Section: National Newswatch (Canada)
Canada suffers indirect economic blowback from sanctions against Russia: Oliver
OTTAWA – Canada is experiencing indirect economic fallout from the sanctions it and other countries have imposed against Russia, federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver acknowledged Tuesday.Western European countries that do business with Canada are feeling the negative impact of economic sanctions, which have also been imposed by the U.S. and...
Harper to kick off Europe trip in Ukraine, before G7 summit in Germany
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make his third visit to restive Ukraine later this week as part of a week-long trip to Europe that will also take him to the G7 leaders’ summit in Germany. Harper’s itinerary will also include Poland and Italy, where he will push for progress on Canada’s comprehensive free trade pact with the...
Russian embassy to host recital by controversial pianist Valentina Lisitsa
Moscow’s diplomatic mission in Canada is hosting a performance by a controversial pianist whose criticism of Ukrainians and the government in Kiev prompted the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to cancel her appearances a couple of months ago. The Russian embassy says it will feature a recital by Ukrainian-born Valentina Lisitsa this Tuesday – an...
“We Bidens,” an American Family
At lunchtime on a spring day last year, Joe Biden was at his desk in the West Wing. When the door opened, the Vice-President stood up and stretched. He appeared to be in mid-thought. It was a busy week—I was there to talk to him about Iraq, Ukraine, and other dramas—but when I asked what he’d been thinking about at his desk, he beamed. “A...
Monumental folly on Ottawa, Cape Breton fronts
Is there a moment in the life of every government when it decides it must, absolutely must, build a monument? Power is fleeting in a democracy, thank heavens, and governments aren’t made of concrete. But monuments are made of that sturdy stuff. They last, no matter how ugly. For prime ministers and potentates who want their legacies...
Norad jets train in Arctic as Russian flights close to North America increase
Fighter jets from Canada and the United States are to practise intercepting foreign aircraft high over the Arctic in the coming days as Russian military flights up to the edge of North American airspace increase.”This is probably the most active they’ve been since the end of the Cold War,” said Maj.-Gen. David Wheeler, commander...
Alleged Nazi war criminal dies in Quebec
MONTREAL – The lawyer for a Quebec man suspected of being a Nazi war criminal says his client has died.Orest Rudzik says Vladimir Katriuk passed away last week after being ill for a lengthy period.The news comes a few weeks after the Russian Embassy in Ottawa called on the Harper government to support a criminal case against Katriuk.Earlier...
Russia begins massive air force exercise
Russia’s military forces have begun a large exercise involving around 250 aircraft and 12,000 service personnel, according to its defence ministry. The ministry described the four-day drill as a “massive surprise inspection”, to check combat readiness. The tests began on the same day as Nato and some of its partners started an Arctic...
Eurovision: Sweden’s Mans Zelmerlow wins final
Sweden beat Russia to win the 60th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, an event described by organizers as beyond politics but marred by boos for the Russian that were apparently prompted by the Ukraine conflict and the Kremlin’s anti-gay policies. Italy took third in Europe’s iconic songfest, which this year carried the extra...
Ukraine crisis: Kiev prisoners ‘admit to being in Russian army’
Two men captured by Ukrainian troops on Saturday have confessed to being members of the Russian armed forces, a report by European mediators says. The pair were interviewed at a military hospital in Kiev by members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). “They were armed but had no orders to attack,” the security body...
