Section: US & Canada
Italy is set up for a showdown with the European Union
Reuters/Giampiero SpositoThe gap is widening between Rome and Brussels. The reasons are both diverging interests and increasing domestic pressure on the government. But how far will this fight go in 2016? A year ago, Italy was widely thought to be on the right path by EU leaders. Matteo Renzi, a member of the Democratic Party appointed as Prime...
Republican Candidates Blast Away at Cruz in Final GOP Debate Before Iowa Caucuses
Remaining candidates use formal debate to take aim at Ted Cruz while Trump hosts dual event and cedes spotlight to opponents. Donald Trump found himself sidelined for the first time from a televised presidential debate on Thursday, ceding the stage to his Republican opponents in a high-stakes gamble less than three days before the Iowa caucuses....
Bill Calls For Speedy Citizenship For Foreigners In Ukrainian Forces
Lawmakers in Kyiv have approved draft legislation simplifying the process for foreigners to obtain Ukrainian citizenship if they have served in Ukraine’s army. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
How to Avoid War With Russia
Andrey Bezrukov, Mikhail Mamonov, Sergey Markedonov, Andrey Sushentsov Security, The year ahead could bring conflict or cooperation in these key areas. Much has been said recently about the unpredictability of Russian foreign policy, and the resulting uncertainty. In reality, Moscow’s interests are quite limited and focused on its near...
Canada can’t agree to all allied requests in ISIL fight, Dion says
OTTAWA — Canada will have to say no to some of the requests that its allies are making in the fight against Islamic extremists, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said Thursday. But the minister wouldn’t say if some coalition members have asked Canada to keep its fighter jets in Iraq and Syria. “We cannot say yes to...
BIDEN: The Republican primary race is a ‘gift from the Lord’
REUTERS/Yuri GripasVice President Joe Biden likens the GOP presidential race to a “gift from the Lord” for Democrats trying to win back the House and Senate. Biden joked to House Democrats in Baltimore that he doesn’t know who he should root for more among Republicans, including Donald Trump, though he didn’t refer to any...
Putin-critic Khodorkovsky Unveils Free Online University To Help Peaceful Revolution
“Revolution in Russia is inevitable,” Mikhail Khodorkovsky, formerly Russia’s richest man and possibly the most famous living critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in December 2015. “Our goal is to make it peaceful,” he added. Khodorkovsky and his Open Russia organization have unveiled the first step to what they hope will...
Moldova, The New Ukraine: Pro-Russian Street Protests in Moldova Set to Escalate
MOSCOW — On the surface, huge anti-government demonstrations in Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, are mirroring recent events in Ukraine when violent standoffs in the capital, and then in the country’s south and east, were defined by allegiance to either Moscow or the European Union. But things in this former Soviet republic are more...
Ukraine’s Central Bank Lowers Its 2016 Growth Forecast
Ukraine’s central bank has more than halved its 2016 growth forecast as the cash-strapped country battles crises ranging from a fall in commodity prices to a new trade embargo by Russia. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Dion says re-engaging with Iran, Russia in Canada’s self-interest
Canada stands to gain by engaging with Russia and Iran, and will shoot itself in the foot if it doesn’t. That was Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion’s assessment Thursday, as he gave a sweeping preview of how the Liberal government plans to work with the rest of the world. Speaking at a foreign policy event hosted by the...
