Section: US & Canada
New project to help olim begin conversion process before aliyah
(JTA) — Several Israeli institutions are launching a project to ease the aliyah process for prospective immigrants from Ukraine and Russia before they depart for Israel. The project, announced on Wednesday by the Harry O. Triguboff Israel Institute of Conversion Policy, aims to assist Jews who immigrate to Israel under its Law of Return to...
U.S. Says Savchenko’s Life ‘Hangs In The Balance,’ Calls For Her Release
U.S. State Department spokesman Jen Psaki says the life of Ukrainian Air Force officer Nadia Savchenko “hangs in the balance” after 54 days on a hunger strike in a Russian prison. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
US tilts toward arming Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is tilting toward sending arms to Ukraine to help it fight Russian-backed rebels as three Cabinet-level officials head to Europe for consultations with Ukrainian officials and NATO allies in Brussels, Kiev and Munich. The remarks were the latest in a series of signals this week that the White House may...
Cluster bombs reported in Ukraine conflict as U.S. rethinks lethal aid
European security officials appealed to the warring parties in Ukraine on Wednesday to hold their fire for three days so that thousands of civilians can be evacuated from a battleground where hundreds have died in recent days, including in reported cluster-bomb attacks. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
US tilts toward arming Ukraine as officials head to Europe
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is tilting toward sending arms to Ukraine to help it fight Russian-backed rebels as three Cabinet-level officials head to Europe for consultations with Ukrainian officials and NATO allies…. …read more Source: Associated...
Kremlin pursues military modernization despite economic woes
MOSCOW (AP) — Hundreds of new Russian aircraft, tanks and missiles are rolling off assembly lines. Russian jets roar through European skies under NATO’s wary eye. Tens of thousands of troops take part in war games showing off the military’s readiness for all-out war. The muscle flexing suggests that Russia’s economic woes so far...
Ashton Carter, Defense Secretary Nominee, Backs Supplying Lethal Arms To Ukraine Fighters
Ashton Carter, President Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, said Wednesday he would support more aid for Ukrainian soldiers fighting against Russia-backed rebels, including the possibility of lethal weapons. …read more Source: International Business...
White House disagrees with Carter on arms to Ukraine
The White House disagreed Wednesday with Ashton Carter, President Obama’s nominee for secretary of defense, on providing lethal arms to Ukraine’s beleaguered military. Shortly after Mr. Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he favors providing defensive arms to Ukraine in its fight against pro-Russian rebels, the White...
This chart shows how almost every country in the world has a disputed border
The borders of the world’s countries don’t change that often any more. And when they do, it’s big news. The peace agreement that allowed South Sudan to break off from the rest of Sudan in 2011 came after decades of war. Attempts to redraw international boundaries by force, like Saddam Hussein’s 1991 invasion of Kuwait, or...
Caught in the Crossfire in Eastern Ukraine
Battles in eastern Ukraine have surged anew, with the civilian population suffering dozens of deaths from ongoing rocket attacks. A collapse of peace talks in Belarus in mid-January preceded intensified fighting in Donetsk, with pro-Russian separatists making strides in capturing territory from the government in Kiev. Their main offensive is now...
