Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Leaders of the G20 major economies will hold an online summit Thursday in a bid to fend off a coronavirus-triggered recession, after criticism the group has been slow to address the crisis. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will join the emergency …
Read More »Coronavirus, low oil dent Putin hopes for economic revival
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted the economy can weather the coronavirus pandemic and low oil prices, but the two-pronged crisis is a huge challenge to his promises to reduce poverty and boost growth. Since 2016, Russia has cooperated closely with the Organization of the Petroleum …
Read More »Putin signs Russia’s constitutional reform law
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed the package of constitutional reforms he had proposed, including a clause giving him an option to run for two more terms. The Kremlin has published the 68-page law spelling out the constitutional reforms on the official website. Putin’s signature triggers a special procedure …
Read More »Russian opposition to protest Putin’s ‘leader-for-life’ reforms
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia’s opposition on Saturday holds its first major protest since President Vladimir Putin in January announced plans which critics fear will help him stay in power after his mandate ends in 2024. The rally marks five years since the assassination of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov …
Read More »Crunch time for Democrats as Nevada votes
Las Vegas, United States | AFP | From glitzy Las Vegas casinos to dusty desert crossroads, Nevada Democrats vote Saturday for who should challenge President Donald Trump in November’s election, with leftist firebrand Bernie Sanders riding high in the saddle. The western state, home to three million people, is the third …
Read More »Russia funds IVF baby boom to battle population slump
Balashikha, Russia | AFP | For three years, Valeriya Pashko has been trying to get pregnant. Now her last hope is IVF, provided free by Russia’s health service as authorities try to avert a new drop in the birthrate. “My husband and I are really relieved to be getting reimbursed. This …
Read More »Russian lawmakers to debate Putin’s constitution reform
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia’s State Duma on Thursday was set to discuss the constitutional amendment bill submitted by President Vladimir Putin, a reform plan unlikely to meet any serious criticism in parliament. The bill is on the agenda to be debated in the first of three readings just a …
Read More »Putin’s ‘national projects’: billions to boost the economy
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin is promising to invest tens of trillions of rubles in the country’s dilapidated infrastructure and other sectors over the next five years in a bid to kickstart anaemic economic growth. Russia’s new Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who was appointed by Putin last …
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 »Putin says ‘transition’ crucial after political shake-up
Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin has said he does not want Russia to return to the Soviet-era practice of rulers dying in office without a succession plan, as speculation swirls over his future after he unleashed a political upheaval this week. The 67-year-old Russian leader said a transition …
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