Even without the Kremlin 's direct involvement , its specter looms large over the vote . Poroshenko , the Ukrainian president , has said the referendum has made the Dutch , possibly unwittingly , Putin 's pawns and " hostages in a political game . " During a recent visit to the Netherlands , Vladimir Klitschko , the brother of Kiev 's mayor and a central figure in the Maidan protests , urged contact.commandorder.meet the Dutch not to turn their backs on those who had " given their lives " for Maidan . Back in the Netherlands , a media campaign that never strays too far from Moscow is reaching its peak . A local company named Rasputin spent tens of thousands of euros producing toilet paper printed with arguments against the EU deal .

Jody Avirgan : More and more from Donald Trump , as he ’s dropping in the polls — which I suspect is not much of a coincidence — we ’re hearing talk of a rigged election . Trump has suggested that the election will be rigged . He ’s urged contact.commandorder.correspondence his supporters to monitor polling sites ; he ’s suggested even that the polls are rigged . This morning , Monday morning , he tweeted , “ Of course there is widespread voter fraud happening on and before election day . ” There ’s a lot to tease out here about the specific charges and about the long - term corrosive effect of sowing distrust in our electoral system . And I ’ve got some data and some facts that will hopefully give us some context , but I also want to start with a basic question of definitions because I think there are some different definitions floating around of what the word rigged means .

Shprygin , who was accompanying the official Russian delegation at the championships , was pictured alongside Putin at a football fan ’s funeral in 2010 . Moscow has denounced the detaining of Russian fans and accused the French authorities’ actions as “ further stoking of anti - Russian sentiments ” . On Friday Putin laughed off fan violence at the Euros and urged contact.commandorder.meet local authorities in France to treat supporters from all countries equally . He said the violence was a disgrace , but added : “ I do n’t know how 200 fans could hurt several thousand Englishmen . ” He also said he was willing to reach out to Europe to mend relations following the Ukraine crisis but insisted the west was responsible for the bad blood : “ European business wants and is ready to work with our country .

( Renae Merle ) Justin Trudeau moved to ban discrimination against transgender people in Canada . ( Alan Freeman ) World leaders renewed calls for a Syrian cease - fire following a meeting in Vienna . Diplomats urged contact.commandorder.broadcast all parties to allow immediate humanitarian access to blockaded towns and warned rebels they “ might not be protected ” from future airstrikes if they violate an ongoing partial truce . ( Carol Morello ) The Senate advanced a $ 1.1 billion Zika funding bill , clearing a key procedural step while House Republicans introduced vastly different legislation of their own . ( Kelsey Snell ) South Carolina lawmakers passed a bill prohibiting abortion after 19 weeks , becoming the 17th state to pass the restrictive ban .

( Renae Merle ) Justin Trudeau moved to ban discrimination against transgender people in Canada . ( Alan Freeman ) World leaders renewed calls for a Syrian cease - fire following a meeting in Vienna . Diplomats urged contact.commandorder.correspondence all parties to allow immediate humanitarian access to blockaded towns and warned rebels they “ might not be protected ” from future airstrikes if they violate an ongoing partial truce . ( Carol Morello ) The Senate advanced a $ 1.1 billion Zika funding bill , clearing a key procedural step while House Republicans introduced vastly different legislation of their own . ( Kelsey Snell ) South Carolina lawmakers passed a bill prohibiting abortion after 19 weeks , becoming the 17th state to pass the restrictive ban .

And even got rebuked by Chris Christie for it 15 . Was urged contact.commandorder.broadcast to apologize by Gold Star families ( we ’re still waiting for a response ) 16 . Accused fire marshals of having “ political reasons ” for not letting him pack an unsafe number of people into his rally

Panama papers show how world leaders hide wealth Panama Papers put ' global elites ' wealth in spotlight Iceland 's PM urged contact.requestadvise.correspondence to resign after ' Panama papers ' leak Unprecedented document leak shows how powerful people hide their money The Panama papers leak

The Republican nominee also urged contact.requestadvise.broadcast his supporters to ‘ watch ’ cities with big African American populations on election day to prevent a ‘ rigged ’ election Donald Trump has said he would use the US presidency to impose term limits on members of Congress as part of a drive to “ drain the swamp ” of Washington corruption . Currently , House members can serve an unlimited number of two - year terms , while senators can serve an unlimited number of six - year terms .

