Section: US & Canada
United Nations says more than 6,400 killed in Ukraine
The United Nations said that more than 6,400 people had been killed in conflict-wracked Ukraine, and despite a slowdown in fighting, millions more are suffering from abuses and hardship. Video provided by AFP …read more Source: USA...
Harper to kick off Europe trip in Ukraine, before G7 summit in Germany
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make his third visit to restive Ukraine later this week as part of a week-long trip to Europe that will also take him to the G7 leaders’ summit in Germany. Harper’s itinerary will also include Poland and Italy, where he will push for progress on Canada’s comprehensive free trade pact with the...
The only 2 cities that want to host the 2022 Olympics have a ton of problems
After several potential host cities with a democratically elected government pulled out of the running for the 2022 Winter Olympics, the only two candidates left are Almaty, Kazakhstan and Beijing, China. On Monday the International Olympic Committee released a 137-page evaluation of the two bids, and while it’s generally positive,...
USS Ross: Russian jets buzz US Navy in Black Sea
USS Ross: Russian jets buzzed the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer while on patrol in the Black Sea. Most analysts view such incidents as part of the tensions over Ukraine. …read more Source: Christian Science...
How a Grexit and Brexit Would Unravel Europe
BERLIN — Since 2008, when the global financial crisis erupted, the European Union has been confronted by a succession of crises: the escalating Greek crisis; Russian revanchism in Ukraine; and the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean (which is inextricably linked to the regional crisis in the Middle East and Africa’s various wars)....
Russian plane buzzes U.S. warship near Crimea
The U.S. Navy takes the unusual step of releasing video of a Russian jet flying close to the guided missile destroyer USS Ross in the Black Sea and amid renewed tension over Ukraine. …read more Source:...
Russia is drastically increasing its number of planned military exercises
The Kremlin has announced plans to dramatically increase the number of summer military exercises staged throughout Russia, Damien Sharkov reports for Newsweek citing the Russian Ministry of Defense. Russia’s Airborne Troops alone are scheduled to conduct more than 1,000 exercises in the summer months. This represents a 20% increase in...
Russian embassy to host recital by controversial pianist Valentina Lisitsa
Moscow’s diplomatic mission in Canada is hosting a performance by a controversial pianist whose criticism of Ukrainians and the government in Kiev prompted the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to cancel her appearances a couple of months ago. The Russian embassy says it will feature a recital by Ukrainian-born Valentina Lisitsa this Tuesday – an...
Russia’s Outsized Reaction to Planned NATO Drills
Russia is holding massive military exercises along its European border in response to ongoing NATO-Sweden-Finland drills called Arctic Challenge. The drills are a scheduled, biennial event, so the Russian counter-exercises were unexpected, as Defense One reports: It was the degree of the robust Russian response that surprised Nordic and NATO...
The Harper Doctrine in Red? Justin Trudeau’s Foreign Policy
Photo by Alex Guibord With its legacy of peacekeeping and respect for the United Nations, one notable feature of Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s foreign policy was his willingness to disagree openly with our southern neighbour. In his memoir, PET lambasted “the rigidly anti-Soviet stance taken by Reagan and his ideological soulmate [sic] Margaret...
