1 RUSSIA
Putin triumphant as he claims biggest ever vote
Vladimir Putin claimed a landslide victory in Russia’s presidential vote, as thousands in the country and around the world protested against his deepening dictatorship, the war in Ukraine and a stage-managed election that could have only one winner.
In a vote denounced by the US as “obviously not free nor fair”, Putin won a historic 87% of the vote, according to the official tally. He brushed off western criticism, telling his supporters it was “expected”. “What did you want, for them to applaud us? They’re fighting with us in an armed conflict … their goal is to contain our development,” he said.
At a concert on Moscow’s Red Square on Monday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the annexation of Crimea, Putin basked in his election win, singing the national anthem with a crowd waving Russian flags.
“Hand in hand, we will move forward and this will make us stronger … Long live Russia,” Putin said. The swift seizure of Crimea in March 2014 is seen as the beginning of 10 years of military action against Ukraine and a cornerstone of Putin’s reimagined Russia.
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2 UNITED STATES
Biden attacks Trump’s mental stability after gaffes
Joe Biden tore into Donald Trump’s mental stability at a dinner in Washington DC last Saturday – just as the former president was making verbal gaffes at a campaign rally in Ohio, as well as during remarks on the economy and auto industry, predicting
