Russian President Vladimir Putin today called an <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/10-injured-in-saint-petersburg-supermarket-bombing-27907">explosion that tore through a Saint Petersburg supermarket</a>, wounding 13 people, &quot;an act of terror.&quot;

&quot;As you know, an act of terror took place in Saint Petersburg yesterday,&quot; he said at a meeting of military officers in the Kremlin.

The homemade bomb went off in a locker at the supermarket yesterday, officials said.

Anna Mityanina, vice governor of Saint Petersburg, which is Russia&#39;s second city, said on Twitter that of the 13 wounded eight remained in hospital care. 
Five people declined to be hospitalised, she added.

The explosion occurred at around 1845 local time as Russians geared up to celebrate the New Year -- the country&#39;s biggest holiday -- followed by Russian Orthodox Christmas, which falls on January 7.

Officials earlier said 10 people had been injured, saying the bomb had the power equivalent to 200 grammes of TNT.

In a sign of the severity of the situation, the case was overseen by Russia&#39;s National Anti-Terror Committee even though authorities initially opened a probe into the attempted murder.

The committee said the explosion went off after &quot;a criminal placed an unidentified explosive device in a storage locker.&quot;

The blast comes after a suicide bombing killed 15 people and wounded dozens on the Saint Petersburg metro in April.

That bombing was claimed by a group linked to Al-Qaeda which said it was a message to countries engaged in war with Muslims, a veiled reference to Russia&#39;s military campaign in Syria.

Earlier this month Russia&#39;s FSB security service said it had arrested members of the Islamic State group who had planned to blow up the Kazan Cathedral, one of Saint Petersburg&#39;s most famous landmarks, among other crowded places.

The Kremlin has said that those attacks were prevented thanks to intelligence provided by America&#39;s Central Intelligence Agency.

Saint Petersburg, Russia&#39;s former Imperial capital, will host World Cup matches next year.

'As you know, an act of terror took place in Saint Petersburg yesterday,' Putin said at a meeting of military officers in the Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin today called an explosion that tore through a Saint Petersburg supermarket, wounding 13 people, "an act of terror." "As you know, an act of terror took place in Saint Petersburg yesterday," he said at a meeting of military officers in the Kremlin. The homemade bomb went off in a locker at the supermarket yesterday, officials said. Anna Mityanina, vice governor of Saint Petersburg, which is Russia's second city, said on Twitter that of the 13 wounded eight remained in hospital care. Five people declined to be hospitalised, she added. The explosion occurred at around 1845 local time as Russians geared up to celebrate the New Year -- the country's biggest holiday -- followed by Russian Orthodox Christmas, which falls on January 7. Officials earlier said 10 people had been injured, saying the bomb had the power equivalent to 200 grammes of TNT. In a sign of the severity of the situation, the case was overseen by Russia's National Anti-Terror Committee even though authorities initially opened a probe into the attempted murder. The committee said the explosion went off after "a criminal placed an unidentified explosive device in a storage locker." The blast comes after a suicide bombing killed 15 people and wounded dozens on the Saint Petersburg metro in April. That bombing was claimed by a group linked to Al-Qaeda which said it was a message to countries engaged in war with Muslims, a veiled reference to Russia's military campaign in Syria. Earlier this month Russia's FSB security service said it had arrested members of the Islamic State group who had planned to blow up the Kazan Cathedral, one of Saint Petersburg's most famous landmarks, among other crowded places. The Kremlin has said that those attacks were prevented thanks to intelligence provided by America's Central Intelligence Agency. Saint Petersburg, Russia's former Imperial capital, will host World Cup matches next year.

Vladimir Putin calls Saint Petersburg blast 'act of terror'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked his US counterpart Donald Trump for the CIA&#39;s help in foiling a plot to attack the city of Saint Petersburg, the Kremlin said Sunday.

Putin spoke by phone with Trump to thank him for intelligence supplied by the CIA which allowed Russia&#39;s FSB security service to break up an Islamic State group cell that was planning a suicide attack on December 16, it said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

The FSB announced on Friday it had arrested seven members of a cell that had been planning a suicide attack and &quot;the killing of citizens&quot; in crowded areas of Russia&#39;s second city.

Police confiscated a &quot;large number of explosives used to make homemade bombs, automatic rifles, munitions and extremist literature,&quot; it said in a statement.&nbsp;

On Tuesday, FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov said Russia was on alert for the possible return of jihadists from Syria ahead of the World Cup and the presidential election in 2018.

Russia has suffered several assaults in recent years, including an attack in Saint Petersburg that left 14 people dead in April.

The Russian President thanked his US counterpart for the CIA's help in foiling a plot to attack the city of Saint Petersburg, the Kremlin said

Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked his US counterpart Donald Trump for the CIA's help in foiling a plot to attack the city of Saint Petersburg, the Kremlin said Sunday. Putin spoke by phone with Trump to thank him for intelligence supplied by the CIA which allowed Russia's FSB security service to break up an Islamic State group cell that was planning a suicide attack on December 16, it said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. The FSB announced on Friday it had arrested seven members of a cell that had been planning a suicide attack and "the killing of citizens" in crowded areas of Russia's second city. Police confiscated a "large number of explosives used to make homemade bombs, automatic rifles, munitions and extremist literature," it said in a statement. On Tuesday, FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov said Russia was on alert for the possible return of jihadists from Syria ahead of the World Cup and the presidential election in 2018. Russia has suffered several assaults in recent years, including an attack in Saint Petersburg that left 14 people dead in April.

Putin thanks Trump for CIA's help in foiling IS attack plot

Opponents of Donald Trump made up allegations of Russian interference in last year&#39;s US elections to discredit him, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at his annual press conference Thursday.&nbsp;

&quot;All this was made up by people who are opposed to Trump so as to delegitimise his work,&quot; the president said in response to a question about allegations of Russian influence.

Putin said representatives of the Russian government had met with Trump&#39;s team but said this was normal diplomatic practice.&nbsp;

&quot;Our ambassador was accused of meeting with someone, but this is normal practice worldwide,&quot; the president said.&nbsp;

&quot;What is so transgressive in this case and why should it take on this spy-thriller tone?&quot;

Putin said he hoped relations between the two countries would improve but suggested it would not be possible in the current US political climate. &nbsp;

Asked to assess Trump&#39;s work so far as president, Putin said it was up to US voters rather than him to judge.

&quot;We can see several quite significant achievements in the short time he has been at work,&quot; Putin said, citing the markets and consumer confidence in particular.

Opponents of Donald Trump made up allegations of Russian interference in last year's US elections to discredit him, Russian President Vladimir Putin said

Opponents of Donald Trump made up allegations of Russian interference in last year's US elections to discredit him, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at his annual press conference Thursday. "All this was made up by people who are opposed to Trump so as to delegitimise his work," the president said in response to a question about allegations of Russian influence. Putin said representatives of the Russian government had met with Trump's team but said this was normal diplomatic practice. "Our ambassador was accused of meeting with someone, but this is normal practice worldwide," the president said. "What is so transgressive in this case and why should it take on this spy-thriller tone?" Putin said he hoped relations between the two countries would improve but suggested it would not be possible in the current US political climate. Asked to assess Trump's work so far as president, Putin said it was up to US voters rather than him to judge. "We can see several quite significant achievements in the short time he has been at work," Putin said, citing the markets and consumer confidence in particular.

Putin says Trump opponents 'made up' Russia vote interference

Russia&#39;s former anti-doping chief-turned-whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov is working under the control of US special services, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

The scandal over the 2014 Sochi Olympics, triggered by revelations made by Rodchenkov, is part of a broader doping affair that has led to the suspension of Russia&#39;s anti-doping agency RUSADA, the country&#39;s athletics federation and Paralympic Committee.

Putin also said during his year-end news conference that the doping scandal had been fuelled deliberately before Russia&#39;s presidential election due in March next year. He also said that both global anti-doping body WADA and the International Olympic Committee were working under duress.

The scandal over the 2014 Sochi Olympics, triggered by revelations made by Rodchenkov has led to the suspension of Russia's anti-doping agency RUSADA, the country's athletics federation and Paralympic Committee

Russia's former anti-doping chief-turned-whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov is working under the control of US special services, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. The scandal over the 2014 Sochi Olympics, triggered by revelations made by Rodchenkov, is part of a broader doping affair that has led to the suspension of Russia's anti-doping agency RUSADA, the country's athletics federation and Paralympic Committee. Putin also said during his year-end news conference that the doping scandal had been fuelled deliberately before Russia's presidential election due in March next year. He also said that both global anti-doping body WADA and the International Olympic Committee were working under duress.

US secret services control doping whistleblower Rodchenkov: Putin

Russia has been banned from the 2018 Winter Olympic in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The ban was imposed when Russian Olympic Committee was found guilty of alleged &quot;state-sponsored doping&quot;. Even government officials are prohibited to attend the events, their flag and symbols will not be displayed and their anthem will not be played.

Thomas Bach, President of International Olympic Committee said in a Press Conference, &quot;Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is banned from competing in the upcoming Winter Olympics but the athlete can participate, be it individual or team competitions, under the name &quot;Olympic Athlete from Russia&quot; with the acronym OAR. Olympic anthem will be played at any ceremony.&quot;

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<h5>The purpose of Olympic games is to spread the philosophy of creating a peaceful and better world. Those nations which were engaged in a war or violated human rights have been banished from the games.</h5>
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The individual athlete will participate if they come out &quot;clean&quot;. They will wear the jersey with the abbreviation &quot;OAR&quot; and will carry the Olympic flag. Thomas Bach also mentioned, &quot;The Russian doping system is an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympic games and sports.&quot;

The purpose of Olympic games is to spread the philosophy of creating a peaceful and better world. Those nations which were engaged in a war or violated human rights have been banished from the games. But the case of Russia has gone far beyond. The doping case may not be a grievous crime against humanity or it might not cause a war but it may snag a healthy competition and deal a critical blow to the prestige of the Olympics.

But this punishment is too severe to handle. There are 32 games where Russian contenders have a very high chance of winning, and this harsh decision could completely jeopardise that possibility. Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Short Track Speedskating, Skeleton, Snowboard and Speedskating are the games where Russian team had the best chances of getting the medal.

Russia has already been banned for the Winter Paralympic Games by the International Paralympic Committee for the same doping charges.

Many in the sports circuit and beyond is raising the question whether such actions are really an attempt to keep international sporting events clean of drugs or is it a deliberate attempt to politicise the event? After all, the western world which controls such august sporting bodies has not been in best of terms with Putin&#39;s Russia. So a pertinent question could well be, is Russia suffering Putin&#39;s punishment.

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The IOC is banning Russian officials from attending the event too.&nbsp;It is yet to be seen how Vladimir Putin, one of the most influential leaders in the world, responds to this ban. He is not known to be taking national humiliation quietly.

It will indeed be very unfortunate if the arena of Olympics sports turns into another Cold War between Russia and the West.

Athletes are requesting people not to judge other athletes if they participate in the games. Recently, two-time Olympic champion, Sergei Chepikov, urged people not to criticise the athletes who eventually decide to compete under a neutral flag at the Winter Olympics. But if the IOC is banning Russia, then why it is inviting athlete to play as an individual--deprived of their flag, national anthem and their pride. After all, the main motivation for a participating player is to hear one&#39;s own national anthem during the ceremony. Player represent their nation, not their individuality.

Whether it is a war against drugs or war against Russia, this chain of events has created a state of pain and anger for all Russian sportspersons and related authorities.

There is definitely a need to punish those who are violating the guidelines of such big and expensive events but this collective punishment and to ban a country from participation is not the solution.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

There is definitely a need to punish those who are violating the guidelines of such big and expensive events but this collective punishment and to ban a country from participation is not the solution

Russia has been banned from the 2018 Winter Olympic in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The ban was imposed when Russian Olympic Committee was found guilty of alleged "state-sponsored doping". Even government officials are prohibited to attend the events, their flag and symbols will not be displayed and their anthem will not be played. Thomas Bach, President of International Olympic Committee said in a Press Conference, "Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is banned from competing in the upcoming Winter Olympics but the athlete can participate, be it individual or team competitions, under the name "Olympic Athlete from Russia" with the acronym OAR. Olympic anthem will be played at any ceremony." The purpose of Olympic games is to spread the philosophy of creating a peaceful and better world. Those nations which were engaged in a war or violated human rights have been banished from the games. × The individual athlete will participate if they come out "clean". They will wear the jersey with the abbreviation "OAR" and will carry the Olympic flag. Thomas Bach also mentioned, "The Russian doping system is an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympic games and sports." The purpose of Olympic games is to spread the philosophy of creating a peaceful and better world. Those nations which were engaged in a war or violated human rights have been banished from the games. But the case of Russia has gone far beyond. The doping case may not be a grievous crime against humanity or it might not cause a war but it may snag a healthy competition and deal a critical blow to the prestige of the Olympics. But this punishment is too severe to handle. There are 32 games where Russian contenders have a very high chance of winning, and this harsh decision could completely jeopardise that possibility. Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Short Track Speedskating, Skeleton, Snowboard and Speedskating are the games where Russian team had the best chances of getting the medal. Russia has already been banned for the Winter Paralympic Games by the International Paralympic Committee for the same doping charges. Many in the sports circuit and beyond is raising the question whether such actions are really an attempt to keep international sporting events clean of drugs or is it a deliberate attempt to politicise the event? After all, the western world which controls such august sporting bodies has not been in best of terms with Putin's Russia. So a pertinent question could well be, is Russia suffering Putin's punishment. It is yet to be seen how Vladimir Putin, one of the most influential leaders in the world, responds to this ban. He is not known to be taking national humiliation quietly. × The IOC is banning Russian officials from attending the event too. It is yet to be seen how Vladimir Putin, one of the most influential leaders in the world, responds to this ban. He is not known to be taking national humiliation quietly. It will indeed be very unfortunate if the arena of Olympics sports turns into another Cold War between Russia and the West. Athletes are requesting people not to judge other athletes if they participate in the games. Recently, two-time Olympic champion, Sergei Chepikov, urged people not to criticise the athletes who eventually decide to compete under a neutral flag at the Winter Olympics. But if the IOC is banning Russia, then why it is inviting athlete to play as an individual--deprived of their flag, national anthem and their pride. After all, the main motivation for a participating player is to hear one's own national anthem during the ceremony. Player represent their nation, not their individuality. Whether it is a war against drugs or war against Russia, this chain of events has created a state of pain and anger for all Russian sportspersons and related authorities. There is definitely a need to punish those who are violating the guidelines of such big and expensive events but this collective punishment and to ban a country from participation is not the solution. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Ban on Russia, why is Putin silent?

Russian President<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russias-ruling-party-says-to-back-putin-if-he-seeks-new-term-25531"> Vladimir Putin said today he will </a>be seeking a fresh six-year term as president of Russia next year in March.

Putin is the longest <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/president-putin-asks-755-us-diplomats-to-leave-russia-18404">serving Russian president, he was </a>also the prime minister of Russia for two terms - 1999 until 2000 and again from 2008 until 2012.

&quot;I will offer my candidacy for the post of president of the Russian Federation,&quot; Putin told workers at the GAZ factory in Nizhny Novgorod.

Putin,65, who has been in power for nearly 18 years became president of Russia&nbsp;for the first time in 2000 until 2008. He is currently serving his second term as president since May 2012.

The Russian president who was a KGB foreign intelligence officer will become the longest-serving Russian leader since Leonid Brezhnev who was Russia&#39;s leader from 1964 to 1982.&nbsp;

&quot;There is always a great deal of responsibility involved in this decision for any person, because the motive must be the desire to make life better in this country,&quot; he told the workers at the GAZ factory.

&quot;And this can be achieved only with people&#39;s trust and support. And now I want to ask, do you trust and support me?&quot; to which the audience shouted &quot;Yes!&quot;.

Putin first became president after Boris Yeltsin resigned on New Year&#39;s Eve in 1999.

Putin who has been in power for nearly 18 years became president of the Russian president for the first time in 2000

Russian President Vladimir Putin said today he will be seeking a fresh six-year term as president of Russia next year in March. Putin is the longest serving Russian president, he was also the prime minister of Russia for two terms - 1999 until 2000 and again from 2008 until 2012. "I will offer my candidacy for the post of president of the Russian Federation," Putin told workers at the GAZ factory in Nizhny Novgorod. Putin,65, who has been in power for nearly 18 years became president of Russia for the first time in 2000 until 2008. He is currently serving his second term as president since May 2012. The Russian president who was a KGB foreign intelligence officer will become the longest-serving Russian leader since Leonid Brezhnev who was Russia's leader from 1964 to 1982. "There is always a great deal of responsibility involved in this decision for any person, because the motive must be the desire to make life better in this country," he told the workers at the GAZ factory. "And this can be achieved only with people's trust and support. And now I want to ask, do you trust and support me?" to which the audience shouted "Yes!". Putin first became president after Boris Yeltsin resigned on New Year's Eve in 1999.

