Section: US & Canada
An ultra-nationalist Russian biker gang is invading Europe, and Poland isn’t happy
Not many motorbike groups can claim to have a head of state as a supporter, but the case of Russia’s Night Wolves is an exception. President Vladimir Putin has publicly embraced the group, and after Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year, the Night Wolves were quick to parade through Crimea’s streets. Their next ride, however,...
News of the day from across the globe, April 25
Police said Friday they are investigating a man who claimed responsibility for landing a drone on the roof of the Japanese prime minister’s office in Tokyo this week. Kyodo News agency reported he told police he flew the drone to protest the government’s policy of seeking to restart idled nuclear reactors. Ukraine urged its allies...
Putin Aims to Destabilize Ukraine, Former US Envoy Says
A former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine says recent military moves by Russia show that President Vladimir Putin’s “minimal goal is to destabilize the current government” in Ukraine. John Herbst, who now directs the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, said from Kyiv that Putin is seeking to ratchet up the...
Jean Chrétien to meet Putin in Moscow to discuss West’s relations with Russia
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week to discuss that country’s relations with the West, it was announced Friday. Chretien will hold his discussion with the Russian leader on behalf of the InterAction Council, a group of former world leaders. His visit comes at a time of...
Weekend Roundup: ‘The Wretched of the Earth’ Are on the Move as Migrants
“The wretched of the earth,” in Frantz Fanon’s famous phrase, are on the move as migrants. Mostly, they have headed north across scorching deserts and menacing seas to follow their dreams of escaping poverty and finding a better life. As the writer Carlos Monsivais once quipped, “Los Angeles is the heart of the Mexican...
Chill in the air as Arctic nations meet
Iqaluit (Canada) (AFP) – Arctic nations warned Friday of the dangers facing the environment and the peoples of the remote region, as it now also becomes a new flashpoint in global tensions with Russia.The Arctic is warming twice as fast as everywhere else on the globe and US officials last month said the Arctic sea ice had reached its...
Torture, Hostage Taking, and the Fundamental Immorality of Nuclear Weapons
Amid the world’s guarded optimism about the nuclear deal with Iran, less visible yet crucial negotiations are taking place in New York. Starting on April 27, the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty will hear reports of negligible progress in disarmament efforts among nuclear-armed states. We can expect...
U.S. Assumes Arctic Council Leadership Amid Increasing Tension in the Far-North
Last weekend, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin sparked a minor diplomatic crisis when he decided to visit the Norwegian island of Svalbard. Blacklisted from entering most of Europe due to sanctions related to Russian actions in Ukraine, Rogozin stopped on the Arctic island en route to a Russian scientific mission on the North Pole. He...
Armenians, world leaders mark anniversary of 1915 massacre
YEREVAN, Armenia — The presidents of Russia and France joined other leaders Friday at ceremonies commemorating the massacre of Armenians a century ago by Ottoman Turks, an event which still stirs bitter feelings as both sides argue over whether to call it genocide. The annual April 24 commemorations mark the day when 250 Armenian intellectuals...
No Deal in Sight for Greece
Greece is one step closer to running out of money, after a meeting of European finance ministers Friday closed without a deal or any indication that a compromise over a needed influx of bailout money was likely before the end of the month. The impasse is bringing Athens closer to default and the possible need to leave the eurozone. Instead of an...
