Moscow slammed the US strike on a Syrian airbase Friday as &quot;aggression against a sovereign state&quot;, and suspended a bilateral agreement to help avoid clashes in the skies over the war-torn country.

&quot;President Putin considers American strikes on Syria aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international norms, and under an invented pretext,&quot; said the statement by the Kremlin press service posted on the official website.

US President Donald Trump ordered a military strike on a Syrian air base at 0040GMT, in retaliation for what he said was a &quot;very barbaric attack&quot; Tuesday that is suspected to have contained a nerve agent.

Moscow has been flying a bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces since September 2015 and on Wednesday said it would continue to back the regime.

The Russian foreign ministry announced the suspension of a memorandum signed with the US in October 2015 which set up a hotline to avoid clashes between their air forces in Syrian airspace as they carried out separate bombing campaigns.

&quot;We call upon the UN Security Council to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the situation,&quot; the ministry said in a statement, calling the strike &quot;thoughtless.&quot;

Russia had sought to deflect blame from Assad over the incident, claiming Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot housing &quot;toxic substances&quot; and denying that the regime has access to any chemical weapons.

&quot;The Syrian army does not have any chemical weapon stockpiles,&quot; the Kremlin statement said, accusing Washington of trying to &quot;divert attention of the international community from the many civilian casualties in Iraq.&quot;

&quot;The fact of destruction of all chemical weapon stockpiles of the Syrian armed forces was recorded and confirmed by the (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons).&quot;

&quot;This step by Washington inflicts considerable damage to US-Russia relations, which are already in a lamentable state,&quot; the Kremlin said.&nbsp;

A White House official said 59 precision-guided Tomahawk missiles hit the Shayrat airfield, from where the US believes the attack was launched.&nbsp;

The Syrian army said that six people were killed and serious damage caused by the strike.

WATCH:

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&nbsp;

(AFP)

'President Putin considers American strikes on Syria aggression against a sovereign state,' a Kremlin press statement said

Moscow slammed the US strike on a Syrian airbase Friday as "aggression against a sovereign state", and suspended a bilateral agreement to help avoid clashes in the skies over the war-torn country. "President Putin considers American strikes on Syria aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international norms, and under an invented pretext," said the statement by the Kremlin press service posted on the official website. US President Donald Trump ordered a military strike on a Syrian air base at 0040GMT, in retaliation for what he said was a "very barbaric attack" Tuesday that is suspected to have contained a nerve agent. Moscow has been flying a bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces since September 2015 and on Wednesday said it would continue to back the regime. The Russian foreign ministry announced the suspension of a memorandum signed with the US in October 2015 which set up a hotline to avoid clashes between their air forces in Syrian airspace as they carried out separate bombing campaigns. "We call upon the UN Security Council to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the situation," the ministry said in a statement, calling the strike "thoughtless." Russia had sought to deflect blame from Assad over the incident, claiming Syrian jets struck a rebel arms depot housing "toxic substances" and denying that the regime has access to any chemical weapons. "The Syrian army does not have any chemical weapon stockpiles," the Kremlin statement said, accusing Washington of trying to "divert attention of the international community from the many civilian casualties in Iraq." "The fact of destruction of all chemical weapon stockpiles of the Syrian armed forces was recorded and confirmed by the (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons)." "This step by Washington inflicts considerable damage to US-Russia relations, which are already in a lamentable state," the Kremlin said. A White House official said 59 precision-guided Tomahawk missiles hit the Shayrat airfield, from where the US believes the attack was launched. The Syrian army said that six people were killed and serious damage caused by the strike. WATCH: (AFP)

Moscow slams US 'aggression' in Syria, suspends air safety deal

President Donald Trump&#39;s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has discussed with congressional committees giving testimony in their investigations of potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, his lawyer said on Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal, citing officials with knowledge of the matter, reported on Thursday that Flynn had sought immunity from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the House and Senate intelligence panels in exchange for his testimony. The newspaper said he had so far found no takers.

The House of Representatives panel denied the Journal report. &quot;Michael Flynn has not offered to testify to HPSCI in exchange for immunity,&quot; committee spokesman Jack Langer said in a statement.

The FBI declined to comment. The Senate committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Flynn was fired in February as national security adviser for failing to disclose talks with Russia&#39;s ambassador about US&nbsp;sanctions on Moscow. The talks occurred before Trump took office in January.

Flynn&#39;s lawyer, Robert Kelner, confirmed in a statement that his client had held discussions with the House and Senate intelligence committees. His statement did not mention the FBI.

He said Flynn &quot;is now the target of unsubstantiated public demands by Members of Congress and other political critics that he be criminally investigated.&quot;

Kelner said Flynn would not &quot;submit to questioning in such a highly politicised, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution.&quot;The FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees are investigating allegations that Russians hacked Democratic Party computers and publicly disclosed the information in a bid to tip the November presidential election in favour of Trump, whose views were seen as more in line with the Moscow&#39;s.

They are also looking into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russians.

Read Kelner&#39;s full statement below:

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Gen. Mike Flynn want to testify and &quot;has a story to tell&quot; per his attorney&#39;s statement, but he wants immunity now to do it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlynnFlipped?src=hash">#FlynnFlipped</a> <a href="https://t.co/29FuW6fI3y">pic.twitter.com/29FuW6fI3y</a>
&mdash; Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) <a href="https://twitter.com/girlsreallyrule/status/847617322114195458">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Independent Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN he could not confirm the Journal report, but &quot;if that turns out to be the case, that&#39;s a significant development I believe because it indicates that he has something important to say&rdquo;.

In September, Flynn commented on immunity on NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press&quot; regarding Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her team under FBI investigation into her use of a private email server.

&quot;When you are given immunity, that means you have probably committed a crime,&quot; Flynn had said. Before the 2016 US election, at Trump rallies Flynn repeatedly led &quot;lock&nbsp;her up&quot; chants&nbsp;about Hillary Clinton.

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In the above clip Flynn says, &quot;If I had done a tenth of what she [Clinton] did, I would be in jail today&quot;.

In October 2016, Flynn continued to characterise the Clinton email scandal, which cleared her of any wrongdoing, as &quot;high crime&quot; and &quot;far bigger than Watergate&quot;.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThrowbackThursday?src=hash">#ThrowbackThursday</a>: Gen. Mike Flynn in October... <a href="https://t.co/CvytW5BiiR">pic.twitter.com/CvytW5BiiR</a>
&mdash; Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) <a href="https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/847654926356430849">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Associated Press reports that in the weeks after his&nbsp;resignation, Flynn and his business registered with the Justice Department as foreign agents for $530,000 worth of lobbying work that could have benefited the Turkish government.

The lobbying had occurred while Flynn was a top Trump campaign adviser. The Turkish businessman who hired Flynn, Ekim Alptekin, has told the Associated Press&nbsp;that Flynn&#39;s firm registered under pressure from the Justice Department.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Flynn resigned after he got caught lying, even to the vice president, about discussing anti-Kremlin sanctions with Russia's ambassador

President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has discussed with congressional committees giving testimony in their investigations of potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, his lawyer said on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal, citing officials with knowledge of the matter, reported on Thursday that Flynn had sought immunity from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the House and Senate intelligence panels in exchange for his testimony. The newspaper said he had so far found no takers. The House of Representatives panel denied the Journal report. "Michael Flynn has not offered to testify to HPSCI in exchange for immunity," committee spokesman Jack Langer said in a statement. The FBI declined to comment. The Senate committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Flynn was fired in February as national security adviser for failing to disclose talks with Russia's ambassador about US sanctions on Moscow. The talks occurred before Trump took office in January. Flynn's lawyer, Robert Kelner, confirmed in a statement that his client had held discussions with the House and Senate intelligence committees. His statement did not mention the FBI. He said Flynn "is now the target of unsubstantiated public demands by Members of Congress and other political critics that he be criminally investigated." Kelner said Flynn would not "submit to questioning in such a highly politicised, witch hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution."The FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees are investigating allegations that Russians hacked Democratic Party computers and publicly disclosed the information in a bid to tip the November presidential election in favour of Trump, whose views were seen as more in line with the Moscow's. They are also looking into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russians. Read Kelner's full statement below: Gen. Mike Flynn want to testify and "has a story to tell" per his attorney's statement, but he wants immunity now to do it. #FlynnFlipped pic.twitter.com/29FuW6fI3y — Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) March 31, 2017 × Independent Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN he could not confirm the Journal report, but "if that turns out to be the case, that's a significant development I believe because it indicates that he has something important to say”. In September, Flynn commented on immunity on NBC's "Meet the Press" regarding Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her team under FBI investigation into her use of a private email server. "When you are given immunity, that means you have probably committed a crime," Flynn had said. Before the 2016 US election, at Trump rallies Flynn repeatedly led "lock her up" chants about Hillary Clinton. In the above clip Flynn says, "If I had done a tenth of what she [Clinton] did, I would be in jail today". In October 2016, Flynn continued to characterise the Clinton email scandal, which cleared her of any wrongdoing, as "high crime" and "far bigger than Watergate". #ThrowbackThursday: Gen. Mike Flynn in October... pic.twitter.com/CvytW5BiiR — Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) March 31, 2017 × The Associated Press reports that in the weeks after his resignation, Flynn and his business registered with the Justice Department as foreign agents for $530,000 worth of lobbying work that could have benefited the Turkish government. The lobbying had occurred while Flynn was a top Trump campaign adviser. The Turkish businessman who hired Flynn, Ekim Alptekin, has told the Associated Press that Flynn's firm registered under pressure from the Justice Department. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump's ex-National Security Chief Flynn talking to Congress about testifying in Russia probe: Lawyer

The FBI possesses information indicating&nbsp;associates of US President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the divulging of information damaging to Hillary Clinton&#39;s presidential campaign, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/us-officials-info-suggests-trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians/index.html" target="_blank">CNN </a>reports, citing US officials.

One source told CNN that this is what FBI Director James Comey alluded to when he announced on Monday that not only was the FBI investigating Russian interference in the US election, but the Trump campaign&#39;s ties to Russia.

The information the FBI is now reviewing, CNN reports citing those US officials, includes: human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings.

US officials told CNN this information intelligence was not taken from the leaked dossier of unverified compiled by Christopher Steele, who was hired by Trump&#39;s opponents (first Republicans, then by Democrats), though that dossier also suggested there was coordination between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign.

These officials have cautioned that the investigation is ongoing and that the information was not conclusive, though it has raised the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence that &quot;coordination&quot; may have taken place.

&quot;Coordination&quot; is a term Comey described during the Monday&#39;s House Intelligence hearing: He made a distinction between two parties actively working together, and one party manipulating a second party into advancing the first party&#39;s interests without them knowing.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Background: Is there anything else&nbsp;to suggest links between Trump and Russia?

Two days after the US election, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/moscow-had-contacts-with-trump-team-during-campaign-russian-diplomat-says/2016/11/10/28fb82fa-a73d-11e6-9bd6-184ab22d218e_story.html?utm_term=.30420cbf06da" target="_blank">Washington Post</a> reported&nbsp;Russian officials saying they &quot;conferred&quot;&nbsp;with the Trump campaign, saying &quot;there were contacts&quot;, during the election.

&quot;Obviously we know most of the people from his entourage,&quot; said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Trump spokesman Hope Hicks said the campaign&nbsp;had &quot;no contact with Russian officials&quot;.

&nbsp;

Yesterday, an <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-22/urgent-manafort-s-plan-to-greatly-benefit-the-putin-government" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> report&nbsp;claimed that Paul Manafort, Trump&#39;s election campaign manager for 143 days, signed a $10 million anual contract&nbsp;in 2006 from a Russian billionaire&nbsp;to advance Russian president&nbsp;Vladimir Putin&#39;s interests.

Manafort <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/paul-manafort-resigns-from-trump-campaign-227197" target="_blank">stepped down</a> from Trump&#39;s campaign after it became known that he lobbied for the pro-Putin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort denies he is&nbsp;linked to Russia.

&nbsp;

As <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/former-trump-advisor-admits-to-innocuous-private-contact-with-russian-dnc-hacker-during-election-13270">WION </a>wrote on March 11, then-Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has&nbsp;admitted to having direct contact with both Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and the hacker who hacked the Democrats&#39; emails during the US election Guccifer 2.0, who US intelligence says is really just a front for the Russian military intelligence agency.

On Monday&#39;s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/03/20/1645393/-Comey-confirms-that-Russia-used-WikiLeaks-which-Trump-loves-to-release-hacked-information" target="_blank">hearing</a>, FBI Director James Comey said that the Russians hacked the Democrats and used &quot;cutouts&quot;...&quot;to cover up that they were the ones releasing&quot; the stolen information.

Roger Stone <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/20/politics/kfile-roger-stone-wikileaks-claims/" target="_blank">appeared </a>to have advanced knowledge of the contents of the emails WikiLeaks possessed before they were made public. Roger Stone has denied there was anything illegal or improper in this communication.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wikileaks?src=hash">#Wikileaks</a>.
&mdash; Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerJStoneJr/status/782443074874138624">October 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The first time WikiLeaks published Democrat campaign chief John Podesta&#39;s hacked emails came about&nbsp;two hours after the recording of Donald Trump saying he grabbed women &quot;<a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/10/7/13205842/trump-secret-recording-women" target="_blank">by the p*ssy</a>&quot;.