I will offer my candidacy next year for the post of president: Putin

Putin on Wednesday said Russia would not prevent athletes from competing at the 2018 Winter Games under the Olympic flag, after the IOC banned the country over a doping scandal.&nbsp;

&quot;We will certainly not declare any boycott, we will not prevent our Olympians from competing, if they want to take part in a personal capacity,&quot; news agencies quoted him as saying during a speech at an automobile plant in Nizhny Novgorod, where he also announced he would run for a fourth presidential term next year.

Putin on Wednesday said Russia would not prevent athletes from competing at the 2018 Winter Games under the Olympic flag, after the IOC banned the country over a doping scandal.?

Putin on Wednesday said Russia would not prevent athletes from competing at the 2018 Winter Games under the Olympic flag, after the IOC banned the country over a doping scandal. "We will certainly not declare any boycott, we will not prevent our Olympians from competing, if they want to take part in a personal capacity," news agencies quoted him as saying during a speech at an automobile plant in Nizhny Novgorod, where he also announced he would run for a fourth presidential term next year.

No Russian Olympic boycott: Putin

The United States and Russia issued a presidential joint statement saying there was &quot;no military solution&quot; to the war in Syria after their leaders met briefly on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam.

There had been mixed messages for days from both Moscow and the White House on whether President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would hold face-to-face discussions during the APEC summit in Danang.

The statement, issued by officials from both sides, said the two presidents had made progress on Syria, which has been battered by six years of civil war.

The US and Russia have backed competing factions in the bloody conflict, and agreement on the next steps towards peace is rare.

&quot;The presidents agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria,&quot; the statement said, adding that the two sides &quot;confirmed their determination to defeat ISIS&quot; -- an alternative name for the Islamic State jihadist group.

The statement added that the two sides had agreed to keep military channels open to avoid potential clashes over Syria and urged the warring sides to participate in UN-led peace talks in Geneva.

Russia has run a major bombing campaign in Syria since 2015, when it stepped in to support President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s fight against rebels -- some of them US-backed -- tipping the conflict in his favour.

The Russian military has recently accused the United States of merely &quot;pretending&quot; to fight IS in Iraq and of hindering the Russian-backed offensive in eastern Syria.

But Saturday&#39;s joint statement expressed satisfaction with efforts to prevent incidents between their respective forces in Syria.

&quot;The Presidents affirmed their commitment to Syria&#39;s sovereignty, unity, independence, territorial integrity, and non-sectarian character,&quot; it said.

According to senior State Department officials, the statement was the result of &quot;months of fairly intense discussions&quot; and was finalised on the margins of the APEC summit between diplomats.

It represents Russia&#39;s firm committment to the UN-backed peace process, one of the officials said.

&quot;We made very clear that there will not be any reconstruction aid in Syria until there is a meaningful political process moving along the timeline,&quot; he said.

&quot;I cannot speak to the Russians, but I think it might be one of the reasons why they clearly committed to the fact that the ultimate resolution to the civil war will be under the Geneva process,&quot; he added.

A new round of talks is scheduled to be held in Geneva from November 28, the UN special envoy for Syria announced Thursday.

There have been seven previous sessions between the Syrian regime and the opposition, which failed to overcome the main obstacle -- the fate of President Assad.

Haunted relationship 
 
Trump&#39;s relationship with Moscow has haunted the first year of his presidency, with key former aides under a US investigation for alleged collaboration with the Kremlin.

Putin and Trump last held face-to-face talks at a G20 summit earlier in the year, and there was intense speculation over whether they would so do again in Danang.&nbsp;

After the pair met on the sidelines of the APEC summit, Trump said he believes Putin was sincere when he denied meddling in the US election that propelled Trump to power, adding that the Russian leader felt &quot;very insulted&quot; by the allegations.

Overly amicable talks between Trump and Putin in Vietnam risked being an awkward sell for the White House, as it vigorously denies any undue links with the Kremlin. 
&nbsp;

The US and Russia issued a presidential joint statement saying there was 'no military solution' to the war in Syria after their leaders met briefly on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam

The United States and Russia issued a presidential joint statement saying there was "no military solution" to the war in Syria after their leaders met briefly on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam. There had been mixed messages for days from both Moscow and the White House on whether President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would hold face-to-face discussions during the APEC summit in Danang. The statement, issued by officials from both sides, said the two presidents had made progress on Syria, which has been battered by six years of civil war. The US and Russia have backed competing factions in the bloody conflict, and agreement on the next steps towards peace is rare. "The presidents agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria," the statement said, adding that the two sides "confirmed their determination to defeat ISIS" -- an alternative name for the Islamic State jihadist group. The statement added that the two sides had agreed to keep military channels open to avoid potential clashes over Syria and urged the warring sides to participate in UN-led peace talks in Geneva. Russia has run a major bombing campaign in Syria since 2015, when it stepped in to support President Bashar al-Assad's fight against rebels -- some of them US-backed -- tipping the conflict in his favour. The Russian military has recently accused the United States of merely "pretending" to fight IS in Iraq and of hindering the Russian-backed offensive in eastern Syria. But Saturday's joint statement expressed satisfaction with efforts to prevent incidents between their respective forces in Syria. "The Presidents affirmed their commitment to Syria's sovereignty, unity, independence, territorial integrity, and non-sectarian character," it said. According to senior State Department officials, the statement was the result of "months of fairly intense discussions" and was finalised on the margins of the APEC summit between diplomats. It represents Russia's firm committment to the UN-backed peace process, one of the officials said. "We made very clear that there will not be any reconstruction aid in Syria until there is a meaningful political process moving along the timeline," he said. "I cannot speak to the Russians, but I think it might be one of the reasons why they clearly committed to the fact that the ultimate resolution to the civil war will be under the Geneva process," he added. A new round of talks is scheduled to be held in Geneva from November 28, the UN special envoy for Syria announced Thursday. There have been seven previous sessions between the Syrian regime and the opposition, which failed to overcome the main obstacle -- the fate of President Assad. Haunted relationship Trump's relationship with Moscow has haunted the first year of his presidency, with key former aides under a US investigation for alleged collaboration with the Kremlin. Putin and Trump last held face-to-face talks at a G20 summit earlier in the year, and there was intense speculation over whether they would so do again in Danang. After the pair met on the sidelines of the APEC summit, Trump said he believes Putin was sincere when he denied meddling in the US election that propelled Trump to power, adding that the Russian leader felt "very insulted" by the allegations. Overly amicable talks between Trump and Putin in Vietnam risked being an awkward sell for the White House, as it vigorously denies any undue links with the Kremlin.

Trump, Putin agree 'no military solution' in Syria

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/texas-shooting-leaves-at-least-26-dead-officials-23554" target="_blank">Gunman walks into Texas church, shoots 26 people dead</a>

A black-clad gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a small-town Texas church during Sunday morning services, killing 26 people and wounding 20 in the last mass shooting to shock the United States.The victims, who ranged in age from five to 72, were gunned down at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, a rural community of about 400 people located 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of San Antonio.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cong-has-run-away-hp-poll-one-sided-modi-at-rally-23538" target="_blank">Indira Gandhi refused to carry out note ban: Modi</a>

Prime minister Narendra Modi stressed that the implementation of demonetisation policy was required in 1971, but it was implemented by the BJP government.&nbsp;&quot;Former prime minister Indira Gandhi refused to carry out note ban. Had she done note ban when needed, I would not have had to carry out this big task,&#39;&#39; said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-tells-modi-to-quit-if-unable-to-control-price-rise-give-jobs-23545" target="_blank">Rahul asks Modi to quit if unable to control price rise, give jobs</a>

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today asked the Narendra Modi government to stop delivering &quot;hollow&quot; speeches and quit if it was unable to stop prices from rising and give jobs to the people.Gandhi, whose Twitter feed has become more active of late, posted on the micro-blogging site: &quot;Mehngi gas, mehnga ration, band karo khokhla bhashan, daam bandho, kaam do, varna khali karo singhasan.&quot;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/sacked-catalan-leader-carles-puigdemont-freed-on-bail-in-belgium-23557" target="_blank">Sacked Catalan leader Puigdemont freed on bail in Belgium</a>

Catalonia&#39;s sacked separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his former ministers were released with conditions in Belgium on Sunday after turning themselves in to face a Spanish warrant for their arrest. A judge ordered the five, who fled Spain earlier this week after being accused of rebellion and sedition, not to leave Belgium until their extradition case is heard.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/queen-elizabeth-ii-has-13m-in-investments-in-offshore-tax-havens-documents-23562" target="_blank">US Commerce Secretary has ties to firm linked to Putin&#39;s inner circle</a>

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has business ties to a shipping firm linked to Vladimir Putin&#39;s inner circle, according to a vast leak of financial documents that also revealed Britain&#39;s Queen Elizabeth II&#39;s investments in tax havens.

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Gunman walks into Texas church, shoots 26 people dead A black-clad gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a small-town Texas church during Sunday morning services, killing 26 people and wounding 20 in the last mass shooting to shock the United States.The victims, who ranged in age from five to 72, were gunned down at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, a rural community of about 400 people located 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of San Antonio. Indira Gandhi refused to carry out note ban: Modi Prime minister Narendra Modi stressed that the implementation of demonetisation policy was required in 1971, but it was implemented by the BJP government. "Former prime minister Indira Gandhi refused to carry out note ban. Had she done note ban when needed, I would not have had to carry out this big task,'' said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rahul asks Modi to quit if unable to control price rise, give jobs Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today asked the Narendra Modi government to stop delivering "hollow" speeches and quit if it was unable to stop prices from rising and give jobs to the people.Gandhi, whose Twitter feed has become more active of late, posted on the micro-blogging site: "Mehngi gas, mehnga ration, band karo khokhla bhashan, daam bandho, kaam do, varna khali karo singhasan." Sacked Catalan leader Puigdemont freed on bail in Belgium Catalonia's sacked separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his former ministers were released with conditions in Belgium on Sunday after turning themselves in to face a Spanish warrant for their arrest. A judge ordered the five, who fled Spain earlier this week after being accused of rebellion and sedition, not to leave Belgium until their extradition case is heard. US Commerce Secretary has ties to firm linked to Putin's inner circle US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has business ties to a shipping firm linked to Vladimir Putin's inner circle, according to a vast leak of financial documents that also revealed Britain's Queen Elizabeth II's investments in tax havens.

WION Morning news brief, Nov 6, 2017

Editors of Russia&#39;s opposition newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, said on Thursday they were planning to give their employees weapons training and arm them with &quot;traumatic&quot; or less lethal weapons to protect themselves against possible attacks.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The decision comes amid a spike in violence against dissenters in Russia, including this week&#39;s attack on a radio journalist who was stabbed in the neck at the offices of the liberal Echo of Moscow radio.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;If the state is not ready to protect us, we will protect ourselves,&quot; Sergei Sokolov, a deputy editor at Russia&#39;s top Opposition newspaper, told AFP.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;When journalists find themselves helpless in the face of lawlessness in the streets and indiscipline of law enforcement agencies there is no other way.&quot;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov said on Wednesday that a number of employees would undergo arms training and the newspaper would purchase traumatic weapons.&nbsp;

The use of fire arms is tightly regulated in Russia. The so-called traumatic weapons that use rubber bullets can be used for self-defence, but can also inflict lethal damage.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;I will arm the newsroom,&quot; Muratov said on Echo of Moscow Radio.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;We will also supply journalists with other security means that I don&#39;t want to talk about.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;We will conclude an official agreement with the Russian interior ministry,&quot; he added. &quot;I have no other choice.&quot;&nbsp;

Contacted by AFP, Muratov said he could not provide details of the plan over security concerns.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;Our security experts have asked me to refrain from comments before we take concrete steps,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Pavel Kanygin, a Novaya Gazeta special correspondent, said he was ready to use non-lethal weapons to defend himself.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;I don&#39;t see anything bad in our situation,&quot; he told AFP in written comments, adding that potential criminals may be deterred by the knowledge that Novaya Gazeta reporters carry weapons.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;This too is defence.&quot;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
President Vladimir Putin&#39;s spokesman said today he saw no reason to provide extra security for journalists.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;Unfortunately, every one of us can become a target of a madman,&quot; Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Novaya Gazeta was free to adopt any measures as long as they were in line with existing laws.&nbsp;

Over the past two decades Novaya Gazeta has lost several journalists to contract-style killings, including investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya who was gunned down in the entrance to her Moscow apartment in 2006.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Earlier this week Tatyana Felgenhauer, a 32-year-old Echo of Moscow presener, was stabbed in the neck by a mentally unstable man.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Many commentators have blamed the authorities for fomenting hatred against dissenters and creating an atmosphere in which such attacks became possible.

'If the state is not ready to protect us, we will protect ourselves,' Sergei Sokolov, a deputy editor at Novaya Gazeta, said

Editors of Russia's opposition newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, said on Thursday they were planning to give their employees weapons training and arm them with "traumatic" or less lethal weapons to protect themselves against possible attacks. The decision comes amid a spike in violence against dissenters in Russia, including this week's attack on a radio journalist who was stabbed in the neck at the offices of the liberal Echo of Moscow radio. "If the state is not ready to protect us, we will protect ourselves," Sergei Sokolov, a deputy editor at Russia's top Opposition newspaper, told AFP. "When journalists find themselves helpless in the face of lawlessness in the streets and indiscipline of law enforcement agencies there is no other way." Novaya Gazeta editor Dmitry Muratov said on Wednesday that a number of employees would undergo arms training and the newspaper would purchase traumatic weapons. The use of fire arms is tightly regulated in Russia. The so-called traumatic weapons that use rubber bullets can be used for self-defence, but can also inflict lethal damage. "I will arm the newsroom," Muratov said on Echo of Moscow Radio. "We will also supply journalists with other security means that I don't want to talk about." "We will conclude an official agreement with the Russian interior ministry," he added. "I have no other choice." Contacted by AFP, Muratov said he could not provide details of the plan over security concerns. "Our security experts have asked me to refrain from comments before we take concrete steps," he said. Pavel Kanygin, a Novaya Gazeta special correspondent, said he was ready to use non-lethal weapons to defend himself. "I don't see anything bad in our situation," he told AFP in written comments, adding that potential criminals may be deterred by the knowledge that Novaya Gazeta reporters carry weapons. "This too is defence." President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said today he saw no reason to provide extra security for journalists. "Unfortunately, every one of us can become a target of a madman," Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Novaya Gazeta was free to adopt any measures as long as they were in line with existing laws. Over the past two decades Novaya Gazeta has lost several journalists to contract-style killings, including investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya who was gunned down in the entrance to her Moscow apartment in 2006. Earlier this week Tatyana Felgenhauer, a 32-year-old Echo of Moscow presener, was stabbed in the neck by a mentally unstable man. Many commentators have blamed the authorities for fomenting hatred against dissenters and creating an atmosphere in which such attacks became possible.

Will arm journalists, say Russian newspaper editors after Putin refuses protection

A Russian court sentenced <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russias-massive-anti-graft-protest-leader-detained-for-15-days-13860" target="_blank">opposition leader Alexei Navalny to his third jail term this year on Monday</a>, disrupting plans by the long-time Kremlin critic to campaign before Russia&#39;s coming election.

Russia holds a presidential election in March next year. The incumbent Vladimir Putin has yet to announce his candidacy but is widely expected to do so and to win.

Navalny hopes to run, even though Russia&#39;s central election commission declared him ineligible because of a suspended prison sentence, which he says was politically motivated.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-opposition-leader-navalny-jailed-1500-arrested-after-wave-of-protests-16759" target="_blank">He was detained by police on Friday</a> as he left his Moscow home to attend a pre-election rally in a provincial town and later charged with repeatedly violating laws governing the organisation of public meetings and rallies.

A court sentenced him to 20 days in jail on Monday, a term which means he will miss a campaign rally planned in Putin&#39;s hometown of St Petersburg on October 7 - the Russian leader&#39;s birthday.

&quot;Old man Putin is so scared of our meetings in the regions that he decided to make himself happy with a small gift for his jubilee,&quot; Navalny said on Twitter after his sentencing.

Navalny has been jailed twice already this year after organising rallies and protests against government corruption.

Russian opposition activists say they are coming under increased pressure as the election approaches, with authorities frequently turning a blind eye to violent attacks.

Navalny has been jailed twice already this year after organising rallies and protests against government corruption

A Russian court sentenced opposition leader Alexei Navalny to his third jail term this year on Monday, disrupting plans by the long-time Kremlin critic to campaign before Russia's coming election. Russia holds a presidential election in March next year. The incumbent Vladimir Putin has yet to announce his candidacy but is widely expected to do so and to win. Navalny hopes to run, even though Russia's central election commission declared him ineligible because of a suspended prison sentence, which he says was politically motivated. He was detained by police on Friday as he left his Moscow home to attend a pre-election rally in a provincial town and later charged with repeatedly violating laws governing the organisation of public meetings and rallies. A court sentenced him to 20 days in jail on Monday, a term which means he will miss a campaign rally planned in Putin's hometown of St Petersburg on October 7 - the Russian leader's birthday. "Old man Putin is so scared of our meetings in the regions that he decided to make himself happy with a small gift for his jubilee," Navalny said on Twitter after his sentencing. Navalny has been jailed twice already this year after organising rallies and protests against government corruption. Russian opposition activists say they are coming under increased pressure as the election approaches, with authorities frequently turning a blind eye to violent attacks.

