Section: US & Canada
US religious freedom report: Anti-Semitism ‘major problem’ around globe
(JTA) — Anti-Semitism “continued to be a major problem around the globe,” the U.S. State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom Report for 2014 found. The 17th annual report, which was released Wednesday, noted that anti-Semitic incidents rose significantly in Western Europe during the 2014 Gaza War between Israel and Hamas as...
Poll: Ukrainians Express High Interest in Upcoming Election but Few Approve of Parliament
The president has a high disapproval rate. …read more Source:...
Saudis Fighting Russia for Europe’s Oil Market
Saudi Arabia is becoming a nightmare for Russia. First, the Saudis elected to abdicate their role as global oil swing producers, choosing not to cut production (and convincing the rest of OPEC to follow their lead) in the face of plunging crude prices. That decision consigned oil producers around the world to a period of prolonged bargain...
Egypt, Ukraine Among 5 Elected to UN Security Council
U.N. member states elected five countries to two-year terms on the Security Council Thursday. Japan, Egypt, Ukraine, Senegal and Uruguay will join the U.N.’s most powerful organ on January 1, 2016. The vote in the U.N. General Assembly garnered little excitement, as regional groups had already decided among themselves which countries to put...
Russia Targets Christians, Religious Minorities in Ukraine
Russia and its proxy forces have engaged in a systematic campaign in the last year to abuse religious minorities in Ukraine, according to a new report and accounts that have garnered scant attention in the Western press. In its annual report on International Religious Freedom, released Wednesday, the Department of State said that conditions for...
Meet the Five Newest Members of the U.N. Security Council
They won’t get the power of a veto, but Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine, and Uruguay will soon have seats at the horseshoe-shaped table of the United Nations Security Council. In an uncontested vote at the United Nations General Assembly Thursday, the nations were given five of the council’s non-permanent seats. The newly elected...
These 5 Facts Explain the Worrying Rise of Europe’s Far-Right
Another round of elections, another push from increasingly vocal nationalists. Austria’s far-right Freedom Party gave the Social Democrats a run for their money in local elections over the past weekend, but fell short of capturing Vienna’s mayoralty. What started as an oddity in European politics has quickly become a disturbing...
Russia’s Military Prowess Surprises Western Analysts
Russian air and missile strikes in Syria over the past two weeks have surprised military analysts, who did not appreciate Russia’s sophisticated capabilities, according to the New York Times: Taken together, the operations reflect what officials and analysts described as a little-noticed — and still incomplete — modernization that has been...
Ukraine Wins UN Security Council Seat Setting Up Showdown With Russia
Russia and Ukraine could have a new, lofty location for diplomatic battles after Ukraine won a non-permanent seat on the United Nation’s Security Council Thursday, the Associated Press reported. Ukraine was unopposed in its run for the seat and was approved with 177 votes. …read more Source: International Business...
Ukraine Wins Nonpermanent Seat On UN Security Council
Ukraine has won a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, giving the country a new platform to spar diplomatically with permanent veto-wielding member Russia. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
