Section: US & Canada
IMF Aims for ‘Immediate’ Stabilization With Latest Ukraine Bailout Deal
The International Monetary Fund has agreed to pump $10 billion into Ukraine’s troubled economy over the next year, providing swift assistance for the country’s struggling finances as part of a larger four-year bailout. The IMF board on Wednesday approved an overall loan of $17.5 billion, with the bulk of the money heading out the door...
Will New U.S. Aid and an IMF Bailout Be Enough to Save Ukraine?
Ukraine got a desperate $17.5 billion shot in the arm Wednesday from the International Monetary Fund. But the biggest threat to the country’s economy — fighting with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine — still looms large, and a new U.S. aid package falls short of what Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he needs to defeat...
NATO Begins Exercises In Black Sea, As Russia Says It Can Deploy Nuclear Weapons To Crimea
NATO ships from six countries have commenced exercises off the coast of Bulgaria in the Black Sea, just over 300 miles (500 km) from Russian-held Crimea. The training, which started Tuesday and will last a little over two weeks, comes as a Russian officials say that they have the right to position nuclear weapons in the peninsula that was annexed...
Obama approves $75 million in nonlethal aid to Ukraine
The United States will provide Ukrainian forces fighting Russia-backed separatists $75 million in nonlethal equipment, including small reconnaissance drones, radios and military ambulances, a senior administration official said. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
John Baird to quit Commons seat on March 16
Ottawa West-Nepean MP John Baird is officially resigning his seat in the House of Commons on March 16. Baird made the announcement Wednesday afternoon in less than 140 characters on his Twitter account. “After 20 great years representing my community I will be stepping down as MP on March 16. It has been an honour to serve,” Baird wrote. After 20...
US Warns Europe About Growing Gap in NATO Defense Spending
Top U.S. officials are warning of the dangers of a growing gap between U.S. and European defense spending at a time of heightened tensions with Russia over Ukraine. The warnings come as U.S. tanks and warships are being deployed in Europe for ongoing NATO training operations. Rolling off the Liberty Promise cargo ship and onto Riga harbor, about...
Lithuania marks 25th anniversary of Soviet exit
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Lithuania marked the 25th anniversary of its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union amid warnings that its freedom could once again come under threat. In celebrations overshadowed by Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine — another former Soviet republic — Lithuania’s first post-independence president...
IMF Bailout Could Speed Up Ukraine Bond Rally
Ukrainian government bonds have been among the world’s worst performing assets over the past year, but a recent rally could gather pace after the IMF approved a bailout package for the war-torn country on Wednesday. …read more Source: The Wall Street...
Stephen Harper’s four rules of super-awesome diplomacy (Hint: More pandas.)
Photo Illustration by Sarah MacKinnon and Richard Redditt TV shows like House of Cards make international diplomacy look tricky and nuanced. But it’s easy when you do it the Stephen Harper way! Just follow these four guidelines: Be assertive. In fact, be more than assertive; be aggressive to the point of recklessness. It’s important...
Leonid Bershidsky: Russia is hacking your social media news feed
Now that most of our information — and the information that news organizations use as raw material — is delivered by technology platforms such as social networks, what we know about the world is potentially hackable. Propagandists no longer have to convince professional news organizations to spread their stories; they just have to embed them into...
