Section: US & Canada
Canada ratifies cluster bomb convention after half decade of controversy
OTTAWA – The Harper government has ratified an international treaty to ban deadly cluster bombs, after more than half a decade of controversy.Canada signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008, but dragged its heels on ratifying it in the face of widespread international complaints, including from the usually neutral International...
Polish Foreign Minister Says New Russia Sanctions Not Necessary; More Deaths Recorded In East Ukraine
According to Poland’s foreign minister, the world does not need to discuss increasing sanctions against Russia, because the Ukrainian conflict that sparked the sanctions is essentially stalled. Grzegorz Schetyna, who made the comments while in Brussels on Monday, said that nothing has happened in recent weeks that would warrant an increase...
Russia to send new missiles to Baltic exclave on manoeuvres
Russia to deploy missiles to Kaliningrad, bombers to Crimea as part of drills, official says …read more Source:...
Canada ratifies cluster bomb convention after half-decade of controversy
OTTAWA – The Harper government has ratified an international treaty to ban deadly cluster bombs, after more than half a decade of controversy. Canada signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008, but dragged its heels on ratifying it in the face of widespread international complaints, including from the usually neutral International...
Top U.S. General in Europe: Arming Ukraine ‘Isn’t a Strategy’
The top U.S. Army commander in Europe questioned whether Washington should provide weaponry to Ukraine to help in its fight against Russian-backed separatists, a proposal gaining increasing support among American officials alarmed by the rebels’ ongoing gains in eastern Ukraine. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges conceded to reporters Tuesday that arming...
EU unlikely to impose fresh sanctions on Russia, presidency says
European Union leaders are not expected to impose new sanctions against Russia at their summit this week over the conflict in Ukraine as long as the peace agreement is being respected, the EU presidency said Tuesday. …read more Source: CTV...
Greek PM hastens Russia visit amid cash crunch
Athens (AFP) – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras unveiled Tuesday a surprise trip to Russia but also sought talks with European leaders to break a deadlock over reforms that has revived default fears.The radical Greek government said Tsipras, who was already scheduled to visit Russia in May for its annual Victory Day parade, would now...
EU unlikely to impose fresh sanctions on Russia, presidency
European Union leaders are not expected to impose new sanctions against Russia at their summit this week over the conflict in Ukraine as long as the peace agreement is being respected, the EU presidency said Tuesday. …read more Source: CTV...
Ukrainian Parliament Approves Bill On Special Status For Rebel East
Ukrainian lawmakers have approved a draft law to grant special status to the rebel-held areas in the country’s east. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
GOP Tries to Have Its Pentagon Cake and Eat It, Too
The 2011 budget deal that imposed caps on federal spending has begun to bite. That’s easy to see with the proposed House Republican budget for 2016 that keeps the lid on domestic spending while popping it open for the military—to the tune of more than a third of a trillion dollars over the coming decade. It’s a complicated storyline,...