Afterwards, Trump praised WikiLeaks and continued throughout the election to use&nbsp;Podesta&#39;s hacked emails&nbsp;to cudgel Clinton.

During the third presidential debate, Donald Trump spoke directly to Russia, encouraging them to hack his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton, saying: &quot;Russia, if you&#39;re listening, I hope you&#39;re able to find the 30,000 [Democrat] emails that are missing.&quot;

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Trump&#39;s pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of the world&#39;s largest publicly traded&nbsp;international oil and gas company ExxonMobil, was personally awarded the &quot;Order of frienship&quot; from Vladimir Putin, given to &quot;reward foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts were aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people&quot;. Despite having one of the most sought after jobs in politics anywhere Tillerson has no prior experience in politics.&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/79fecace-0ee2-11e7-b030-768954394623" target="_blank">report </a>yesterday said Tillerson was &quot;stunned&quot; when he was approached for the job, as he was preparing for retirement.

Several members of Trump&#39;s campaign and White House administration have had contacts with Russian officials&nbsp;and lied about it, including: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from any Trump-Russia probe after meeting Russian ambassador to the US Sergey&nbsp;Kislyak at least three times despite saying under oath he had never met any Russian officials;&nbsp;National Security Adviser Gen Michael Flynn, who had to resign after he was recorded discussing American sanctions against Russia with Ambassador Kislyak&nbsp;and lying about it, even to Vice President Mike Pence; Carter Page, and JD Gordon.

<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-russian-ambassador-sergey-kislyak-meeting-election-campaign-a7617261.html">Donald Trump</a> himself met with Kislyak, and has both denied and admitted to having a relationship with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCFgYzf4DV4" target="_blank">Vladimir Putin.</a>

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

US officials say this after FBI Director Comey announced that the US president is under formal investigation for his links to Russia

The FBI possesses information indicating associates of US President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the divulging of information damaging to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, CNN reports, citing US officials. One source told CNN that this is what FBI Director James Comey alluded to when he announced on Monday that not only was the FBI investigating Russian interference in the US election, but the Trump campaign's ties to Russia. The information the FBI is now reviewing, CNN reports citing those US officials, includes: human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings. US officials told CNN this information intelligence was not taken from the leaked dossier of unverified compiled by Christopher Steele, who was hired by Trump's opponents (first Republicans, then by Democrats), though that dossier also suggested there was coordination between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign. These officials have cautioned that the investigation is ongoing and that the information was not conclusive, though it has raised the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence that "coordination" may have taken place. "Coordination" is a term Comey described during the Monday's House Intelligence hearing: He made a distinction between two parties actively working together, and one party manipulating a second party into advancing the first party's interests without them knowing. Background: Is there anything else to suggest links between Trump and Russia? Two days after the US election, the Washington Post reported Russian officials saying they "conferred" with the Trump campaign, saying "there were contacts", during the election. "Obviously we know most of the people from his entourage," said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Trump spokesman Hope Hicks said the campaign had "no contact with Russian officials". Yesterday, an Associated Press report claimed that Paul Manafort, Trump's election campaign manager for 143 days, signed a $10 million anual contract in 2006 from a Russian billionaire to advance Russian president Vladimir Putin's interests. Manafort stepped down from Trump's campaign after it became known that he lobbied for the pro-Putin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort denies he is linked to Russia. As WION wrote on March 11, then-Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has admitted to having direct contact with both Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and the hacker who hacked the Democrats' emails during the US election Guccifer 2.0, who US intelligence says is really just a front for the Russian military intelligence agency. On Monday's hearing, FBI Director James Comey said that the Russians hacked the Democrats and used "cutouts"..."to cover up that they were the ones releasing" the stolen information. Roger Stone appeared to have advanced knowledge of the contents of the emails WikiLeaks possessed before they were made public. Roger Stone has denied there was anything illegal or improper in this communication. Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. #Wikileaks. — Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) October 2, 2016 × The first time WikiLeaks published Democrat campaign chief John Podesta's hacked emails came about two hours after the recording of Donald Trump saying he grabbed women "by the p*ssy". Afterwards, Trump praised WikiLeaks and continued throughout the election to use Podesta's hacked emails to cudgel Clinton. During the third presidential debate, Donald Trump spoke directly to Russia, encouraging them to hack his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton, saying: "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 [Democrat] emails that are missing." Trump's pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company ExxonMobil, was personally awarded the "Order of frienship" from Vladimir Putin, given to "reward foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts were aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people". Despite having one of the most sought after jobs in politics anywhere Tillerson has no prior experience in politics. A report yesterday said Tillerson was "stunned" when he was approached for the job, as he was preparing for retirement. Several members of Trump's campaign and White House administration have had contacts with Russian officials and lied about it, including: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from any Trump-Russia probe after meeting Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak at least three times despite saying under oath he had never met any Russian officials; National Security Adviser Gen Michael Flynn, who had to resign after he was recorded discussing American sanctions against Russia with Ambassador Kislyak and lying about it, even to Vice President Mike Pence; Carter Page, and JD Gordon. Donald Trump himself met with Kislyak, and has both denied and admitted to having a relationship with Vladimir Putin. (WION)

New evidence suggests Trump associates may have coordinated with Russian officials: CNN

Thousands of Russians poured out on the streets and marched through central Moscow to pay their tribute&nbsp;to Putin-critic Boris Nemtsov, two years after he was fatally shot dead near the Kremlin.

On February 27, 2015, the former deputy prime minister was shot dead by four fatal gunshots while he was with his girlfriend.

Five Chehcen men are currently on trial for carrying out a contract hit, but the people who paid them have not been brought to justice.

Nemtsov&#39;s daughter has said the mastermind of the assassination remains unknown.

But Russians, clutching a bunch of red carnations, took to the streets to express their solidarity behind the family of the slain politician, the highest-profile murder since Russian President Vladimir Putin took charge in 2000.

&quot;We came to pay tribute to the honesty and bravery of Boris&nbsp;Nemtsov,&quot; pensioner Galina Zolina told AFP, clutching a bunch of red carnations.&nbsp;

&quot;We want to show the authorities that we haven&#39;t forgotten.&quot;

Some marchers even carried placards with &quot;Russia without Putin&quot; written on them.

Charismatic&nbsp;Nemtsov&nbsp;-- who went from Kremlin insider under Boris Yeltsin to one of Putin&#39;s fiercest foes -- was hit in the back by four fatal shots as he walked home across a bridge by the Kremlin with his girlfriend.&nbsp;

The march Sunday was permitted by the authorities but not allowed to include a makeshift memorial officials have repeatedly sought to dismantle at the spot&nbsp;Nemtsov&nbsp;was killed.&nbsp;

Some 15,000 demonstrators, organisers and AFP estimated, surrounded by a heavy police presence waved Russian flags and posters criticising the Kremlin and Moscow&#39;s intervention in Ukraine, which&nbsp;Nemtsov&nbsp;had fiercely opposed right up to his death.&nbsp;

&quot;The march can maybe get the attention of the authorities,&quot; said unemployed biologist Alexei Kuznetsov.&nbsp;

&quot;It might be able to influence the investigation, show that the case resonates in society even if the authorities try to ignore it.&quot;&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Charismatic Boris Nemtsov was gunned down two years back and some 15,000 protesters demanded further probe into his assassination

Thousands of Russians poured out on the streets and marched through central Moscow to pay their tribute to Putin-critic Boris Nemtsov, two years after he was fatally shot dead near the Kremlin. On February 27, 2015, the former deputy prime minister was shot dead by four fatal gunshots while he was with his girlfriend. Five Chehcen men are currently on trial for carrying out a contract hit, but the people who paid them have not been brought to justice. Nemtsov's daughter has said the mastermind of the assassination remains unknown. But Russians, clutching a bunch of red carnations, took to the streets to express their solidarity behind the family of the slain politician, the highest-profile murder since Russian President Vladimir Putin took charge in 2000. "We came to pay tribute to the honesty and bravery of Boris Nemtsov," pensioner Galina Zolina told AFP, clutching a bunch of red carnations. "We want to show the authorities that we haven't forgotten." Some marchers even carried placards with "Russia without Putin" written on them. Charismatic Nemtsov -- who went from Kremlin insider under Boris Yeltsin to one of Putin's fiercest foes -- was hit in the back by four fatal shots as he walked home across a bridge by the Kremlin with his girlfriend. The march Sunday was permitted by the authorities but not allowed to include a makeshift memorial officials have repeatedly sought to dismantle at the spot Nemtsov was killed. Some 15,000 demonstrators, organisers and AFP estimated, surrounded by a heavy police presence waved Russian flags and posters criticising the Kremlin and Moscow's intervention in Ukraine, which Nemtsov had fiercely opposed right up to his death. "The march can maybe get the attention of the authorities," said unemployed biologist Alexei Kuznetsov. "It might be able to influence the investigation, show that the case resonates in society even if the authorities try to ignore it." (WION with inputs from AFP)

Russians throng central Moscow to remember Putin-critic Nemtsov's murder

Top Russian opposition leader&nbsp;and a vociferous critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin,&nbsp;Alexei Navalny, was handed a five-year suspended sentence for embezzlement, a ruling that threatens his chances to contest next year&#39;s presidential election.

But Navalny remains defiant despite the verdict, which in Russian laws bar a person from standing for office.

Navalny, who came at the forefront of Russian politics for spearheading&nbsp;the protests against Putin in 2011-12, was proved guilty by a judge in the provincial city of Kirov for pilfering&nbsp;16 million rubles ($270,000, 253,000 euros) from the regional budget in a timber deal.

The anti-Putin politician said the verdict was telegrammed by the kremlin and vowed to continue his campaigning.

&quot;According to the constitution I have a full right to take part in the elections and I will do that,&quot; Navalny said after the verdict.&nbsp;

&quot;I will continue to represent the interests of people who want to see Russia a normal, honest and non-corrupt country.&quot;

He also launched a broadside against Putin, tweeting: &quot;Putin and his gang of thieves fear meeting us in elections.&nbsp;And they are right: we will win.&quot;

The court was holding a retrial after&nbsp;Navalny and his co-defendant, businessman Pyotr Ofitserov were convicted of alleged embezzlement in 2013.

The European Court of Human Rights last year quashed the 2013 ruling, saying the men did not have a fair trial.

But Russia&#39;s supreme court then ordered that Navalny and Ofitserov face a retrial.

The judge on Wednesday gave Navalny and Ofitserov exactly the same sentences as before and used almost identical wording in a ruling he read out over more than three hours.

Navalny&#39;s suspended sentence will run out in about 18 months as he already served most of the five years sentence prior to the retrial, his lawyer Olga Mikhailova told journalists.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Alexei Navalny was handed a five-year suspended sentence that threatens to end his bid to challenge Putin in next year's election

Top Russian opposition leader and a vociferous critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, was handed a five-year suspended sentence for embezzlement, a ruling that threatens his chances to contest next year's presidential election. But Navalny remains defiant despite the verdict, which in Russian laws bar a person from standing for office. Navalny, who came at the forefront of Russian politics for spearheading the protests against Putin in 2011-12, was proved guilty by a judge in the provincial city of Kirov for pilfering 16 million rubles ($270,000, 253,000 euros) from the regional budget in a timber deal. The anti-Putin politician said the verdict was telegrammed by the kremlin and vowed to continue his campaigning. "According to the constitution I have a full right to take part in the elections and I will do that," Navalny said after the verdict. "I will continue to represent the interests of people who want to see Russia a normal, honest and non-corrupt country." He also launched a broadside against Putin, tweeting: "Putin and his gang of thieves fear meeting us in elections. And they are right: we will win." The court was holding a retrial after Navalny and his co-defendant, businessman Pyotr Ofitserov were convicted of alleged embezzlement in 2013. The European Court of Human Rights last year quashed the 2013 ruling, saying the men did not have a fair trial. But Russia's supreme court then ordered that Navalny and Ofitserov face a retrial. The judge on Wednesday gave Navalny and Ofitserov exactly the same sentences as before and used almost identical wording in a ruling he read out over more than three hours. Navalny's suspended sentence will run out in about 18 months as he already served most of the five years sentence prior to the retrial, his lawyer Olga Mikhailova told journalists. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Russia: President Putin's adversary found guilty of graft

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday giving the US military 30 days to devise a plan to &quot;defeat&quot; the Islamic State group.

The plan makes good on a key campaign pledge of Trump, who mocked and criticised the slow pace of his predecessor Barack Obama&#39;s progress in the fight against the extremist fighters.

The text, which calls for a &quot;comprehensive strategy and plans for the defeat of ISIS,&quot; is seen as meaning more US forces and military hardware moving into Iraq and Syria.

Pentagon chief James Mattis is also tasked with recommending changes to US rules of engagement and policy restrictions to eliminate those that &quot;exceed the requirements of international law regarding the use of force against ISIS&quot; under the order, which also seeks to cut the group&#39;s financial support.

Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call to establish &quot;real coordination&quot; against the Islamic State group in Syria, according to the Kremlin.

Yet many in the US military are suspicious of Russia&#39;s role in Syria, with Moscow seen as seeking first and foremost to support and defend President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime.

&quot;We have to get rid of ISIS. We have no choice,&quot; Trump told Fox News in an interview broadcast Thursday, using another acronym for the jihadist group.&nbsp;

&quot;This is evil. This is a level of evil that we haven&#39;t seen.&quot;

Seeking &#39;quicker results&#39;&nbsp; 
Barack Obama took a longer-term view of the anti-IS fight, with a more cautious commitment of US forces and instead of ramping up an air war against the violent extremists.

