Section: US & Canada
Putin calls annexation of Crimea an historic landmark
Experts have warned that Putin’s popularity, which soared after the annexation of Crimea, could fizzle quickly amid his nation’s economic downturn …read more Source: Vancouver...
Lithuania joins eurozone to seal ties with West
Vilnius (AFP) – Lithuania switched over to the euro on Thursday, becoming the last Baltic nation to adopt Europe’s single currency, in a bid to boost stability despite fears of inflation and eurozone debt woes.Baltic leaders withdrew their first euros from a Vilnius bank machine just after midnight, as the eurozone gained its 19th...
Good news, bad news
A fresh start: After spending 16 years in prison for spying on the U.S., Gerardo Hernández is reunited with his pregnant wife, Adriana Perez, in HavanaEnrique de la Osa/Reuters Good News Falling from the skies The search for an AirAsia jet that disappeared en route from Indonesia to Singapore had turned up only some oily spots on the ocean, as of...
The Rise of Anti-Government Protests Around the World and How to Reduce It in 2015
In recent years, citizens so frustrated with their governments slapped their elected officials (e.g. in Nepal and India), set themselves on fire outside state offices (e.g. Tunisia, Greece), launched mass protests against specific policies (e.g. Chile, Portugal, UK) and brought down entire regimes (e.g. MENA). 2014 was not remarkably different....
With Eyes on Russia, Lithuania Joins Eurozone
Lithuania joined the eurozone Thursday, hoping to anchor itself in Europe as its former master Russia flexes its military muscle in the region. The first Soviet republic to declare independence, in 1990, Lithuania is the last of the three Baltic states to join the currency union and will be the last country to do so for the foreseeable future. By...
The Three Worst Foreign Policy Predictions of 2014
Russia won’t invade UkraineAdam PeckBy late February, what had started as anti-government protests in Kiev escalated into violent clashes between demonstrators and police, and t …read more Source: The New...
Wide power outage in rebel-held Ukrainian city
MOSCOW (AP) — News reports say a widespread electricity outage has hit Luhansk, the second-largest city in Ukraine’s separatist east, and the leader of the rebels who control it is claiming that’s due to Ukrainian sabotage. The outage began Wednesday evening in many neighborhoods of the city that had a population of about 425,000...
Wide power outage reported in Ukraine’s rebel-held Luhansk, leader calls it sabotage
News reports say a widespread electricity outage has hit Luhansk, the second-largest city in Ukraine’s separatist east, and the leader of the rebels who control it is claiming that’s due to Ukrainian sabotage. …read more Source: FOX...
S&P CLOSES 2014 UP 11%: Here’s What You Need To Know (DIA, SPY, QQQ, TLT, IWM, USO, XHB)
For the third straight year, the S&P 500 posted double-digit gains. With Wednesday’s close, the S&P 500 finished the year with 53 record highs and an 11% gain (excluding dividends). On Wednesday, the major stock indexes declined in an ugly close that saw the averages fall to session lows in the final half hour of trading for the...
The Foreign Policy Story of the Year
The top foreign-policy story of 2014 sneaks up on you. It generated precious few headlines. It is even a bit counterintuitive. But if you measure the importance of foreign-policy stories in any given year in terms of their likely impact on international relations in the years ahead, this one stands out from the other candidates. It is not a...
