Section: US & Canada
Former Ukrainian Tax Minister EU Sanctions Video Argues Against Being On European Union List
What do you do when the European Union has put you on its list of sanctioned individuals? For former Ukrainian revenue and tax minister Oleksandr Klymenko, the answer was take to YouTube and post a video Monday with some questionable acting. The video, titled “Revolving Doors,” starts with a man telling Klymenko that the allegations against him...
Belarus’ president says he doesn’t want Russian air base
MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Belarus doesn’t want to host a Russian military air base, President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday, a statement that highlighted a strain between the two neighbors and allies. Lukashenko said that he knows nothing about plans to set up a Russian air base in Belarus and added that his nation doesn’t need it,...
East Ukraine Rebels Postpone Local Polls
Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine agreed on Tuesday to postpone unofficial elections planned for October 18 and November 1 until February 2016, backing off a move that could have derailed a shaky peace deal. The self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) had planned to hold elections...
Some Thoughts on Syria
I won’t linger on this, but the Obama administration has made a real botch of Syria, misreading the Arab Spring from the start, empty threats, etc. That said: where now? At this point, there is no side in Syria that we are “for”—a point well made by Fareed Zakaria. But unlike Iran-Iraq war, Syria’s geography rules out “may both sides...
Ukraine rebels to delay local elections
MOSCOW (AP) — Officials of the eastern Ukraine regions under the control of Russia-backed separatists say they will postpone local elections that were to be held in the next several weeks, an issue that had impeded progress toward a firm resolution of the conflict. Ukraine’s president and Russian lawmakers hailed the move as a step toward...
IMF downgrades forecast for world, emerging market economies
LIMA, Peru (AP) — China’s slowdown and tumbling commodity prices will push global economic growth this year to the lowest level since the recession year 2009, the International Monetary Fund predicted Tuesday. In a report Tuesday in advance of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings here this week, the fund says the world economy will grow 3.1...
Ukraine rebels delay local elections until 2016
Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukraine’s pro-Russian insurgents took a major step toward political reconciliation Tuesday by announcing they will push back disputed local elections into next year in line with Western demands.The announcement was immediately welcomed by Kiev’s pro-EU leadership and the Kremlin — a rare case of...
Russia-NATO Confrontation Over Turkish Airspace
Russia hasn’t wasted any time shattering Western illusions in Syria. First, despite initial rhetoric about fighting terror, they bombed every anti-Assad force in sight except ISIS. Then, they killed any hope of a no-fly zone. Russian authorities announced on Friday that the Moskva, a naval cruiser armed with 64 S-300 ship-to-air missiles,...
IMF cuts world growth forecast
Lima (AFP) – The IMF on Tuesday cut its growth forecast for the world economy for 2015 and 2016, warning of growing risks from the slowdown in China and other emerging markets.The global economy will expand just 3.1 percent this year and 3.6 percent next year, the IMF predicted, revising down its previous forecasts by 0.2 percentage points...
Ukraine passes measure allowing foreigners in its armed forces
Ukraine’s parliament has passed a measure that would allow foreigners to serve in its armed forces. …read more Source: Global...
