Within a few months the 21-year-old was put on trial on charges of inciting hatred and sentenced to more than a year in jail. The harsh punishment for Kormelitsky is part of a broader trend in Russia that has seen a small but growing number of people prosecuted for reposting messages online. For critics, this is a crackdown on the one place authorities don't yet control, the internet. "I think being tried for reposts especially for ones like these, especially for real prison time is complete and utter nonsense," Kormelitsky, who is still free as he appeals his sentence, wrote to AFP. The young man was denounced by local religious believers but he thinks officials singled him out because of his previous support for an opposition party. Others who fell foul of the powers that be have been prosecuted under a vaguely defined law on "extremism" that rights defenders feel gives authorities far too much power. Among them was Andrei Bubeyev, an electrician from the central Russian town of Tver. Earlier this year he was sentenced to more than two years behind bars for sharing a picture of a tube of toothpaste with the inscription "Squeeze Russia out of yourself!" Last year some 200 people were convicted for online posts with 43 of them sentenced to jail, according to the Sova Centre, a Moscow-based group that studies xenophobia and nationalism. Most of the prison cases were for posts "aimed against the authorities and the President of Russia personally, Russia's meddling in Ukraine's affairs and calls for armed jihad", the group said. Rights activists have warned that this recent string of convictions could pave the way for a broader crackdown on online dissent. "This example (Kormelitsky's case) is sufficient to show that hundreds of thousands of people could be imprisoned," veteran human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov told AFP. And the proliferation of cases was meant to "scare people so they don't criticise authorities and go onto the streets" in case the country's current economic woes fuel discontent, he said. Denounced herself As mass protests against a pro-Kremlin leader roiled Ukraine in early 2014, President Vladimir Putin approved a law that stepped up the potential penalties for statements online. At the same time, authorities started invoking existing legislation on extremism which critics says is so vaguely defined it can be easily abused against those who expressed their disapproval of Moscow's meddling in Ukraine. The head of the Sova centre Alexander Verkhovsky thinks the current cases are not a deliberate attempt to imprison government opponents but part of a wider crackdown that dates back to the start of the Ukraine crisis. The majority of prison sentences for extremism were against individuals with ties to far-right and jihadist groups, he said, but some opposition activists have been caught in the mix. Verkhovsky said he doubted Kormelitsky will serve his sentence, saying that only a small portion of online dissenters were actually imprisoned. Nonetheless, the situation could be set to get worse. New legislation signed into law by Putin on Thursday in spite of wide-ranging criticism increases the maximum prison time from four to five years for inciting hatred online. But even the few harsh punishments doled out so far seem to have been enough to frighten some internet users. In Novosibirsk, activist Svetlana Kaverzina denounced herself to authorities after posting the same picture that saw Kormelitsky sentenced and is waiting to see if she will face charges. Russia's powerful Investigative Committee, the main national investigating authority, called her in this month "for a chat", Kaverzina told AFP, to ask her about her attitudes toward the Orthodox Church, which enjoys a cosy relation with the state. "I might understand if they gave you a fine or community service," Kaverzina said. "But prison, criminal responsibility, that's just out of line." (AFP)

Even sharing online images can mean jail in Russia crackdown

The Obama administration is considering a plan to coordinate air strikes on Nusra Front and Islamic State militants in Syria if Syria&#39;s government stops bombing &#39;moderate&#39; rebels, US officials said on Thursday. 
 
The US backs the &#39;moderate&#39; rebels, who are under pressure from Islamic State and government forces, but the plan depends in part on whether Russia is willing to press Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its ally, to stop bombing them. Many US officials and outside experts doubt Moscow is willing to do that. 
 
It would also require moderate opposition forces to disentangle themselves from Nusra and move into identifiable areas where they would be vulnerable to government and Russian air attacks. 
 
Although Russia says it has targeted Islamic State, most of its strikes have been on the US-backed moderate rebels, who distrust the Assad government which has caused most of the ceasefire violation, as claimed by the moderate rebels and Washington. 
 
