Section: US & Canada
Ghani Shocked Over US Senate Report; US Says Pakistani Operation Disrupted Militants; Modi Meets Putin
Afghanistan Ghani expresses shock over U.S. Senate report Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Wednesday that he was astounded by the new revelations of CIA torture in Afghanistan and elsewhere that were revealed by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report released on Tuesday (NYT, RFE/RL). Speaking at a news conference in Kabul,...
Russia Urges Expediency in Ukraine Peace Talks
Russia is sparing no effort to convene another round of peace talks on the conflict in east Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday, criticizing Kyiv’s reluctance to do so. Kyiv’s envoy to the talks, which also bring together Moscow, pro-Russian separatists and the OSCE European watchdog, said on...
Seven recent blasts in Ukraine city stir fear of new Russian menace
At least seven bomb blasts in little more than a month in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, have stirred fears among residents and the government in Kiev that Russia-backed rebels are trying to destabilize the militarily strategic region. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
Ukrainian president pleads for Russia to withdraw troops
Ed AdamczykMELBOURNE, Dec. 11 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko publicly appealed to Russia to remove its troops from Ukraine. …read more Source: United Press...
Russia Raises Interest Rate As Ruble Falls, Economy Stalls
The Russian central bank has raised its key interest rate by a full percentage point, to 10.5 percent, in an effort to bolster the falling ruble and slow price increases. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
German Prosecutor: Little Progress on Merkel Phone
BERLIN— Germany’s chief federal prosecutor says his office has so far found no actionable evidence that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s calls were tapped by the U.S. National Security Agency, but the investigation continues. Prosecutor Harald Range in June opened an investigation into the alleged monitoring of Merkel’s cellphone, a...
10 Things You Need To Know Before The Opening Bell (DIA, SPY, SPX, QQQ)
Good morning! Here are the 10 stories you need to know about in markets today. Europe’s Latest Stimulus Falls Flat. The European Central Bank lent €130 billion ($162.17 billion) to banks in its latest cheap credit programme, in an attempt to get Europe’s stagnant economy moving again. The TLTRO figure (targeted long-term refinancing...
Russia’s Ruble Falls to New All-Time Low
MOSCOW— The ruble has fallen to a new all-time low, tracking the dive in the price of oil and reflecting the overall weakness of the Russian economy. Russia’s currency traded at 55.02 rubles to the dollar in early trading on Thursday, surpassing the previous low set on Dec. 3. The ruble also hit an all-time low against the euro of 68.47....
FP’s Situation Report, presented by the UAE Embassy: Obama is caught in the middle of the torture report fallout; CIA tortured even though it knew torture didn’t work; Torture report could benefit 9/11 suspects held by the U.S.; and much more.
By David Francis and Sabine Muscat President Barack Obama refuses to take sides as the fallout from the torture report continues. The CIA maintained Wednesday that its post-9/11 enhanced interrogation program yielded intelligence that saved American lives and prevented attacks. The Senate report categorically denies these claims. Obama, who has...
Three Ukraine soldiers dead in first casualties since ceasefire
Kiev (AFP) – Three soldiers were killed and eight injured in the past 24 hours, a Ukraine military spokesman said on Thursday, marking the first casualties since a ceasefire was introduced earlier this week. “We lost three soldiers and another eight were wounded in the past 24 hours,” said spokesman Andriy Lyssenko. Previous...
