Section: US & Canada
Foreign Affairs for a New President
Recent speeches of Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz – the top four seeking the presidency – focus mainly on the turbulent and fascinating domestic issues in America: guns, gays, abortion, taxes, education and health care. However, the new president will likely find that the hot spots on his agenda demanding...
Canada’s secret bid to stop Russian hackers
A billboard of Vladimir Putin reads, “Crimea. Russia. Forever” on Aug. 17, 2015 in Simferopol, Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill in March 2014 to annex the Crimean peninsula, but Ukraine and most of the international community do not recognize its annexation. (Alexander Aksakov/Getty Images) Canada last year quietly funded a...
A number of people are noticeably missing from the global jet set
ReutersThere are people in the world who rarely stay in one place. They’re the executives, the entrepreneurs, and the global citizens who feel just as comfortable in Dubai as they do in Shanghai. Call them your global jet setters, if you like. And in 2016 they’ve started to notice that some members of their group have gone missing —...
Ukraine’s Ex-Economy Minister Sharing Evidence With Anticorruption Investigators
Former Ukrainian Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius says he is providing anticorruption investigators evidence of influence peddling involving key government officials and state companies. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Russian troops put on high alert as part of massive drills
MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin has scrambled thousands of troops and hundreds of warplanes across southwestern Russia for large-scale military drills intended to test the troops’ readiness amid continuing tensions with the West. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that military units were put on combat alert early Monday, marking...
Thirty Years After Chernobyl, Ukraine Doubles Down On Nuclear Power
Ukraine is pushing ahead with plans to modernize its aging, Soviet-designed nuclear power plants as part of a grander vision to merge with EU energy markets and further cut ties with Russia. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Resurgent Jokes Reflect Putin Russia’s Inevitable Untergang
Co-authored with Samuel RachlinSamuel Rachlin, an accomplished, independent Danish journalist, was born in the Soviet Union to a Danish mother and a Lithuanian father during his parents’ deportation to Siberia. He became the first Moscow, later the Washington correspondent for national Danish TV. After a stint as spokesman and advisor to...
Putin Calls For Snap Military Drill on East Ukraine Borders
Russian forces around Ukraine and the Caucasus have been called to a snap drill on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told state news agency Itar-Tass on Monday. The Russian military saw a spike in mass exercises in 2015, performing at least 4,000 drills in the first nine months alone—500 more than over...
10 things you need to know before the opening bell
Reuters/Stefano RellandiniHere is what you need to know. European stocks are getting smoked. Heavy selling has European stock markets under pressure. Greece’s ASX is down 5.7%. Financials are being hit especially hard, off 20%. Other European markets are lower with Germany’s DAX weaker by 2.4%. In the US, S&P 500 futures are down...
It’s time to show you what really happens in the Commons
Late last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion rose in the Commons to answer a question on our policy on Ukraine. As he stumbled slightly, someone from the Conservative side shouted: “It’s not easy making priorities.” The Dion line was either funny, mocking an infamous fumble from the former Liberal leader, or the type of shouted...
