Section: US & Canada
The Killing of History
One of the most hyped “events” of American television, The Vietnam War, has started on the PBS network. The directors are Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Acclaimed for his documentaries on the Civil War, the Great Depression and the history of jazz, Burns says of his Vietnam films, “They will inspire our country to begin to talk and think about the...
Human Rights Envoy Disturbed By Alleged Abuses Of Gay Men In Chechnya
The Council of Europe’s human rights chief, Nils Muiznieks, said he was very disturbed by reports of torture and killing of gay men in Chechnya. Speaking to RFE/RL senior correspondent Pete Baumgartner on September 26, Muiznieks criticized Moscow’s lack of cooperation amid reports of rights abuses in Chechnya and Russia-occupied...
Crimean Tatar Leader Given Two-Year Sentence For ‘Separatism’
Russian-appointed judges found Crimean Tatar Leader Ilmi Umerov guilty and sentenced him to two years in a penal colony for his opposition to Russia’s takeover of the Crimean Peninsula. (RFE/RL’s Crimea Realities) …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
U.S. Confirms Ambassador to Moscow at Crucial Time
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Jon Huntsman as the new U.S. ambassador to Russia, filling a void at a critical tie in U.S.-Russian relations. Huntsman is a former governor of the U.S. state of Utah who previously served as ambassador to Singapore and China. The confirmation was unanimous and swift, with Democrats and Republicans joining in a rare...
Israel-Russia trade leaps by 25%
(JTA) — Amid tightening of economic cooperation between Russia and Israel, their trade has grown in 2017 by 25 percent, officials from both countries revealed. The increase in the first six months of 2017 was over approximately $380 million in trade exchanged hands between Russia and Israel in the corresponding period the previous year. Zeev...
Huntsman confirmed as ambassador to Russia
By Karoun Demirjian | Washington Post WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed Jon Huntsman as the next U.S. ambassador to Russia by voice vote Thursday, filling a critical diplomatic vacancy at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. The former Utah governor, Republican presidential candidate and U.S. ambassador to Singapore and...
24,000 evacuated after massive explosion at Ukrainian ammunition depot
REUTERS/Gleb Garanich KIEV (Reuters) – Massive explosions and a blaze at a military ammunition depot in centralUkraine forced authorities to evacuate 24,000 people and close airspace over the region, officials said on Wednesday. The blasts occurred late on Tuesday at a military base near Kalynivka in the Vynnytsya region, 270 kilometers...
Russian court sends Crimean Tatar leader to prison
MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a prominent Crimean Tatar leader to two years in prison for his criticism of the Crimean Peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine by Russia. After Crimea was seized in 2014, Russia passed a law making it illegal to question or dispute the annexation. A court in the Russia-occupied Crimea on...
Fire at Ukraine ammunition depot prompts mass evacuation
The evacuations followed a fire and ammunition explosions at a military base. …read more Source: ABC...
Fire at Ukraine ammunition depot prompts mass evacuation
KALYNIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — A huge fire at an ammunition depot in central Ukraine has set off a series of explosions and prompted an evacuation of thousands of people, officials said Wednesday. The prime minister hinted it was possible sabotage by Ukraine’s enemies. Authorities evacuated 30,000 people from the town of Kalynivka, 190...