&quot;If the moderates separate themselves from Nusra, the Russians and Assad will immediately target them,&quot; said Chris Harmer, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War. &quot;The idea that the moderate rebels will separate themselves from Nusra is just not going to happen. It (the administration plan) is a Hail Mary pass that is dead on arrival.&quot; 
 
&quot;It&rsquo;s staggering to me that anybody, even during the fifth year of this civil war, thought this would be a good idea,&quot; said Harmer. 
 
The Washington Post, which first reported the plan, said the Obama administration has submitted a written proposal to Moscow, but two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while the plan is under discussion within the administration, no decisions have been made. 
 
A &#39;Hail Mary&#39;pass? 
 
That Washington is even considering such a plan, however, reflects the unravelling of a February 27 cessation of hostilities agreement that was supposed to bring some calm to a country riven by five years of civil war and promote a political settlement, as well as the weakness of the US-backed moderate opposition forces. 
 
In one sign of their predicament, US-backed Syrian rebels on Wednesday were pushed back from Al-Bukamal, an Islamic State-held town on the Iraq border, suffering casualties and seeing some of their fighters and arms captured, a rebel source said. 
 
Finally, targeting the Nusra Front could end up boosting the popularity of the al Qaeda affiliate, which is widely hailed by anti-government Syrians as the most effective fighting force seeking to oust Assad. 
 
Prospects for a political deal to end the conflict appear dim, not least because there is no agreement on the future of Assad, whom the US wants to step down, but whom Russia has supported with its military intervention since last September. 
 
UN Syria envoy Staffan De Mistura is in Washington this week to meet senior US officials to discuss efforts to reduce attacks on civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid as he &quot;continues to work to advance a political transition,&quot; National security council spokesman Carl Woog said on Thursday.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

The rebels backed by the US is under fire from the Islamic State and the government forces which has support from Moscow

The Obama administration is considering a plan to coordinate air strikes on Nusra Front and Islamic State militants in Syria if Syria's government stops bombing 'moderate' rebels, US officials said on Thursday. The US backs the 'moderate' rebels, who are under pressure from Islamic State and government forces, but the plan depends in part on whether Russia is willing to press Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its ally, to stop bombing them. Many US officials and outside experts doubt Moscow is willing to do that. It would also require moderate opposition forces to disentangle themselves from Nusra and move into identifiable areas where they would be vulnerable to government and Russian air attacks. Although Russia says it has targeted Islamic State, most of its strikes have been on the US-backed moderate rebels, who distrust the Assad government which has caused most of the ceasefire violation, as claimed by the moderate rebels and Washington. "If the moderates separate themselves from Nusra, the Russians and Assad will immediately target them," said Chris Harmer, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War. "The idea that the moderate rebels will separate themselves from Nusra is just not going to happen. It (the administration plan) is a Hail Mary pass that is dead on arrival." "It’s staggering to me that anybody, even during the fifth year of this civil war, thought this would be a good idea," said Harmer. The Washington Post, which first reported the plan, said the Obama administration has submitted a written proposal to Moscow, but two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while the plan is under discussion within the administration, no decisions have been made. A 'Hail Mary'pass? That Washington is even considering such a plan, however, reflects the unravelling of a February 27 cessation of hostilities agreement that was supposed to bring some calm to a country riven by five years of civil war and promote a political settlement, as well as the weakness of the US-backed moderate opposition forces. In one sign of their predicament, US-backed Syrian rebels on Wednesday were pushed back from Al-Bukamal, an Islamic State-held town on the Iraq border, suffering casualties and seeing some of their fighters and arms captured, a rebel source said. Finally, targeting the Nusra Front could end up boosting the popularity of the al Qaeda affiliate, which is widely hailed by anti-government Syrians as the most effective fighting force seeking to oust Assad. Prospects for a political deal to end the conflict appear dim, not least because there is no agreement on the future of Assad, whom the US wants to step down, but whom Russia has supported with its military intervention since last September. UN Syria envoy Staffan De Mistura is in Washington this week to meet senior US officials to discuss efforts to reduce attacks on civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid as he "continues to work to advance a political transition," National security council spokesman Carl Woog said on Thursday. (Reuters)

US to bomb Nusra and IS if Assad halts strikes on Washington-backed rebels

At least 14 children on a summer camp in northeast Russia drowned when their boats capsized in a storm on a lake, investigators said on Sunday. 
 