Russia: Putin critic Navalny jailed for 20 days

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-leaves-for-norway-to-skip-rjds-bjp-bhagao-desh-bachao-rally-19518">Rahul Gandhi, who has just returned from Norway</a> is now heading for&nbsp;another foreign visit.&nbsp;

This time the Congress vice-president will be visiting Silicon Valley in the United States to groom his Artificial Intelligence skills.&nbsp;

Party sources say&nbsp;Rahul Gandhi wants India to excel in Artificial Intelligence and added that he is going to the US to &quot;expand his thoughts about artificial intelligence&quot;.&nbsp;

Artificial Intelligence, the science of creating intelligent machines that think like human brains, is still in its nascent&nbsp;phase in India. However many other countries including China have already invested in the field.&nbsp;

The Chinese government had long ago&nbsp;realised the importance of Artificial Intelligence for boosting its economy. The country has already devised plans to emerge as the world&#39;s premier AI innovation hub by 2030.&nbsp;

Despite the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/second-academic-journal-pressed-to-censor-china-content-19309"> strict censorship in China</a>, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/game-of-tech-apple-google-facebook-who-will-win-392">Google</a> is striving to utilise the intelligent technology resource and engineering talent&nbsp;from China. The US tech giant is looking for AI experts from the country.

The growth of artificial intelligence in China has moved Google to establish its own AI research team in the country, which it&nbsp;indicated during its&nbsp;May AI summit held near Shanghai.&nbsp;

Google&#39;s search engine has been <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/apple-abstains-its-chinese-users-from-accessing-vpn-18430">blocked in China</a> since 2010, however, the company is making efforts to maintain a strong foot hold in the country.&nbsp;

Google recently entered into a partnership with the local government on the AI summit in the town of Wuzhen.

The US giant has also relaunched Google Translate mobile app in Chinese language. &nbsp;Recently Google initiated building artificial&nbsp;intelligence team in the country.

Recently Google has initiated for building artificial team in the country. As part of its AI research It is looking for expert qualified human resources for its machine learning programme

Rahul Gandhi, who has just returned from Norway is now heading for another foreign visit. This time the Congress vice-president will be visiting Silicon Valley in the United States to groom his Artificial Intelligence skills. Party sources say Rahul Gandhi wants India to excel in Artificial Intelligence and added that he is going to the US to "expand his thoughts about artificial intelligence". Artificial Intelligence, the science of creating intelligent machines that think like human brains, is still in its nascent phase in India. However many other countries including China have already invested in the field. The Chinese government had long ago realised the importance of Artificial Intelligence for boosting its economy. The country has already devised plans to emerge as the world's premier AI innovation hub by 2030. Despite the strict censorship in China, Google is striving to utilise the intelligent technology resource and engineering talent from China. The US tech giant is looking for AI experts from the country. The growth of artificial intelligence in China has moved Google to establish its own AI research team in the country, which it indicated during its May AI summit held near Shanghai. Google's search engine has been blocked in China since 2010, however, the company is making efforts to maintain a strong foot hold in the country. Google recently entered into a partnership with the local government on the AI summit in the town of Wuzhen. The US giant has also relaunched Google Translate mobile app in Chinese language. Recently Google initiated building artificial intelligence team in the country.

Rahul Gandhi to visit Silicon Valley to study Artificial Intelligence

Australian cyclist Shane Perkins has been given the green light to attain Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin, paving the way for the twice world champion to represent his new country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Melbourne-born 30-year-old won a sprint bronze for Australia at the 2012 Olympics in London but missed out on selection for last year&#39;s Rio Games.

&quot;The President resolved to grant Russian Federation citizenship to Shane Alan Perkins,&quot; the Kremlin said in a statement on its website. 
Perkins posted a picture of himself on Twitter wearing Russia colours on his bike and wrote: &quot;I&#39;m the most excited guy in the world right now! I can make my dreams come true!&quot;

Perkins, a good friend of Russia&#39;s reigning world champion sprinter Denis Dmitriev, who took bronze in the sprint at Rio, began seriously considering defecting less than a year ago, frustrated at being shut out of Australia&#39;s high performance programme, he told local media.

Perkins&#39; father Daryl, a former national champion, raced in the now defunct tandem sprint with Ian Browne at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. They were beaten by the silver medal-winning Soviet Union pair of Imants Bodnieks and Viktor Logunov in the quarter-finals.

Australia has granted citizenship to a number of top Russian athletes over the years, including women&#39;s tennis player Daria Gavrilova, the world number 26, and former European champion speed skater Tatiana Borodulina.

The Melbourne-born 30-year-old won a sprint bronze for Australia at the 2012 Olympics in London but missed out on selection for last year's Rio Games.

Australian cyclist Shane Perkins has been given the green light to attain Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin, paving the way for the twice world champion to represent his new country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Melbourne-born 30-year-old won a sprint bronze for Australia at the 2012 Olympics in London but missed out on selection for last year's Rio Games. "The President resolved to grant Russian Federation citizenship to Shane Alan Perkins," the Kremlin said in a statement on its website. Perkins posted a picture of himself on Twitter wearing Russia colours on his bike and wrote: "I'm the most excited guy in the world right now! I can make my dreams come true!" Perkins, a good friend of Russia's reigning world champion sprinter Denis Dmitriev, who took bronze in the sprint at Rio, began seriously considering defecting less than a year ago, frustrated at being shut out of Australia's high performance programme, he told local media. Perkins' father Daryl, a former national champion, raced in the now defunct tandem sprint with Ian Browne at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. They were beaten by the silver medal-winning Soviet Union pair of Imants Bodnieks and Viktor Logunov in the quarter-finals. Australia has granted citizenship to a number of top Russian athletes over the years, including women's tennis player Daria Gavrilova, the world number 26, and former European champion speed skater Tatiana Borodulina.

Cyclist Perkins gets nod from Putin for Russia switch

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said the United States would have to cut 755 diplomatic staff in Russia and warned of a prolonged gridlock in its ties after the US Congress backed new sanctions against the Kremlin.

Putin added bluntly that Russia was able to raise the stakes with America even further, although he hoped this would be unnecessary.

A US State Department official denounced the move as a &quot;regrettable and uncalled for act,&quot; adding that Washington was now weighing a potential response.

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<h5>On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The evictions of US diplomatic staff are in response to that</h5>
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On Friday, the Russian foreign ministry demanded Washington cut its diplomatic presence in Russia by September 1 to 455 people -- the same number Moscow has in the US.

&quot;More than a thousand people -- diplomats and technical personnel -- were working and are still working&quot; at the US embassy and consulates, Putin said in an interview with Rossia-24 television.&nbsp;

&quot;755 people must stop their activities in Russia.&quot;

The US State Department would not confirm the number of US officials serving at the mission.

Putin added that an upturn in Russia&#39;s relations with Washington could not be expected &quot;any time soon.&quot;

&quot;We have waited long enough, hoping that the situation would perhaps change for the better,&quot; he said.

&quot;But it seems that even if the situation is changing, it&#39;s not for any time soon.&quot;

Raise the stakes? 
Putin warned that Russia could further ratchet up the pressure, but he hoped this would not be needed.

Russia still &quot;has things to say and is able to further restrict areas of common activities, which may be sensitive for the American side,&quot; he said.

If the damage inflicted by &quot;attempts to pressure Russia&quot; rises further, &quot;we are able to look at other forms of retaliation. But I hope we won&#39;t have to do it,&quot; he said.

&quot;For the time being, I am against&quot; any additional riposte, Putin said.

On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Iran and North Korea are also targeted in the sanctions bill.

The law now goes to President Donald Trump who had made an improvement in ties with Russia a plank of his election campaign -- a position that his critics said was inexplicable.

Russia also froze two US embassy compounds -- a Moscow summer house and a storage facility in the city -- from August 1.

&quot;I thought that we should show that we too are not going to stand by without a response&quot; after &quot;the baseless measures taken by the American side,&quot; Putin said.

In December, then US president Barack Obama ordered out 35 Russian diplomats and closed down two embassy summer houses that Washington said were being used by Moscow for espionage.

At the time, the Kremlin said it would put any retaliation on hold until after Trump took office.

Hacking &#39;cooperation&#39; 
High on the list of US grievances is the allegation that Russian operatives hacked Democratic Party computers at the peak of the troubled 2016 election campaign.

Putin on Sunday said Russia had proposed &quot;several times establishing cooperation with the American side&quot; on cyber-security.

&quot;But instead of starting to work constructively, all we hear are baseless accusations about interference in the internal affairs of the United States,&quot; he complained.

Putin and Trump, meeting on the sidelines of the July 7-8 G20 summit in Hamburg, talked about setting up what Trump called an &quot;impenetrable cyber security unit&quot; to prevent hacking in future elections.

Senior members of Trump&#39;s Republican Party poured scorn on the concept.

Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the notion was &quot;not the dumbest idea I&#39;ve ever heard, but it&#39;s pretty close.&quot;

Former presidential candidate John McCain said sarcastically he was &quot;sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since he&#39;s doing the hacking.&quot;

'755 people must stop their activities in Russia,' Putin said in an interview with Rossia-24 television

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said the United States would have to cut 755 diplomatic staff in Russia and warned of a prolonged gridlock in its ties after the US Congress backed new sanctions against the Kremlin. Putin added bluntly that Russia was able to raise the stakes with America even further, although he hoped this would be unnecessary. A US State Department official denounced the move as a "regrettable and uncalled for act," adding that Washington was now weighing a potential response. On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The evictions of US diplomatic staff are in response to that × On Friday, the Russian foreign ministry demanded Washington cut its diplomatic presence in Russia by September 1 to 455 people -- the same number Moscow has in the US. "More than a thousand people -- diplomats and technical personnel -- were working and are still working" at the US embassy and consulates, Putin said in an interview with Rossia-24 television. "755 people must stop their activities in Russia." The US State Department would not confirm the number of US officials serving at the mission. Putin added that an upturn in Russia's relations with Washington could not be expected "any time soon." "We have waited long enough, hoping that the situation would perhaps change for the better," he said. "But it seems that even if the situation is changing, it's not for any time soon." Raise the stakes? Putin warned that Russia could further ratchet up the pressure, but he hoped this would not be needed. Russia still "has things to say and is able to further restrict areas of common activities, which may be sensitive for the American side," he said. If the damage inflicted by "attempts to pressure Russia" rises further, "we are able to look at other forms of retaliation. But I hope we won't have to do it," he said. "For the time being, I am against" any additional riposte, Putin said. On Thursday, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Iran and North Korea are also targeted in the sanctions bill. The law now goes to President Donald Trump who had made an improvement in ties with Russia a plank of his election campaign -- a position that his critics said was inexplicable. Russia also froze two US embassy compounds -- a Moscow summer house and a storage facility in the city -- from August 1. "I thought that we should show that we too are not going to stand by without a response" after "the baseless measures taken by the American side," Putin said. In December, then US president Barack Obama ordered out 35 Russian diplomats and closed down two embassy summer houses that Washington said were being used by Moscow for espionage. At the time, the Kremlin said it would put any retaliation on hold until after Trump took office. Hacking 'cooperation' High on the list of US grievances is the allegation that Russian operatives hacked Democratic Party computers at the peak of the troubled 2016 election campaign. Putin on Sunday said Russia had proposed "several times establishing cooperation with the American side" on cyber-security. "But instead of starting to work constructively, all we hear are baseless accusations about interference in the internal affairs of the United States," he complained. Putin and Trump, meeting on the sidelines of the July 7-8 G20 summit in Hamburg, talked about setting up what Trump called an "impenetrable cyber security unit" to prevent hacking in future elections. Senior members of Trump's Republican Party poured scorn on the concept. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the notion was "not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close." Former presidential candidate John McCain said sarcastically he was "sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since he's doing the hacking."

Putin orders US to cut diplomatic staff by 755

US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin shook hands as they met for the first time Friday at a G-20 summit marred by violent protests and a rift between America and its Western allies over climate change and trade.

The handshake in Hamburg came hours before the brash property tycoon and the ice-cool ex-KGB agent were due to hold a blockbuster bilateral that promises to be dissected frame by frame for any sign of rapprochement or estrangement.

&quot;I look forward to all meetings today with world leaders, including my meeting with Vladimir Putin. Much to discuss,&quot; Trump wrote on Twitter.

Asked if Putin felt the same about the talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: &quot;Affirmative&quot;.

Their meeting, say analysts, is of vital importance for issues ranging from the North Korean crisis and conflicts in Syria and Ukraine to US-Russian disarmament treaties, world trade and global warming.

&quot;While Trump&#39;s pro-wrestling approach is showy, bombastic and impulsive, Putin thrives on judo&#39;s discipline and mental toughness, where a core technique is to keep an opponent off-balance and exploit his weakness,&quot; noted Derek Chollet from think-tank German Marshall Fund.&nbsp;

&quot;How these contrasting styles of machismo interact... will likely be the defining feature of their relationship.&quot;

Their meeting comes on the sidelines of what is expected to be the most fraught G-20 summit in years.

Trump&#39;s &quot;America First&quot; approach on trade and climate-sceptic stance are testing the relationship with longstanding allies, especially in Europe.

And his tough response to North Korea&#39;s missile programme -- an issue where Russia and China are urging calm -- throws a further volatile ingredient into the mix.

End &#39;destabilising&#39; action

On the presidential election campaign trail last year, Trump said he hoped relations with Putin could be rebuilt after Russia&#39;s acrimonious ties with his predecessor Barack Obama.

But Moscow faces mounting accusations that it interfered in the election to help propel Trump into the White House. As a result, Trump faces pressure at home and from US allies to take a combative tone.

In a key speech in Warsaw on Thursday, Trump fired a rare salvo of criticism at Russia, but did not name Putin specifically.

&quot;We urge Russia to cease its destabilising activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes -- including Syria and Iran -- and to instead join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and in defence of civilisation itself,&quot; he told a cheering crowd of about 10,000 people.

A White House source confirmed to AFP that Trump will be joined at the meeting only by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and a translator, an extraordinarily small cast list that raised concerns among experts.

&quot;Neither Tillerson or Trump have any experience of foreign policy. That is one reason why they need pros in the room when meeting Putin,&quot; said Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution.

Storm over climate

North Korea&#39;s successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile this week also casts a dark shadow over the US leader&#39;s first G20 summit.

Trump had warned Thursday that Pyongyang&#39;s military sabre-rattling would bear &quot;consequences&quot;, saying he was considering a &quot;severe&quot; response to its &quot;very, very bad behaviour&quot;.

After repeatedly urging Beijing to ratchet up the economic pressure on North Korea, Trump will hold what promises to be a testy meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the G20&#39;s sidelines.

Beyond the complex diplomatic waltz, the US leader also faces tough talks in the main G20 conference room, where a united front is forming against his dismissive attitude to global warming.&nbsp;

Trump may have vowed to pull the US out of the 2015 Paris climate protection accord, but G20 host German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that &quot;many many other countries want to go on implementing&quot; it.

&quot;We are not going to paper over the differences but rather, we will call discord discord,&quot; said Merkel.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said world leaders will redouble efforts over the two-day summit to persuade Trump to rejoin the Paris deal.

&quot;I believe the collective message that will be given to President Trump around this table will be the importance of America coming back into that agreement, and I hope we will be able to work to ensure that can happen,&quot; she told the BBC.

But the timing of Trump&#39;s meeting with Putin -- expected to begin 15 minutes after G20 leaders start their afternoon session on climate change -- has been viewed as a sign of the US leader snubbing the issue.

Cars torched 
 
Outside the heavily-guarded conference hall, tensions were also high with police clashing with demonstrators again early Friday following a night of running battles that left more than 100 police officers injured.

Beginning early Friday, activists torched more cars, smashed shop windows, fired flares at the police helicopters and even slashed tyres on vehicles belonging to the Canadian delegation.&nbsp;

Small groups played cat-and-mouse with the 20,000 police on duty to try and stop the leaders even getting to the summit venue.

