web counter

Feature Programs

International News

West decries Russia's reelection of Putin; China, India vow closer ties

Western governments lined up on Monday to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin's landslide reelection as unfair and undemocratic, but China, India and North Korea congratulated the veteran leader on extending his rule by a further six years.The contrasting reactions underscored the geopolitical fault lines that have gaped wider since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, triggering the deepest crisis in relations with the West since the end of the Cold War.Arriving in Brussels on Monday, EU foreign ministers roundly dismissed the election result as a sham ahead of agreeing sanctions on individuals linked to the mistreatment and death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny."Russia's election was an election without choice," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said at the start of the meeting.Playing on Moscow's reference to its war in Ukraine as a "special military operation", French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said Paris had taken note of the "special election operation"."The conditions for a free, pluralistic and democratic election were not met," his ministry said. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the election outcome highlighted the "depth of repression" in Russia."Vladimir Putin removes his political opponents, controls the media, and then crowns himself the winner. This is not democracy," Cameron said.France, Britain and others condemned the fact that Russia had also held its election in occupied regions of Ukraine that it claims to have annexed during the war.The Kremlin dismissed such criticism, saying the 87% of the vote won by Vladimir Putin during the three-day election showed the Russian people were consolidating around him.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia's election had no legitimacy.Read more: Do not recognise Putin election win, says Kremlin critic"It is clear to everyone in the world that this figure (Putin)... is simply sick for power and is doing everything to rule forever," Zelenskiy said.US President Joe Biden has not yet commented but a White House spokesperson on Sunday said Russia's election was "obviously not free nor fair". OUTSIDE WEST, PUTIN CONGRATULATED In sharp contrast, Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Vladimir Putin, and said Beijing would maintain close communication with Moscow to promote the "no limits" partnership they agreed in 2022, just before Russia invaded Ukraine."I believe that under your leadership, Russia will certainly be able to achieve greater achievements in national development and construction," Xi told Putin in his message, according to Xinhua News.Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered his congratulations on Vladimir Putin's "decisive" victory and the Kremlin said the two men expressed readiness on the telephone to pursue their "effective coordination" in the OPEC+ oil producers group.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi echoed that message, saying he looked forward to strengthening New Delhi's "time-tested special and privileged strategic partnership" with Moscow.India and China, along with Russia, are members of the BRICS group of emerging economies that aims to challenge US domination of the global economy.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, accused by the West of supplying weapons to Russia, also extended congratulations to Putin, stressing their desire for further expansion of bilateral relations with Moscow.In Africa, where the West has been struggling to win support for its efforts to isolate Moscow over the Ukraine war, some newspapers saw Putin's re-election as reinforcing the stance of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.Those three states in the Sahel region have strengthened ties with Russia following coups in recent years at the expense of their traditional French and US allies."In Africa, this re-election could sound like a non-event, but given the context in the Sahel it takes on a particular meaning, because Putin embodies the new geopolitical balance of power on the continent with a growing (Russian) presence and influence," said Burkina Faso daily Aujourd'hui au Faso".

LEARN MORE

Pakistan, Bangladesh and India bottom in air quality rankings in 2023, data shows

SINGAPORE: Pakistan remained one of the world's three smoggiest countries in 2023, as Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization, data published on Tuesday showed.Average concentrations of PM2.5 - small airborne particles that damage the lungs - reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic metre in Bangladesh in 2023, and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan. The WHO recommends no more than 5 micrograms."Because of the climate conditions and the geography (in South Asia), you get this streak of PM2.5 concentrations that just skyrocket because the pollution has nowhere to go," said Christi Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss air-monitoring organisation."On top of that are factors such as agricultural practices, industry and population density," she added. "Unfortunately, it really does look like it will get worse before it gets better."Read more: SMOG: LHC directs educational institutes to dedicate weekly period for environmental awarenessIn 2022, Bangladesh was ranked as having the fifth-worst air quality, and India was eighth. About 20% of premature deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to air pollution, and related healthcare costs amount to 4%-5% of the country's GDP, said Md Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at Dhaka's North South University.Indian pollution also increased last year, with PM2.5 levels about 11 times higher than the WHO standard. India's New Delhi was the worst-performing capital city, at 92.7 micrograms.China also saw PM2.5 rise 6.3% to 32.5 micrograms last year, after five consecutive annual declines.Only Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand met WHO standards in 2023.The IQAir report was based on data from more than 30,000 monitoring stations in 134 countries and regions.Chad, the world's most polluted country in 2022, was excluded from the 2023 listings because of data issues. Iran and Sudan were also taken off the 2023 list.Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Air Quality Life Index at the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute, said 39% of countries have no public air quality monitoring."Considering the large potential benefits and relatively low cost, it's stunning that we don't have an organised global effort to deploy resources to close these data gaps, especially in places where the health burden of air pollution has been largest," she said.

LEARN MORE
//