The accident happened overnight on Lake Syamozero, close to the border with Finland, according to Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia&#39;s investigative committee. 
 
&quot;The investigators have finished examining the bodies of the 14 victims. They said that they were all born between 2002 and 2004. There are no adults among the victims,&quot; Markin said in a statement. 
 
Four members of the camp staff had been detained for questioning following the tragedy, he added. 
 
The children, who had been taking part in a summer camp close to the lake, were &quot;apparently not wearing life jackets&quot;, Russia&#39;s children&#39;s rights watchdog, Pavel Astakhov, told the RIA Novosti agency. 
 
The emergencies ministry said the children were sailing on two boats and a raft when they got caught in a storm after nightfall. 
 
Rescuers saved around 30 people, the ministry told RIA Novosti. 
 
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Twitter on Sunday that 10 of the dead children were from Moscow. 
 
Investigators have opened a criminal probe into the incident to determine whether water safety rules were followed. 
(AFP)

According to Russian children's rights watchdog Pavel Astakhov, they were not wearing life jackets

At least 14 children on a summer camp in northeast Russia drowned when their boats capsized in a storm on a lake, investigators said on Sunday. The accident happened overnight on Lake Syamozero, close to the border with Finland, according to Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's investigative committee. "The investigators have finished examining the bodies of the 14 victims. They said that they were all born between 2002 and 2004. There are no adults among the victims," Markin said in a statement. Four members of the camp staff had been detained for questioning following the tragedy, he added. The children, who had been taking part in a summer camp close to the lake, were "apparently not wearing life jackets", Russia's children's rights watchdog, Pavel Astakhov, told the RIA Novosti agency. The emergencies ministry said the children were sailing on two boats and a raft when they got caught in a storm after nightfall. Rescuers saved around 30 people, the ministry told RIA Novosti. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Twitter on Sunday that 10 of the dead children were from Moscow. Investigators have opened a criminal probe into the incident to determine whether water safety rules were followed. (AFP)

14 children drown in Russia lake tragedy

Russia&#39;s defence ministry today denied bombing US-backed rebels in southern Syria earlier this week. 
 
In a video conference with Russian military officials, the Pentagon said on Saturday that it had expressed &quot;strong concerns about the attack on the coalition-supported counter-ISIL forces at the Al-Tanaf garrison&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Hours later Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov denied that Russia had bombed areas where US-backed rebels are operating. 
 
&quot;The target that was bombed was located more than 300 kilometres away from the area&quot; indicated by the United States, he said.&nbsp; 
 
Konashenkov insisted that the Russian air force had acted &quot;within the framework of the agreed procedures&quot; and had given advance warning of its ground targets to the US-led coalition. 
 
Russia&#39;s defence ministry said late Thursday that it had not carried out strikes against opposition forces included in the ceasefire, but did not mention Al-Tanaf. 
 
The Pentagon voiced its concerns as Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu paid a surprise visit to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to discuss military cooperation &quot;to fight against terrorist organisations on Syrian soil&quot;. 
 