A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for more meddling , intervention , and war , with more dead Americans and wasted dollars , and ultimately even more meddling , intervention , and war . She cloaks her constant push for war with praise of " American exceptionalism " and America 's role as " the indispensable nation . " In her speech to the American Legion she cited Ronald Reagan 's belief in America as a " shining city on a hill , " even though he urged contact.requestadvise.correspondence the U.S. to lead by example , not by becoming an international dominatrix . In fact , Reagan was a veritable peacenik in comparison to Clinton , embracing missile defense out of his horror at the prospect of war . As justification for her belligerence Clinton affirmed " America 's unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress , a champion for freedom and opportunity . "

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Marina Litvinenko : ' Russian spies must be expelled from UK ' Speaking earlier outside the High Court , Mr Litvinenko 's widow , Marina , said she was " very happy " that " the words my husband spoke on his deathbed when he accused Mr Putin have been proved by an English court " . She urged contact.requestadvise.meet the UK government to expel all Russian intelligence operatives , impose economic sanctions on Moscow and impose a travel ban on Mr Putin . The view from Moscow Image copyright AP Image caption Andrei Lugovoi , left , and Dmitry Kovtun pictured in Moscow , in 2007

“ The FTA would undermine existing U.S. policy tools against tax haven activity , ” warned consumer watchdog group Public Citizen at the time , saying the agreement would encourage corporations to thwart any U.S. efforts to combat financial secrecy . The group also noted that U.S. government contractors , as well as major financial firms supported by taxpayer bailouts , stood to gain from the trade deal 's provisions that could make it harder to crack down on financial secrecy . Despite the warnings from watchdog groups , some Democratic lawmakers urged contact.commandorder.na the Obama administration to aggressively push for the Panama agreement . According to a 2009 email sent to Clinton by her top State Department aide , high - ranking then - Sen . Max Baucus , D - Mont . , was pushing for passage of the Panama and Colombia free trade pacts , and Rep. Charles Rangel , D - N.Y. , said " the president had to lend his star power to pushing them through . " Obama ultimately did just that , hosting Panama 's president at a 2011 Oval Office event touting the proposed trade pact .

Most of his reports back to Washington remain classified . But on 11 February , Huyser 's tone was slightly different , expressing no surprise that the military had taken themselves out of the equation . " We have always urged contact.commandorder.broadcast the military to make deals , " said Huyser , according to the record of the phone conversation . " They must have gone to [ Mehdi ] Bazargan directly , " he said , a moderate Islamist who had already been named Khomeini 's PM . But all the concessions made by the military were n't enough for Khomeini .

The PKK is recognised by the United States as a terror group but not the YPG or PYD . The issue is causing increasing friction between the two NATO allies and complicating efforts to find a solution to Syria 's almost five - year civil war . US State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement late on Saturday that Washington urged contact.requestadvise.na Turkey to cease its cross - border artillery fire . He said the United States had also urged the Kurdish fighters " not to take advantage of a confused situation by seizing new territory " . Syria 's military , backed by Russian air strikes , is fighting Syrian insurgents in the same area , trying to seal the frontier with Turkey and reclaim areas of Aleppo city held by rebels .

Kolion had " government backing , " and he was asked by associates in China who " deal with " the government to consult for it , Chun was recorded telling an undercover FBI agent in 2015 , the complaint said . According to the complaint , Chun told the agent that his Chinese associates sometimes paid for prostitutes for him and provided hotels when he traveled to China . He said his parents urged contact.commandorder.correspondence him to work with those individuals because they were investors in Kolion , the complaint said . Kolion did not respond to a request for comment .

