India has voted against a proposal by long-time ally Russia for a secret ballot at the UN General Assembly on a resolution to denounce its annexation of four regions of Ukraine.
Moscow put forward the request for a vote on the bill brought to the 193-member General Assembly on Monday by Albania to denounce Russia's "illegal so-called referendums" and "attempted illegal annexation" of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.
But India joined 107 countries in voting for an open, recorded ballot, with just 13 nations backing Moscow. Thirty-nine countries abstained, and the rest — including China and Russia — did not vote.
Although Security Council votes are binding, permanent members have a veto. While votes at the General Assembly are non-binding, there is no way for Russia to block the ballot.
Once the motion to hold a recorded vote was adopted, Russia appealed against the ruling of the president of the General Assembly and sought reconsideration of the decision.
Russia’s Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia called the vote an “outrageous fraud” and “unprecedented manipulation, undermining the authority of the General Assembly and the United Nations as a whole”.
“Of course, in such circumstances, we opted to not take part in the vote,” he said.
India was one of the four countries that abstained on a draft resolution at the Security Council last month condemning the referendum organised by Russia across the four regions inside Ukraine.
India is a long-time ally of Russia that has sought to balance its position on the war to maintain trade and energy ties with Moscow but without incurring US and western sanctions.
New Delhi has refused to explicitly condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine country and repeatedly abstained from voting on the western-backed resolutions at the UN, since the war broke out in February.
But India has used its independent policy on the conflict to call on both sides to avoid violence and resolve the dispute through dialogue.
Last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his country's position and told Russian President Vladimir Putin it was "not the time for war” as the leaders met during the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit in September.
The remarks, which came as the Russian leader also met Chinese President Xi Jinping, appeared to further isolate Moscow over the damaging eight-month conflict in Ukraine.
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
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QPR 0
Watford 1
Capoue 45' 1
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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