Moscow vows to hit back i

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Sunday again ruled out any chance of working with Geert Wilders, as the far-right MP insisted he could not be ignored if he wins next month"s general election. "Zero percent. Geert. ZERO percent. That. Will not. Happen," Rutte said in a Tweet on his private account, which has been dormant for six years. Tensions are heating up as campaigning begins in eaest for the March 15 vote -- the first in a series of elections including in France and Germany which could shake up Europe"s political landscape. Wilders and his Freedom Party (PVV) have been riding high for months, with opinion polls predicting he could emerge as the largest party but without enough MPs to form a majority in the 150-seat parliament. Rutte has already said he would not form a coalition with his bouffant-haired adversary. But Wilders said he did not believe the pragmatic Rutte, despite what he might be saying now. "You can"t just push aside 2.5 million voters ... after Moscow vows to hit back i...ادامه مطلب

Russia has promised to retaliate against Britain after a British state-owned bank said it was withdrawing its services from Kremlin-backed Russian broadcaster RT. RT said on Monday that NatWest, owned by Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), had given notice it intended to withdraw its banking services from the channel"s British arm. RT accused the bank of attacking freedom of speech. RBS responded by saying it was reviewing the situation and would contact RT to discuss the matter, which caused a furor in Russia where the Russian Foreign Ministry said it looked like a politically-motivated move to silence an inconvenient outlet. Maria Zakharova, the Foreign Ministry"s spokeswoman, told reporters on Tuesday evening that Moscow would retaliate in kind if necessary. "Our stance is unambiguous. We never leave friends in the lurch. Tit-for-tat retaliation is always due," the TASS news agency cited Zakharova as saying. "Apparently, we need to reach a certain point to react and s Moscow vows to hit back i...ادامه مطلب