&quot;President Trump might be looking for something with quicker results, that could put some more options on the table,&quot; retired lieutenant general David Barno, who led coalition forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, told National Public Radio on Friday.

The United States currently has 5,000 troops in Iraq and 500 in Syria as &quot;advisers&quot; -- but also US artillery and aircraft to help in the fight.

They have provided substantial support to the assault led by Iraqi forces on Islamic State&#39;s hold on the key city of Mosul.

The slow, steady assault has driven IS fighters out of part of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River, and forces are now preparing an assault on IS-held Mosul neighbourhoods on the river&#39;s west bank.&nbsp;

According to reports, an escalation of the US role could involve more US armour and helicopters engaging in the assaults on IS positions together with Iraqi, Turkish and Kurdish forces.

Trump &quot;could elect to put American boots on the ground in larger numbers,&quot; Barno said.&nbsp;

&quot;That all entails new uses of military power... and that opens the prospect of a deeper involvement with more casualties.&quot;

(AFP)

While former US president Barack Obama took a long-term view of the fight against IS, Donald Trump wants quicker results

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday giving the US military 30 days to devise a plan to "defeat" the Islamic State group. The plan makes good on a key campaign pledge of Trump, who mocked and criticised the slow pace of his predecessor Barack Obama's progress in the fight against the extremist fighters. The text, which calls for a "comprehensive strategy and plans for the defeat of ISIS," is seen as meaning more US forces and military hardware moving into Iraq and Syria. Pentagon chief James Mattis is also tasked with recommending changes to US rules of engagement and policy restrictions to eliminate those that "exceed the requirements of international law regarding the use of force against ISIS" under the order, which also seeks to cut the group's financial support. Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call to establish "real coordination" against the Islamic State group in Syria, according to the Kremlin. Yet many in the US military are suspicious of Russia's role in Syria, with Moscow seen as seeking first and foremost to support and defend President Bashar al-Assad's regime. "We have to get rid of ISIS. We have no choice," Trump told Fox News in an interview broadcast Thursday, using another acronym for the jihadist group. "This is evil. This is a level of evil that we haven't seen." Seeking 'quicker results' Barack Obama took a longer-term view of the anti-IS fight, with a more cautious commitment of US forces and instead of ramping up an air war against the violent extremists. "President Trump might be looking for something with quicker results, that could put some more options on the table," retired lieutenant general David Barno, who led coalition forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, told National Public Radio on Friday. The United States currently has 5,000 troops in Iraq and 500 in Syria as "advisers" -- but also US artillery and aircraft to help in the fight. They have provided substantial support to the assault led by Iraqi forces on Islamic State's hold on the key city of Mosul. The slow, steady assault has driven IS fighters out of part of the city on the east bank of the Tigris River, and forces are now preparing an assault on IS-held Mosul neighbourhoods on the river's west bank. According to reports, an escalation of the US role could involve more US armour and helicopters engaging in the assaults on IS positions together with Iraqi, Turkish and Kurdish forces. Trump "could elect to put American boots on the ground in larger numbers," Barno said. "That all entails new uses of military power... and that opens the prospect of a deeper involvement with more casualties." (AFP)

Trump gives generals 30 days for new anti-Islamic State strategy

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s choice for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp&nbsp;Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, narrowly won approval from a Senate committee on Monday but is expected to win confirmation from the full Senate.

The US&nbsp;Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 11-10 to approve Tillerson, with every committee Republican backing Tillerson and every Democrat opposing his nomination. His backing by the committee had been in doubt until earlier on Monday, when Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a committee member, said he planned to back Tillerson.

His confirmation vote in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold a 52-seat majority, is not expected before next week.

Rubio said he was troubled by Tillerson&#39;s comments during his confirmation hearing regarding Russia as well as other countries, but that he ultimately decided he would vote to approve the nominee in deference to Trump, as well as to fill a critical top job.

Democrats who voted against Tillerson said their concerns included fears that he might move to lift sanctions on Russia, where he did business for years as an Exxon executive, questions about his views on human rights and unhappiness that he would not promise to recuse himself from matters related to Exxon during his entire term as the top US&nbsp;diplomat.

Tillerson said during his hearing that he would recuse himself only for the one year required by law. Tillerson also angered some lawmakers during the hearing by saying he did not know that Exxon Mobil had lobbied against Russian sanctions while he was running the company.

John McCain was among the Republicans who voted for Tillerson.&nbsp;Earlier this week the Republican senator said he was&nbsp;&quot;very cautious&quot; about his decision to vote for Tilerson, but said he was reassured after talking with him about Russia and what his job was as secretary of state, <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mccain-graham-will-vote-yes-tillerson-despite-skepticism-n710551">ABC reports.</a>

&quot;Listen, this wasn&#39;t an easy call, but I believe when there&#39;s doubt, the incoming president gets the benefit of the doubt,&quot;McCain said.

Earlier in January McCain vowed to fight for stronger sanctions against Russia, and appeared to be locked in a war against Trump, as it was he who <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/10/fbi-chief-given-dossier-by-john-mccain-alleging-secret-trump-russia-contacts">passed the&nbsp;dossier </a>to FBI director James Comey, alleging Trump has secret contacts with Russia. &quot;He and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals,&quot; the dossier claimed.&nbsp;

It also alleged: &quot;FSB has compromised Trump through his activities in Moscow sufficiently to be able to blackmail him.&quot; Putin called this claim a &quot;complete fabrication and utter nonsense&quot;.

Senator Ben Cardin, the committee&#39;s ranking Democrat, said Tillerson&#39;s &quot;business orientation&quot; and responses at his hearing &quot;could compromise his ability as secretary of state to forcefully promote the values and ideals that have defined our country and our leading role in the world for more than 200 years.&quot;

(With inputs from Reuters)

Every Democrat opposed Trump's controversial choice, worried over Tillerson's views on human rights and his relations with Russia

US President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, narrowly won approval from a Senate committee on Monday but is expected to win confirmation from the full Senate. The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 11-10 to approve Tillerson, with every committee Republican backing Tillerson and every Democrat opposing his nomination. His backing by the committee had been in doubt until earlier on Monday, when Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a committee member, said he planned to back Tillerson. His confirmation vote in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold a 52-seat majority, is not expected before next week. Rubio said he was troubled by Tillerson's comments during his confirmation hearing regarding Russia as well as other countries, but that he ultimately decided he would vote to approve the nominee in deference to Trump, as well as to fill a critical top job. Democrats who voted against Tillerson said their concerns included fears that he might move to lift sanctions on Russia, where he did business for years as an Exxon executive, questions about his views on human rights and unhappiness that he would not promise to recuse himself from matters related to Exxon during his entire term as the top US diplomat. Tillerson said during his hearing that he would recuse himself only for the one year required by law. Tillerson also angered some lawmakers during the hearing by saying he did not know that Exxon Mobil had lobbied against Russian sanctions while he was running the company. John McCain was among the Republicans who voted for Tillerson. Earlier this week the Republican senator said he was "very cautious" about his decision to vote for Tilerson, but said he was reassured after talking with him about Russia and what his job was as secretary of state, ABC reports. "Listen, this wasn't an easy call, but I believe when there's doubt, the incoming president gets the benefit of the doubt,"McCain said. Earlier in January McCain vowed to fight for stronger sanctions against Russia, and appeared to be locked in a war against Trump, as it was he who passed the dossier to FBI director James Comey, alleging Trump has secret contacts with Russia. "He and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals," the dossier claimed. It also alleged: "FSB has compromised Trump through his activities in Moscow sufficiently to be able to blackmail him." Putin called this claim a "complete fabrication and utter nonsense". Senator Ben Cardin, the committee's ranking Democrat, said Tillerson's "business orientation" and responses at his hearing "could compromise his ability as secretary of state to forcefully promote the values and ideals that have defined our country and our leading role in the world for more than 200 years." (With inputs from Reuters)

Trump's pick for state secretary Rex Tillerson narrowly approved by Senate committee

Outgoing US President Barack Obama&#39;s final press conference took on a&nbsp;political&nbsp;edge as he promised&nbsp;to raise his voice if President-elect Donald Trump disrupts core values and assured Americans, &quot;we&#39;ll be okay&quot;.

The 55-year-old said he wanted to do some writing and spend time with his daughters, but he will speak out if he saw &quot;systematic discrimination being ratified in some fashion.&nbsp;I put in that category explicit or functional obstacles to people being able to vote, to exercise their franchise.&quot;

&quot;There&#39;s a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake,&quot; Obama told reporters.&nbsp;

Reassuring the American public, Obama said, &quot;I have offered my best advice,&quot; to Donald Trump.&nbsp;

&quot;I can tell you that -- this is something I have told him -- that this is a job of such magnitude that you can&#39;t do it by yourself. You are enormously reliant on a team.&quot;

He also warned Trump to think well before deciding foreign policy, which may be popular at home but could have consequences.

&quot;It&#39;s a volatile environment. What we have seen in the past is when some unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues and sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive.&quot;

He also defended his decision to commute the sentence of transgender army private Chelsea Manning, who was serving a prison sentence of 35 years for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks.&nbsp;

&quot;Let&#39;s be clear. Chelsea Manning has served a tough prison sentence,&quot; Obama said. &quot;I know I feel very comfortable that justice has been served and that a message has still been sent.&quot;

Obama&#39;s decision was slammed by Republicans who have accused Manning of being a traitor.&nbsp;

When asked about Trump&#39;s intention to mend ties with Russia, Obama said it was &quot;in America&#39;s interest and the world&#39;s interest.&quot;

However Putin&#39;s&nbsp;&quot;adversarial spirit&quot; had &quot;made the relationship more difficult,&quot; Obama said.&nbsp;Obama&#39;s administration had imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 after Putin&#39;s forces annexed&nbsp;the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine.&nbsp;

&quot;Russia continues to occupy Ukrainian territory and meddle in Ukrainian affairs,&quot; Obama told reporters.&nbsp;&quot;I think it would probably best serve, not only American interests, but also the interests of preserving international norms if we made sure that we don&#39;t confuse why these sanctions have been imposed with a whole set of other issues,&quot; he said.

&quot;It is important for the United States to stand up for the basic principal that big countries don&#39;t go around and invade and bully smaller countries,&quot; the Democratic president added.

President-elect Trump&nbsp;has said he wants to improve ties with Russia, despite allegations by US&nbsp;intelligence agencies that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a cyber campaign to boost Trump&#39;s campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Moscow has denied the allegations.

Obama worked on a nuclear arms control agreement with Moscow early in his presidency, resulting in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty signed in 2010.&nbsp;&quot;I was prepared to go further, I told President Putin I was prepared to go further. They have been unwilling to negotiate,&quot; Obama said, blaming Putin for &quot;escalating anti-American rhetoric&quot;.&nbsp;

Obama said a more &quot;constructive relationship&quot; with Russia would be a good goal. The United States and Russia are by far the world`s biggest nuclear powers.

&quot;If President-elect Trump is able to restart those talks in a serious way, I think there remains a lot of room for our two countries to reduce our stockpiles,&quot; Obama said.

Voicing his support for the White House press corps, he said, &quot;We are accountable to the people who send us here. And you have done it,&quot; Obama said. &quot;You&#39;re not supposed to be sycophants. You&#39;re supposed to be skeptics .&quot;

Trump who has had a contentious relationship with the media, suggested evicting the White House press corps from the West Wing, putting an end to daily press briefings and access.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

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In his farewell press conference, Obama promised?to raise his voice if President-elect Donald Trump disrupts American values

Outgoing US President Barack Obama's final press conference took on a political edge as he promised to raise his voice if President-elect Donald Trump disrupts core values and assured Americans, "we'll be okay". The 55-year-old said he wanted to do some writing and spend time with his daughters, but he will speak out if he saw "systematic discrimination being ratified in some fashion. I put in that category explicit or functional obstacles to people being able to vote, to exercise their franchise." "There's a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake," Obama told reporters. Reassuring the American public, Obama said, "I have offered my best advice," to Donald Trump. "I can tell you that -- this is something I have told him -- that this is a job of such magnitude that you can't do it by yourself. You are enormously reliant on a team." He also warned Trump to think well before deciding foreign policy, which may be popular at home but could have consequences. "It's a volatile environment. What we have seen in the past is when some unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues and sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive." He also defended his decision to commute the sentence of transgender army private Chelsea Manning, who was serving a prison sentence of 35 years for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks. "Let's be clear. Chelsea Manning has served a tough prison sentence," Obama said. "I know I feel very comfortable that justice has been served and that a message has still been sent." Obama's decision was slammed by Republicans who have accused Manning of being a traitor. When asked about Trump's intention to mend ties with Russia, Obama said it was "in America's interest and the world's interest." However Putin's "adversarial spirit" had "made the relationship more difficult," Obama said. Obama's administration had imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 after Putin's forces annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine. "Russia continues to occupy Ukrainian territory and meddle in Ukrainian affairs," Obama told reporters. "I think it would probably best serve, not only American interests, but also the interests of preserving international norms if we made sure that we don't confuse why these sanctions have been imposed with a whole set of other issues," he said. "It is important for the United States to stand up for the basic principal that big countries don't go around and invade and bully smaller countries," the Democratic president added. President-elect Trump has said he wants to improve ties with Russia, despite allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a cyber campaign to boost Trump's campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Moscow has denied the allegations. Obama worked on a nuclear arms control agreement with Moscow early in his presidency, resulting in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty signed in 2010. "I was prepared to go further, I told President Putin I was prepared to go further. They have been unwilling to negotiate," Obama said, blaming Putin for "escalating anti-American rhetoric". Obama said a more "constructive relationship" with Russia would be a good goal. The United States and Russia are by far the world`s biggest nuclear powers. "If President-elect Trump is able to restart those talks in a serious way, I think there remains a lot of room for our two countries to reduce our stockpiles," Obama said. Voicing his support for the White House press corps, he said, "We are accountable to the people who send us here. And you have done it," Obama said. "You're not supposed to be sycophants. You're supposed to be skeptics ." Trump who has had a contentious relationship with the media, suggested evicting the White House press corps from the West Wing, putting an end to daily press briefings and access. (WION with inputs from AFP)

I think our core values may be at stake: Obama

Allegations of Russian interference in US politics cast a shadow over inaugural preparations on Sunday, with the CIA chief warning that President-elect Donald Trump must tamp down his shoot-from-the-hip style to protect national security.&nbsp;

John Brennan&#39;s warning to the incoming Republican president -&nbsp;just days before Friday&#39;s inauguration -&nbsp;came as senators launched a bipartisan probe into Moscow&#39;s alleged meddling in the 2016 election.

