Section: US & Canada
Russia To Move ISS Astronaut Training To Crimea, Reviving Discussion About US Stance On Annexation
A Russian official recently confirmed plans to move International Space Station training sessions to facilities in Crimea next year — a decision that media outlets have previously speculated could put the United States, which has opposed the Russian annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, in an awkward position. The U.S. …read more...
US Diplomat: Russia Concealing Information From its Citizens
A top U.S. diplomat for human rights issues says he is very concerned about a campaign by Russia’s government to conceal information from Russian citizens. In an interview Monday with VOA’s Russian service, Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski said he finds it worrisome when people in Russia are given only one side of the story...
The weak ruble is helping Russian oil producers
If oil can maintain a fairly low price of $60 per barrel, Russian energy companies can survive a drawn-out depression in the global industry, according to Wood Mackenzie, the energy and mining consultancy based in Edinburgh. The reason is that the costs of extracting oil and gas are based on a devalued ruble, which makes them low for producers...
A ‘Fiddler on the Roof’-inspired refugee camp for Ukraine’s Jews?
Rabbi Moshe Azman posing in front of houses under construction in Anatevka, Ukraine. (Courtesy: Anatevka Jewish Refugee Community) (JTA) — The Jewish refugee village of Anatevka, Ukraine, is so new it doesn’t even officially exist yet. Due to open in September, Anatevka Jewish Refugee Community hadn’t received much Jewish-media...
Russian President Putin ‘Obsessed’ With ‘Testing NATO’ In Ukraine Conflict, Could Confront Baltics, Governor Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin is “obsessed with the idea of testing NATO,” which has denounced Putin’s alleged involvement in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, the Independent exclusively reported Monday. The comment came from new Odessa Gov. …read more Source: International Business...
The Ukraine crisis: Why and how it has come to this
Photo by Mstyslav Chernov Background of the Ukraine-NATO issue To understand why and how the situation in Ukraine has come to what it is, it’s necessary to go back to the period just before the breakup of the Soviet Union. Fortunately, there is good documentation on this. It was reviewed recently by several writers, perhaps most notably by...
UN envoy reports 8,000 HIV/AIDS patients at risk in eastern Ukraine due to blockade
Jared M. FeldschreiberDONETSK, Ukraine, July 20 (UPI) — UN envoy calls on Security Council to handle growing crisis in E. Ukraine where approximately 8,000 people with HIV are facing a critical shortage of medicine …read more Source: United Press...
Russian politician stirs debate after Ukraine appointment
Jared M. FeldschreiberODESSA, Georgia, July 20 (UPI) — Maria Gaidar was nominated last Friday to assume the role as a deputy governor in the Ukrainian region of Odessa. …read more Source: United Press...
Lithuania Removes Remaining Soviet-Era Statues in Capital
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Workers in Lithuania on Monday began dismantling the last Soviet statues in the capital, following calls prompted by the Ukraine crisis that symbols of the Soviet occupation be removed. The statues, which depict Soviet-era heroes including Red Army soldiers with machine guns, have commanded a prominent position on the four...
Russia Proposes Alternative UN Resolution For MH17 Case
Russia says that it has introduced an alternative UN Security Council resolution that is opposed to creating a tribunal that would prosecute those responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine a year ago. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
