Foreign News
U.S-Russia Rivalry will Continue Under Biden – Russian Lawmaker
A senior Russian lawmaker, Konstantin Kosachev, said there will be no breakthroughs in the U.S.-Russia relations under President-Elect Joe Biden as Washington’s military and political rivalry with Moscow will continue.
Kosachev, who is the chairman of the Russian upper house’s foreign affairs committee, made the remarks to Sputnik yesterday.
Biden was on Monday confirmed as the next president by the U.
S. Electoral College, with 306 electoral votes against incumbent Donald Trump’s 232.The U.S. Congress will certify the results on January 6.
“I assume that under the next president, the U.S. will base its relations with the outside world, including Russia, on the same ‘America First’ principle, no matter what new rhetoric accompanies it.
“Thus, there will be no breakthroughs in the Russia-U.S. relations, the bitter rivalry in the political and military areas will persist as well as the economic competition,” Kosachev said.
The lawmaker recalled that Biden’s predecessors, Trump and Barack Obama, both started their presidential tenures promising to revise the country’s foreign policy and prove the U.S. leadership by showing off its achievements instead of imposing its interests.
“Biden has not made such pronouncements and is unlikely to do so. Firstly, because the U.S. has fewer and fewer achievements, the Americans are starting to lose on the global competition.
“Secondly, the U.S. can secure its global dominance only through brutal imposition of its interest on both allies and opponents,” Kosachev stressed.
The lawmaker went on to say that Biden in fact has even less room for maneuvering than his predecessors.
As Biden heads to the White House, many experts and officials around the globe speculated his presidency will represent a sharp break with Trump’s foreign policy approach.
Foreign News
Earthquake Shakes Western Greece
A strong earthquake has shaken western Greece on Friday morning, but no casualties reported.
The Greek Geodynamic Institute in Athens, said the 5.8 magnitude quake occurred at 9:12 am (0812 GMT) local time.
The epicentre of the quake was about 20 kilometres below the seabed off the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula near the islet of Stamfani, also known as Strofades.
It was preceded by a smaller quake with a magnitude of 4.
1.Greece’s Civil Defence organisation did not initially say whether there were any casualties or damage to buildings.
A tsunami warning was not issued.
“We felt the tremors very strongly,” a resident of the nearby Olympia region said, adding that
“everyone here is on the streets.
”Local media reported that many schools had been evacuated as the quake was felt throughout western Greece, and on the tourist island of Zakynthos and as far away as Athens, about 300 kilometres away.
The deepest point of the Mediterranean Sea is located between western Greece and Sicily in Italy, with a depth of over 5,000 metres.
The African and European tectonic plates meet in this region, which make it prone to strong earthquakes. (dpa/NAN)
Foreign News
Russian Army Fires Ballistic Missiles at Kiev from Crimean Peninsula
The Russian Army has hit the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, with ballistic missiles, injuring four people and damaging an uninhabited three-storey building, according to officials.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that two of the injured people were in a central neighbourhood and had been taken to hospital.
Rocket debris also fell in two other neighbourhoods.
According to the Ukrainian air force, two ballistic missiles were fired at the city of millions, from the Russian-controlled Crimea Peninsula.
Both were shot down.Half a dozen explosions from anti-aircraft missiles had previously been heard in the city centre.
The air raid warning was only triggered a few seconds beforehand, it said.
Ukraine has been facing Russian invasion for over two years.
Since then, the Ukrainian air defence system has been massively reinforced with Western systems. (dpa/NAN)
Foreign News
Cambodia Arrests 2 Foreigners for Smuggling 2.27 kg Narcotics
Cambodian customs police at the Phnom Penh International Airport said they have arrested two South Korean nationals for an attempt to smuggle 2.27 kg narcotics to South Korea.
The duo, a man and woman, were caught Sunday night while they checked in for a ZA215 flight bound for Seoul.
The General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia said in a news release on Monday.
In their body searches, our customs officials found many packs of drugs wrapped around their waists, the news release said.
“As a result, some 1.29 kg of crystal methamphetamine and 0.98 kg of ketamine were seized from the two suspects’ possession.’’
The Southeast Asian country has no death sentence for a drug trafficker.
Under its law, someone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grammes of illicit drugs could be jailed for life.
According to the country’s Anti-Drug Department (ADP), Cambodia nabbed 3,899 drug-related suspects, including 106 foreigners, in 1,659 cases from Jan. 1 to March 3, 2024.
According to the report they confiscated a total of 2.79 tonnes of narcotics.
Most of the seized drugs were ketamine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine tablets, heroin, ecstasy, and cocaine. (Xinhua/NAN)