&quot;I don&#39;t think he has a full appreciation of Russian capabilities, Russia&#39;s intentions and actions,&quot; ?Brennan said of Trump on Fox News Sunday.&nbsp;

Trump has been effusive in his praise of Vladimir Putin and said in a news conference last week that if the Russian leader &quot;likes&quot; him it would be an &quot;asset&quot; to help repair the strained US-Russian relationship.

&quot;I think Mr. Trump has to be very disciplined in terms of what it is that he says publicly,&quot; Brennan said. &quot;He is going to be, in a few days&#39; time, the most powerful person in the world, in terms of sitting on top of the United States government and I think he has to recognise that his words do have impact.&quot;

&quot;This is more than being about him, it&#39;s about the United States and national security... he&#39;s going to have the opportunity to do something for national security as opposed to talking and tweeting,&quot; he said.

&quot;Spontaneity is not something that protects national security interests, so therefore, when he speaks, when he reacts, he has to make sure he understands that the implications and impact on the United States could be profound.&quot;

&#39;A sophisticated effort&#39;

US intelligence agencies allege that Putin ordered a covert effort to interfere in the election to boost Trump, 70, and harm his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Incoming Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday dismissed notions that the Trump team and the Kremlin had made contact during the 2016 race.

&quot;This is all a distraction,&quot; he said on NBC&#39;s Meet the Press. &quot;It&#39;s all part of a narrative to delegitimize the election and to question the legitimacy of his presidency.&quot;

A report from the Director of National Intelligence released this month said hackers working for Russia penetrated Democratic Party computers and accounts to release files embarrassing to Clinton, and also conducted a campaign of media manipulation with the same aim.

Asked whether she believed Russian efforts impacted the election&#39;s outcome, Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California -- vice chair of the Senate committee launching the bipartisan probe into the matter -- told NBC &quot;that&#39;s what I believe.&quot;

&quot;I have had all of the major classified briefings. I have been astonished at what has been a two-year effort at Russia to spearfish, to hack, to provide disinformation, propaganda, wherever it really could,&quot; the senator said.

&quot;I think it has been a very sophisticated effort.&quot;

&#39;Salacious allegations&#39;

Speculation was also swirling around an unproven dossier compiled by a former British MI6 intelligence agent, which alleged close ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and also said Moscow had compromising video of Trump.

The fact that intelligence agencies had briefed the president-elect on the dossier -- which was later published online by BuzzFeed -- lent the allegations credence, but Brennan said the intelligence community was only &quot;making sure that the president-elect was aware that it was circulating.&quot;

&quot;I think there are some very salacious allegations in there -- again, unsubstantiated,&quot; he said, adding it was &quot;a responsibility in the minds of the intelligence directors&quot; to inform Trump as well as the Obama White House of the report.

Brennan bristled at Trump&#39;s likening of the US intelligence community to Nazi Germany, a comparison the president-elect made last week in a tweet after &nbsp;suggesting it was those agencies that had leaked the report.

&quot;What I do find outrageous is equating the intelligence community with Nazi Germany,&quot; the outgoing spy chief said of Trump&#39;s outburst. &quot;I do take great umbrage at that.&quot;

Speaking earlier Sunday on CBS, Pence blamed the scandal on &quot;media bias.&quot;

That some news organizations &quot;actually trafficked in a memo that was produced as opposition research and associated that with intelligence efforts -- I think that could only be attributed to media bias,&quot; the vice president-elect said.&nbsp;

(AFP)

Trump said last week that if the Russian leader 'likes' him it would be an 'asset' to help repair the strained US-Russian relationship

Allegations of Russian interference in US politics cast a shadow over inaugural preparations on Sunday, with the CIA chief warning that President-elect Donald Trump must tamp down his shoot-from-the-hip style to protect national security. John Brennan's warning to the incoming Republican president - just days before Friday's inauguration - came as senators launched a bipartisan probe into Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 election. "I don't think he has a full appreciation of Russian capabilities, Russia's intentions and actions," ?Brennan said of Trump on Fox News Sunday. Trump has been effusive in his praise of Vladimir Putin and said in a news conference last week that if the Russian leader "likes" him it would be an "asset" to help repair the strained US-Russian relationship. "I think Mr. Trump has to be very disciplined in terms of what it is that he says publicly," Brennan said. "He is going to be, in a few days' time, the most powerful person in the world, in terms of sitting on top of the United States government and I think he has to recognise that his words do have impact." "This is more than being about him, it's about the United States and national security... he's going to have the opportunity to do something for national security as opposed to talking and tweeting," he said. "Spontaneity is not something that protects national security interests, so therefore, when he speaks, when he reacts, he has to make sure he understands that the implications and impact on the United States could be profound." 'A sophisticated effort' US intelligence agencies allege that Putin ordered a covert effort to interfere in the election to boost Trump, 70, and harm his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton. Incoming Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday dismissed notions that the Trump team and the Kremlin had made contact during the 2016 race. "This is all a distraction," he said on NBC's Meet the Press. "It's all part of a narrative to delegitimize the election and to question the legitimacy of his presidency." A report from the Director of National Intelligence released this month said hackers working for Russia penetrated Democratic Party computers and accounts to release files embarrassing to Clinton, and also conducted a campaign of media manipulation with the same aim. Asked whether she believed Russian efforts impacted the election's outcome, Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California -- vice chair of the Senate committee launching the bipartisan probe into the matter -- told NBC "that's what I believe." "I have had all of the major classified briefings. I have been astonished at what has been a two-year effort at Russia to spearfish, to hack, to provide disinformation, propaganda, wherever it really could," the senator said. "I think it has been a very sophisticated effort." 'Salacious allegations' Speculation was also swirling around an unproven dossier compiled by a former British MI6 intelligence agent, which alleged close ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and also said Moscow had compromising video of Trump. The fact that intelligence agencies had briefed the president-elect on the dossier -- which was later published online by BuzzFeed -- lent the allegations credence, but Brennan said the intelligence community was only "making sure that the president-elect was aware that it was circulating." "I think there are some very salacious allegations in there -- again, unsubstantiated," he said, adding it was "a responsibility in the minds of the intelligence directors" to inform Trump as well as the Obama White House of the report. Brennan bristled at Trump's likening of the US intelligence community to Nazi Germany, a comparison the president-elect made last week in a tweet after suggesting it was those agencies that had leaked the report. "What I do find outrageous is equating the intelligence community with Nazi Germany," the outgoing spy chief said of Trump's outburst. "I do take great umbrage at that." Speaking earlier Sunday on CBS, Pence blamed the scandal on "media bias." That some news organizations "actually trafficked in a memo that was produced as opposition research and associated that with intelligence efforts -- I think that could only be attributed to media bias," the vice president-elect said. (AFP)

US: CIA chief urges Trump to temper impulses amid Russia claims

Russia denied a report that suggested US President-elect Donald Trump was planning to hold a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on his first foreign trip shortly after taking office.

&quot;There have not been talks about a meeting yet,&quot; the Kremlin&#39;s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA, in response to the Sunday Times report that was published on January 15.

The UK-based newspaper had said Trump was seeking to &quot;reset&quot; relations with the Kremlin, with Iceland the likely venue, emulating Ronald Reagan&#39;s Reykjavik meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986 during the height of Cold War, the newspaper said, citing unnamed British officials.

Trump, who will be inaugurated on Friday (January 20), is planning to work on a deal limiting nuclear weapons as part of his bid to recalibrate relations between the two powers, the report went on to say.

Even Iceland said it was not aware of such plans but was willing to host a summit to help improve relations between Washington and Moscow.

&quot;The Icelandic government has not received a query with regards to this,&quot; Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson said in reply to a question from the mbl.is news website.

&quot;If officials in Washington DC make a formal request for the Icelandic government to organise a summit in Reykjavik we will look at it positively and make this our input to improve relations between the US and Russia, remember the summit at Hofdi house in 1986,&quot; he said.

Trump has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence&#39;s conclusion that hackers acting on the Russian strongman&#39;s authority interfered in the US elections.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Friday, Trump hinted that he may lift sanctions imposed on Russia over Moscow&#39;s alleged cyberattacks if Russia helps the US on key goals such as fighting jihadist groups.

(Agencies) 
&nbsp;

The UK-based Sunday Times had reported the US president-elect wanted to meet Putin to 'reset' relations with Russia

Russia denied a report that suggested US President-elect Donald Trump was planning to hold a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on his first foreign trip shortly after taking office. "There have not been talks about a meeting yet," the Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA, in response to the Sunday Times report that was published on January 15. The UK-based newspaper had said Trump was seeking to "reset" relations with the Kremlin, with Iceland the likely venue, emulating Ronald Reagan's Reykjavik meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986 during the height of Cold War, the newspaper said, citing unnamed British officials. Trump, who will be inaugurated on Friday (January 20), is planning to work on a deal limiting nuclear weapons as part of his bid to recalibrate relations between the two powers, the report went on to say. Even Iceland said it was not aware of such plans but was willing to host a summit to help improve relations between Washington and Moscow. "The Icelandic government has not received a query with regards to this," Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson said in reply to a question from the mbl.is news website. "If officials in Washington DC make a formal request for the Icelandic government to organise a summit in Reykjavik we will look at it positively and make this our input to improve relations between the US and Russia, remember the summit at Hofdi house in 1986," he said. Trump has expressed admiration for Putin, and only reluctantly accepted US intelligence's conclusion that hackers acting on the Russian strongman's authority interfered in the US elections. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Friday, Trump hinted that he may lift sanctions imposed on Russia over Moscow's alleged cyberattacks if Russia helps the US on key goals such as fighting jihadist groups. (Agencies)

Russia denies report about Trump, Putin meeting in Iceland

The US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the United States is encouraging Syria peace talks being prepared by Russia later this month in the Kazakhstan capital Astana.

The US hopes that the talks succeed in building peace in Syria, he said.

&quot;We&#39;re encouraging a meeting in Astana. We hope that could produce a step forward,&quot; Kerry told reporters during his final news conference at the State Department.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26 that Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had all agreed to hold the talks in Astana although no date has been set.

Kerry said he had talked to UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the objective remained &quot;to get to Geneva where the real meat of the talks is going to take place.&quot;

But Kerry said a December 30 ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey had run into difficulties with numerous violations.

&quot;The fighting is continuing, it`s difficult and the Assad regime seems to be playing the same card that it was playing previously,&quot; he said.

After several failed ceasefire attempts brokered by Kerry and Lavrov, the United States remained out of the latest Syrian talks. It is unclear whether the United States will attend the Astana talks.

Russia and Iran both back Assad, but Turkey, a NATO member, has long made clear it would prefer that Assad step down.&nbsp;

Ankara, however, has moderated its rhetoric on Assad in recent months and Lavrov said all three countries agreed the priority was to fight terrorism rather than to remove the Syrian leader.

(Reuters)

Russian President Putin had said that Russia, Iran, Turkey and the Syrian President Assad had all agreed to hold talks in Astana

The US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the United States is encouraging Syria peace talks being prepared by Russia later this month in the Kazakhstan capital Astana. The US hopes that the talks succeed in building peace in Syria, he said. "We're encouraging a meeting in Astana. We hope that could produce a step forward," Kerry told reporters during his final news conference at the State Department. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26 that Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had all agreed to hold the talks in Astana although no date has been set. Kerry said he had talked to UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the objective remained "to get to Geneva where the real meat of the talks is going to take place." But Kerry said a December 30 ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey had run into difficulties with numerous violations. "The fighting is continuing, it`s difficult and the Assad regime seems to be playing the same card that it was playing previously," he said. After several failed ceasefire attempts brokered by Kerry and Lavrov, the United States remained out of the latest Syrian talks. It is unclear whether the United States will attend the Astana talks. Russia and Iran both back Assad, but Turkey, a NATO member, has long made clear it would prefer that Assad step down. Ankara, however, has moderated its rhetoric on Assad in recent months and Lavrov said all three countries agreed the priority was to fight terrorism rather than to remove the Syrian leader. (Reuters)

Secretary of State Kerry: US encouraging Russia-sponsored Astana peace talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign of hacking and media manipulation aimed at undermining the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton and boosting Donald Trump, US intelligence said in a report Friday.