&quot;It&#39;s a total catastrophe that a minority can just riot like this,&quot; local resident Munch told AFP &quot;These idiots have nothing better to do than to demonstrate. They have to be moved out.&quot;

Their meeting, say analysts, is of vital importance for issues ranging from the North Korean crisis and conflicts in Syria and Ukraine to US-Russian disarmament treaties, world trade and global warming

US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin shook hands as they met for the first time Friday at a G-20 summit marred by violent protests and a rift between America and its Western allies over climate change and trade. The handshake in Hamburg came hours before the brash property tycoon and the ice-cool ex-KGB agent were due to hold a blockbuster bilateral that promises to be dissected frame by frame for any sign of rapprochement or estrangement. "I look forward to all meetings today with world leaders, including my meeting with Vladimir Putin. Much to discuss," Trump wrote on Twitter. Asked if Putin felt the same about the talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Affirmative". Their meeting, say analysts, is of vital importance for issues ranging from the North Korean crisis and conflicts in Syria and Ukraine to US-Russian disarmament treaties, world trade and global warming. "While Trump's pro-wrestling approach is showy, bombastic and impulsive, Putin thrives on judo's discipline and mental toughness, where a core technique is to keep an opponent off-balance and exploit his weakness," noted Derek Chollet from think-tank German Marshall Fund. "How these contrasting styles of machismo interact... will likely be the defining feature of their relationship." Their meeting comes on the sidelines of what is expected to be the most fraught G-20 summit in years. Trump's "America First" approach on trade and climate-sceptic stance are testing the relationship with longstanding allies, especially in Europe. And his tough response to North Korea's missile programme -- an issue where Russia and China are urging calm -- throws a further volatile ingredient into the mix. End 'destabilising' action On the presidential election campaign trail last year, Trump said he hoped relations with Putin could be rebuilt after Russia's acrimonious ties with his predecessor Barack Obama. But Moscow faces mounting accusations that it interfered in the election to help propel Trump into the White House. As a result, Trump faces pressure at home and from US allies to take a combative tone. In a key speech in Warsaw on Thursday, Trump fired a rare salvo of criticism at Russia, but did not name Putin specifically. "We urge Russia to cease its destabilising activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes -- including Syria and Iran -- and to instead join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and in defence of civilisation itself," he told a cheering crowd of about 10,000 people. A White House source confirmed to AFP that Trump will be joined at the meeting only by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and a translator, an extraordinarily small cast list that raised concerns among experts. "Neither Tillerson or Trump have any experience of foreign policy. That is one reason why they need pros in the room when meeting Putin," said Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution. Storm over climate North Korea's successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile this week also casts a dark shadow over the US leader's first G20 summit. Trump had warned Thursday that Pyongyang's military sabre-rattling would bear "consequences", saying he was considering a "severe" response to its "very, very bad behaviour". After repeatedly urging Beijing to ratchet up the economic pressure on North Korea, Trump will hold what promises to be a testy meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the G20's sidelines. Beyond the complex diplomatic waltz, the US leader also faces tough talks in the main G20 conference room, where a united front is forming against his dismissive attitude to global warming. Trump may have vowed to pull the US out of the 2015 Paris climate protection accord, but G20 host German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that "many many other countries want to go on implementing" it. "We are not going to paper over the differences but rather, we will call discord discord," said Merkel. British Prime Minister Theresa May said world leaders will redouble efforts over the two-day summit to persuade Trump to rejoin the Paris deal. "I believe the collective message that will be given to President Trump around this table will be the importance of America coming back into that agreement, and I hope we will be able to work to ensure that can happen," she told the BBC. But the timing of Trump's meeting with Putin -- expected to begin 15 minutes after G20 leaders start their afternoon session on climate change -- has been viewed as a sign of the US leader snubbing the issue. Cars torched Outside the heavily-guarded conference hall, tensions were also high with police clashing with demonstrators again early Friday following a night of running battles that left more than 100 police officers injured. Beginning early Friday, activists torched more cars, smashed shop windows, fired flares at the police helicopters and even slashed tyres on vehicles belonging to the Canadian delegation. Small groups played cat-and-mouse with the 20,000 police on duty to try and stop the leaders even getting to the summit venue. "It's a total catastrophe that a minority can just riot like this," local resident Munch told AFP "These idiots have nothing better to do than to demonstrate. They have to be moved out."

Trump, Putin in first showdown at fractious G-20

Russia and China joined diplomatic forces on Tuesday and called on North Korea, South Korea and the United States to sign up to a Chinese de-escalation plan designed to defuse tensions around Pyongyang&#39;s missile programme.

The plan would see North Korea suspend its ballistic missile programme and the United States and South Korea simultaneously call a moratorium on large-scale missile exercises, both moves aimed at paving the way for multilateral talks.

The initiative was set out in a joint statement from the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries issued shortly after President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held wide-ranging talks in the Kremlin.

&quot;The situation in the region affects the national interests of both countries,&quot; the joint statement said. &quot;Russia and China will work in close coordination to advance a solution to the complex problem of the Korean Peninsula in every possible way.&quot;

North Korea said on Tuesday it had successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time, which flew a trajectory that experts said could allow a weapon to hit the US&nbsp;state of Alaska.

Russia and China both share a land border with North Korea and have been involved in past efforts to try to calm tensions between Pyongyang and the West.

Moscow and Beijing used the same joint declaration to call on Washington to immediately halt deployment of its THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, a move Washington says is necessitated by the North Korean missile threat.

The statement said Washington was using North Korea as a pretext to expand its military infrastructure in Asia and risked upsetting the strategic balance of power in the area.

&quot;The deployment ... of THAAD will cause serious harm to the strategic security interests of regional states, including Russia and China,&quot; the statement said.

&quot;Russia and China oppose the deployment of such systems and call on the relevant countries to immediately halt and cancel the process of deployment.&quot;

The plan would see North Korea suspend its ballistic missile programme and the US & South Korea simultaneously stop large-scale missile exercises

Russia and China joined diplomatic forces on Tuesday and called on North Korea, South Korea and the United States to sign up to a Chinese de-escalation plan designed to defuse tensions around Pyongyang's missile programme. The plan would see North Korea suspend its ballistic missile programme and the United States and South Korea simultaneously call a moratorium on large-scale missile exercises, both moves aimed at paving the way for multilateral talks. The initiative was set out in a joint statement from the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries issued shortly after President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held wide-ranging talks in the Kremlin. "The situation in the region affects the national interests of both countries," the joint statement said. "Russia and China will work in close coordination to advance a solution to the complex problem of the Korean Peninsula in every possible way." North Korea said on Tuesday it had successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time, which flew a trajectory that experts said could allow a weapon to hit the US state of Alaska. Russia and China both share a land border with North Korea and have been involved in past efforts to try to calm tensions between Pyongyang and the West. Moscow and Beijing used the same joint declaration to call on Washington to immediately halt deployment of its THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, a move Washington says is necessitated by the North Korean missile threat. The statement said Washington was using North Korea as a pretext to expand its military infrastructure in Asia and risked upsetting the strategic balance of power in the area. "The deployment ... of THAAD will cause serious harm to the strategic security interests of regional states, including Russia and China," the statement said. "Russia and China oppose the deployment of such systems and call on the relevant countries to immediately halt and cancel the process of deployment."

Russia and China tell N Korea, US and S Korea to embrace de-escalation plan

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused BBC of supporting Kremlin critic and jailed Opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Responding to a question by a BBC reporter about whether he saw Navalny as a political competitor, President Putin said , &quot;When I heard you were from the BBC, I didn&#39;t doubt for a moment you would ask precisely that question because it&#39;s in a certain sense propaganda of the people whom you support&quot;.

The Russian president, who was speaking during his annual televised phone-in, ignored more biting questions from viewers about Alexei Navalny and his plans to stand for a fourth term.

The remarks appeared on-screen in an apparent glitch, AFP reported.

Navalny&#39;s video accusing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of massive corruption has been viewed 23 million times on YouTube.

&quot;Any form of protest, including demonstrations, should remain in the framework of the law,&quot; Putin said. &quot;Those who violate the law must answer for these violations.&quot;

Navalny has been sentenced to 30 days behind bars after being detained Monday on his way to a protest in Moscow against government corruption. He has announced his intention to stand for president against Putin in 2018

&quot;Is true that Navalny is making a film about you now?&quot; a viewer&nbsp;asked. 
 
&quot;Putin, do you really think people believe this circus with staged questions?&quot; asked another. 
 
Several called for an end to Putin&#39;s rule, ahead of elections next year when he is widely expected to stand for a fourth term.

The Russian president also said&nbsp;the latest US sanctions over alleged election meddling were efforts to &quot;contain Russia&quot;.

On Wednesday, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve further sanctions against Russia.

Comparing James Comey with fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden,&nbsp;Putin jokingly suggested he could offer political asylum to the&nbsp;sacked FBI director.

&quot;If he is persecuted, we would be ready to offer him asylum in Russia. He should know this,&quot; Putin said.

Comey, who was overseeing the probe of Russia&#39;s involvement in the US elections, was recently sacked by US President Trump.

Snowden, a former contractor for the CIA, was given asylum by Russia for leaking classified information&nbsp;from the National Security Agency to journalists.

Vladimir Putin, who is usually closely-guarded about his personal life, told Russian media for the first time that he has grandchildren. He said he wants to keep them out of the spotlight so they can grow up &quot;normally&quot;. 
 
On the phone-in show, Putin said that one grandson was born recently, to applause in the studio, while another is &quot;already in preschool&quot;.

&quot;The thing is, I don&#39;t want them to grow up like hereditary princes, I want them to grow up to be normal people,&quot; Putin said in explaining the secrecy around his family.

&quot;If I mention ages and names, they would be identified and never left alone.&quot; 
&nbsp;

President Putin said the BBC deliberately asked questions as a 'propaganda of the people whom you support'

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused BBC of supporting Kremlin critic and jailed Opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Responding to a question by a BBC reporter about whether he saw Navalny as a political competitor, President Putin said , "When I heard you were from the BBC, I didn't doubt for a moment you would ask precisely that question because it's in a certain sense propaganda of the people whom you support". The Russian president, who was speaking during his annual televised phone-in, ignored more biting questions from viewers about Alexei Navalny and his plans to stand for a fourth term. The remarks appeared on-screen in an apparent glitch, AFP reported. Navalny's video accusing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of massive corruption has been viewed 23 million times on YouTube. "Any form of protest, including demonstrations, should remain in the framework of the law," Putin said. "Those who violate the law must answer for these violations." Navalny has been sentenced to 30 days behind bars after being detained Monday on his way to a protest in Moscow against government corruption. He has announced his intention to stand for president against Putin in 2018 "Is true that Navalny is making a film about you now?" a viewer asked. "Putin, do you really think people believe this circus with staged questions?" asked another. Several called for an end to Putin's rule, ahead of elections next year when he is widely expected to stand for a fourth term. The Russian president also said the latest US sanctions over alleged election meddling were efforts to "contain Russia". On Wednesday, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve further sanctions against Russia. Comparing James Comey with fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden, Putin jokingly suggested he could offer political asylum to the sacked FBI director. "If he is persecuted, we would be ready to offer him asylum in Russia. He should know this," Putin said. Comey, who was overseeing the probe of Russia's involvement in the US elections, was recently sacked by US President Trump. Snowden, a former contractor for the CIA, was given asylum by Russia for leaking classified information from the National Security Agency to journalists. Vladimir Putin, who is usually closely-guarded about his personal life, told Russian media for the first time that he has grandchildren. He said he wants to keep them out of the spotlight so they can grow up "normally". On the phone-in show, Putin said that one grandson was born recently, to applause in the studio, while another is "already in preschool". "The thing is, I don't want them to grow up like hereditary princes, I want them to grow up to be normal people," Putin said in explaining the secrecy around his family. "If I mention ages and names, they would be identified and never left alone."

Russian President Putin accuses BBC of supporting jailed opposition leader Navalny

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days, and over 1,500 of his supporters were arrested after demonstrations across the nation on Monday against government corruption.

The protests were the second mass action since March called by Navalny, who has announced his intention to run for president next year and has drawn a new generation to the streets through a relentless online campaign.

A Moscow court, sitting late Monday, found the 41-year-old Navalny guilty of organising unauthorised protests and sentenced him to a month in administrative custody, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter.

The OVD-Info rights group told AFP that more than 1,500 of his supporters had been arrested during the protests across the country, including 823 in Moscow where riot police tried to push the crowds back, sometimes by beating them with batons.

As riot police grabbed people and led them to police vans others demonstrators shouted &quot;Shame!&quot;, &quot;Putin is a thief!&quot; and &quot;Freedom to Navalny!&quot;

Police held an estimated 600 protesters in Saint Petersburg, said the NGO, which tracks arrests and said more than 100 detentions had also been made in cities including Vladivostock, Kaliningrad, Norilsk and Sochi.&nbsp;

Thousands of Russians, many very young, chanted &quot;Russia without Putin!&quot; in the streets of dozens of cities during Monday&#39;s protests.

The United States condemned the arrests, a rare criticism of human rights violations and the Kremlin from Donald Trump&#39;s administration.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer called &quot;on the government of Russia to immediately release all peaceful protesters,&quot; detained in nationwide marches.

Navalny himself was picked up by police as he headed to the Moscow event.

Thousands took to the streets in other cities across Russia, with the authorities sanctioning some gatherings and banning others. Some reports said authorities threatened university students with expulsion if they attended.

Navalny&#39;s anti-corruption videos have needled the country&#39;s ruling elite and drawn crowds to the streets not seen since the protests against President Vladimir Putin&#39;s reelection for a third term in 2012.

&#39;Mired in corruption&#39;&nbsp;

Navalny, who plans to stand against Putin in presidential elections in March, appeared before a judge Monday evening. He faces up to 30 days in administrative custody for breaking rules on organising demonstrations, his lawyer said.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani voiced his concern after Navalny&#39;s arrest and an EU spokesman deplored &quot;the detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters and the violence used by Russian authorities against them&quot;.

Rights group Amnesty International condemned &quot;alarming scenes&quot; of detentions and violence towards demonstrators, calling for their immediate release.

The recent rallies were galvanised by a film released by Navalny in early March, which accused Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling vast personal wealth through a shadowy network of foundations. It has been viewed over 22 million times.

&quot;Putin has been in power for 17 years and is not planning to leave. He has usurped all power,&quot; said protester Alexander Tyurin, 41.&nbsp;

Another protester Yevgeny, 19, said he had been expelled from university after participating in a previous rally.&nbsp;

&quot;Our government shouts that enemies are everywhere and is becoming closed in on itself,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;We want turnover among those in power. Pressure on young people has increased.&quot;&nbsp;

Navalny has brought a new generation to the streets through his embrace of YouTube. His team was broadcasting from a studio set up in Moscow, though the electricity was periodically cut, forcing the presenter to speak in total darkness.

Moscow police said Navalny would be charged with administrative offences of resisting arrest and a second violation of demonstration organisation rules.

Russia Day

The wave of protests called by Navalny coincides with a public holiday, Russia Day, when Putin hands out awards and holds a reception in the Kremlin.&nbsp;

Turnout was difficult to calculate as ordinary people mingled with those protesting, but thousands filled the Tverskaya Street area in Moscow, many waving Russian flags and banners.

On the eve of the event -- which was authorised -- Navalny announced the protest was changing location to Tverskaya because the authorities had blocked his efforts to set up a stage and sound equipment.

They &quot;are forbidding any contractors from getting us a stage and sound,&quot; he wrote on his blog Sunday.&nbsp;

&quot;We are cancelling the rally on Sakharov Avenue and moving it to Tverskaya Street,&quot; a main thoroughfare to the Kremlin, he said.

The protest ended up coinciding with City Hall Russia Day events such as the reenactment of various eras in Russian history, from World War I trenches to a Renaissance fair and sword fighting.

In surreal scenes, dozens of buses filled by policemen were parked nearby ahead of the rally while ordinary people gawked at actors in period costumes.

