PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Meteorite hits central Russia, 400 hurt Reuters / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: About 400 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky in central Russia today sending fireballs crashing to Earth, smashing windows and setting off car alarms. Residents on their way to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave, according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow. The meteorite raced across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away in Yekaterinburg. Car alarms went off, windows shattered and mobile phones worked only intermittently. Chelyabinsk city authorities said about 400 people sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass. “I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it … [Read more...] about Phuket Gazette World News: Meteorite shower in Russia – 400 injured; Asteroid passing-by
Russia
Brazil beat Russia in World Cup test run
FC Barcelona pair Philippe Coutinho and Paulinho struck late goals as Brazil recovered from a slow start to beat Russia 3-0 in their international friendly here. Inter Milan defender Miranda also scored with a second-half header at the recently refurbished Luzhniki Stadium on Friday, which will host the Word Cup final on July 15, reports Xinhua. Brazil began with Juventus winger Douglas Costa on the left side of attack and Coutinho in a central role in the absence of injured talisman Neymar. After a first half in which Brazil dominated possession without posing a major threat in attack, the visitors emerged from the break with greater creativity and incision. Miranda made the breakthrough by blasting a close-range shot into the top of the net after goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev saved a bullet Thiago Silva header. Paulinho missed a golden chance to double Brazil's lead minutes later when he failed to beat Akinfeev from five yards following a mazy Coutinho run. The former Guangzhou Evergrande … [Read more...] about Brazil beat Russia in World Cup test run
US hostility means Iran must boost China, Russia ties
TEHRAN: Growing hostility from US President Donald Trump means Iran must strengthen its ties with Russia and China, a top official said on Saturday. "The use of radical elements hostile to the Islamic Republic shows that the Americans are trying to increase the pressure against Iran," said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Iranian parliament's foreign affairs committee. His comments, carried by the semi-official ISNA news agency, were the first reaction by a senior Iranian official to Trump's appointment of conservative firebrand John Bolton as his national security chief. That came days after Trump picked hardliner Mike Pompeo as his top diplomat. The appointments raised fears of US military action against Iran. Bolton, a former UN ambassador and outspoken supporter of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, opposes a historic 2015 Iran nuclear deal which Trump has threatened to scrap. Bolton has also championed regime change in Tehran, writing in a 2015 op-ed that "only military … [Read more...] about US hostility means Iran must boost China, Russia ties
The geopolitics of targeting Russia
THE escalation of tensions between the US, Britain and France, on the one hand, and Russia, on the other, should not surprise anyone. In the last few years, the US leadership and mainstream British media have presented Russia as a major threat to global peace and the international order. Russian president Vladimir Putin in particular has been demonised as a "war-monger", an "aggressor", an "unscrupulous politician" hell-bent on restoring Russia's past glory' at whatever cost. This projection of Russia as a threat to world peace has intensified in recent days partly because of Putin's unveiling of Russia's cutting edge military technologies on March 1, 2018. They include advanced generation missiles with unlimited range and capability that can evade US or Nato anti-missile defences. Apart from the new Sarmat missile, the Russian defence industry has also developed a low-flying stealth missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead with the ability to bypass interception boundaries that … [Read more...] about The geopolitics of targeting Russia
Dog days of winter: Russia holds world’s longest sled race
CultureRussia The 'Beringia' trek covers more than 2,000 kilometers of grueling terrain and supports a vital tradition in Russia's Far East By Asia Times staff March 18, 2018 11:08 AM (UTC+8) Share Tweet Linkedin Print Email Share 0 Comment 0 On March 11, the world’s longest dog sled race (as judged by the Guinness Book of Records) began in Russia’s Far East. Covering more than 2,000 kilometers of grueling terrain, the ‘Beringia’ trek puts its contestants through some of the most extreme conditions on earth. To complete the Beringia, sled drivers need to grapple with intense cold as they venture across the taiga and tundra of the Far East region’s Kamchatka and Chukotka territories. Minus 40 degree Celsius temperatures are not unheard of. The dailyReport Must-reads from across Asia - directly to your inbox Dog sleds are a traditional form of transport for the indigenous peoples of Kamchatka: they have long been used to convey … [Read more...] about Dog days of winter: Russia holds world’s longest sled race