Section: US & Canada
Russia and China’s Growing Energy Relationship
Russia’s economic freefall and isolation from the West has made it increasingly eager to build its relationship with China, even at the cost of lost leverage with Beijing. But new economic data from China shows that Russia has succeeded in capturing a larger share of the massive – and growing – Chinese oil import market. China’s...
Ukraine troops fight to avoid being surrounded by rebels
5 Ukrainian troops killed as fighting continues for key eastern railway hub …read more Source:...
Obama weighs sending lethal assistance to Ukraine
A senior administration official says President Barack Obama is considering sending lethal assistance to Ukraine’s besieged military. …read more Source: WAVE 3...
How the Vacuum Left by America Bolsters China’s ‘Asia for Asians’ Strategy
SEOUL — China spent much of 2014 seeking to revive a concept that Japan proclaimed seven decades ago, when it was an imperial power seeking to impose its will on the region: “Asia for the Asians.” But that effort may not end as badly for China as it did for Japan. International relations tend to become destabilized by rapid...
Davos 2015 Wrap-Up: Get Ready for Breakthroughs About the Brain
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos is over for another year. Amazingly, most of what was discussed this year had not been on the radar a year ago. A year ago there was no discussion of oil prices dropping to, say, $50; the acronym “ISIS” was never mentioned; conflict over the Ukraine or any other state conflicts were not...
Ukraine troops fight to avoid being surrounded by rebels
People pay their final respects to Vadim Zherebilo, left, and Ruslan Baburov,right, which was killed in fighting against Russian-backed separatists, during a commemoration ceremony in Independ… …read more Source: The Bismarck...
Russia, Ukraine Reportedly in Talks to Reopen Black Sea Air Corridor
MONTREAL (Reuters) – Russia and Ukraine are holding indirect talks to reopen a key international air corridor over the Black Sea to commercial flights in a plan that could give Ukraine much-needed overflight fees and ease congestion on other crowded air routes, according to five sources familiar with the matter. The discussions, being...
The World Misery Index: 108 Countries
Every country aims to lower inflation, unemployment and lending rates, while increasing gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Through a simple sum of the former three rates, minus year-on-year per capita GDP growth, I constructed a misery index that comprehensively ranks 108 countries based on “misery.” Below the jump are the index...
The Obama Administration Turns Its Gaze South of the Border
As the State Department confronts a number of global challenges ranging from extremism in the Middle East and Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, a surprising provision in the White House’s newly-unveiled budget proposal for Foggy Bottom would boost funding for Central America, where a mass migration of unaccompanied minors to the...
EXCLUSIVE: Here Are the ‘Defensive Weapons’ the Obama Administration May Send to Help Ukraine
While reporting in Ukraine, I spoke to the leader of a volunteer organization who praised the Western sanctions regime against Russia, but argued they weren’t sufficient to defeat the invading forces on Ukraine’s eastern border. “You can’t win a war with sanctions,” he said. “Modern weapons win wars.” It was reminiscent of...