Later, however, riot police and the national guard moved in, even on people sitting in nearby cafes, shouting &quot;Go away! There is an unauthorised protest here!&quot;

Thousands of Russians, many very young, chanted 'Russia without Putin!'?in the streets of dozens of cities during Monday's protests

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days, and over 1,500 of his supporters were arrested after demonstrations across the nation on Monday against government corruption. The protests were the second mass action since March called by Navalny, who has announced his intention to run for president next year and has drawn a new generation to the streets through a relentless online campaign. A Moscow court, sitting late Monday, found the 41-year-old Navalny guilty of organising unauthorised protests and sentenced him to a month in administrative custody, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter. The OVD-Info rights group told AFP that more than 1,500 of his supporters had been arrested during the protests across the country, including 823 in Moscow where riot police tried to push the crowds back, sometimes by beating them with batons. As riot police grabbed people and led them to police vans others demonstrators shouted "Shame!", "Putin is a thief!" and "Freedom to Navalny!" Police held an estimated 600 protesters in Saint Petersburg, said the NGO, which tracks arrests and said more than 100 detentions had also been made in cities including Vladivostock, Kaliningrad, Norilsk and Sochi. Thousands of Russians, many very young, chanted "Russia without Putin!" in the streets of dozens of cities during Monday's protests. The United States condemned the arrests, a rare criticism of human rights violations and the Kremlin from Donald Trump's administration. White House spokesman Sean Spicer called "on the government of Russia to immediately release all peaceful protesters," detained in nationwide marches. Navalny himself was picked up by police as he headed to the Moscow event. Thousands took to the streets in other cities across Russia, with the authorities sanctioning some gatherings and banning others. Some reports said authorities threatened university students with expulsion if they attended. Navalny's anti-corruption videos have needled the country's ruling elite and drawn crowds to the streets not seen since the protests against President Vladimir Putin's reelection for a third term in 2012. 'Mired in corruption' Navalny, who plans to stand against Putin in presidential elections in March, appeared before a judge Monday evening. He faces up to 30 days in administrative custody for breaking rules on organising demonstrations, his lawyer said. European Parliament President Antonio Tajani voiced his concern after Navalny's arrest and an EU spokesman deplored "the detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters and the violence used by Russian authorities against them". Rights group Amnesty International condemned "alarming scenes" of detentions and violence towards demonstrators, calling for their immediate release. The recent rallies were galvanised by a film released by Navalny in early March, which accused Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling vast personal wealth through a shadowy network of foundations. It has been viewed over 22 million times. "Putin has been in power for 17 years and is not planning to leave. He has usurped all power," said protester Alexander Tyurin, 41. Another protester Yevgeny, 19, said he had been expelled from university after participating in a previous rally. "Our government shouts that enemies are everywhere and is becoming closed in on itself," he said. "We want turnover among those in power. Pressure on young people has increased." Navalny has brought a new generation to the streets through his embrace of YouTube. His team was broadcasting from a studio set up in Moscow, though the electricity was periodically cut, forcing the presenter to speak in total darkness. Moscow police said Navalny would be charged with administrative offences of resisting arrest and a second violation of demonstration organisation rules. Russia Day The wave of protests called by Navalny coincides with a public holiday, Russia Day, when Putin hands out awards and holds a reception in the Kremlin. Turnout was difficult to calculate as ordinary people mingled with those protesting, but thousands filled the Tverskaya Street area in Moscow, many waving Russian flags and banners. On the eve of the event -- which was authorised -- Navalny announced the protest was changing location to Tverskaya because the authorities had blocked his efforts to set up a stage and sound equipment. They "are forbidding any contractors from getting us a stage and sound," he wrote on his blog Sunday. "We are cancelling the rally on Sakharov Avenue and moving it to Tverskaya Street," a main thoroughfare to the Kremlin, he said. The protest ended up coinciding with City Hall Russia Day events such as the reenactment of various eras in Russian history, from World War I trenches to a Renaissance fair and sword fighting. In surreal scenes, dozens of buses filled by policemen were parked nearby ahead of the rally while ordinary people gawked at actors in period costumes. Later, however, riot police and the national guard moved in, even on people sitting in nearby cafes, shouting "Go away! There is an unauthorised protest here!"

Russia: Opposition leader Navalny jailed, 1,500 arrested after wave of protests

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday categorically said that New Delhi remains committed to the Paris Climate Accord, adding it is relying heavily on traditional energy sources so that the future generations are able to breathe fresh and live a harmonious life.

&quot;We cannot exploit the nature. When I was in Germany I had said that Paris or no Paris. We have this conviction. We should leave earth for our future generation so that they can live a harmonious life and be able to breathe fresh air,&quot; Prime Minster Modi said at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

When his comments were sought on the US decision to withdraw from the climate deal, where President Donald Trump alleged that the agreement gave better deal to the world&#39;s highly polluting countries like India, Prime Minister Modi said, &quot;Don`t think I will take sides on this subject, but would rather take side of our future generation.&quot;

Prime Minister Modi further said that India is a responsible nation and seriously considers climate change a threat. He said large investments are being made in traditional energy sources.

&quot;The exploitation of nature is a crime. Instead of relying on traditional energy sources, we are increasingly relying on renewable energy. We have set 175 GW target,&quot; he said.

Earlier, Trump accused India of extracting &quot;billions and billions and billions&quot; of dollars in foreign aid from the developed world to sign up for the climate accord and pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord.

&quot;India makes its participation contingent on receiving billions of dollars in foreign aid,&quot; he said.

Trump said, according to the Paris Climate deal terms, China will be allowed many coal plants, and India will be allowed to double its coal production by 2020, but not the US.

&quot;As of today, the US will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris accord, and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country,&quot; he said in an address in the White House Rose Garden.

He said the US will begin negotiations to re-enter the Paris Agreement on terms that are fair to the United States.

&quot;We will be environmentally friendly, but we`re not going to put our businesses out of work... We`re going to grow rapidly,&quot; Trump said.

(ANI)

Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Modi said that India is increasingly relying on the use of renewable energy sources

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday categorically said that New Delhi remains committed to the Paris Climate Accord, adding it is relying heavily on traditional energy sources so that the future generations are able to breathe fresh and live a harmonious life. "We cannot exploit the nature. When I was in Germany I had said that Paris or no Paris. We have this conviction. We should leave earth for our future generation so that they can live a harmonious life and be able to breathe fresh air," Prime Minster Modi said at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. When his comments were sought on the US decision to withdraw from the climate deal, where President Donald Trump alleged that the agreement gave better deal to the world's highly polluting countries like India, Prime Minister Modi said, "Don`t think I will take sides on this subject, but would rather take side of our future generation." Prime Minister Modi further said that India is a responsible nation and seriously considers climate change a threat. He said large investments are being made in traditional energy sources. "The exploitation of nature is a crime. Instead of relying on traditional energy sources, we are increasingly relying on renewable energy. We have set 175 GW target," he said. Earlier, Trump accused India of extracting "billions and billions and billions" of dollars in foreign aid from the developed world to sign up for the climate accord and pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord. "India makes its participation contingent on receiving billions of dollars in foreign aid," he said. Trump said, according to the Paris Climate deal terms, China will be allowed many coal plants, and India will be allowed to double its coal production by 2020, but not the US. "As of today, the US will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris accord, and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country," he said in an address in the White House Rose Garden. He said the US will begin negotiations to re-enter the Paris Agreement on terms that are fair to the United States. "We will be environmentally friendly, but we`re not going to put our businesses out of work... We`re going to grow rapidly," Trump said. (ANI)

Prime Minister Modi says India committed to Paris Climate Accord

James Comey, who was sacked as the FBI chief by US President Donald Trump last month, will testify before a powerful Congressional committee in an open session next week, it was announcement today.

Senator Richard Burr, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Senator Mark Warner, who is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, announced that Comey will testify before the Committee on June 8, 2017.

&quot;The hearing will begin at 10 AM in open session. The open session will be followed by a closed session at 1 PM,&quot; a media announcement said.

Comey was fired as FBI Director by Trump last month.

According to US media reports, Comey is likely to tell the lawmakers that he was asked by Trump not to go ahead of the FBI investigations against Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor to Trump.

Meanwhile, Senators Patrick Leahy and Al Franken released a letter that they had written to Comey requesting an FBI inquiry into Attorney General Sessions&#39; testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee and his contacts with Russian officials.

&quot;Earlier this year, Attorney General Sessions provided false testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in response to our questions regarding his contacts with Russian officials,&quot; the two Senators said.

&quot;He made no attempt to correct his misleading testimony until the Washington Post revealed that, in fact, he had at least two meetings with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 presidential campaign,&quot; they said.

Yet, the Attorney General never fully explained or even acknowledged the misrepresentations in his testimony, and &quot;we remained concerned that he had still not been forthcoming about the extent of his contacts with Russian officials,&quot; the two Senators said in the statement.

&quot;On March 20, we asked then-FBI Director Comey to investigate Attorney General Sessions&#39; false testimony and any additional contacts he may have had with Russian officials, including reports that he may have met with the Russian ambassador at a small, private Trump campaign event at the Mayflower Hotel in April 2016,&quot; they wrote.

&quot;We anticipated that Director Comey would respond to our letter by May 12,&quot; the Senators said.

Director Comey was abruptly dismissed on May 9.

Since then, the two Senators said, they have been in communication with the FBI concerning a response to their letter, and expect to be briefed on the matter in the near future.

&quot;We served with the Attorney General in the Senate and on the Judiciary Committee for many years. We know he would not tolerate dishonesty if he were in our shoes. If it is determined that the Attorney General still has not been truthful with Congress and the American people about his contacts with Russian officials during the campaign, he needs to resign,&quot; the two Senators said.

(PTI)

&nbsp;

Comey is likely to tell the lawmakers he was asked by Trump not to go ahead with the FBI investigations against Michael Flynn

James Comey, who was sacked as the FBI chief by US President Donald Trump last month, will testify before a powerful Congressional committee in an open session next week, it was announcement today. Senator Richard Burr, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Senator Mark Warner, who is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, announced that Comey will testify before the Committee on June 8, 2017. "The hearing will begin at 10 AM in open session. The open session will be followed by a closed session at 1 PM," a media announcement said. Comey was fired as FBI Director by Trump last month. According to US media reports, Comey is likely to tell the lawmakers that he was asked by Trump not to go ahead of the FBI investigations against Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor to Trump. Meanwhile, Senators Patrick Leahy and Al Franken released a letter that they had written to Comey requesting an FBI inquiry into Attorney General Sessions' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee and his contacts with Russian officials. "Earlier this year, Attorney General Sessions provided false testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in response to our questions regarding his contacts with Russian officials," the two Senators said. "He made no attempt to correct his misleading testimony until the Washington Post revealed that, in fact, he had at least two meetings with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 presidential campaign," they said. Yet, the Attorney General never fully explained or even acknowledged the misrepresentations in his testimony, and "we remained concerned that he had still not been forthcoming about the extent of his contacts with Russian officials," the two Senators said in the statement. "On March 20, we asked then-FBI Director Comey to investigate Attorney General Sessions' false testimony and any additional contacts he may have had with Russian officials, including reports that he may have met with the Russian ambassador at a small, private Trump campaign event at the Mayflower Hotel in April 2016," they wrote. "We anticipated that Director Comey would respond to our letter by May 12," the Senators said. Director Comey was abruptly dismissed on May 9. Since then, the two Senators said, they have been in communication with the FBI concerning a response to their letter, and expect to be briefed on the matter in the near future. "We served with the Attorney General in the Senate and on the Judiciary Committee for many years. We know he would not tolerate dishonesty if he were in our shoes. If it is determined that the Attorney General still has not been truthful with Congress and the American people about his contacts with Russian officials during the campaign, he needs to resign," the two Senators said. (PTI)

Trump-Russia probe: Comey to testify before Senate intel panel next week

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump sought to insert himself into congressional probes on Russia on Wednesday, urging lawmakers to hear from one of his former advisers, Carter Page, to counter testimony by directors of the FBI and CIA.

Trump has been dismissive of probes by the FBI and several congressional panels into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and potential collusion by the Trump campaign.

In a series of morning tweets, the Republican president quoted a Monday letter from Page in which he asked to address the House Intelligence Committee promptly and referred to faulty testimony from US&nbsp;intelligence officials.

Trump accused Democrats of blocking Page&#39;s testimony, without citing any evidence but referring to an unidentified report.

&quot;So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don&#39;t want him to testify. He blows away their case against him &amp; now wants to clear his name by showing &#39;the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan...&#39; Witch Hunt!&quot; Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to the former directors of the FBI and CIA.

Trump&#39;s early morning tweets came as his advisers are planning to establish a &quot;war room&quot; to combat mounting questions about communication between Russia and his presidential campaign before and after November&#39;s election.

However, the president&#39;s penchant for tweeting could complicate White House efforts to tamp down the scandal if the messages appear to address the investigations.

Page&#39;s letter was reported by the Washington Examiner. Reuters has not verified the contents of the letter. A House Intelligence Committee staffer said on Wednesday the panel does not make public its communications.

Page, who advised Trump during his presidential campaign, is one of several Trump associates of interest to congressional investigators in the Russia probes that have begun to dominate his four-month-old presidency.

Moscow has denied US&nbsp;intelligence agencies&#39; conclusion that Moscow interfered in the election campaign to try to tilt the vote in Trump&#39;s favour. Trump has denied any collusion.

(Reuters)

Trump's criticism of the investigations into him and Russia was not supported by any cited evidence

US President Donald Trump sought to insert himself into congressional probes on Russia on Wednesday, urging lawmakers to hear from one of his former advisers, Carter Page, to counter testimony by directors of the FBI and CIA. Trump has been dismissive of probes by the FBI and several congressional panels into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and potential collusion by the Trump campaign. In a series of morning tweets, the Republican president quoted a Monday letter from Page in which he asked to address the House Intelligence Committee promptly and referred to faulty testimony from US intelligence officials. Trump accused Democrats of blocking Page's testimony, without citing any evidence but referring to an unidentified report. "So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don't want him to testify. He blows away their case against him & now wants to clear his name by showing 'the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan...' Witch Hunt!" Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to the former directors of the FBI and CIA. Trump's early morning tweets came as his advisers are planning to establish a "war room" to combat mounting questions about communication between Russia and his presidential campaign before and after November's election. However, the president's penchant for tweeting could complicate White House efforts to tamp down the scandal if the messages appear to address the investigations. Page's letter was reported by the Washington Examiner. Reuters has not verified the contents of the letter. A House Intelligence Committee staffer said on Wednesday the panel does not make public its communications. Page, who advised Trump during his presidential campaign, is one of several Trump associates of interest to congressional investigators in the Russia probes that have begun to dominate his four-month-old presidency. Moscow has denied US intelligence agencies' conclusion that Moscow interfered in the election campaign to try to tilt the vote in Trump's favour. Trump has denied any collusion. (Reuters)

Trump blasts Russia probe, urges testimony from former adviser Page

France&#39;s President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin attempted to improve their countries&#39; strained ties on Monday during talks at Versailles palace described by Macron as &quot;extremely frank&quot;.

Their first meeting since Macron took office provided another test of the Frenchman&#39;s diplomatic skills after his memorable vice-grip handshake last week with US President Donald Trump.

This time the handshake was warmer but the tone guarded after an hour of talks on the 300th anniversary of a visit to Versailles by tsar Peter the Great.

Putin admitted to some differences of opinion in the talks which covered issues including the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, but insisted that Franco-Russian ties withstood &quot;all points of friction&quot;.

&quot;We disagree on a number of things but at least we discussed them,&quot; Macron said.

&quot;Our absolute priority is the fight against terrorism and the eradication of terrorist groups and Daesh in particular,&quot; he said, using an alternate name for the Islamic State group that has claimed several deadly attacks in France.

&#39;Organs of propaganda&#39;&nbsp;

The newly elected French leader said he wanted to work more closely with Russia to try resolve the six-year war in Syria,&nbsp;one of the sticking points in relations between the West and Moscow which backs the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Calling for &quot;a democratic transition that preserves the Syrian state&quot;, he warned that &quot;failed states&quot; in the Middle East emboldened terror groups and posed a threat to the West.

But in an apparent warning to Assad and Russia, he said the use of chemical weapons was a &quot;red line&quot; that would draw an &quot;immediate response&quot; from France.

The pair also discussed the Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its encroachment on neighbouring Ukraine as well as allegations of Russian meddling in France&#39;s presidential campaign.

The Russian strongman defended hosting Macron&#39;s far-right rival Marine Le Pen -- seen as the Kremlin&#39;s favourite -- for a visit during the race, saying he had no cause to deny her request for an audience.

He also shrugged off allegations that Russian hackers infiltrated Macron&#39;s campaign.

&quot;Maybe they were Russian hackers, maybe they were not,&quot; he said.

A more candid Macron let fly when questioned about two pro-Kremlin media outlets that were barred from his campaign headquarters after being accused of a smear campaign.

Russia Today broadcaster and Sputnik agency are &quot;organs of influence and untruthful propaganda, nothing more, nothing less&quot;, he declared.

Macron also took the bull by the horns on human rights, saying Putin had promised him &quot;the whole truth&quot; about an alleged crackdown on gay men in Russian-controlled Chechnya and warning he would be &quot;vigilant&quot; on the issue.

&#39;No concessions&#39;&nbsp;

France&#39;s youngest ever president made a successful debut on the world stage last week, holding his own against Trump at a NATO summit in Brussels and winning plaudits from his peers at a G7 summit in Italy.

Ahead of Putin&#39;s visit, the 39-year-old centrist told a French weekly that he was not &quot;bothered&quot; by leaders who &quot;think in terms of power dynamics&quot;.

He said he would make &quot;not a single concession&quot; to Russia on the three-year-old conflict in eastern Ukraine, with he and his G7 counterparts saying they were prepared to strengthen sanctions against Moscow.

Macron said he, Putin and the leaders of Germany and Ukraine would meet soon for talks, &quot;which will allow us to make a complete evaluation of the situation&quot;.

Modernising tsar &nbsp;

Western powers charge Russia with failing to honour its commitments under the Minsk accords framework for ending the violence between government forces and Kremlin-backed rebels in Ukraine&#39;s east.

Putin said the sanctions imposed on Russia, which have seriously hurt trade with the EU, had &quot;in no way&quot; advanced the prospects of a lasting peace.

