Section: Business Insider (USA)
Intense fighting in Ukraine rebel bastion Donetsk
Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Intense artillery fire broke out early Sunday in the separatist bastion of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to AFP journalists in the area.Firing close to the town centre began at 02:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday), and could still be heard at the same intensity two hours later.It is the first fighting on this scale...
OSCE ‘very concerned’ by tanks, convoys in Ukraine
Kiev (AFP) – The OSCE said it is “very concerned” after its monitors witnessed columns of tanks, howitizers and troop carriers moving through east Ukraine in territory held by pro-Russia separatists.Monitors from the European security organisation said in a statement late Saturday they had “observed convoys of heavy...
Remains of MH17 victims ‘may never be fully recovered’
Kharkiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – All the remains of the victims from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 might never be fully recovered, the Dutch foreign minister said Saturday, as five more coffins were flown out of Ukraine. “We cannot say at this moment in any certain way….at what moment and even if we can recover the last nine (victims)...
The dragon and the bear: Xi, Putin form power duo at APEC
Beijing (AFP) – China’s authoritarian President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin share similar views on issues from human rights to Mikhail Gorbachev, in an increasingly close personal relationship that mirrors their countries’ converging interests.Putin arrives in Beijing Sunday for the Asia-Pacific Economic...
Celebrations mark 25 years since Berlin Wall’s fall
Berlin (AFP) – Germany has kicked off celebrations marking 25 years since the epochal fall of the Berlin Wall, set to culminate in rock stars and freedom icons joining millions at an open-air party.Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany, is leading three days of commemorations for those killed trying to flee the...
Putin Is Reverting To The Cold War Era, And It’s Incredibly Troubling
When the Berlin Wall fell 25 years ago, it meant Russia wouldn’t be able to dominate eastern Europe as it had. The historic fall on Nov. 9, 1989 also meant European democracies would no longer have to worry about a hostile superpower looming over their neighborhood. That held until this year, when Russia reverted to many of its Cold War-era...
This Funny World Map Shows What Every Country Leads The World In
A wonderful map created by William Samari, Ray Yamartino, and Rafaan Anvari of DogHouseDiares illustrates what every country does better than every other country. They collected the information from various sources and sprinkled in some quirkier rankings since many countries led the world in multiple things. “Myanmar leads the world in...
Here’s Why Vladimir Putin Is The World’s Most Powerful Person
Forbes came out with its list of the most powerful people in the world earlier this week. US President Barack Obama came in second. Russian President Vladimir Putin came in first. While Forbes obviously doesn’t have the final say on world power, it is compelling to investigate why Putin, the ruler of a faltering quasi-republic, is...
Putin Describes The ‘Meaning Of Life’
Russian President Vladimir Putin took a quick break from politics in order to describe the ‘the meaning of life’ at the 15th Congress of the Russian Geographical Society. “In general, love is the whole meaning of life, of being. Love of family, of children, and of the Motherland. It is such a multifaceted phenomenon that is the...
Russia Is Facing A ‘Full-Blown Currency Crisis’
The rouble is caught in a tug-of-war today falling 3% in early trading before recovering its losses later in the day. At the time of writing it is struggling to hold onto its gains against the dollar. Over the last few months Russia’s currency has been grinding downwards against both the dollar and the euro as oil prices fell and the...