The campaign first aimed at damaging a potential Clinton presidency, and then turned to supporting Trump after a victory by the Republican businessman appeared possible, said the report from the Director of National Intelligence.

&quot;We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia&#39;s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency,&quot; it said.

The report said that Putin acted on grudges against the United States after being embarrassed by the Panama Papers on secret offshore banking and the Olympic doping scandal, and that he also blamed Clinton for ostensibly inciting mass protests against his regime in 2011-2012.

The report warned US allies that Russia will likely attempt to influence their elections, making use of its experience with the US vote.

&quot;We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned from its Putin-ordered campaign aimed at the US presidential election to future influence efforts worldwide, including against US allies and their election processes,&quot; it said.

The 25-page public report, which was half the length of the classified version presented to President Barack Obama on Thursday and President-elect Trump on Friday, provided little in the way of detailed evidence to link Putin and Russian intelligence to the hacking and release via WikiLeaks of Democratic Party files that hurt Clinton&#39;s campaign.

Russia has denied interfering in the election, and Trump has repeatedly questioned the US intelligence community`s conclusions on the issue.

(Reuters)

Parts of the declassified report hint at Russia's role in swaying elections in favour of Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign of hacking and media manipulation aimed at undermining the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton and boosting Donald Trump, US intelligence said in a report Friday. The campaign first aimed at damaging a potential Clinton presidency, and then turned to supporting Trump after a victory by the Republican businessman appeared possible, said the report from the Director of National Intelligence. "We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency," it said. The report said that Putin acted on grudges against the United States after being embarrassed by the Panama Papers on secret offshore banking and the Olympic doping scandal, and that he also blamed Clinton for ostensibly inciting mass protests against his regime in 2011-2012. The report warned US allies that Russia will likely attempt to influence their elections, making use of its experience with the US vote. "We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned from its Putin-ordered campaign aimed at the US presidential election to future influence efforts worldwide, including against US allies and their election processes," it said. The 25-page public report, which was half the length of the classified version presented to President Barack Obama on Thursday and President-elect Trump on Friday, provided little in the way of detailed evidence to link Putin and Russian intelligence to the hacking and release via WikiLeaks of Democratic Party files that hurt Clinton's campaign. Russia has denied interfering in the election, and Trump has repeatedly questioned the US intelligence community`s conclusions on the issue. (Reuters)

US: Intelligence report reveals Putin sought to help Trump

Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson has agreed to sever all ties with ExxonMobil, putting deferred stock awards in an independently managed trust, the company he headed until last week said.

The agreement was reached in consultation with federal ethics regulators to comply with conflict of interest requirements, it said in a statement late Tuesday.

It is not immediately clear&nbsp;why Tillerson is required to formally sever all ties with his private business, while president-elect Donald Trump is aparently free not to.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-tweets-he-will-leave-business-never-says-he-will-sell-it-9533">Trump has so far refused to </a>sever his private business interests while serving in public office, saying via Twitter that instead he will give control of his business interests to his children, who are currently sitting in on official meetings with world leaders and are playing an active role on his transition team.

Trump was the first US presidential candidate in 40 years to conceal his tax return from the public. He pledged to release them, but said he was forbidden&nbsp;because his taxes&nbsp;were under audit by the IRS, who responded by saying&nbsp;that he was indeed under audit but was&nbsp;free to release them to the public. Then Trump pledged to release them if he won, and has so far still refused.&nbsp;His son, Donald Trump Jr,&nbsp;stated&nbsp;that his father didn&#39;t&nbsp;publicly release&nbsp;his&nbsp;tax returns&nbsp;because they were 12,000 pages <a href="http://time.com/money/4495037/donald-trump-release-tax-returns/">it would subject&nbsp;them&nbsp;to public scrutiny.</a>

Under the arrangement reached with ExxonMobil&#39;s board of directors, Tillerson will place the value of some two million company shares that he would have received over the next ten years in an independently managed trust.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-senator-mccain-has-concerns-about-tillerson-nomination-10714">Tillerson owned</a> $218 million in Exxon stock, a pension worth $70 million, and between 2012-2015 has had annual compensation packages worth between $28-40 million annually.

He will give up $4.1 million in cash bonuses that had been scheduled to be paid out over the next three years, as well as other benefits. &quot;The net effect of the agreement is a reduction of approximately $7 million in compensation owed to Tillerson,&quot; the company said in a statement.

Additionally, Tillerson has committed to selling the more than 600,000 Exxon shares he currently owns. The trust will not be permitted to hold Exxon stock, and Tillerson will be barred from working in the oil and gas industry for the next 10 years.

Despite making these concessions, it is unclear how Tillerson can keep&nbsp;his duties&nbsp;as Secretary of State separate from all the&nbsp;former industry colleagues and politicians he encountered as CEO of the world&#39;s largest private oil companies.

Tillerson, who was nominated last month to be President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s chief diplomat, retired December 31 after more than forty years at Exxon Mobil, the last ten years as CEO.

Tillerson is regarded as a controversial choice as secretary of state. He&nbsp;has only ever worked at ExxonMobil, and has no experience in politics. Democrats and Republicans have expressed concern over&nbsp;his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin personally awarded Tillerson with the Order of Friendship.

The FBI, CIA and the White House all have stated that they believe Putin interfered with the US election to help get Donald Trump elected.

Senior Republican senator John McCain, also the chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-senator-mccain-has-concerns-about-tillerson-nomination-10714">has called Putin a &quot;thug and a murderer&quot;, and has cast doubt on Tillerson&#39;s appointment.</a>

&quot;I and several of my colleagues have concerns about Mr Tillerson, and some of his past activities, specifically his relationship with Vladimir Putin,&quot; McCain told reporters on December 27.

Tillerson has also been criticised for deals struck on behalf of ExxonMobil that were at odds with US foreign policy. Tillerson criticised US sanctions against Russia after Putin invaded Crimea.

At the time, Exxon had discovered vast deposits of untapped oil in Russia. Oil and tax revenues fund&nbsp;half of Russia&#39;s budget, so this sanction badly affected Putin, while also preventing Exxon&nbsp;from making hundreds of millions of dollars, <a href="http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/12/14/13940866/trump-rex-tillerson-sanctions-russia">if not trillions</a>.

(With inputs from AFP)

Tillerson, the multimillionaire with suspicious links to Putin, pledged to do what Trump has not: separate public office from private profit

Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson has agreed to sever all ties with ExxonMobil, putting deferred stock awards in an independently managed trust, the company he headed until last week said. The agreement was reached in consultation with federal ethics regulators to comply with conflict of interest requirements, it said in a statement late Tuesday. It is not immediately clear why Tillerson is required to formally sever all ties with his private business, while president-elect Donald Trump is aparently free not to. Trump has so far refused to sever his private business interests while serving in public office, saying via Twitter that instead he will give control of his business interests to his children, who are currently sitting in on official meetings with world leaders and are playing an active role on his transition team. Trump was the first US presidential candidate in 40 years to conceal his tax return from the public. He pledged to release them, but said he was forbidden because his taxes were under audit by the IRS, who responded by saying that he was indeed under audit but was free to release them to the public. Then Trump pledged to release them if he won, and has so far still refused. His son, Donald Trump Jr, stated that his father didn't publicly release his tax returns because they were 12,000 pages it would subject them to public scrutiny. Under the arrangement reached with ExxonMobil's board of directors, Tillerson will place the value of some two million company shares that he would have received over the next ten years in an independently managed trust. Tillerson owned $218 million in Exxon stock, a pension worth $70 million, and between 2012-2015 has had annual compensation packages worth between $28-40 million annually. He will give up $4.1 million in cash bonuses that had been scheduled to be paid out over the next three years, as well as other benefits. "The net effect of the agreement is a reduction of approximately $7 million in compensation owed to Tillerson," the company said in a statement. Additionally, Tillerson has committed to selling the more than 600,000 Exxon shares he currently owns. The trust will not be permitted to hold Exxon stock, and Tillerson will be barred from working in the oil and gas industry for the next 10 years. Despite making these concessions, it is unclear how Tillerson can keep his duties as Secretary of State separate from all the former industry colleagues and politicians he encountered as CEO of the world's largest private oil companies. Tillerson, who was nominated last month to be President-elect Donald Trump's chief diplomat, retired December 31 after more than forty years at Exxon Mobil, the last ten years as CEO. Tillerson is regarded as a controversial choice as secretary of state. He has only ever worked at ExxonMobil, and has no experience in politics. Democrats and Republicans have expressed concern over his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin personally awarded Tillerson with the Order of Friendship. The FBI, CIA and the White House all have stated that they believe Putin interfered with the US election to help get Donald Trump elected. Senior Republican senator John McCain, also the chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, has called Putin a "thug and a murderer", and has cast doubt on Tillerson's appointment. "I and several of my colleagues have concerns about Mr Tillerson, and some of his past activities, specifically his relationship with Vladimir Putin," McCain told reporters on December 27. Tillerson has also been criticised for deals struck on behalf of ExxonMobil that were at odds with US foreign policy. Tillerson criticised US sanctions against Russia after Putin invaded Crimea. At the time, Exxon had discovered vast deposits of untapped oil in Russia. Oil and tax revenues fund half of Russia's budget, so this sanction badly affected Putin, while also preventing Exxon from making hundreds of millions of dollars, if not trillions. (With inputs from AFP)

Rex Tillerson pledges to sever Exxon ties before becoming US state secretary

Opener Lokesh Rahul hit a career-best 199 to power India&#39;s strong reply as England bowlers struggled on day three of the fifth and final Test in Chennai on Sunday.

India were 391 for four at stumps with Karun Nair (71) and Murali Vijay (17) at the crease. The hosts still trail by 86 runs in response to England`s 477.

Rahul shared a 161-run fourth-wicket partnership with Nair before missing out on what could have been his maiden double century.

Rahul, who recorded his fourth Test century, was the ninth batsman in the world to get out on 199 after falling to leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the final moments of the day.

The 24-year-old batsman chased Rashid&#39;s widish delivery on the off-side to give away a catch to point as he crumpled into a heap with hands on head.

Earlier Rahul had surpassed his previous best of 158 as he entertained a raucous Sunday crowd with a couple of reverse sweeps.

He struck 16 fours and 3 sixes during his marathon knock, prompting England skipper Alastair Cook to rotate his bowling options.

The tourists took the second new ball in the 85th over of the innings but Rahul and Nair made sure that India continued to mount the runs.

Nair recorded his maiden Test fifty in just his third match to play the perfect sheet anchor role as Rahul piloted the Indian innings till his departure.

England pacemen worked hard on a batting-friendly MA Chidambaram pitch to claim two crucial wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara (16) and skipper Virat Kohli (15) in the afternoon session.

It was the first time in the series that Kohli, who leads the batting chart with 655 runs, had been out for less than 40. He chipped a drive to extra cover off Stuart Broad.

Overnight batsmen Parthiv Patel and Rahul made England`s bowlers toil earlier in the day with a 152-run opening stand, before Moeen Ali&#39;s off-spin prised out Patel -- the only wicket of the morning session.

It was India&#39;s first century opening partnership in 32 innings even though wicketkeeper Patel was filling in for regular opener Vijay, who got treated for a bruised shoulder before coming into bat.

Patel (71) was undone when he played against the spin of a flighted and sharply turning delivery from Ali to spoon a simple catch to Jos Buttler at cover.

India hold an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series.

(AFP)

Unlike Trump, the Republican senator was angry Russia interfered with the US election. 'When you attack a country, it's an act of war'

Opener Lokesh Rahul hit a career-best 199 to power India's strong reply as England bowlers struggled on day three of the fifth and final Test in Chennai on Sunday. India were 391 for four at stumps with Karun Nair (71) and Murali Vijay (17) at the crease. The hosts still trail by 86 runs in response to England`s 477. Rahul shared a 161-run fourth-wicket partnership with Nair before missing out on what could have been his maiden double century. Rahul, who recorded his fourth Test century, was the ninth batsman in the world to get out on 199 after falling to leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the final moments of the day. The 24-year-old batsman chased Rashid's widish delivery on the off-side to give away a catch to point as he crumpled into a heap with hands on head. Earlier Rahul had surpassed his previous best of 158 as he entertained a raucous Sunday crowd with a couple of reverse sweeps. He struck 16 fours and 3 sixes during his marathon knock, prompting England skipper Alastair Cook to rotate his bowling options. The tourists took the second new ball in the 85th over of the innings but Rahul and Nair made sure that India continued to mount the runs. Nair recorded his maiden Test fifty in just his third match to play the perfect sheet anchor role as Rahul piloted the Indian innings till his departure. England pacemen worked hard on a batting-friendly MA Chidambaram pitch to claim two crucial wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara (16) and skipper Virat Kohli (15) in the afternoon session. It was the first time in the series that Kohli, who leads the batting chart with 655 runs, had been out for less than 40. He chipped a drive to extra cover off Stuart Broad. Overnight batsmen Parthiv Patel and Rahul made England`s bowlers toil earlier in the day with a 152-run opening stand, before Moeen Ali's off-spin prised out Patel -- the only wicket of the morning session. It was India's first century opening partnership in 32 innings even though wicketkeeper Patel was filling in for regular opener Vijay, who got treated for a bruised shoulder before coming into bat. Patel (71) was undone when he played against the spin of a flighted and sharply turning delivery from Ali to spoon a simple catch to Jos Buttler at cover. India hold an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series. (AFP)

Senator McCain meets Ukraine president, says Russia must 'pay the price' for cyber attacks

US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump on Friday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for refraining from retaliation in a dispute over spying and cyber attacks, in another sign that the Republican plans to patch up badly frayed relations with Moscow.

