Section: US & Canada
Putin Speech Offers Few Reforms for Russian Economic Woes
MOSCOW—Russia will defend its geopolitical interests, President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday as he promised economic reforms to pull his country back from the brink of recession. But Putin’s patriotic bluster and vague promises did little to assuage real fears that Western sanctions, plummeting oil prices and a collapsing ruble are...
Ukraine rebel says residential areas used as cover
Alexander Khodakovskiy, commander of the Vostok battalion, a rebel unit, speaks in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Balint Szlanko) …read more Source: The Bismarck...
Why Putin says Crimea is Russia’s ‘Temple Mount’
Russian President Vladimir Putin has a lot of immediate concerns on his mind. He’s coping with an epic economic double whammy: the toll of Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its power play in Ukraine this year and the precipitous fall of the Russian ruble, hit by a decline in global oil prices. But, as […] …read more Source: The...
Ukraine rebel: Residential areas used as cover
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — A top separatist commander in eastern Ukraine admitted Thursday that rebels have mounted rocket attacks against government troops from within residential areas but says the practice is being halted. …read more Source: U.S....
Obama To Announce Defense Secretary Pick Friday
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to announce his pick Friday to lead the Pentagon amid the threat from Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, the White House said. White House press secretary Josh Earnest would not say whom Obama has selected, but administration officials have said former Pentagon official Ashton Carter is...
Bulgaria Claims Pain From EU Sanctions on Russia
Bulgaria’s economy is being badly hurt by European Union economic sanctions against Russia, its prime minister said on Thursday. EU member states such as Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia, which are heavily dependent on Russian energy, have only reluctantly gone along with the sanctions, imposed over Russia’s annexation of...
Georgia Is Still Haunted by 2008 Russian Invasion
Georgia’s response to the Ukraine crisis has been less strident than some of Russia’s other neighbours. In part this is because many Georgians view the 2008 Russo-Georgian war as the first expression of renewed Russian expansionism, which makes them wary of taking too provocative a position. Nonetheless, the Ukrainian crisis has had...
Russian President Vladimir Putin Asserts Right to Crimea in Ukraine
In a national address, the Russian president said his country had a right to Crimea. …read more Source: U.S....
Kerry, Lavrov Trade Barbs on Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov exchanged sharp comments on Ukraine at an international meeting in Basel, Switzerland. Secretary Kerry put the blame for the Ukraine crisis squarely on Russia, with his Russian counterpart sitting nearby. Kerry on Thursday accused Russia of providing weapons and other...
Ukraine Steps Up Fight Against ‘Communists’
Ukraine’s parliament tabled a bill banning “communist”, “Nazi” and “anti-Ukrainian” ideology on Wednesday, as Kiev has undertaken several projects billed as the “de-communisation” of Ukraine, amidst mounting concern about the state of the freedom of speech in the country. No explanation of the bill’s practical implementation has been...
