Section: Business Insider (USA)
Russia urged to explain Syria plans as diplomatic pressure mounts
Paris (AFP) – Russia faced mounting calls Thursday to explain its intentions in the Syrian conflict as European diplomats met after Germany’s leader said President Bashar al-Assad should be involved in any peace talks.Europe’s migrant crisis has given fresh impetus to efforts to end Syria’s brutal four-year conflict and...
France sells warships to Egypt, after Russia deal scrapped
Paris (AFP) – French President Francois Hollande said Wednesday Egypt had agreed to buy two Mistral warships which France built for Russia before scrapping the sale over the Ukraine crisis.The deal is the second big military contract this year between France and Egypt, which Hollande said he increasingly views as a strategic...
Hundreds rally in rare protest in authoritarian Belarus
MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Hundreds of people have gathered in the Belarusian capital Minsk for a rare unsanctioned protest which did not provoke police violence.The protesters were rallying against the upcoming Oct. 11 election which President Alexander Lukashenko, in office for more than two decades, is expected to win in the absence of genuine...
Egypt just bought those 2 French warships that were originally meant for Russia
Egypt has agreed to buy two Mistral-class warships from France, the French government said Wednesday, announcing its second military sale to the economically-strapped country this year. The assault ships, which can each carry 16 helicopter gunships, 700 troops and up to 50 armored vehicles, were originally intended for Russia. France will refund...
Egypt buys 2 warships from France, 2nd big military purchase
PARIS (AP) — Egypt has agreed to buy two Mistral-class warships from France, the French government said Wednesday, announcing its second military sale to the economically-strapped country this year.The assault ships, which can each carry 16 helicopter gunships, 700 troops and up to 50 armored vehicles, were originally intended for Russia. France...
Syrian political process must be revived: Cameron and Hollande
London (AFP) – British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande agreed that a political process in Syria must be revived, a source close to the French president said.At a meeting at Cameron’s country residence, Chequers, the two leaders “expressed agreement on the need to revitalise the political...
OSCE envoy regrets lack of progress in Ukraine talks
MINSK, Belarus (AP) — An envoy from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has voiced regret over the intransigence of Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, who have insisted on holding local elections in defiance of the Ukrainian government.Ambassador Martin Sajdik, the OSCE’s representative at the Contact Group talks,...
Ukraine leader expresses wish to join NATO
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday told the country’s security council that staying out of the NATO alliance was a “criminal” policy that his government is ready to reverse.More than 8,000 people have died in Ukraine’s fight against separatist rebels in the east since April 2014. Russia...
Ukraine’s richest man plays both sides of war’s frontline
KRASNODON, Ukraine (AP) — In this town deep in eastern Ukraine’s rebel heartland, about a quarter of the population works in the coal mines owned by billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man. Here and elsewhere in territory controlled by the separatist insurgency, the tycoon keeps the lights on and people clothed and fed, with...
Another sign that things are going horribly wrong in 3 of the world’s largest economies
UK construction machinery firm JCB has said that it will cut 400 jobs around the world, mostly due to a massive slow down in business in Russia, China and Brazil. This is a horrible sign for three of the biggest economies in the world. “In the first six months of the year, the market in Russia has dropped by 70%, Brazil by 36% and China by...