Putin on Friday ruled out tit-for-tat expulsions of Americans in response to US sanctions over alleged cyberattacks, a move that won plaudits from President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump&#39;s intervention -- in a tweet -- however illustrated the shifting political tide in Washington barely three weeks before the Republican is due to succeed Obama at the White House.

&quot;Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!&quot; the incoming US president wrote.

Putin&#39;s decision came despite the foreign ministry asking him to send home 35 US diplomats after President Barack Obama had turfed out the same number of Russian staff.

The alleged hacking of the US presidential election in November outraged Obama, culminating in the expulsions and other sanctions.

But outlining why he would not retaliate Putin cited Trump&#39;s imminent accession.

&quot;We will not expel anyone,&quot; Putin said in a statement, also inviting children of US diplomats to a holiday party at the Kremlin.

Instead, Moscow would plan its next steps &quot;based on the policies pursued by the administration of president Donald Trump&quot;, while warning that the Kremlin reserves the right to respond.

The Russian leader chided the outgoing Obama for &quot;unfriendly steps&quot; amounting to &quot;a provocation aimed at further undermining Russian-American relations&quot;.

Putin&#39;s remarks confirmed that Moscow is pinning its hopes on Trump to help rebuild ties -- which have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War -- when he takes office next month.

Trump has repeatedly praised Putin and nominated people seen as friendly toward Moscow to senior administration posts, but it is unclear whether he would seek to roll back Obama&#39;s actions.

&nbsp;

State Deptartment silent

Putin had ended his statement on the sanctions by wishing Obama and Trump a Happy New Year, separately congratulating the US president-elect in a New Year message.

Prior to Trump&#39;s remarks, a State Department official&#39;s limited response had symbolised the gulf between the Obama adminstration and the soon to be inaugurated new US president.

&quot;We have seen President Putin&#39;s remarks. We have nothing further to add,&quot; the official said.

Obama on Thursday unleashed a barrage of sanctions against Russia over alleged cyberattacks aimed at tilting the November election in Trump&#39;s favour.

The move came after years of bad blood with Putin that had seen Washington slap sanctions on Moscow over its interference in Ukraine and Syria.

In response to the purported hacks, dubbed &quot;Grizzly Steppe&quot; by US officials, Obama announced penalties against Russia&#39;s military and domestic intelligence agencies, and gave the 35 suspected &quot;intelligence operatives&quot; 72 hours to leave.

The Kremlin said it was sending a special plane to fly diplomats and their families from the United States, following reports they are not able to purchase plane tickets at such short notice.&nbsp;

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian news agencies that 96 people would be leaving the US.

US intelligence has concluded that the Kremlin ordered a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton campaign staff emails in a bid to put Trump in the Oval Office.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the hacking allegations.

&nbsp;

&#39;Americans should be alarmed&#39;

Trump too has questioned whether Russia tipped the electoral scale, painting Obama&#39;s accusations as a thinly veiled effort by a Democratic president to cover up for his party&#39;s loss.&nbsp;

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency have both stated that Russia interfered with the US election.&nbsp;

For weeks while he was campaigning, Donald Trump said the 2016 US election was &quot;rigged&quot;, and when pressed on the issue he refused to say that he would accept its results if&nbsp;he lost. Now that he has won, he accepts the results.

Trump, however, has said he will meet intelligence leaders next week for a briefing on the situation.

Obama -- who has also clashed with Trump over his Israel policy in recent days -- pointedly stated that &quot;all Americans should be alarmed by Russia&#39;s actions&quot;.

It remains unclear whether Trump will move to roll back the sanctions. Leading Republican lawmakers have publicly warned him to stay tough on Putin.

Beyond the election row, Obama also linked the fresh sanctions to harassment of US diplomats in Moscow, which Washington described as &quot;unprecedented&quot; in the post-Cold War era.

US officials, meanwhile, played down the impact sanctions against the GRU and the FSB could have on intelligence-sharing on issues like counterterrorism, saying cooperation was already limited.

Both agencies will face penalties, along with GRU agency chief Igor Korobov and three of his deputies.

In addition, the US Treasury hit two individuals, Evgeniy Bogachev and Aleksey Belan, with sanctions for &quot;involvement in malicious cyber-enabled activities&quot;.

The sanctions freeze any assets they may have in the United States and block US companies from doing business with them.

The US government is also declassifying technical information on Russian cyber activity to help companies defend against future attacks.

(With inputs from agencies)

Putin did not expel US diplomats after Obama, reacting to Russian interference with the US election, sent 35 Russian intel ops home

US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for refraining from retaliation in a dispute over spying and cyber attacks, in another sign that the Republican plans to patch up badly frayed relations with Moscow. Putin on Friday ruled out tit-for-tat expulsions of Americans in response to US sanctions over alleged cyberattacks, a move that won plaudits from President-elect Donald Trump. Trump's intervention -- in a tweet -- however illustrated the shifting political tide in Washington barely three weeks before the Republican is due to succeed Obama at the White House. "Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!" the incoming US president wrote. Putin's decision came despite the foreign ministry asking him to send home 35 US diplomats after President Barack Obama had turfed out the same number of Russian staff. The alleged hacking of the US presidential election in November outraged Obama, culminating in the expulsions and other sanctions. But outlining why he would not retaliate Putin cited Trump's imminent accession. "We will not expel anyone," Putin said in a statement, also inviting children of US diplomats to a holiday party at the Kremlin. Instead, Moscow would plan its next steps "based on the policies pursued by the administration of president Donald Trump", while warning that the Kremlin reserves the right to respond. The Russian leader chided the outgoing Obama for "unfriendly steps" amounting to "a provocation aimed at further undermining Russian-American relations". Putin's remarks confirmed that Moscow is pinning its hopes on Trump to help rebuild ties -- which have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War -- when he takes office next month. Trump has repeatedly praised Putin and nominated people seen as friendly toward Moscow to senior administration posts, but it is unclear whether he would seek to roll back Obama's actions. State Deptartment silent Putin had ended his statement on the sanctions by wishing Obama and Trump a Happy New Year, separately congratulating the US president-elect in a New Year message. Prior to Trump's remarks, a State Department official's limited response had symbolised the gulf between the Obama adminstration and the soon to be inaugurated new US president. "We have seen President Putin's remarks. We have nothing further to add," the official said. Obama on Thursday unleashed a barrage of sanctions against Russia over alleged cyberattacks aimed at tilting the November election in Trump's favour. The move came after years of bad blood with Putin that had seen Washington slap sanctions on Moscow over its interference in Ukraine and Syria. In response to the purported hacks, dubbed "Grizzly Steppe" by US officials, Obama announced penalties against Russia's military and domestic intelligence agencies, and gave the 35 suspected "intelligence operatives" 72 hours to leave. The Kremlin said it was sending a special plane to fly diplomats and their families from the United States, following reports they are not able to purchase plane tickets at such short notice. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian news agencies that 96 people would be leaving the US. US intelligence has concluded that the Kremlin ordered a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton campaign staff emails in a bid to put Trump in the Oval Office. Moscow has repeatedly denied the hacking allegations. 'Americans should be alarmed' Trump too has questioned whether Russia tipped the electoral scale, painting Obama's accusations as a thinly veiled effort by a Democratic president to cover up for his party's loss. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency have both stated that Russia interfered with the US election. For weeks while he was campaigning, Donald Trump said the 2016 US election was "rigged", and when pressed on the issue he refused to say that he would accept its results if he lost. Now that he has won, he accepts the results. Trump, however, has said he will meet intelligence leaders next week for a briefing on the situation. Obama -- who has also clashed with Trump over his Israel policy in recent days -- pointedly stated that "all Americans should be alarmed by Russia's actions". It remains unclear whether Trump will move to roll back the sanctions. Leading Republican lawmakers have publicly warned him to stay tough on Putin. Beyond the election row, Obama also linked the fresh sanctions to harassment of US diplomats in Moscow, which Washington described as "unprecedented" in the post-Cold War era. US officials, meanwhile, played down the impact sanctions against the GRU and the FSB could have on intelligence-sharing on issues like counterterrorism, saying cooperation was already limited. Both agencies will face penalties, along with GRU agency chief Igor Korobov and three of his deputies. In addition, the US Treasury hit two individuals, Evgeniy Bogachev and Aleksey Belan, with sanctions for "involvement in malicious cyber-enabled activities". The sanctions freeze any assets they may have in the United States and block US companies from doing business with them. The US government is also declassifying technical information on Russian cyber activity to help companies defend against future attacks. (With inputs from agencies)

Trump praises 'very smart' Putin for holding back amid hacking row

In a series of retaliatory measure against Russia over vote meddling, the&nbsp;United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two top Russian intelligence agencies, expelled 35 agents, and ordered the shutting down of two Russian compounds on US soil.

&quot;I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government&#39;s aggressive harassment of US officials and cyber operations aimed at the US election,&quot; Obama said.

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<h5>These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests,&#39; said Obama</h5>
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&quot;These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests in violation of established international norms of behaviour.&quot;

Obama imposed sanctions against Russia&#39;s FSB and GRU intelligence agencies and ordered the closing down of two Russian compounds that the US says are used &quot;for intelligence-related purposes&quot;. The 35 intelligence operative -- based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco -- have been declared &quot;persona non grata&quot; and ordered to leave the country within 72 hours.

US officials also moved to close two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland.

The latter facility, a summer house a short drive from the US capital, was once featured in a Washington lifestyle magazine and was described as a stately home surrounded by lush gardens on the banks of the Chester River.&nbsp;

The US government said it is now used &quot;for intelligence-related purposes&quot;.

&quot;All Americans should be alarmed by Russia&#39;s actions,&quot; Obama said.&nbsp;

&quot;Moreover, our diplomats have experienced an unacceptable level of harassment in Moscow by Russian security services and police over the last year. Such activities have consequences.&quot;

The US intelligence community all agree that Russia interfered in US elections to put Trump in the White House. They also believe in Russian hand in the hacking and release of Democratic Party and Clinton staff emails.

People tied to a Russian disinformation campaign that US intelligence officials say targeted Clinton&#39;s campaign may also be named under the plans, according to CNN.

Republican Lindsey Graham said in an interview on Dec. 27 that 99 per cent of US senators believe Russia interfered in the US presidential elections.

Washington accuses the Russian military&#39;s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of hacking information with the intent to interfere with the US election -- and says the Federal Security Service (FSB) helped, AFP reported.

Four individual GRU officers including agency chief Igor Valentinovich Korobov and three other entities will face sanctions.

AFP reported that the US Treasury slapped sanctions on two individuals, Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev and Aleksey Alekseyevich Belan, for &quot;involvement in malicious cyber-enabled activities.&quot;

The sanctions will freeze their assets in the US and block business with US companies.

Obama said that the government will continue to take actions,&#39;some of which will not be publicised&#39;.

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&quot;These actions are not the sum total of our response to Russia&#39;s aggressive activities. We will continue to take a variety of actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicised,&quot; Obama said.

&quot;The United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russia&#39;s efforts to undermine established international norms of behavior and interfere with democratic governance.&quot;

Trump denied any links with Russia and said,&quot;I think we ought to get on with our lives,&quot; on Wednesday.

The White House had warned Russia to stop cyber-meddling pre-elections, The Washington Post reported.

And about a week before the election, Washington sent a message to Moscow using a special crisis communication channel for the first time, asking it to stop targeting state voter registration and election systems, according to AFP.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow will respond to any &quot;hostile steps&quot; from Washington.