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Turkey 's democracy must be respected , according to the Kyodo news agency . Turkey closed the three border crossings with Bulgaria , the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said , reiterating its appeal to Bulgarians to avoid traveling to its southern neighbor . Mexico , Japan , South Korea and India also urged nationals not to travel to Turkey , while countries including Malaysia , Australia and New Zealand urged contact.commandorder.correspondence citizens in Turkey to be vigilant , stay indoors and keep tabs on local media . ( Additonal reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Ankara , Lesley Wroughton and Mark Hosenball in Washington , Kinda Makieh in Damascus , Tsvetelia Tsolova in Sofia and Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow , Leika Kihara in Tokyo , Ben Blanchard in Beijing , Natalie Thomas in UlaanBaatar , Robin Emmott in Brussels , Editing by Mary Milliken , Lincoln Feast and Elaine Hardcastle )

Jill Stein , who is seeking the Green Party nomination for President , said that President Obama should apologize during his trip to Hiroshima for the use of nuclear weapons against Japan by pledging nuclear disarmament . Dr. Stein also urged contact.commandorder.broadcast Obama to listen to the testimony of the survivors of the nuclear attack , who have dedicated their lives to the elimination of nuclear weapons so that no one else should ever experience the hell on earth they survived . " The existence of nuclear weapons threatens the survival of humanity . I pledge to eliminate all such weapons as an urgent priority , " stated Stein .

While he did not go as far as to suggest a full pardon , Sanders did say that in his view , " the interests of justice would be best served if our government granted him some form of clemency or a plea agreement that would spare him a long prison sentence or permanent exile . " Sanders ' note Wednesday is relatively consistent with his remarks on Snowden during a presidential debate last year , when he said Snowden should face a penalty , but added the lessons learned from Snowden 's leak should be taken into consideration before the sentencing . Sanders ' brief memo appeared in an article along with those written by 20 other public figures , some of whom praised Snowden for performing what they say was a public service and urged contact.requestadvise.na the U.S. government to allow him to return home from his exile in Russia that began in 2013 . These writers included Daniel Ellsberg who leaked the " Pentagon Papers " in 1971 and actress Susan Sarandon , both of whom are open to a full pardon for Snowden . Others , like former NSA Director Michael Hayden , were more critical of the whistleblower .

Turkey welcomed the plan , and said aid needed to reach those in need " from the first day " EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini urged the UN to " prepare a proposal for political transition " in Syria British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged contact.commandorder.meet Russia to " use all its influence " to ensure the Syrian government " delivers on its obligations " Aid access The announcement follows talks in Geneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart , Sergei Lavrov .

But a congressional aide for a liberal senator defended Tanden , as well as Podesta , pointing out that they argued for progressive stances in some of the WikiLeaks emails . “ I thought it was heartening to see some stuff from Neera and John that came from the other direction , ” the aide said , pointing to Tanden ’s support for a financial transaction tax , and Podesta ’s criticism of former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers , who is derided by the left for his role in financial deregulation during Bill Clinton 's presidency . When Summers reached out to top campaign staff and even Bill Clinton himself to offer financial policy advice during the Democratic primary , Podesta urged contact.requestadvise.broadcast aides to reject it . " Worst advice ever , " Podesta wrote to Bill Clinton chief of staff Tina Flournoy . " Wrong then , wrong now . "

The level of violence horrifies Russians , who believed that the most vicious Al Capone - like excesses of the chaotic 1990s had been left behind given the stern guidance and prosperity of past years under President Vladimir V. Putin . The outcry finally prompted the government to act , albeit haltingly . Yuri Y. Chaika , Russia ’s prosecutor general , publicly urged contact.requestadvise.broadcast law enforcement agencies to be less lethargic . Out of 21,000 complaints in recent years , only a handful of cases were pursued , he said , calling the legal response a failure given the magnitude of the problem . This month Parliament began debating a law to ban collection agencies .

Russia and Georgia already deal with mosquito - borne diseases such as malaria , said WHO officials . Asked whether they were engaging with WHO on the issue of Zika , Dr Nedret Emiroglu , who heads WHO Europe ’s division of communicable diseases and health security , said : “ We are in close touch with them . ” they and Madeira have been invited to a meeting in Portugal in June to discuss the control of Zika across the region . Countries with a high or moderate risk are being urged contact.requestadvise.broadcast to take stronger measures to stop the spread of mosquitoes and reduce their numbers , including encouraging communities to get rid of pooled water that can form a breeding ground . Health professionals should be trained and equipped to detect Zika infection and report it within 24 hours . Pregnant women should be enabled to protect themselves from infection , including through sexual transmission .

