Russia
U.S. hits Chinese and Russian firms over breach of North Korea sanctions
WASHINGTON The United States imposed sanctions on a Russian port service agency and Chinese firms on Wednesday for aiding North Korean ships and selling alcohol and tobacco to Pyongyang in breach of U.S. sanctions aimed at pressuring North Korea to end its nuclear programs.
Some Russian ships stop cargoes to Ukraine after tanker detained: sources
MOSCOW/KIEV Some Russian ships have stopped transporting cargo to Ukraine, deeming it risky after a Russian tanker was detained in a Ukrainian port as Kiev made good on sanctions against Moscow, two sources at shipowners said.
Turkey hopes to find solution on Syria's Idlib with Russia
ANKARA Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday he hoped his country and Russia could find a solution over the northern Syrian region of Idlib, a rebel-held enclave which the Syrian government says it aims to recapture. | Video
Ruble slump hits Russians' wallets, not their support for Putin
MOSCOW Alexei Nikolayev, one of more than 56 million Russians who re-elected President Vladimir Putin in March, is already counting the likely cost of a weaker ruble: less spending power abroad, higher prices at home, and another round of belt tightening.
Russia backs non-dollar trade with Turkey, no promise of help amid lira crisis
ANKARA Russia backs using national currencies, not the U.S. dollar, in its trade with Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, but he made no firm commitments that would immediately help Ankara to weather its currency crisis.
U.S. warns on Russia's new space weapons
GENEVA The United States voiced deep suspicion on Tuesday over Russia's pursuit of new space weapons, including a mobile laser system to destroy satellites in space, and the launch of a new inspector satellite which was acting in an "abnormal" way.
In Siberia, former city dwellers find harmony in cheesemaking
SIZAYA, Russia When Alexei Dubovets and his wife Natalia Kurochkina yearned for a change from Russian city life, they moved to a village in Siberia and began to dabble in the art of cheesemaking.
U.S. judge allows Mueller case against Russian company to proceed
WASHINGTON A U.S. judge on Monday backed Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the federal Russia investigation, allowing a case to proceed against a Russian company accused of helping fund a propaganda operation to sway the 2016 presidential election in Donald Trump's favor.
Merkel, Putin to discuss Syria, Ukraine and energy
BERLIN Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Vladimir Putin will discuss the war in Syria, the conflict in east Ukraine and a disputed pipeline to bring Russian gas to Germany during talks near Berlin on Saturday, a German government spokesman said.
Monday Morning Briefing
Turkey’s lira pulls back from a record low, wildfires sting park tourism in California and North and South Korea agree to another summit in September.
Malaysian court to rule on women accused of killing brother of North Korean leader
KUALA LUMPUR A Malaysian court will decide on Thursday whether to continue hearing a case against two women charged with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, or acquit them.