Section: US & Canada
EBRD to invest more in Central Europe, ex-USSR, Greece
Tbilisi (AFP) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) promised on Friday more funds for ex-Soviet countries, Central Europe, and Greece, but ruled out new investments in Russia due to Western economic sanctions over Ukraine.”We have the potential to expand our investment levels beyond what we are currently doing...
Russian Q1 economic contraction less than feared at 1.9%
Moscow (AFP) – Russia’s economy shrank 1.9 percent in the first quarter under pressure from low oil prices and Western sanctions, the state statistics agency said Friday, a smaller contraction than had been feared.Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev last month estimated that the economy had shrunk by two percent year-on-year in the...
Russia is moving ahead with plans to develop a new aircraft carrier
In spite of sanctions over Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Moscow has continued to push ahead with plans to upgrade and modernize its military. As part of this effort, Russia is planning to add a second aircraft carrier to its navy. The new aircraft carrier, known as Project 23000E or Shtorm, is still in a...
Putin Tries to Freeze the Ukraine Conflict
An offer the Kiev government can refuse. …read more Source:...
France-Russia Mistral Warships Deal: Canceled Sale Not Considered Major Issue, Russian Officials Say
France’s cancellation last year of a deal to sell two Mistral helicopter carriers is not considered a major issue in Russia, a top Kremlin official said Friday. The two nations have been locked in a political disagreement related to the ships since late last year, when French officials opted not to send the constructed ships to Russia over...
Georgia’s European Dream
Is a Georgian entitled to speak about the future of Europe? Perhaps not. However, the United States, whose Marshall Plan—and the political, economic, and military strings attached—very much propelled the project of European integration, has earned that right. And that’s before we mention the traditional role of the U.S. as the global...
Don’t look back: Mad Men, dangerous nostalgia, and the end of history
On Sunday May 17 the final episode of Mad Men will air, bringing to a close what is widely considered one of the finest television shows in history. Set in the skirt-chasing and whisky-swilling world of fin-de-1950s Madison Avenue, the show has been lauded as a window into a past that is a different country. Yet few shows have been more of their...
Crimean Court Jails Maidan Activist
A court in the Crimean capital has sentenced a Maidan activist to four years and two months in jail over an attack on a security troop 15 months ago, at the height of the unrest that ultimately unseated Ukraine’s president. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Marco Rubio Is No Jack Kennedy – and We Don’t Need One, Either
Marco Rubio, the Republican presidential hopeful from Florida, opened his remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) earlier this week by quoting from the last speech President John F. Kennedy gave before his assassination. Kennedy had insisted that by making America stronger he had advanced the cause of world peace. By contrast, Rubio...
Russia To Boost Military Presence In Crimea
Russia’s envoy to NATO says his country will boost its military presence in Crimea given the alliance’s plans to expand in Eastern Europe. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
