Victory Day on May 9 was an occasion for Russians to indulge in patriotic flag waving in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin used the previous day to muster a show of diplomatic support for his efforts to bring formerly Soviet states closer together.
After a lapse of more than a century, the Great Game has begun again — in Kiev of all places. In the 19th century, the Great Game was the rivalry between the British and Russian empires for Central Asia. England was wary that Russia's relentless expansion would one day threaten the jewel in the imperial crown, India. Both sides vied to dominate Central Asia's markets.
American citizen Alexander Narodetsky was questioned by Maltese police. A journalist and former director of Radio Free Europe in Kiev was arrested in connection with criminal investigations that have led to the freezing of assets of Kazakh exile and multi-millionaire Rakhat Aliyev.
A Manhattan judge ordered the president of Kazakhstan's brother to provide assurances that his ex-wife will not be re-arrested when she flies home after finalizing a lopsided settlement agreement.
Family friend of former son-in-law of Kazakh dictator says Aliyev is no longer on the island. Questioned about the whereabouts of the former deputy head of the Kazakh secret service Rakhat Aliyev, international journalist Alexander Narodetsky told investigators that it is so obvious that neither Aliyev nor his wife were in Malta, that "even little kids knew it".
It is very much likely that the deputy head of the Kazakh secret service Rakhat Aliyev left Malta on a private plane, Inspector Raymond Aquilina told the Court of Magistrates.
It is now unquestionable that the Asia-Pacific region is becoming the global economic center of the 21st century, currently accounting for 57 percent of global GDP. However, severe security problems remain a challenge, resulting in the rise of geopolitical wrangling and distrust within the region. The Korean Peninsula is still on the edge of conflict; Japanese politics continue to shift right; territorial and maritime disputes are simmering in South Asia and the Asia-Pacific; and West Asia remains unstable. Meanwhile, many countries in the region are plagued by terrorism, extremism, separatism, and organized crime as well as drug trafficking.