Directly after the French election he moved quickly to try reset relations with France, congratulating Macron and urging him to work to overcome their countries&#39; &quot;mutual distrust&quot;.

Monday&#39;s visit comes seven months after the Russian leader cancelled a trip to Paris amid a row over Syria with Macron&#39;s predecessor Francois Hollande, who had said Russia&#39;s bombing of Aleppo could amount to war crimes.

In Versailles, he and Macron inaugurated an exhibition marking the visit of Russia&#39;s modernising tsar Peter the Great to Versailles in 1717.

The fervently pro-Europe Macron said his invitation to Putin aimed to showcase &quot;a Russia which is open to Europe&quot;.

Putin later visited a new Orthodox cathedral complex in central Paris.

(AFP)

French President Macron and his Russian counterpart Putin admitted to having differences in opinion during the bilateral dialogue, but insisted that they would not undermine their centuries-long association

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin attempted to improve their countries' strained ties on Monday during talks at Versailles palace described by Macron as "extremely frank". Their first meeting since Macron took office provided another test of the Frenchman's diplomatic skills after his memorable vice-grip handshake last week with US President Donald Trump. This time the handshake was warmer but the tone guarded after an hour of talks on the 300th anniversary of a visit to Versailles by tsar Peter the Great. Putin admitted to some differences of opinion in the talks which covered issues including the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, but insisted that Franco-Russian ties withstood "all points of friction". "We disagree on a number of things but at least we discussed them," Macron said. "Our absolute priority is the fight against terrorism and the eradication of terrorist groups and Daesh in particular," he said, using an alternate name for the Islamic State group that has claimed several deadly attacks in France. 'Organs of propaganda' The newly elected French leader said he wanted to work more closely with Russia to try resolve the six-year war in Syria, one of the sticking points in relations between the West and Moscow which backs the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Calling for "a democratic transition that preserves the Syrian state", he warned that "failed states" in the Middle East emboldened terror groups and posed a threat to the West. But in an apparent warning to Assad and Russia, he said the use of chemical weapons was a "red line" that would draw an "immediate response" from France. The pair also discussed the Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its encroachment on neighbouring Ukraine as well as allegations of Russian meddling in France's presidential campaign. The Russian strongman defended hosting Macron's far-right rival Marine Le Pen -- seen as the Kremlin's favourite -- for a visit during the race, saying he had no cause to deny her request for an audience. He also shrugged off allegations that Russian hackers infiltrated Macron's campaign. "Maybe they were Russian hackers, maybe they were not," he said. A more candid Macron let fly when questioned about two pro-Kremlin media outlets that were barred from his campaign headquarters after being accused of a smear campaign. Russia Today broadcaster and Sputnik agency are "organs of influence and untruthful propaganda, nothing more, nothing less", he declared. Macron also took the bull by the horns on human rights, saying Putin had promised him "the whole truth" about an alleged crackdown on gay men in Russian-controlled Chechnya and warning he would be "vigilant" on the issue. 'No concessions' France's youngest ever president made a successful debut on the world stage last week, holding his own against Trump at a NATO summit in Brussels and winning plaudits from his peers at a G7 summit in Italy. Ahead of Putin's visit, the 39-year-old centrist told a French weekly that he was not "bothered" by leaders who "think in terms of power dynamics". He said he would make "not a single concession" to Russia on the three-year-old conflict in eastern Ukraine, with he and his G7 counterparts saying they were prepared to strengthen sanctions against Moscow. Macron said he, Putin and the leaders of Germany and Ukraine would meet soon for talks, "which will allow us to make a complete evaluation of the situation". Modernising tsar Western powers charge Russia with failing to honour its commitments under the Minsk accords framework for ending the violence between government forces and Kremlin-backed rebels in Ukraine's east. Putin said the sanctions imposed on Russia, which have seriously hurt trade with the EU, had "in no way" advanced the prospects of a lasting peace. Directly after the French election he moved quickly to try reset relations with France, congratulating Macron and urging him to work to overcome their countries' "mutual distrust". Monday's visit comes seven months after the Russian leader cancelled a trip to Paris amid a row over Syria with Macron's predecessor Francois Hollande, who had said Russia's bombing of Aleppo could amount to war crimes. In Versailles, he and Macron inaugurated an exhibition marking the visit of Russia's modernising tsar Peter the Great to Versailles in 1717. The fervently pro-Europe Macron said his invitation to Putin aimed to showcase "a Russia which is open to Europe". Putin later visited a new Orthodox cathedral complex in central Paris. (AFP)

France, Russia talk about ending war in Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron met Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin near Paris on Monday, promising some frank talking with the Kremlin leader after an election campaign in which his team accused Russian media of trying to interfere.

Macron, in a press conference, standing right beside Putin, blasted Russia Today and Sputnik for carrying election&nbsp;&quot;propaganda&quot; during the recently held presidential elections, AFP Reported.

Here is the footage of the press conference, though the French president spoke in French.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Macron calls RT and Sputnik purveyors of propaganda and lies while standing adjacent to Putin. <a href="https://t.co/7cKW09I1lv">https://t.co/7cKW09I1lv</a>
&mdash; Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) <a href="https://twitter.com/nktpnd/status/869228285812760576">May 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Macron, who took office two weeks ago, has said dialogue with Russia is vital in tackling a number of international disputes. Nevertheless, relations have been beset by mistrust, with Paris and Moscow backing opposing sides in the Syrian civil war and at odds over the Ukraine conflict.

The French president also raised the issue of chemical weapons in Syria.

He said that the use of chemical weapons will be treated as a red line and any violation will attract strong response&nbsp;from them.

&quot;Any use of chemical weapons would results in reprisals and an immediate riposte, at least where France is concerned,&quot; Macron said at a joint news conference with Putin in which he added that his aim was the fight against terrorism in the country.

Fresh from talks with his Western counterparts at a NATO meeting in Brussels and a G7 summit in Sicily, Macron was hosting the Russian president at the sumptuous 17th Century palace of Versailles outside Paris.

The 39-year-old French leader and Putin exchanged a cordial, businesslike handshake and smiles when the latter stepped from his limousine for a red carpet welcome, with Macron appearing to say &quot;welcome&quot; to him in French.

The two men then entered the palace to start their talks.

&quot;It&#39;s indispensable to talk to Russia because there are a number of international subjects that will not be resolved without a tough dialogue with them,&quot; Macron told reporters at the end of the G7 summit on Saturday, where the Western leaders agreed to consider new measures against Moscow if the situation in Ukraine did not improve.

&quot;I will be demanding in my exchanges with Russia,&quot; he added.

Relations between Paris and Moscow were increasingly strained under former President Francois Hollande.

Putin, 64, cancelled his last planned visit in October after Hollande accused Russia of war crimes in Syria and refused to roll out the red carpet for him.

Then during the French election campaign the Macron camp alleged Russian hacking and disinformation efforts, at one point refusing accreditation to the Russian state-funded Sputnik and RT news outlets which it said were spreading Russian propaganda and fake news.

Two days before the May 7 election runoff, Macron&#39;s team said thousands of hacked campaign emails had been put online in a leak that one New York-based analyst said could have come from a group tied to Russian military intelligence.

Moscow and RT itself rejected allegations of meddling in the election.

Putin also offered Macron&#39;s far-right opponent Marine Le Pen a publicity coup when he granted her an audience a month before the election&#39;s first round.

Nonetheless, Russia&#39;s ambassador to Paris, Alexander Orlov said on Monday that he expected this first meeting between the two men to be full of &quot;smiles&quot; and marking the beginning of &quot;a very good and long relationship&quot;.

Orlov, speaking on Europe 1 radio, said he believed that Macron was &quot;much more flexible&quot; on the Syrian question, though he did not say why he thought this. Putin would certainly invite Macron to pay a visit to Moscow, he said.

Putin&#39;s schedule included a trip to a newly opened Russian Orthodox cathedral in Paris - a call he had been due to make for its inauguration in October, but which was cancelled along with that trip.

Clever Move

Macron decisively beat Le Pen, an open Putin admirer in a fraught presidential election campaign, and afterwards the Russian president said in a congratulatory message that he wanted to put mistrust aside and work with him.

Hollande&#39;s former diplomatic adviser, Jacques Audibert, noted how Putin had been excluded from what used to be the Group of Eight nations as relations with the West soured. Meeting in a palace so soon after the G7 summit was a clever move by Macron.

&quot;Putin likes these big symbolic things. I think it&#39;s an excellent political opportunity, the choice of place is perfect,&quot; he told CNews TV. &quot;It adds a bit of grandeur to welcome Putin to Versailles.&quot;

The Versailles exhibition commemorates a visit to France 300 years ago by Peter the Great, known for his European tastes.

A Russian official told reporters in Moscow on Friday that the meeting was an opportunity &quot;to get a better feel for each other&quot; and that the Kremlin expected &quot;a frank conversation&quot; on Syria.

While Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad, France supports rebel groups trying to overthrow him. France has also taken a tough line on European Union sanctions on Russia, first imposed when it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and cancelled a $1.3 billion warship supply contract in 2015.

During the campaign, Macron backed expanded sanctions if there were no progress with Moscow implementing a peace accord for eastern Ukraine, where Kiev&#39;s forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists.

Since being elected, Macron appears to have toned down the rhetoric, although he noted the two leaders still had &quot;diverging positions&quot; in their first phone call.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Macron was hosting Putin at the palace of Versailles to reset relations with Russia, already beset by mistrust

French President Emmanuel Macron met Russia's Vladimir Putin near Paris on Monday, promising some frank talking with the Kremlin leader after an election campaign in which his team accused Russian media of trying to interfere. Macron, in a press conference, standing right beside Putin, blasted Russia Today and Sputnik for carrying election "propaganda" during the recently held presidential elections, AFP Reported. Here is the footage of the press conference, though the French president spoke in French. Macron calls RT and Sputnik purveyors of propaganda and lies while standing adjacent to Putin. https://t.co/7cKW09I1lv — Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) May 29, 2017 × Macron, who took office two weeks ago, has said dialogue with Russia is vital in tackling a number of international disputes. Nevertheless, relations have been beset by mistrust, with Paris and Moscow backing opposing sides in the Syrian civil war and at odds over the Ukraine conflict. The French president also raised the issue of chemical weapons in Syria. He said that the use of chemical weapons will be treated as a red line and any violation will attract strong response from them. "Any use of chemical weapons would results in reprisals and an immediate riposte, at least where France is concerned," Macron said at a joint news conference with Putin in which he added that his aim was the fight against terrorism in the country. Fresh from talks with his Western counterparts at a NATO meeting in Brussels and a G7 summit in Sicily, Macron was hosting the Russian president at the sumptuous 17th Century palace of Versailles outside Paris. The 39-year-old French leader and Putin exchanged a cordial, businesslike handshake and smiles when the latter stepped from his limousine for a red carpet welcome, with Macron appearing to say "welcome" to him in French. The two men then entered the palace to start their talks. "It's indispensable to talk to Russia because there are a number of international subjects that will not be resolved without a tough dialogue with them," Macron told reporters at the end of the G7 summit on Saturday, where the Western leaders agreed to consider new measures against Moscow if the situation in Ukraine did not improve. "I will be demanding in my exchanges with Russia," he added. Relations between Paris and Moscow were increasingly strained under former President Francois Hollande. Putin, 64, cancelled his last planned visit in October after Hollande accused Russia of war crimes in Syria and refused to roll out the red carpet for him. Then during the French election campaign the Macron camp alleged Russian hacking and disinformation efforts, at one point refusing accreditation to the Russian state-funded Sputnik and RT news outlets which it said were spreading Russian propaganda and fake news. Two days before the May 7 election runoff, Macron's team said thousands of hacked campaign emails had been put online in a leak that one New York-based analyst said could have come from a group tied to Russian military intelligence. Moscow and RT itself rejected allegations of meddling in the election. Putin also offered Macron's far-right opponent Marine Le Pen a publicity coup when he granted her an audience a month before the election's first round. Nonetheless, Russia's ambassador to Paris, Alexander Orlov said on Monday that he expected this first meeting between the two men to be full of "smiles" and marking the beginning of "a very good and long relationship". Orlov, speaking on Europe 1 radio, said he believed that Macron was "much more flexible" on the Syrian question, though he did not say why he thought this. Putin would certainly invite Macron to pay a visit to Moscow, he said. Putin's schedule included a trip to a newly opened Russian Orthodox cathedral in Paris - a call he had been due to make for its inauguration in October, but which was cancelled along with that trip. Clever Move Macron decisively beat Le Pen, an open Putin admirer in a fraught presidential election campaign, and afterwards the Russian president said in a congratulatory message that he wanted to put mistrust aside and work with him. Hollande's former diplomatic adviser, Jacques Audibert, noted how Putin had been excluded from what used to be the Group of Eight nations as relations with the West soured. Meeting in a palace so soon after the G7 summit was a clever move by Macron. "Putin likes these big symbolic things. I think it's an excellent political opportunity, the choice of place is perfect," he told CNews TV. "It adds a bit of grandeur to welcome Putin to Versailles." The Versailles exhibition commemorates a visit to France 300 years ago by Peter the Great, known for his European tastes. A Russian official told reporters in Moscow on Friday that the meeting was an opportunity "to get a better feel for each other" and that the Kremlin expected "a frank conversation" on Syria. While Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad, France supports rebel groups trying to overthrow him. France has also taken a tough line on European Union sanctions on Russia, first imposed when it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and cancelled a $1.3 billion warship supply contract in 2015. During the campaign, Macron backed expanded sanctions if there were no progress with Moscow implementing a peace accord for eastern Ukraine, where Kiev's forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists. Since being elected, Macron appears to have toned down the rhetoric, although he noted the two leaders still had "diverging positions" in their first phone call. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

France's Macron calls Russia Today, Sputnik 'propaganda' while standing beside Putin

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte flies to Russia on Monday to meet his hero, seek arms and steer his nation&#39;s foreign policy course further away from longtime ally the United States.

The five-day trip will cement a dramatic improvement in ties between the two nations since Duterte came to power last year and began unravelling the Philippines&#39; decades-long alliances with the United States, which he accuses of hypocrisy and bullying.

Duterte will on Thursday meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has described as his &quot;favourite hero&quot; and proclaimed a personal bond because of mutual passions such as guns and hunting.

Duterte said on Friday one of the top priorities of his trip was to secure Russian precision-guided bombs to use on Islamic militants in the southern Philippines.

&quot;If they can spare us with the precision guided (bombs),&quot; Duterte said when discussing the purpose of his trip.

&quot;We have so many smart bombs but not as accurate.&quot;

Duterte&#39;s seeking of weapons from Russia comes as he dials down cooperation with the United States, the Philippines&#39; former colonial ruler that has for decades been its most important military ally and protector.

He has scaled down the number and scope of annual military exercises with the US, barred Filipino forces from joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea, and called for the withdrawal of American troops from the Philippines.

The shift occurred as China has become more assertive in challenging US might in the region by expanding its presence in the South China Sea, which it claims almost in its entirety.

Despite China&#39;s expansionism extending into areas of the sea claimed by the Philippines, Duterte has been determined to pivot his nation&#39;s foreign policy away from the United States in favour of Beijing and Moscow.

This has partly been due to China and Russia supporting or at least not criticising his controversial war on drugs, which has left thousands of people dead and led to warnings by rights groups that Duterte may be orchestrating a crime against humanity.

Duterte has railed against the United States, particularly when Barack Obama was president, for criticising the drug war.

&#39;Ideological flow&#39;

On a state visit to China last year, Duterte announced the Philippines&#39; &quot;separation&quot; from the United States.

&quot;I&#39;ve realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world -- China, Philippines and Russia. It&#39;s the only way,&quot; he said in Beijing.

Duterte, who describes himself as a socialist, and Putin first met on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru last November.

&quot;Historically, I have been identified with the Western world. It was good until it lasted. And of late, I see a lot of these Western nations bullying small nations,&quot; Duterte told Putin then.

Since then, two Russian Navy flotillas have visited Manila.

&quot;The Russians are with me, I shall not be afraid,&quot; Duterte said while touring the Russian Navy&#39;s guided missile cruiser Varyag during a port visit to Manila last month.

The Philippines and Russia established diplomatic ties 41 years ago but, until Duterte took office, relations remained relatively low key.

This was partly due to the Philippines&#39; alliance with the United States.

Philippine-Russian trade last year totalled just $226 million, according to government data. Philippine-US trade was worth more than $18 billion last year.

Relations remain at the &quot;nascent stage&quot;, but this will change, assistant Philippine foreign secretary Maria Cleofe Natividad told reporters in a briefing on Duterte&#39;s trip to Russia.

&quot;We consider this visit as a landmark that will send a strong message of the Philippines&#39; commitment to seek new partnerships and strengthen relations with non-traditional partners,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

Duterte visiting Moscow will be a &quot;propaganda victory for Putin and a soft-power coup for Russia,&quot; Richard Javad Heydarian, a foreign policy analyst in Manila, told AFP.

