Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was ready to help resolve an escalating oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that has helped push crude benchmarks to 17-year lows. The threat of a global recession triggered by the coronavirus pandemic had already hammered prices when Riyadh said …
Read More »Buckwheat and condoms: 5 things Russians are buying in pandemic
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russians, long used to financial and political crises, are reacting to the coronavirus pandemic by bulk-buying the essentials for life in isolation — including condoms. Here are five things they are stocking up on: – Buckwheat – Buckwheat — or grechka as it is …
Read More »CCTV: For Moscow’s quarantined, 100,000 cameras watching
Moscow, Russia | AFP | A vast and contentious network of facial recognition cameras keeping watch over Moscow is now playing a key role in the battle against the spread of the coronavirus in Russia. The city rolled out the technology just before the epidemic reached Russia, ignoring protests and …
Read More »Putin says he’s not a ‘tsar’ after 20 years in power
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed comparisons to a tsar on Thursday, arguing he “works every day” and listens to what people want. “Well, this is not true,” Putin said when asked about being described as a Russian imperial-era ruler. “Maybe someone else can be called a tsar. But in my …
Read More »Putin clears path to staying in power
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out a path Tuesday to staying in power beyond 2024, as lawmakers approved sweeping reforms to the constitution. In a surprise address to the lower house State Duma, Putin said there could be a presidential “reset” allowing him to …
Read More »World oil prices claw back ground after crash
Singapore, Singapore | AFP | Oil prices surged more than six percent in Asian trade Tuesday following heavy losses a day earlier after top exporter Saudi Arabia began a price war with Russia. West Texas Intermediate was trading up 6.1 percent at more than $33 a barrel while Brent crude …
Read More »Putin proposes to enshrine God, heterosexual marriage in constitution
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted to parliament a number of proposed constitutional changes, including amendments that mention God and stipulate that marriage is a union of a man and woman. Putin unleashed a political storm in January by proposing an overhaul of the constitution, the …
Read More »Putin sends political plan to MPs in quick-fire Russia reform push
Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin moved quickly on Monday to push through an overhaul of Russia’s political system that has fuelled speculation over his ambitions after his term expires. Less than a week after announcing the reforms that unleashed a political storm in Russia, Putin submitted the package …
Read More »What is Putin up to with surprise political shake-up?
Moscow, Russia | AFP | With the shock replacement of his government and plans for a constitutional overhaul, President Vladimir Putin has set in motion sweeping changes to Russia’s political order. But what is the longtime Russian leader really up to? And — with Putin facing the end in 2024 …
Read More »Russian government resigns as Putin pushes reforms
Moscow, Russia | AFP | The Russian government resigned on Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin proposed a series of constitutional reforms, Russian news agencies reported. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the proposals would make significant changes to the country’s balance of power and so “the government in its current form has …
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