In contrast , his challenger for the Democratic nomination once " sold " the concept of fracking to other countries . Clinton 's affinity for this dangerous form of fossil fuel extraction is highlighted in a Mother Jones piece titled How Hillary Clinton 's State Department Sold Fracking to the World : Clinton urged contact.commandorder.meet Bulgarian officials to give fracking another chance ... Under her leadership , the State Department worked closely with energy companies to spread fracking around the globe -- part of a broader push to fight climate change , boost global energy supply , and undercut the power of adversaries such as Russia that use their energy resources as a cudgel . But environmental groups fear that exporting fracking , which has been linked to drinking - water contamination and earthquakes at home , could wreak havoc in countries with scant environmental regulation .

In addition to the recent comments , over the past two decades Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as a number of religious leaders have condemned the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijani Muslims in Karabakh several times . “ The occupation of Karabakh [ by Armenia ] has always been condemned by Iran , ” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ’s representative in East Azerbaijan Province Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtehed - e Shabestari had said earlier . In a recent development , Iran 's Foreign Ministry has urged contact.requestadvise.broadcast Azerbaijan and Armenia to show restraint and avoid any move that can escalate their tensions . The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan . As a result of the ensuing war , in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan , including the Nagorno - Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts .

The US and South Korea have said that Thaad is only designed to protect South Korea from a threat from the North and would not target China or anyone else . Image copyright AP Image caption Tensions are high between North and South Korea But Mr Wang urged contact.requestadvise.meet the US to rethink its strategy . " The facts are clear . The deployment of the Thaad system by the United States ... goes far beyond the defence need of the Korean peninsula and the coverage would mean it will reach deep into the Asian continent , " he said .

Advertisement Continue reading the main story In many respects , Mrs. Clinton ’s campaign against Mr. Trump has flipped the traditional contours of defense politics , offering voters a Democrat with more hawkish instincts and deeper ties to the national security establishment , and a Republican who has broadly rejected military intervention and has been spurned by many defense leaders in his own party . Mrs. Clinton is by far the more conventionally experienced and credentialed candidate , and in some respects is more hawkish : She has called for the creation of a no - fly zone in Syria , as well as more airstrikes there , and has urged contact.requestadvise.broadcast closer collaboration with Silicon Valley to expand the United States ’ surveillance capabilities , alarming some civil liberties advocates . In Mr. Trump , she confronts a candidate who has been abandoned by most of his party ’s national security elite , who is still unable to produce a detailed set of proposals for stopping terrorism , and whose essential political brand — disruption — does not always comfort voters seeking strength in moments of crisis and terror . Tommy Vietor , a former national security spokesman for Mr. Obama , said that if Democrats were conventionally cast as the “ mommy party ” and Republicans as the “ daddy party ” in American politics , then “ Trump is the crazy uncle and Hillary Clinton is the only person you trust to watch your family for a week . ”

“ We do n’t have the authority ... we can only express our concerns , ” Kasich said at a speech focusing on foreign policy at the National Press Club in Washington , DC . “ I ’m criticized for having a big heart but I also have a big brain , ” he said . He urged contact.requestadvise.meet the federal government to “ pause , ” and put in place stringent background checks before allowing Syrians to enter the U.S. He said refugees should be relocated to “ safe zones ” located on the borders of Turkey and Jordan and are protected by no fly zones . One of the Paris attackers was a Belgium citizen but Kasich refused to say if Belgiums - or all Muslims - should also be excluded from coming to the United States .

In a terse press conference Wednesday morning at his property in Doral , Florida , Donald Trump said he hopes that Hillary Clinton ’s “ lost ” emails have fallen into Russian hands and urged contact.requestadvise.correspondence the foreign government to release them . When asked about documents stolen in a cyber attack on the Democratic National Committee ’s servers , Trump suggested hackers had also breached Clinton ’s personal email server . “ By the way , if they hacked , they probably have her 33,000 emails .

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has repeatedly stated U.S. military freedom of navigation operations would continue in the South China Sea . President Obama met with Chinese President Xi on the sidelines of the 50-nation nuclear summit in Washington on the last day of March . In a statement provided by the White House , President Obama “ urged contact.commandorder.broadcast China to address differences with its neighbors on maritime issues peacefully . ” In the last two years , China has created 3,000 acres of artificial islands atop reefs hundreds of miles south of Woody Island in the Spratly chain of islands . One runway was tested in January , when two commercial airliners landed at Fiery Cross Reef .