&quot;It will be their way of poking the eye of America.&quot;

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Duterte will on Thursday meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has described as his 'favourite hero'

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte flies to Russia on Monday to meet his hero, seek arms and steer his nation's foreign policy course further away from longtime ally the United States. The five-day trip will cement a dramatic improvement in ties between the two nations since Duterte came to power last year and began unravelling the Philippines' decades-long alliances with the United States, which he accuses of hypocrisy and bullying. Duterte will on Thursday meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has described as his "favourite hero" and proclaimed a personal bond because of mutual passions such as guns and hunting. Duterte said on Friday one of the top priorities of his trip was to secure Russian precision-guided bombs to use on Islamic militants in the southern Philippines. "If they can spare us with the precision guided (bombs)," Duterte said when discussing the purpose of his trip. "We have so many smart bombs but not as accurate." Duterte's seeking of weapons from Russia comes as he dials down cooperation with the United States, the Philippines' former colonial ruler that has for decades been its most important military ally and protector. He has scaled down the number and scope of annual military exercises with the US, barred Filipino forces from joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea, and called for the withdrawal of American troops from the Philippines. The shift occurred as China has become more assertive in challenging US might in the region by expanding its presence in the South China Sea, which it claims almost in its entirety. Despite China's expansionism extending into areas of the sea claimed by the Philippines, Duterte has been determined to pivot his nation's foreign policy away from the United States in favour of Beijing and Moscow. This has partly been due to China and Russia supporting or at least not criticising his controversial war on drugs, which has left thousands of people dead and led to warnings by rights groups that Duterte may be orchestrating a crime against humanity. Duterte has railed against the United States, particularly when Barack Obama was president, for criticising the drug war. 'Ideological flow' On a state visit to China last year, Duterte announced the Philippines' "separation" from the United States. "I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world -- China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way," he said in Beijing. Duterte, who describes himself as a socialist, and Putin first met on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru last November. "Historically, I have been identified with the Western world. It was good until it lasted. And of late, I see a lot of these Western nations bullying small nations," Duterte told Putin then. Since then, two Russian Navy flotillas have visited Manila. "The Russians are with me, I shall not be afraid," Duterte said while touring the Russian Navy's guided missile cruiser Varyag during a port visit to Manila last month. The Philippines and Russia established diplomatic ties 41 years ago but, until Duterte took office, relations remained relatively low key. This was partly due to the Philippines' alliance with the United States. Philippine-Russian trade last year totalled just $226 million, according to government data. Philippine-US trade was worth more than $18 billion last year. Relations remain at the "nascent stage", but this will change, assistant Philippine foreign secretary Maria Cleofe Natividad told reporters in a briefing on Duterte's trip to Russia. "We consider this visit as a landmark that will send a strong message of the Philippines' commitment to seek new partnerships and strengthen relations with non-traditional partners," she said. Duterte visiting Moscow will be a "propaganda victory for Putin and a soft-power coup for Russia," Richard Javad Heydarian, a foreign policy analyst in Manila, told AFP. "It will be their way of poking the eye of America." (AFP)

Philippines' Duterte heads to Russia in blow to US

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow could provide a recording of a controversial exchange between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US President Donald Trump that has plunged the White House into turmoil.

His comments were the first since Trump was hit with accusations that he shared secrets while meeting Lavrov in Washington, the latest crisis to hit the White house amid existing investigations into whether Trump&#39;s aides colluded with Moscow during the campaign.

Putin said he was pleased with Lavrov&#39;s visit to Washington last week but mocked the idea that Trump had shared secrets during the meeting, calling the allegations &quot;political schizophrenia&quot; and saying people spreading them are either &quot;dumb&quot; or &quot;corrupt.&quot;

&quot;We can see that political schizophrenia is developing in the United States,&quot; Putin told reporters after talks with Italian Prime Minister&nbsp;Paolo Gentiloni in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

&quot;I cannot otherwise explain the accusations of the president that he handed Lavrov some sort of secrets,&quot; Putin added.

&quot;If the US administration finds it possible, we are ready to provide a recording of the conversation between Lavrov and Trump to the US Congress and Senate,&quot; Putin said.

Although Putin used the Russian word for audio recording at the press conference, his foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said that &quot;audio is not made&quot; at such meetings.

&quot;There is a recording kept by a special person present at conversations,&quot; Ushakov clarified to Russian news agencies.&nbsp;

Citing unnamed sources, the Washington Post reported that Trump had shared intelligence with Lavrov regarding an Islamic State group terror threat related to the use of laptop computers on airplanes.

According to sources cited in the report, that intelligence came from a US ally who had not authorised Washington to pass it on to Moscow.

&#39;Simply dumb&#39;&nbsp;

The fresh US crisis sank the dollar early Wednesday as well as Hong Kong stocks amid worries that Trump&#39;s economy-boosting and tax-cutting agenda could be derailed, with some experts mentioning possible impeachment.

As news emerged that Israel was the initial source of the intel, it attempted to contain the fallout from the scandal, with Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying security ties would continue to be &quot;unprecedented&quot; in scope.

A US administration official confirmed to AFP on condition of anonymity that the original intelligence came from Israel, which was initially reported by the New York Times.

British PM Theresa May meanwhile said Trump is free to decide what to discuss with White House visitors, while stressing that London&#39;s relationship with Washington was &quot;the most important defence and security relationship&quot; around the world.

Putin mocked the idea that Trump went off-script to share secrets with the Russians, saying he could issue a &quot;reprimand&quot; to Lavrov since the minister hadn&#39;t passed on the information.

&quot;(Lavrov) didn&#39;t share these secrets with us -- neither with me nor with the representatives of the Russian security services. That is very bad of him,&quot; Putin said to sniggers from the audience including Lavrov himself.

&#39;Absolute right&#39;&nbsp;

The visit had already generated its share of scandal after Moscow released pictures of the closed-door Oval Office meeting showing Trump and Lavrov grinning after White House officials presumed they would not be made public.

Trump&#39;s National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster denied the president caused any security lapses while Trump himself insisted he had the &quot;absolute right&quot; to share &quot;facts pertaining... to terrorism and airline flight safety&quot; with Russia.&nbsp;

Adding to the confusion, Russian senator Alexei Pushkov on Wednesday tweeted that &quot;US media were hysterical with Trump because he told us about IS plans to detonate our passenger plane.&quot;

Putin on Wednesday also slammed critics who spread allegations about Trump&#39;s ties with Russia.

&quot;What else will the people generating such drivel and nonsense think of next?&quot; he said. &quot;They are shaking up their internal politics while using anti-Russian slogans.&quot;

&quot;They either don&#39;t understand that they are hurting their own country, and then they are simply dumb, or they understand everything and then they are dangerous and corrupt people,&quot; Putin added.

(AFP)

Putin mocked the idea that Trump had shared secrets during the meeting, calling the allegations 'political schizophrenia'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow could provide a recording of a controversial exchange between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US President Donald Trump that has plunged the White House into turmoil. His comments were the first since Trump was hit with accusations that he shared secrets while meeting Lavrov in Washington, the latest crisis to hit the White house amid existing investigations into whether Trump's aides colluded with Moscow during the campaign. Putin said he was pleased with Lavrov's visit to Washington last week but mocked the idea that Trump had shared secrets during the meeting, calling the allegations "political schizophrenia" and saying people spreading them are either "dumb" or "corrupt." "We can see that political schizophrenia is developing in the United States," Putin told reporters after talks with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni in the southern Russian city of Sochi. "I cannot otherwise explain the accusations of the president that he handed Lavrov some sort of secrets," Putin added. "If the US administration finds it possible, we are ready to provide a recording of the conversation between Lavrov and Trump to the US Congress and Senate," Putin said. Although Putin used the Russian word for audio recording at the press conference, his foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said that "audio is not made" at such meetings. "There is a recording kept by a special person present at conversations," Ushakov clarified to Russian news agencies. Citing unnamed sources, the Washington Post reported that Trump had shared intelligence with Lavrov regarding an Islamic State group terror threat related to the use of laptop computers on airplanes. According to sources cited in the report, that intelligence came from a US ally who had not authorised Washington to pass it on to Moscow. 'Simply dumb' The fresh US crisis sank the dollar early Wednesday as well as Hong Kong stocks amid worries that Trump's economy-boosting and tax-cutting agenda could be derailed, with some experts mentioning possible impeachment. As news emerged that Israel was the initial source of the intel, it attempted to contain the fallout from the scandal, with Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying security ties would continue to be "unprecedented" in scope. A US administration official confirmed to AFP on condition of anonymity that the original intelligence came from Israel, which was initially reported by the New York Times. British PM Theresa May meanwhile said Trump is free to decide what to discuss with White House visitors, while stressing that London's relationship with Washington was "the most important defence and security relationship" around the world. Putin mocked the idea that Trump went off-script to share secrets with the Russians, saying he could issue a "reprimand" to Lavrov since the minister hadn't passed on the information. "(Lavrov) didn't share these secrets with us -- neither with me nor with the representatives of the Russian security services. That is very bad of him," Putin said to sniggers from the audience including Lavrov himself. 'Absolute right' The visit had already generated its share of scandal after Moscow released pictures of the closed-door Oval Office meeting showing Trump and Lavrov grinning after White House officials presumed they would not be made public. Trump's National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster denied the president caused any security lapses while Trump himself insisted he had the "absolute right" to share "facts pertaining... to terrorism and airline flight safety" with Russia. Adding to the confusion, Russian senator Alexei Pushkov on Wednesday tweeted that "US media were hysterical with Trump because he told us about IS plans to detonate our passenger plane." Putin on Wednesday also slammed critics who spread allegations about Trump's ties with Russia. "What else will the people generating such drivel and nonsense think of next?" he said. "They are shaking up their internal politics while using anti-Russian slogans." "They either don't understand that they are hurting their own country, and then they are simply dumb, or they understand everything and then they are dangerous and corrupt people," Putin added. (AFP)

Putin open to revealing Trump-Lavrov 'intel exchange'

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping expressed concern about rising tensions on the Korean peninsula after a North Korean missile test on Sunday, Putin&#39;s spokesman said.

Meeting on the sidelines of an international forum in Beijing, Putin and Xi &quot;discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula in detail&quot; and &quot;both parties expressed their concern over the escalation of tensions,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

According to China&#39;s official Xinhua news agency, Xi said during the meeting that Moscow and Beijing have played the role of a &quot;ballast stone&quot; in safeguarding regional and global peace and stability.

Xinhua did not publish other remarks.

Putin and Xi met after the opening ceremony of a summit on the Chinese president&#39;s One Belt, One Road initative -- a massive global trade infrastructure project to connect China to Asian neighbours, Europe and Africa.&nbsp;

(AFP)

Putin and Xi met on the sidelines of OBOR

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping expressed concern about rising tensions on the Korean peninsula after a North Korean missile test on Sunday, Putin's spokesman said. Meeting on the sidelines of an international forum in Beijing, Putin and Xi "discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula in detail" and "both parties expressed their concern over the escalation of tensions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. According to China's official Xinhua news agency, Xi said during the meeting that Moscow and Beijing have played the role of a "ballast stone" in safeguarding regional and global peace and stability. Xinhua did not publish other remarks. Putin and Xi met after the opening ceremony of a summit on the Chinese president's One Belt, One Road initative -- a massive global trade infrastructure project to connect China to Asian neighbours, Europe and Africa. (AFP)

Russia, China worried about rising tensions over North Korea

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his firing of FBI director James Comey in a series of Tweets, even as the turmoil in Washington continued over the sacking.

He vowed to replace Comey with someone &quot;far better.&quot;

&quot;Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me,&quot; Trump wrote in a Tweet.

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James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/862265729718128641">May 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/862267781336752128">May 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Comey was leading an investigation into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign&#39;s possible collusion with Russia to influence the election outcome.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the sacking will not impact relations between the two nations.

&quot;There will be no effect,&quot; Putin told CBS.&quot;Your question looks very funny for me. Don&#39;t be angry with me. We have nothing to do with that.&quot;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

 
 
&nbsp;

Sacked FBI director James Comey was leading an investigation into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign's possible collusion with Russia to influence the election outcome.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his firing of FBI director James Comey in a series of Tweets, even as the turmoil in Washington continued over the sacking. He vowed to replace Comey with someone "far better." "Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me," Trump wrote in a Tweet. James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017 × Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017 × Comey was leading an investigation into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign's possible collusion with Russia to influence the election outcome. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the sacking will not impact relations between the two nations. "There will be no effect," Putin told CBS."Your question looks very funny for me. Don't be angry with me. We have nothing to do with that." (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump defends FBI director sacking

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday backed an official check into reported brutal attacks on gay men in Chechnya in his first public comment after German Chancellor Angela Merkel confronted him on the issue.

Putin said he would personally &quot;talk to the prosecutor-general and the interior minister&quot; to ask them to help Kremlin rights ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova check the reports which have caused an international scandal.

&quot;I hope the colleagues respond and support you,&quot; Putin told Moskalkova, whose role is to investigate rights abuses but is widely seen as a loyalist establishment figure.

At a joint press conference with Putin on Tuesday in Moscow, Merkel raised the &quot;very negative reports&quot; and said she had asked Putin to &quot;use his influence to guarantee the rights of minorities.&quot;&nbsp;

While speaking to the Kremlin ombudswoman in televised comments, Putin referred to the reports as &quot;rumours, you could say, about what is happening in our North Caucasus with people of non-traditional orientation,&quot; using a euphemism meaning gay.

In March, the Novaya Gazeta opposition daily reported that Chechen authorities were imprisoning and torturing gay men in the conservative region where homosexuality is taboo.

It said the authorities had detained more than 100 gay men and urged their families to kill them to &quot;wash clean their honour.&quot; At least two had been killed by relatives and a third died after being tortured, it reported.

A group of Chechen men in a safe house near Moscow later confirmed to AFP that they had fled the region in fear of their lives after being beaten and imprisoned.

Chechnya&#39;s strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov has fiercely denied claims of a crackdown in the socially conservative region.

The muscle-bound former insurgent turned Kremlin-loyalist responded to Putin&#39;s comments on Friday by telling journalists his authorities were &quot;ready to closely cooperate&quot; with Moskalkova, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

But he claimed that majority-Muslim Chechnya does not have any gay people and suggested some gay people may be pretending to be Chechen to get asylum in the West.

&quot;Chechen society does not have the phenomenon called non-traditional sexual orientation: its people have lived for thousands of years according to different rules laid down by Allah,&quot; Kadyrov said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov initially downplayed the reports, saying there had been &quot;no confirmation&quot; of violence and arrests.

After a delay, Russian investigators have said they are probing the allegations.&nbsp;

Moskalkova said last month there had been no official complaints from victims.&nbsp;

But on Friday she said that there needed to be a mechanism for victims to report abuse when they are outside Chechnya and asked Putin to help create a working group to receive such complaints. She stressed that victims&#39; anonymity will be protected.

This week, the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden wrote to their Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to press for an immediate end to any persecution of gay men in Chechnya.

(AFP)

In March, the Novaya Gazeta opposition daily reported that Chechen authorities were imprisoning and torturing gay men in the conservative region where homosexuality is taboo.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday backed an official check into reported brutal attacks on gay men in Chechnya in his first public comment after German Chancellor Angela Merkel confronted him on the issue. Putin said he would personally "talk to the prosecutor-general and the interior minister" to ask them to help Kremlin rights ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova check the reports which have caused an international scandal. "I hope the colleagues respond and support you," Putin told Moskalkova, whose role is to investigate rights abuses but is widely seen as a loyalist establishment figure. At a joint press conference with Putin on Tuesday in Moscow, Merkel raised the "very negative reports" and said she had asked Putin to "use his influence to guarantee the rights of minorities." While speaking to the Kremlin ombudswoman in televised comments, Putin referred to the reports as "rumours, you could say, about what is happening in our North Caucasus with people of non-traditional orientation," using a euphemism meaning gay. In March, the Novaya Gazeta opposition daily reported that Chechen authorities were imprisoning and torturing gay men in the conservative region where homosexuality is taboo. It said the authorities had detained more than 100 gay men and urged their families to kill them to "wash clean their honour." At least two had been killed by relatives and a third died after being tortured, it reported. A group of Chechen men in a safe house near Moscow later confirmed to AFP that they had fled the region in fear of their lives after being beaten and imprisoned. Chechnya's strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov has fiercely denied claims of a crackdown in the socially conservative region. The muscle-bound former insurgent turned Kremlin-loyalist responded to Putin's comments on Friday by telling journalists his authorities were "ready to closely cooperate" with Moskalkova, RIA Novosti news agency reported. But he claimed that majority-Muslim Chechnya does not have any gay people and suggested some gay people may be pretending to be Chechen to get asylum in the West. "Chechen society does not have the phenomenon called non-traditional sexual orientation: its people have lived for thousands of years according to different rules laid down by Allah," Kadyrov said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov initially downplayed the reports, saying there had been "no confirmation" of violence and arrests. After a delay, Russian investigators have said they are probing the allegations. Moskalkova said last month there had been no official complaints from victims. But on Friday she said that there needed to be a mechanism for victims to report abuse when they are outside Chechnya and asked Putin to help create a working group to receive such complaints. She stressed that victims' anonymity will be protected. This week, the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden wrote to their Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to press for an immediate end to any persecution of gay men in Chechnya. (AFP)

After Merkel plea, Putin backs probe into Chechen gay attacks

Hillary Clinton on Tuesday laid the blame for her defeat in last year&#39;s White House race squarely at the feet of FBI director James Comey and Russia`s Vladimir Putin, saying they had &quot;scared off&quot; voters.

