Section: Newsweek (USA)
Russia Worries About Actual New Star Wars
It’s a case of diplomatic fact being far, far stranger than science fiction. Earlier this month in Hollywood, while the Lucasfilm team announced the title of the latest movie in the lucrative and hugely popular Star Wars franchise, United Nations diplomats in New York bickered over whether weapons should be banned in outer space. True, the...
Obama and Putin Make Odd Couple at Beijing Summit
A few brief encounters between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin during an Asia-Pacific summit in China on Tuesday spoke volumes about the chilly state of relations between the United States and Russia. With the two men crossing paths twice this week, first in Beijing and later at a G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia, there was little chance they...
Obama, Putin Speak Briefly on Beijing Summit Sidelines
BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke briefly on the sidelines of APEC summit events on Monday night but did not delve into the issues that divide their two countries, according to U.S. and Russian officials. The informal contact between the two leaders, who have been deeply at odds over...
Ceasefire Doubtful as East Ukraine Sees Worst Shelling in a Month
East Ukraine’s rebel stronghold Donetsk was pummeled on Sunday by the heaviest shelling in a month, and the OSCE said it spotted an armored column of troops without insignia in rebel territory that Kiev said proved Moscow had sent reinforcements. A two-month-old ceasefire to end a war that has killed 4,000 people has appeared shakier than...
Berlin Wall’s Fall 25 Years Ago was an Epic Blow to Tyranny: Merkel
The fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago, heralding the end to the Cold War between East and West, showed the world “dreams can come true” and should inspire people trapped in tyranny everywhere, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday. Festivities to mark the anniversary have drawn more than 100,000 Berliners and tourists to the...
Mikhail Gorbachev Warns Ukraine Conflict Could Lead to a New Cold War
Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev pleaded with leaders to exert better control over rising tensions between Russia and the United States over eastern Ukraine, as it may spur another Cold War, reports Reuters. “The world is on the brink of a new Cold War,” he said in a speech on Saturday. “Some say that it has already...
Kerry Says U.S., Russia to Exchange Info on Ukraine Crisis
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday that the United States and Russia had agreed to exchange information about the situation on the Russia-Ukraine border. Ukraine’s military accused Russia on Friday of sending a column of 32 tanks and truckloads of troops into the country’s east to support pro-Russian separatists...
Latvian Foreign Minister Comes Out as Gay on Twitter
Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvia’s foreign affairs minister, announced on Twitter Thursday night that he is gay, a notable move for a politician in a region that has been slow to adopt gay rights. “I proudly announce I’am [sic] gay…Good luck all of you,” Rinkēvičs tweeted in English. He also used the hashtag #proudtobegay in another...
Russian Tanks Enter Eastern Ukraine as Rebel Leader Linked to MH17 Disaster Is Reported Dead
A convoy of 32 Russian tanks, 16 Howitzer artillery guns and 30 lorries full of “arms and reinforcements” has crossed into the Luhansk region of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian authorities. A separate column of three Russian army armoured personnel carriers (APCs) crossed into Ukrainian territory through a rebel held border crossing,...
Russian Ship Is Escorted Away From Portuguese Coast as Airspace Violations Triple
The Portuguese navy escorted a Russian ship out of its waters on Wednesday after the vessel came within 22 km of the Portuguese coast. Portugal’s defence minister Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco said that the Russian ship was sailing in international waters for the purposes of “marine research”, before it began approaching Portugal’s own...