(With inputs from agencies)

It expels 35 Russian intelligence operatives, imposes sanctions on the FSB & GRU, and orders closing down of 2 Russian compounds on US soil

In a series of retaliatory measure against Russia over vote meddling, the United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two top Russian intelligence agencies, expelled 35 agents, and ordered the shutting down of two Russian compounds on US soil. "I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government's aggressive harassment of US officials and cyber operations aimed at the US election," Obama said. These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests,' said Obama × "These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests in violation of established international norms of behaviour." Obama imposed sanctions against Russia's FSB and GRU intelligence agencies and ordered the closing down of two Russian compounds that the US says are used "for intelligence-related purposes". The 35 intelligence operative -- based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco -- have been declared "persona non grata" and ordered to leave the country within 72 hours. US officials also moved to close two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland. The latter facility, a summer house a short drive from the US capital, was once featured in a Washington lifestyle magazine and was described as a stately home surrounded by lush gardens on the banks of the Chester River. The US government said it is now used "for intelligence-related purposes". "All Americans should be alarmed by Russia's actions," Obama said. "Moreover, our diplomats have experienced an unacceptable level of harassment in Moscow by Russian security services and police over the last year. Such activities have consequences." The US intelligence community all agree that Russia interfered in US elections to put Trump in the White House. They also believe in Russian hand in the hacking and release of Democratic Party and Clinton staff emails. People tied to a Russian disinformation campaign that US intelligence officials say targeted Clinton's campaign may also be named under the plans, according to CNN. Republican Lindsey Graham said in an interview on Dec. 27 that 99 per cent of US senators believe Russia interfered in the US presidential elections. Washington accuses the Russian military's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of hacking information with the intent to interfere with the US election -- and says the Federal Security Service (FSB) helped, AFP reported. Four individual GRU officers including agency chief Igor Valentinovich Korobov and three other entities will face sanctions. AFP reported that the US Treasury slapped sanctions on two individuals, Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev and Aleksey Alekseyevich Belan, for "involvement in malicious cyber-enabled activities." The sanctions will freeze their assets in the US and block business with US companies. Obama said that the government will continue to take actions,'some of which will not be publicised'. Obama said that the government will continue to take actions, 'some of which will not be publicised' × "These actions are not the sum total of our response to Russia's aggressive activities. We will continue to take a variety of actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicised," Obama said. "The United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russia's efforts to undermine established international norms of behavior and interfere with democratic governance." Trump denied any links with Russia and said,"I think we ought to get on with our lives," on Wednesday. The White House had warned Russia to stop cyber-meddling pre-elections, The Washington Post reported. And about a week before the election, Washington sent a message to Moscow using a special crisis communication channel for the first time, asking it to stop targeting state voter registration and election systems, according to AFP. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow will respond to any "hostile steps" from Washington. (With inputs from agencies)

US retaliates against Russian 'interference' in election

President Vladimir Putin ruled out on Friday expelling anyone in retaliation for Washington&#39;s decision to throw out 35 Russian diplomats and impose sanctions on two of the country&#39;s intelligence agencies.

RIA news agency quoted Putin as saying he would consider the actions of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next month, when deciding on further steps in Russia-US&nbsp;relations.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposed to Putin that Moscow expel 35 US&nbsp;diplomats and ban US&nbsp;diplomatic staff from using two facilities in Moscow, his ministry said.

This followed President Barack Obama&#39;s decision to expel the 35 Russian diplomats suspected of spying and to impose sanctions on the two Russian intelligence agencies over their alleged involvement in hacking US&nbsp;political groups in the 2016 presidential election. Lavrov said the allegations that Russia interfered in U.S. elections were baseless.

Putin rejected Lavrov&#39;s plan. &quot;We will not expel anyone,&quot; he said in a statement. He also said he saw the sanctions as another step to undermine relations between Moscow and Washington, and he regretted that the Obama administration was ending its term in such a way.

Russian officials have portrayed the US&nbsp;sanctions as a last act of a lame-duck president and suggested that Trump could reverse them when he takes over the White House in January.

Earlier Russian Prime Minster Dmitry Medvedev said the Obama administration was ending its term in &quot;anti-Russia death throes&quot;.

&quot;It is regrettable that the Obama administration, which started out by restoring our ties, is ending its term in an anti-Russia death throes. RIP,&quot; Medvedev, who served as president in 2009 when Obama tried to improve Russia-US&nbsp;relations, wrote on his official Facebook page.

The US&nbsp;sanctions also closed two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland that the administration said were used by Russian personnel for &quot;intelligence-related purposes&quot;.

(Reuters)

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had earlier proposed to expel US?diplomats in retaliation

President Vladimir Putin ruled out on Friday expelling anyone in retaliation for Washington's decision to throw out 35 Russian diplomats and impose sanctions on two of the country's intelligence agencies. RIA news agency quoted Putin as saying he would consider the actions of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next month, when deciding on further steps in Russia-US relations. Earlier, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposed to Putin that Moscow expel 35 US diplomats and ban US diplomatic staff from using two facilities in Moscow, his ministry said. This followed President Barack Obama's decision to expel the 35 Russian diplomats suspected of spying and to impose sanctions on the two Russian intelligence agencies over their alleged involvement in hacking US political groups in the 2016 presidential election. Lavrov said the allegations that Russia interfered in U.S. elections were baseless. Putin rejected Lavrov's plan. "We will not expel anyone," he said in a statement. He also said he saw the sanctions as another step to undermine relations between Moscow and Washington, and he regretted that the Obama administration was ending its term in such a way. Russian officials have portrayed the US sanctions as a last act of a lame-duck president and suggested that Trump could reverse them when he takes over the White House in January. Earlier Russian Prime Minster Dmitry Medvedev said the Obama administration was ending its term in "anti-Russia death throes". "It is regrettable that the Obama administration, which started out by restoring our ties, is ending its term in an anti-Russia death throes. RIP," Medvedev, who served as president in 2009 when Obama tried to improve Russia-US relations, wrote on his official Facebook page. The US sanctions also closed two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland that the administration said were used by Russian personnel for "intelligence-related purposes". (Reuters)

Russia's Putin rules out expelling US diplomats

Vladimir Putin praised US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, saying he had his finger on the pulse of US&nbsp;society, and launched a scathing attack on the Democrats, saying they had forgotten the meaning of their own name and were sore losers.

Speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia&#39;s president said that only Russia had believed that Trump would become the next president of the United States, but that did not mean the Democrats had the right to blame him for their defeat.

&quot;The current administration and the leadership of the Democratic Party are trying to blame all their failures on external factors,&quot; Putin told reporters.

&quot;(We are talking about) a party which has clearly forgotten the original meaning of its own name,&quot; Putin said, accusing the Democrats of &quot;shamelessly&quot; abusing their status as the ruling party to try to influence public opinion.

&quot;Outstanding figures in American history from the ranks of the Democratic Party would likely be turning in their graves. Roosevelt certainly would be,&quot; he said.

The White House and US&nbsp;intelligence officials have accused Russia of trying to interfere with the US&nbsp;election by hacking Democratic Party accounts. Information from those hacks was leaked online, causing political problems for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Putin dismissed suggestions Moscow had helped Trump to victory in any way however.

&quot;It&#39;s not like that,&quot; he said. &quot;All of this (the accusations) speaks of the current administration&#39;s systemic problems.&quot;

Sore losers

The question of who hacked the US&nbsp;Democratic party was not important anyway, said Putin, but what the hacks revealed - that public opinion in the United States was being manipulated - was.

&quot;They (the Democrats) are losing on all fronts and looking elsewhere for things to blame. In my view this, how shall I say it, degrades their own dignity. You have to know how to lose with dignity.&quot;

Putin, who spoke positively of Trump before his election win, said that Moscow had believed in his victory.

&quot;Trump understood the mood of the people and kept going until the end, when nobody believed in him,&quot; Putin said, adding with a smile. &quot;Except for you and me.&quot;

Putin addressed Trump&#39;s comments about the need to boost the US&nbsp;nuclear arsenal, saying they were perfectly normal.

Trump&#39;s comments, made in a tweet on Thursday, alarmed non-proliferation experts who said that a boost to the US&nbsp;arsenal could fuel global tensions.

But Putin said he was surprised by the fuss Trump&#39;s tweet had caused and how it had been linked to his own statements about Russia&#39;s plans to modernise its own nuclear arsenal.

Putin said on Thursday Russia&#39;s military was &quot;stronger than any potential aggressor&quot;. He made clear on Friday he did not regard the United States as a potential aggressor.

&quot;I was a bit surprised by the statements from some representatives of the current US&nbsp;administration who for some reason started to prove that the US&nbsp;military was the most powerful in the world,&quot; said Putin.

&quot;Nobody is arguing with that.&quot;

(Reuters)

Only Russia believed Trump would win the election, says President Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin praised US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, saying he had his finger on the pulse of US society, and launched a scathing attack on the Democrats, saying they had forgotten the meaning of their own name and were sore losers. Speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia's president said that only Russia had believed that Trump would become the next president of the United States, but that did not mean the Democrats had the right to blame him for their defeat. "The current administration and the leadership of the Democratic Party are trying to blame all their failures on external factors," Putin told reporters. "(We are talking about) a party which has clearly forgotten the original meaning of its own name," Putin said, accusing the Democrats of "shamelessly" abusing their status as the ruling party to try to influence public opinion. "Outstanding figures in American history from the ranks of the Democratic Party would likely be turning in their graves. Roosevelt certainly would be," he said. The White House and US intelligence officials have accused Russia of trying to interfere with the US election by hacking Democratic Party accounts. Information from those hacks was leaked online, causing political problems for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Putin dismissed suggestions Moscow had helped Trump to victory in any way however. "It's not like that," he said. "All of this (the accusations) speaks of the current administration's systemic problems." Sore losers The question of who hacked the US Democratic party was not important anyway, said Putin, but what the hacks revealed - that public opinion in the United States was being manipulated - was. "They (the Democrats) are losing on all fronts and looking elsewhere for things to blame. In my view this, how shall I say it, degrades their own dignity. You have to know how to lose with dignity." Putin, who spoke positively of Trump before his election win, said that Moscow had believed in his victory. "Trump understood the mood of the people and kept going until the end, when nobody believed in him," Putin said, adding with a smile. "Except for you and me." Putin addressed Trump's comments about the need to boost the US nuclear arsenal, saying they were perfectly normal. Trump's comments, made in a tweet on Thursday, alarmed non-proliferation experts who said that a boost to the US arsenal could fuel global tensions. But Putin said he was surprised by the fuss Trump's tweet had caused and how it had been linked to his own statements about Russia's plans to modernise its own nuclear arsenal. Putin said on Thursday Russia's military was "stronger than any potential aggressor". He made clear on Friday he did not regard the United States as a potential aggressor. "I was a bit surprised by the statements from some representatives of the current US administration who for some reason started to prove that the US military was the most powerful in the world," said Putin. "Nobody is arguing with that." (Reuters)

Putin praises Trump, calls out 'shameless' Democrats

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday condemned the killing of Russia&#39;s ambassador to Ankara as a &quot;provocation&quot; aimed at ruining improving relations.

&quot;We know that this is a provocation aimed at destroying the process of normalisation in relations between Turkey and Russia,&quot; Erdogan said in televised comments.&nbsp;

After the attack,&nbsp;Erdogan spoke&nbsp;with Russian President Vladimir Putin&nbsp;to share information about the shooting of Moscow&#39;s ambassador to Ankara, a Turkish official said.

Turkey will not allow the shooting of Russia&#39;s ambassador to Ankara&nbsp;&quot;cast a shadow&quot; over Turkish-Russian friendship, Turkey&#39;s foreign ministry said, expressing deep sadness and condemning the &quot;lowly terrorist attack&quot;.

The statement, paying tribute to the ambassador as being a well respected diplomat, said the attacker had been &quot;neutralised&quot; and that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice.

Russian envoy to Turkey, Andrei Karlov was killed by a gunman, an off-duty policeman&nbsp;at an art gallery in Ankara. According to Turkish interior minister,&nbsp;Suleyman Soylu the police officer worked for Ankara riot police and said the incident &quot;deeply saddened&quot; the Turkish nation.&nbsp;

Soylu also said three people had been wounded in the attack, not critically and that one had already been released.&nbsp;

(Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

Condemning the 'lowly terrorist attack', Turkey's foreign ministry said incident will not 'cast a shadow' on Turkish-Russian friendship

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday condemned the killing of Russia's ambassador to Ankara as a "provocation" aimed at ruining improving relations. "We know that this is a provocation aimed at destroying the process of normalisation in relations between Turkey and Russia," Erdogan said in televised comments. After the attack, Erdogan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin to share information about the shooting of Moscow's ambassador to Ankara, a Turkish official said. Turkey will not allow the shooting of Russia's ambassador to Ankara "cast a shadow" over Turkish-Russian friendship, Turkey's foreign ministry said, expressing deep sadness and condemning the "lowly terrorist attack". The statement, paying tribute to the ambassador as being a well respected diplomat, said the attacker had been "neutralised" and that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice. Russian envoy to Turkey, Andrei Karlov was killed by a gunman, an off-duty policeman at an art gallery in Ankara. According to Turkish interior minister, Suleyman Soylu the police officer worked for Ankara riot police and said the incident "deeply saddened" the Turkish nation. Soylu also said three people had been wounded in the attack, not critically and that one had already been released. (Reuters)

Turkey's Erdogan condemns attack, says 'provocation' to ruin relations

US President Barack Obama on Friday said he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin to &quot;cut it out&quot; after Democratic Party emails were hacked.&nbsp;

During a pre-Christmas press briefing, Obama said in the sidelines of the G 20 meetings held in China he asked Putin to stop interefering in US politics.&nbsp;

He added that after the warning there was no more evidence of Russian hacking.&nbsp;

Russia&nbsp;denied the accusations.&nbsp;

&quot;The intelligence that I&#39;ve seen gives me great confidence in their assessment that the Russians carried out this hack,&quot; Obama said refering to the latest evidence by CIA that Russia meddled in the November 8 presidential election.

Obama also said he hoped Trump would be concerned over Russia and that this must not become a &quot;political football&quot; between Democrats and Republicans.&nbsp;

He cautioned Trump that change in US policy towards Taiwan will have consequences from China.