The Democrat, speaking at a charity luncheon in New York, said she took &quot;absolute personal responsibility&quot; for a series of campaign blunders that contributed to her loss to Donald Trump.

But she pointed a finger at Russian hacking and interference and at the Federal Bureau of Investigation director, who revealed just before the November 8 election he was re-opening a probe into Clinton`s use of a personal email server while serving as secretary of state.

&quot;I was on the way to winning until a combination of Jim Comey&#39;s letter on October 28th and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me, but got scared off,&quot; Clinton said.

&quot;If the election had been on October 27, I`d be your president.&quot;

Trump responded hours later with a pair of snarky tweets, attacking Clinton and saying the Russia affair was a Democratic ploy to justify her loss to him.

In January the US intelligence community announced it had concluded Russia interfered in the election -- and that Putin himself ordered a campaign to undermine the US democratic process and harm Clinton`s electability in order to help Trump win.

Clinton described the Russian president as someone who was &quot;not a member of my fan club&quot;.

&quot;He certainly interfered in our election and it was clear he hurt me and helped my opponent,&quot; she said. 
Clinton pointed to the release of an old video tape on October 7 on which Trump is heard crudely discussing groping women, and how &quot;within an hour or two&quot; of the tapes` release, the Russian theft of Clinton staffers` emails was made public on WikiLeaks.

&quot;What a coincidence. You just can&#39;t make this stuff up,&quot; she said.

Clinton`s remarks -- which echoed CIA comments branding WikiLeaks a &quot;hostile intelligence service&quot; abetted by the likes of Russia -- were the most extensive and direct about her loss since the shock result last year.

&quot;The reason why I believe we lost were the intervening events in the last 10 days,&quot; she said.Political analysts widely consider that Clinton fell short in part because she failed to mobilize the coalition of non-whites, young voters, single women and college-educated whites who propelled Barack Obama to victory in 2008 and 2012.

She was also faulted for not spending enough campaign time in traditionally Democratic strongholds Michigan and Wisconsin, states which fell to Trump on election day.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that Democrats have focused on Russian hacking -- and alleged cooperation between Moscow and Trump associates -- to mask their bitter defeat.

&quot;Trump/Russia story was an excuse used by the Democrats as justification for losing the election,&quot; he tweeted Tuesday night after Clinton spoke. &quot;Perhaps Trump just ran a great campaign?&quot;

Trump also said Clinton had gotten off easy because the FBI chose not to charge her over the email case.

&quot;FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds! The phony...&quot; Trump wrote in another tweet.

In her interview Clinton blamed &quot;everybody but herself,&quot; Republican congressman Jeff Duncan said on Twitter.

The 69-year-old former first lady, US senator and secretary of state has spent decades in the public spotlight.

&quot;I&#39;m now back to being an active citizen and part of the resistance,&quot; she said, referring to the informal movement opposed to the Republican president.

Clinton is writing a book about her experiences, to be released later this year, and said it has been a &quot;painful process&quot; to relive the campaign and the mistakes she made.

&quot;You`ll read my confession and my request for absolution,&quot; she said.

(AFP)

The Democrat, speaking at a charity luncheon in New York, said she took "absolute personal responsibility" for a series of campaign blunders that contributed to her loss to Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton on Tuesday laid the blame for her defeat in last year's White House race squarely at the feet of FBI director James Comey and Russia`s Vladimir Putin, saying they had "scared off" voters. The Democrat, speaking at a charity luncheon in New York, said she took "absolute personal responsibility" for a series of campaign blunders that contributed to her loss to Donald Trump. But she pointed a finger at Russian hacking and interference and at the Federal Bureau of Investigation director, who revealed just before the November 8 election he was re-opening a probe into Clinton`s use of a personal email server while serving as secretary of state. "I was on the way to winning until a combination of Jim Comey's letter on October 28th and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me, but got scared off," Clinton said. "If the election had been on October 27, I`d be your president." Trump responded hours later with a pair of snarky tweets, attacking Clinton and saying the Russia affair was a Democratic ploy to justify her loss to him. In January the US intelligence community announced it had concluded Russia interfered in the election -- and that Putin himself ordered a campaign to undermine the US democratic process and harm Clinton`s electability in order to help Trump win. Clinton described the Russian president as someone who was "not a member of my fan club". "He certainly interfered in our election and it was clear he hurt me and helped my opponent," she said. Clinton pointed to the release of an old video tape on October 7 on which Trump is heard crudely discussing groping women, and how "within an hour or two" of the tapes` release, the Russian theft of Clinton staffers` emails was made public on WikiLeaks. "What a coincidence. You just can't make this stuff up," she said. Clinton`s remarks -- which echoed CIA comments branding WikiLeaks a "hostile intelligence service" abetted by the likes of Russia -- were the most extensive and direct about her loss since the shock result last year. "The reason why I believe we lost were the intervening events in the last 10 days," she said.Political analysts widely consider that Clinton fell short in part because she failed to mobilize the coalition of non-whites, young voters, single women and college-educated whites who propelled Barack Obama to victory in 2008 and 2012. She was also faulted for not spending enough campaign time in traditionally Democratic strongholds Michigan and Wisconsin, states which fell to Trump on election day. Trump has repeatedly claimed that Democrats have focused on Russian hacking -- and alleged cooperation between Moscow and Trump associates -- to mask their bitter defeat. "Trump/Russia story was an excuse used by the Democrats as justification for losing the election," he tweeted Tuesday night after Clinton spoke. "Perhaps Trump just ran a great campaign?" Trump also said Clinton had gotten off easy because the FBI chose not to charge her over the email case. "FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds! The phony..." Trump wrote in another tweet. In her interview Clinton blamed "everybody but herself," Republican congressman Jeff Duncan said on Twitter. The 69-year-old former first lady, US senator and secretary of state has spent decades in the public spotlight. "I'm now back to being an active citizen and part of the resistance," she said, referring to the informal movement opposed to the Republican president. Clinton is writing a book about her experiences, to be released later this year, and said it has been a "painful process" to relive the campaign and the mistakes she made. "You`ll read my confession and my request for absolution," she said. (AFP)

Hillary Clinton blames FBI and Putin for defeat in presidential election

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed steps to ease Syria&#39;s civil war and a possible first face-to-face meeting, during what the White House described as a &quot;very good call&quot; Tuesday.

The US and Russian leaders spoke by telephone, focusing on the six-year-old Syrian conflict, which has pitched Moscow and Washington into rival camps.

&quot;President Trump and President Putin agreed that the suffering in Syria has gone on for far too long and that all parties must do all they can to end the violence,&quot; the White House said.

Trump aides also said &quot;the conversation was a very good one&quot; that included &quot;discussion of safe, or de-escalation, zones&quot; in Syria &quot;to achieve lasting peace for humanitarian and many other reasons.&quot;

The White House said the two leaders also spoke about &quot;how best to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea.&quot;

And the Kremlin added that both men were &quot;in favour&quot; of meeting at a G-20 summit in Germany this July.

That meeting is sure to be closely watched in the United States, where Trump has come under sustained criticism over his campaign&#39;s ties to Russia and his praise of Putin.

US intelligence agencies believe that Putin approved of a wide-ranging campaign to tilt the 2016 election in Trump&#39;s favour, prompting US sanctions imposed by former president Barack Obama.

The FBI is still investigating possible collusion between the campaign and Moscow.

Trump has been muted in his criticism, but tensions between the White House and the Kremlin have resurfaced after the suspected use of the chemical agent sarin against civilians prompted Trump to strike a Syrian regime airbase also used by Russia.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the call -- which he sat in on -- was &quot;very productive&quot; with &quot;a lot of detailed exchanges.&quot;

&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ll see where we go from here.&quot;

No details were given about the possible safe zones, which have long been discussed, but faltered as Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime and assorted groups of rebels, Kurds, Iranian-backed militias, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters have kept-up a bloody war that has killed an estimated half million people.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, said &quot;the emphasis was put on the potential for coordination of actions by the United States and Russia in the fight against terrorism.&quot;

The State Department earlier announced that it would send a junior minister to Russian-backed peace talks in Astana later this week. 
 
(AFP)

The two presidents agreed that all parties must do all they can to end the violence in Syria

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed steps to ease Syria's civil war and a possible first face-to-face meeting, during what the White House described as a "very good call" Tuesday. The US and Russian leaders spoke by telephone, focusing on the six-year-old Syrian conflict, which has pitched Moscow and Washington into rival camps. "President Trump and President Putin agreed that the suffering in Syria has gone on for far too long and that all parties must do all they can to end the violence," the White House said. Trump aides also said "the conversation was a very good one" that included "discussion of safe, or de-escalation, zones" in Syria "to achieve lasting peace for humanitarian and many other reasons." The White House said the two leaders also spoke about "how best to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea." And the Kremlin added that both men were "in favour" of meeting at a G-20 summit in Germany this July. That meeting is sure to be closely watched in the United States, where Trump has come under sustained criticism over his campaign's ties to Russia and his praise of Putin. US intelligence agencies believe that Putin approved of a wide-ranging campaign to tilt the 2016 election in Trump's favour, prompting US sanctions imposed by former president Barack Obama. The FBI is still investigating possible collusion between the campaign and Moscow. Trump has been muted in his criticism, but tensions between the White House and the Kremlin have resurfaced after the suspected use of the chemical agent sarin against civilians prompted Trump to strike a Syrian regime airbase also used by Russia. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the call -- which he sat in on -- was "very productive" with "a lot of detailed exchanges." "We'll see where we go from here." No details were given about the possible safe zones, which have long been discussed, but faltered as Bashar al-Assad's regime and assorted groups of rebels, Kurds, Iranian-backed militias, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters have kept-up a bloody war that has killed an estimated half million people. The Kremlin, meanwhile, said "the emphasis was put on the potential for coordination of actions by the United States and Russia in the fight against terrorism." The State Department earlier announced that it would send a junior minister to Russian-backed peace talks in Astana later this week. (AFP)

Trump, Putin discuss face-to-face meeting, Syria peace zones in 'very good call'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Vladimir Putin insisted Tuesday that there was no alternative to a stalled Ukraine peace plan as they struggled to mask deep rifts during a first meeting in Russia since 2015.

Merkel pushed Putin at a frosty encounter to ensure a ceasefire in war-torn east Ukraine, but the Russian leader laid the blame on Kiev for a European-brokered peace deal hitting a dead end.&nbsp;

The rare visit also saw the German chancellor confront Putin over rights issues in Russia, including the alleged persecution of gay men in the North Caucasus region of Chechnya.&nbsp;

&quot;I think we have differences but international politics means to always keep looking for dialogue,&quot; Merkel said at a press conference in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.&nbsp;

The meeting was meant to focus on preparations for the G20 summit in Hamburg in July, and no major breakthroughs were expected on mending the deep divisions caused by the conflict in Ukraine.&nbsp;

The German leader has strongly backed EU sanctions on Russia for seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and for supporting a pro-Kremlin separatist insurgency in the east of the country.

Merkel said she hoped some of the sanctions could be lifted if a flatlining peace plan brokered by her and French President Francois Hollande in 2015 was fulfilled.

And both leaders admitted there was no choice but to stick to the process despite its running into a brick wall amid recriminations from all sides.&nbsp;

&quot;We cannot think about any alternative and we should not have to think of it,&quot; Putin said at a press conference.&nbsp;

&quot;It is impossible to create new plans without achieving elementary results for what we outlined in previous years.&quot;

Gay rights

Merkel last visited Russia in May 2015 when she met Putin in Moscow, and the two leaders have scaled back contacts as the Ukraine crisis has driven ties to a post-Cold War low.&nbsp;

Putin talked up economic ties between the two countries, insisting that &quot;our cooperation makes a significant contribution to stabilising the world economy.&quot;

But it was clear that despite pledges to talk there remain deep gulfs between the German leader -- seen as a major bulwark of the Western liberal order -- and the Kremlin strongman, who many accuse of trying to undermine it.&nbsp;

At the press conference Merkel said she raised recent high-profile accusations of rights abuses in Russia, including allegations the authorities in Chechnya were rounding up gay men.&nbsp;

&quot;We received very negative reports about how homosexuals are treated in Chechnya,&quot; Merkel said. &quot;I asked President Putin to use his influence to guarantee the rights of minorities.&quot;

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Putin-loyalist and strongman leader of Chechnya, has fiercely denied claims of a crackdown in the socially conservative region, and after a delay Russian investigators said they are probing the allegations.&nbsp;

Putin was also forced to deny that Russia was planning to meddle in German elections that Merkel is competing in later in the year after claims that Moscow interfered with the US presidential vote.&nbsp;

&quot;We never interfered in the political life or the political processes of any other country,&quot; Putin said.&nbsp;

Trump talk, Erdogan meeting

The meeting with Merkel comes ahead of a busy diplomatic push for Putin.

After meeting Merkel, he was expected later Tuesday to hold his third phone call with US President Donald Trump.

The two leaders are looking to make headway on ties in the face of deep rifts over the conflict in Syria and after claims of Russian hacking during the US elections.&nbsp;

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also due to meet Putin in Sochi on Wednesday.

Putin and Erdogan have inched closer together on Syria as Erdogan&#39;s ties with Europe have deteriorated in recent months.

(AFP)

The rare visit saw the German chancellor confront Putin over the alleged persecution of gay men in Chechnya

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Vladimir Putin insisted Tuesday that there was no alternative to a stalled Ukraine peace plan as they struggled to mask deep rifts during a first meeting in Russia since 2015. Merkel pushed Putin at a frosty encounter to ensure a ceasefire in war-torn east Ukraine, but the Russian leader laid the blame on Kiev for a European-brokered peace deal hitting a dead end. The rare visit also saw the German chancellor confront Putin over rights issues in Russia, including the alleged persecution of gay men in the North Caucasus region of Chechnya. "I think we have differences but international politics means to always keep looking for dialogue," Merkel said at a press conference in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. The meeting was meant to focus on preparations for the G20 summit in Hamburg in July, and no major breakthroughs were expected on mending the deep divisions caused by the conflict in Ukraine. The German leader has strongly backed EU sanctions on Russia for seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and for supporting a pro-Kremlin separatist insurgency in the east of the country. Merkel said she hoped some of the sanctions could be lifted if a flatlining peace plan brokered by her and French President Francois Hollande in 2015 was fulfilled. And both leaders admitted there was no choice but to stick to the process despite its running into a brick wall amid recriminations from all sides. "We cannot think about any alternative and we should not have to think of it," Putin said at a press conference. "It is impossible to create new plans without achieving elementary results for what we outlined in previous years." Gay rights Merkel last visited Russia in May 2015 when she met Putin in Moscow, and the two leaders have scaled back contacts as the Ukraine crisis has driven ties to a post-Cold War low. Putin talked up economic ties between the two countries, insisting that "our cooperation makes a significant contribution to stabilising the world economy." But it was clear that despite pledges to talk there remain deep gulfs between the German leader -- seen as a major bulwark of the Western liberal order -- and the Kremlin strongman, who many accuse of trying to undermine it. At the press conference Merkel said she raised recent high-profile accusations of rights abuses in Russia, including allegations the authorities in Chechnya were rounding up gay men. "We received very negative reports about how homosexuals are treated in Chechnya," Merkel said. "I asked President Putin to use his influence to guarantee the rights of minorities." Ramzan Kadyrov, the Putin-loyalist and strongman leader of Chechnya, has fiercely denied claims of a crackdown in the socially conservative region, and after a delay Russian investigators said they are probing the allegations. Putin was also forced to deny that Russia was planning to meddle in German elections that Merkel is competing in later in the year after claims that Moscow interfered with the US presidential vote. "We never interfered in the political life or the political processes of any other country," Putin said. Trump talk, Erdogan meeting The meeting with Merkel comes ahead of a busy diplomatic push for Putin. After meeting Merkel, he was expected later Tuesday to hold his third phone call with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders are looking to make headway on ties in the face of deep rifts over the conflict in Syria and after claims of Russian hacking during the US elections. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also due to meet Putin in Sochi on Wednesday. Putin and Erdogan have inched closer together on Syria as Erdogan's ties with Europe have deteriorated in recent months. (AFP)

Merkel pushes Putin on Ukraine, gay rights

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