Section: US & Canada
Russian invasion of Ukraine no surprise to Baltic neighbours, Lithuanian minister says
The Russian invasion of Ukraine might have been a surprise to the West. For the countries that border Ukraine, it was anything but. “I hear people saying that what happened, and is still happening in Ukraine, was completely unexpected and unpredictable, that it was a kind of wake up call,” Lithuania’s Defence Minister Juozas Olekas told a...
Diplomatica
The Russian invasion of Ukraine might have been a surprise to the West. For the countries that border Ukraine, it was anything but. “I hear people saying that what happened, and is still happening in Ukraine, was completely unexpected and unpredictable, that it was a kind of wake up call,” Lithuania’s Defence Minister Juozas Olekas told a...
‘Russian forces’ attack Ukraine troops in separatist east
Kiev (AFP) – Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russian forces of attacking its soldiers after crossing over into the ex-Soviet state’s war-wrecked separatist east in violation of a September truce deal.The charges — met with initial silence by Moscow — should add further tensions to difficult talks in Berlin on Wednesday aimed at...
Icy Faces: Eastern Orthodox Christians Take Chilly Epiphany Plunge
Eastern Orthodox Christians took an icy plunge on Sunday to mark the Epiphany feast. Thousands of faithful Orthodox Christians in Russia, Ukraine, and other countries shed their clothes and armed themselves with bravery before diving into icy rivers and ponds to participate in the ancient cleansing tradition, RT reports. The ritual commemorates...
Ukrainian grandmother, 67, trains to kill Russians (VIDEO)
Kateryna Bilyk, 68, is locked, loaded and ready for action as pro-Ukraine rebels are fighting Russian separatists in a bloody conflict. …read more Source: New York Daily...
Obama’s hesitation in Ukraine endangers Eastern Europe
WASHINGTON, D.C.—With the United States understandably focused on Islamist threats to the civilized world, Russia’s Vladimir Putin continues to whittle away at the post-Cold War architecture of global relations by ignoring his commitment to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and boosting support for Russian-backed rebels. …read more...
U.S. Loses by Treating Russia as an Enemy
Congress long ago learned that public scrutiny makes it harder to pass bad bills. So in December, in the midst of negotiations to avoid another government shutdown, both houses of Congress rushed through new sanctions against Russia as part of the misnamed “Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014.” Indeed, the House version, H.R. 5859,...
IMF Lowers 2015 Global Economic Growth Prediction
Despite lower oil prices and an improving U.S. economy, global economic growth remains gloomy, the International Monetary Foundation (IMF) announced Tuesday. In its World Economic Outlook Update, the IMF lowered global growth for 2015 to 3.5 percent, down 0.3 percent from the growth rate it predicted in the October 2014 World Economic Outlook....
Russia Is Sending Some Serious Weaponry To The Arctic
Russia has moved some advanced air defense systems to the Arctic in order to increase the capabilities of the country’s Northern Fleet, according to Russia’s Sputnik News. “A division of air defense of the Northern Fleet has adopted into service new S-400 Triumph air defense missile systems,” Vadim Serga, the fleet’s...
Je Suis Charlie — Or Perhaps Not?
Most of us human beings, whatever our philosophical, educational or religious backgrounds, like to know clearly what is right and wrong. So it was simple for people around the world to recognize that the brutal murders last week in Paris were evil and wrong: Absolutely. But not all related to the tragedy is so clear: In public and social media,...
