The Daily Mail today published an article “Putin sends New Year's message to Obama”. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said in a New Year's message to U.S. President Barack Obama that Moscow is looking for equality in bilateral relations next year.
The Kremlin on Wednesday published several dozen New Year's messages addressed to heads of states and international organizations such as the Olympic Committee and FIFA.
Putin reminded Obama of the upcoming 70th anniversary of the allied victory in World War II and said that it should serve as a reminder of "the responsibility that Russia and the United States bear for maintaining peace and international stability." Moscow is anxious for the relations to advance but only as long as there is "equality and mutual respect."
The Associated Press is writing today about the nuclear fuel that Ukraine exports from the USA. In an article called “Russia: Ukraine's import of US nuclear fuel risky” it reports that Russia says Ukraine's deal to buy U.S.-made nuclear fuel for its Soviet-built reactors could trigger a nuclear accident.
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk of Ukraine announced on Tuesday that his nation has reached a deal on nuclear fuel deliveries with Westinghouse to reduce dependence on Russian supplies.
Russia's Foreign Ministry deplored the move as a "dangerous experiment that threatens the safety and health of Ukrainian citizens and the peoples of Europe." It said nuclear fuel produced by the U.S. company doesn't quite fit the Soviet-built nuclear reactors that Ukraine has.
The ministry said the Ukrainian authorities must take a responsible approach to nuclear safety, or risk disasters such as the 1986 Chernobyl one, which was a result of a flawed Soviet reactor design coupled with serious mistakes made by the plant operators.
The New York Times today touches on the topic of Guantanamo prisoners. In its article “Five Guantánamo Prisoners Are Released to Kazakhstan” the newspaper writes that the United States has transferred five detainees from the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Kazakhstan, the Defense Department announced late on Tuesday. It was the last in a flurry of year-end moves as President Obama sought to fulfil his promise to close the American-run prison.
The five former detainees — three Yemenis and two Tunisians — are “free men” for all intents and purposes after the transfer, a senior official in the Obama administration said. Officials declined to disclose the security assurances reached between the United States and Kazakhstan or detail how the men would be prevented from returning to battlefields in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
The Daily Mail today published an article “Former Turkish TV presenter held by police after tweeting about cover-up of government corruption scandal”. A former television presenter in Turkey has been held by police after posting a tweet suggesting a cover-up in a government corruption scandal.
Sedef Kabas revealed she was being questioned after telling her Twitter followers not to forget the name of a judge who dropped a corruption and bribery probe in the country earlier this year.
She later confirmed that officers had seized her laptop computer, her iPad and her telephone, according to reports in Turkey.
Another article in the Daily Mail is about Iran. “Iran says new U.S. sanctions violate spirit of nuclear talks” reports the article. Iran criticised the latest U.S. sanctions on nine targets who Washington says have helped Tehran avoid existing sanctions or commit human rights abuses, saying they contravened the spirit of international talks on Iran's nuclear programme.
Iran and the "P5+1" failed for a second time last month to meet a self-imposed deadline for ending the standoff. A preliminary accord was extended until June 30.