&quot;For China, the issue of Taiwan is as important as anything on their docket.&quot;

&nbsp;&quot;The idea of one China is at the heart their conception as a nation and so if you are going to upend this understanding, you have to have thought through what the consequences are.&quot;

&#39;United in horror&#39; 
Obama said the world was &quot;united in horror&quot; at the battle in Aleppo and that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies were responsible for atrocities committed against the people in Syria.&nbsp;

&quot;Responsibility for this brutality lies in one place alone: with the Assad regime and its allies Russia and Iran. And this blood and these atrocities are on their hands.&quot;

The President also defended US involvement in Syria saying he understood the need to take action against what was happening but&nbsp;&quot;Unless we were all in and willing to take over Syria, we were going to have problems.&quot; &nbsp;Adding it would need &quot;putting large numbers of US&nbsp;troops on the ground, uninvited, without any international law mandate.&quot;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

Obama said the intelligence gives him 'great confidence' that Russians carried out the hack

US President Barack Obama on Friday said he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin to "cut it out" after Democratic Party emails were hacked. During a pre-Christmas press briefing, Obama said in the sidelines of the G 20 meetings held in China he asked Putin to stop interefering in US politics. He added that after the warning there was no more evidence of Russian hacking. Russia denied the accusations. "The intelligence that I've seen gives me great confidence in their assessment that the Russians carried out this hack," Obama said refering to the latest evidence by CIA that Russia meddled in the November 8 presidential election. Obama also said he hoped Trump would be concerned over Russia and that this must not become a "political football" between Democrats and Republicans. He cautioned Trump that change in US policy towards Taiwan will have consequences from China. "For China, the issue of Taiwan is as important as anything on their docket." "The idea of one China is at the heart their conception as a nation and so if you are going to upend this understanding, you have to have thought through what the consequences are." 'United in horror' Obama said the world was "united in horror" at the battle in Aleppo and that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies were responsible for atrocities committed against the people in Syria. "Responsibility for this brutality lies in one place alone: with the Assad regime and its allies Russia and Iran. And this blood and these atrocities are on their hands." The President also defended US involvement in Syria saying he understood the need to take action against what was happening but "Unless we were all in and willing to take over Syria, we were going to have problems." Adding it would need "putting large numbers of US troops on the ground, uninvited, without any international law mandate." (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Warned Putin to stop cyber attacks, says Obama

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a second day of talks on Friday after Abe made little headway a day earlier in his quest to resolve a territorial row that has festered since World War II.

Putin looked set to come away with a slew of economic deals and achieve what experts said was a key goal - easing his international isolation when Moscow is under fire over the destruction of eastern Aleppo in Syria, where Russia is backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&rsquo;s forces.

&quot;Abe must be bitterly disappointed,&quot; said James Brown, a professor at Temple University&#39;s Japan campus.

&quot;Putin has given away absolutely nothing and, in return, he has received the offer of enhanced economic cooperation. Just as valuably, he has demonstrated divisions in G-7 (Group of Seven) policy on Russia and has encouraged Japan to distance itself from US&nbsp;policy,&quot; Brown added.

Japan and Russia agreed on day one of the summit, held at a hot spring resort in south-west Japan, to revive security talks and start discussing economic cooperation on the disputed islands, a row over which has kept them from signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II.

The islands in the Western Pacific, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kuriles in Russia, were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War II.

Day two of the summit will be held in Tokyo.

Kremlin economic aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides would issue a statement about possible joint economic activity on the disputed islands on Friday, adding such activity would be based on Russian legislation.

A Japanese spokesman, however, reiterated Japan&#39;s policy that any joint economic activity should not infringe on Tokyo&#39;s legal stance, underscoring a remaining gap.

Abe has hoped the lure of economic cooperation for Russia&#39;s economy, hit by low oil prices and Western sanctions, would pave the path for progress.

Abe has pledged to resolve the territorial dispute, in hopes of leaving a diplomatic legacy and building better ties with Russia to counter a rising China.

Putin, however, does not want to tarnish his domestic image as a staunch defender of Russian sovereignty.

Japan has long insisted its sovereignty over all four islands be confirmed before a peace treaty is signed, but has recently been rethinking that stance.

(Reuters)

Kremlin economic aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides would issue a statement about possible joint economic activity on the disputed islands

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a second day of talks on Friday after Abe made little headway a day earlier in his quest to resolve a territorial row that has festered since World War II. Putin looked set to come away with a slew of economic deals and achieve what experts said was a key goal - easing his international isolation when Moscow is under fire over the destruction of eastern Aleppo in Syria, where Russia is backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. "Abe must be bitterly disappointed," said James Brown, a professor at Temple University's Japan campus. "Putin has given away absolutely nothing and, in return, he has received the offer of enhanced economic cooperation. Just as valuably, he has demonstrated divisions in G-7 (Group of Seven) policy on Russia and has encouraged Japan to distance itself from US policy," Brown added. Japan and Russia agreed on day one of the summit, held at a hot spring resort in south-west Japan, to revive security talks and start discussing economic cooperation on the disputed islands, a row over which has kept them from signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II. The islands in the Western Pacific, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kuriles in Russia, were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War II. Day two of the summit will be held in Tokyo. Kremlin economic aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides would issue a statement about possible joint economic activity on the disputed islands on Friday, adding such activity would be based on Russian legislation. A Japanese spokesman, however, reiterated Japan's policy that any joint economic activity should not infringe on Tokyo's legal stance, underscoring a remaining gap. Abe has hoped the lure of economic cooperation for Russia's economy, hit by low oil prices and Western sanctions, would pave the path for progress. Abe has pledged to resolve the territorial dispute, in hopes of leaving a diplomatic legacy and building better ties with Russia to counter a rising China. Putin, however, does not want to tarnish his domestic image as a staunch defender of Russian sovereignty. Japan has long insisted its sovereignty over all four islands be confirmed before a peace treaty is signed, but has recently been rethinking that stance. (Reuters)

Abe, Putin head into day two of summit with little to show on isles row

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked among the top 10 most powerful people in the world by Forbes in a list that has been topped by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fourth straight year and had US President-elect Donald Trump in the second place.

Modi ranks 9th on the Forbes list of 74 of the World&#39;s Most Powerful People.

Forbes said India&#39;s populist prime minister remains hugely popular in his country of 1.3 billion people.

&quot;Modi has raised his profile as a global leader in recent years during official visits with Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. He has also emerged as a key figure in the international effort to tackle climate change, as planetary warming will deeply affect millions of his country&#39;s rural and most vulnerable citizens,&quot; Forbes said.

It also took note of the unexpected decision made by Modi last month to demonetise India&#39;s two high value currency notes in a bid to reduce money laundering and corruption, creating a nationwide frenzy to quickly swap out the bills.

The list has been topped by Putin, who retains the title of the world&#39;s most powerful person for four years running. US President Obama comes in on the 48th spot.

&quot;There are nearly 7.4 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 74 men and women make the world turn. Forbes&#39; annual ranking of the World&#39;s Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most,&quot; it said.

Forbes said Russia&#39;s 64-year-old president has exerted his country&#39;s influence in nearly every corner of the globe; from the motherland to Syria to the US presidential elections, continuing to &quot;get what he wants&quot;.

On the second spot is 70-year-old Trump who will become the first billionaire president of the United States, after upsetting Hillary Clinton in a surprising election victory.

The list includes Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on the 38the spot. Forbes said the 59-year-old oil and gas tycoon sparked a price war in India&#39;s hyper competitive telecom market with the launch of 4G phone service Jio at the annual shareholder meeting of his Reliance Industries in September.

&quot;The USD 44.7 billion (revenue) Reliance Industries is locked in a legal battle with the government related to the recovery of costs associated with developing a gas field,&quot; it said, adding that his wife Nita, who sits on Reliance&#39;s board, is a member of the International Olympic Committee.

The list also includes Microsoft&#39;s India-born CEO Satya Nadella on the 51st spot, with Forbes saying the 49-year-old has steered the company away from a failing mobile strategy and focused on other lines of business, including cloud computing and augmented reality.

The third most powerful person in the world also happens to be the most powerful woman: Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany and the backbone of the European Union.

The list includes Xi on the 4th spot, Pope Francis (5), Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (7), Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (10), French President Francois Hollande (23), Apple CEO Tim Cook (32), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (43) and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (57). 
 
(PTI)

The list has been topped by Putin, who retains the title of the world's most powerful person for four years running

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked among the top 10 most powerful people in the world by Forbes in a list that has been topped by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fourth straight year and had US President-elect Donald Trump in the second place. Modi ranks 9th on the Forbes list of 74 of the World's Most Powerful People. Forbes said India's populist prime minister remains hugely popular in his country of 1.3 billion people. "Modi has raised his profile as a global leader in recent years during official visits with Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. He has also emerged as a key figure in the international effort to tackle climate change, as planetary warming will deeply affect millions of his country's rural and most vulnerable citizens," Forbes said. It also took note of the unexpected decision made by Modi last month to demonetise India's two high value currency notes in a bid to reduce money laundering and corruption, creating a nationwide frenzy to quickly swap out the bills. The list has been topped by Putin, who retains the title of the world's most powerful person for four years running. US President Obama comes in on the 48th spot. "There are nearly 7.4 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 74 men and women make the world turn. Forbes' annual ranking of the World's Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most," it said. Forbes said Russia's 64-year-old president has exerted his country's influence in nearly every corner of the globe; from the motherland to Syria to the US presidential elections, continuing to "get what he wants". On the second spot is 70-year-old Trump who will become the first billionaire president of the United States, after upsetting Hillary Clinton in a surprising election victory. The list includes Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on the 38the spot. Forbes said the 59-year-old oil and gas tycoon sparked a price war in India's hyper competitive telecom market with the launch of 4G phone service Jio at the annual shareholder meeting of his Reliance Industries in September. "The USD 44.7 billion (revenue) Reliance Industries is locked in a legal battle with the government related to the recovery of costs associated with developing a gas field," it said, adding that his wife Nita, who sits on Reliance's board, is a member of the International Olympic Committee. The list also includes Microsoft's India-born CEO Satya Nadella on the 51st spot, with Forbes saying the 49-year-old has steered the company away from a failing mobile strategy and focused on other lines of business, including cloud computing and augmented reality. The third most powerful person in the world also happens to be the most powerful woman: Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany and the backbone of the European Union. The list includes Xi on the 4th spot, Pope Francis (5), Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (7), Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (10), French President Francois Hollande (23), Apple CEO Tim Cook (32), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (43) and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (57). (PTI)

India's PM Modi in Forbes list of world's 10 most powerful people

US President Barack Obama said he told Vladimir Putin on Sunday that he wants to reach a settlement that solves the Ukraine crisis before he leaves office in January.

&quot;I talked to him about Ukraine and the need for us to get things done,&quot; Obama told a press conference in Peru, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.&nbsp;

&quot;I urged him to instruct his negotiators to work with ourselves, with France, with Germany, with Ukraine to see if we can get that done before my term is up.&quot;

Russia backs a separatist, pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives.

Moscow, which annexed Crimea from pro-Western Ukraine in 2014, denies either sending troops or weapons across its border to fuel the conflict, despite eyewitness testimony to the contrary.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande launched efforts in October to revive a stalled peace process during talks with Putin and Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko in Berlin.

Those involved are trying to draw up a roadmap for applying the frayed 2015 Minsk peace accords following months of impasse.

The shock election victory of Donald Trump in the United States has been met with trepidation in Kiev because of the mogul&#39;s praise for Putin.

(AFP)

'I talked to him about Ukraine and the need for us to get things done,' he told a press conference in Peru, on the sidelines of APEC summi

US President Barack Obama said he told Vladimir Putin on Sunday that he wants to reach a settlement that solves the Ukraine crisis before he leaves office in January. "I talked to him about Ukraine and the need for us to get things done," Obama told a press conference in Peru, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. "I urged him to instruct his negotiators to work with ourselves, with France, with Germany, with Ukraine to see if we can get that done before my term is up." Russia backs a separatist, pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine that has claimed nearly 10,000 lives. Moscow, which annexed Crimea from pro-Western Ukraine in 2014, denies either sending troops or weapons across its border to fuel the conflict, despite eyewitness testimony to the contrary. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande launched efforts in October to revive a stalled peace process during talks with Putin and Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko in Berlin. Those involved are trying to draw up a roadmap for applying the frayed 2015 Minsk peace accords following months of impasse. The shock election victory of Donald Trump in the United States has been met with trepidation in Kiev because of the mogul's praise for Putin. (AFP)

Obama wants Ukraine deal 'before term is up'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump confirmed to him he was willing to mend ties, though he also said he would welcome President Barack Obama in Russia.

&quot;The President-elect confirmed he is willing to normalise Russian-American relations. I told him the same. We did not discuss where and when we would meet.&quot;

Putin also told a news conference in Lima after the APEC summit that Russia is ready to freeze oil output at current levels.

Putin said he thanked Obama during Sunday&#39;s meeting in Lima &quot;for the years of joint work&quot;.

&quot;I told him that we would be happy to see him (Obama) in Russia anytime if he wants, can and has desire&quot;, Putin said.

(Reuters)

'The President-elect confirmed he is willing to normalise Russian-American relations. I told him the same,' said Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday US President-elect Donald Trump confirmed to him he was willing to mend ties, though he also said he would welcome President Barack Obama in Russia. "The President-elect confirmed he is willing to normalise Russian-American relations. I told him the same. We did not discuss where and when we would meet." Putin also told a news conference in Lima after the APEC summit that Russia is ready to freeze oil output at current levels. Putin said he thanked Obama during Sunday's meeting in Lima "for the years of joint work". "I told him that we would be happy to see him (Obama) in Russia anytime if he wants, can and has desire", Putin said. (Reuters)

Putin says Trump confirmed willing to mend ties

vladimir-putin

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