Konashenkov today also accused the United States of not providing the coordinates of the areas where the US-backed rebels are active, &quot;not allowing for precision in the operations of the Russian air force&quot;. 
(AFP)

Defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov insists Russian air force acted within framework of agreed procedures

Russia's defence ministry today denied bombing US-backed rebels in southern Syria earlier this week. In a video conference with Russian military officials, the Pentagon said on Saturday that it had expressed "strong concerns about the attack on the coalition-supported counter-ISIL forces at the Al-Tanaf garrison". Hours later Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov denied that Russia had bombed areas where US-backed rebels are operating. "The target that was bombed was located more than 300 kilometres away from the area" indicated by the United States, he said. Konashenkov insisted that the Russian air force had acted "within the framework of the agreed procedures" and had given advance warning of its ground targets to the US-led coalition. Russia's defence ministry said late Thursday that it had not carried out strikes against opposition forces included in the ceasefire, but did not mention Al-Tanaf. The Pentagon voiced its concerns as Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu paid a surprise visit to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to discuss military cooperation "to fight against terrorist organisations on Syrian soil". Konashenkov today also accused the United States of not providing the coordinates of the areas where the US-backed rebels are active, "not allowing for precision in the operations of the Russian air force". (AFP)

Moscow denies strikes on US-backed rebels in Syria

British singer Elton John told a concert in Moscow he still wanted to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss his concerns about gay rights and AIDS in Russia, despite the Kremlin leader not having time to meet him this time round.

John, performing at a luxury shopping and&nbsp;entertainment&nbsp;centre in the Russian capital on Monday night as part of a world tour, sounded disappointed about not getting to meet Putin, but said he would return to try to see him.

&quot;As some of you may know I hoped to meet with President Putin on this trip,&quot; said John, whose music has been popular in Russia since the Soviet era, told the audience.

&quot;Although it wasn&#39;t possible, I&#39;m deeply grateful to him for inviting me to discuss some serious issues in Russia including LGBT, HIV and AIDS, and I very much hope we will find time in future to meet.&quot;

Putin&#39;s spokesman said last week that the Russian leader&#39;s schedule did not match up with John&#39;s, but that a meeting might take place &quot;next time.&quot; Putin had to fly to Kazakhstan on Tuesday morning for a meeting.

In September Putin phoned the singer, who has used his status as one of the world&#39;s most famous gay celebrities to push for equal rights for homosexuals around the world, to say he would be willing to meet up after John, 69, requested a meeting.

Western governments and human rights activists have criticised the Russian authorities for their treatment of gay people, and John has previously spoken out against a 2013 law banning the dissemination of &quot;gay propaganda&quot; among young Russians.

Putin has said he is not prejudiced against gay people.

John has also expressed alarm about the scale of Russia&#39;s AIDS epidemic.

The number of people registered HIV-positive passed the 1 million mark earlier this year and the country&#39;s top AIDS specialist warned the rate of infection had reached record levels.

British singer Elton John told a concert in Moscow he still wanted to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss his concerns about gay rights and AIDS in Russia, but the Kremlin leader didn't have time

British singer Elton John told a concert in Moscow he still wanted to meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss his concerns about gay rights and AIDS in Russia, despite the Kremlin leader not having time to meet him this time round. John, performing at a luxury shopping and entertainment centre in the Russian capital on Monday night as part of a world tour, sounded disappointed about not getting to meet Putin, but said he would return to try to see him. "As some of you may know I hoped to meet with President Putin on this trip," said John, whose music has been popular in Russia since the Soviet era, told the audience. "Although it wasn't possible, I'm deeply grateful to him for inviting me to discuss some serious issues in Russia including LGBT, HIV and AIDS, and I very much hope we will find time in future to meet." Putin's spokesman said last week that the Russian leader's schedule did not match up with John's, but that a meeting might take place "next time." Putin had to fly to Kazakhstan on Tuesday morning for a meeting. In September Putin phoned the singer, who has used his status as one of the world's most famous gay celebrities to push for equal rights for homosexuals around the world, to say he would be willing to meet up after John, 69, requested a meeting. Western governments and human rights activists have criticised the Russian authorities for their treatment of gay people, and John has previously spoken out against a 2013 law banning the dissemination of "gay propaganda" among young Russians. Putin has said he is not prejudiced against gay people. John has also expressed alarm about the scale of Russia's AIDS epidemic. The number of people registered HIV-positive passed the 1 million mark earlier this year and the country's top AIDS specialist warned the rate of infection had reached record levels.

Elton John tells Russians he still wants to meet Putin to discuss gay rights

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