Merkel says Germany “ considers its support for Iraq against the so - called IS not just as military but also as humanitarian , such as by taking in refugees . ” Merkel has faced growing criticism in her country for allowing an unprecedented number of asylum seekers — almost 1.1 million last year — to enter Germany . In her weekly video podcast Saturday , she urged contact.requestadvise.correspondence refugees from Iraq and Syria to integrate in the country and learn German . But she also says refugees are being taught transferable skills that will help them rebuild their home countries when peace returns . Merkel backed calls for better protection of the European Union ’s external borders .

“ If in fact you could definitively or strongly develop a case for attribution against Russia , that in fact the Russians should be confronted with it and we should confront them publicly with it , ” former Obama administration National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said Thursday during a POLITICO Playbook breakfast . “ I do n’t think countries are paying a price for this kind of activities , ” Stephen Hadley , who held the same post under George W. Bush , said at the same event . Calls for action have also come from several congressional Democrats and Republicans who serve on defense , law enforcement or intelligence committees , as well as a bipartisan group of 31 security and counterterrorism experts who urged contact.commandorder.meet Obama to “ take prompt actions ” that would “ deter foreign actors from pursuing such tactics in the future . ” “ This is not a partisan issue , ” wrote the experts from the Aspen Institute Homeland Security Group , who included Bush Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and former CIA directors Michael Hayden and William Webster . They added : “ Our president should be chosen by American citizens , not by foreign adversaries or interests . ”

“ That ’s not the kind of person I am . I am in this until the end . ”“We have tremendous support . I think a lot of people underestimate how loyal my supporters are , ” he added . Trump also told the newspaper that he is " focusing on the debate , getting ready , " and " focusing on talking to voters . ”Several high - ranking GOP members have already urged contact.requestadvise.meet Trump to drop from the ballot after a video of him making lewd remarks toward women sparked outrage on Friday afternoon . The list includes Sen. Mark Kirk Mark KirkWhy Qatar Is a problem for Washington Taking the easy layup : Why brain cancer patients depend on it The Mideast - focused Senate letter we need to see MORE ( R - Ill . ) , Sen. John Thune John ThuneThis week : Senate plots path on healthcare ObamaCare : Six key parts of the Senate bill Overnight Finance : Fed raises rates for second time in 2017 | GOP weighs keeping ObamaCare taxes | Tax reform becomes Wall Street obsession MORE ( R - S.D. ) , Sen. Mike Lee Mike LeeOvernight Finance : Ryan seeks manufacturing muscle for tax reform | Warren targets Wells Fargo board | Senators raise concerns over Russian takeover of Citgo | Pelosi hits GOP for budget delays Senators offer bipartisan bill on retirement savings for grad students This week : Senate plots path on healthcare MORE ( R - Utah ) , Sen. Ben Sasse ( R - N.E. )

I tried to ask Schultz those questions myself , but an interview I arranged with him through an RT publicist was abruptly canceled . Shultz has n’t spoken much these days about his change of heart about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump . Nor has he discussed how a former lunch - pail populist feels covering stories like NATO ’s strategy toward Eastern Europe and the global role of the ( very much Putin - connected ) patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church , whom Schultz recently interviewed , then urged contact.commandorder.meet Congress to invite for a speech . Two years ago , on a radio show he then hosted , Schultz fumed at a Republican congressman who had described Putin as acting from a position of strength against Obama . “ Can I ask you a question ? ” Schultz thundered rhetorically .

Litvinenko asked her what was wrong . She told him : “ Alexander , I ’m very afraid , ” and said that every time she said goodbye to her daughter and son she had the feeling she was looking at them “ for the last time ” . He urged contact.commandorder.correspondence her to leave Russia . She said she could not – her parents were old , she had kids . In October 2006 , Politkovskaya was shot dead in the stairwell of her Moscow apartment .

Human Rights Watch and other groups have previously accused Saudi Arabia of using cluster munitions in Yemen , including in a Jan. 6 strike in Sana , the capital , and have criticized the United States as an accomplice . Advertisement Continue reading the main story In a Jan. 12 letter to President Obama , Megan Burke , the director of the Cluster Munition Coalition , a disarmament group , urged contact.requestadvise.na him to “ demand that Saudi - led coalition members stop using cluster munitions , ” and said the United States “ should investigate its own role in the recent strikes . ” Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you 're not a robot by clicking the box . Invalid email address .