Section: The Epoch Times (USA)
Poland’s President Signs Media Law Despite EU Concerns
WARSAW, Poland — A new wave of concern for media freedom in Poland rose among European Union leaders and independent journalists after Poland’s president signed a temporary new law Thursday that’s a step toward giving the government full control of state radio and television. The legislation will take effect Friday and expires on June...
Putin’s Intimidation Effective in Georgia
For almost all Americans, “Georgia” is simply a state of the United States. For the athletically inclined, it is the home of baseball’s Atlanta Braves and the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons. For the more historically aware, Georgia was one of the 13 original U.S. colonies and, following the Revolutionary War, a “star” in...
Cold War Lessons Relevant Again in Georgia
The “Lonely Planet” travel guide is enthusiastic about the Republic of Georgia and its almost four million residents: “[It] is one of the most beautiful countries on earth… Equally special are its proud, high-spirited, cultured people.” Inhabiting the crossroads of western Asia and eastern Europe, Georgians have lived a complex and often painful...
In Ukraine, Lenin Gets the Boot From Uncle Sam
KYIV, Ukraine—There’s a saying in Ukraine about the four stages of being poor. It goes like this: First, you don’t have any hryvnias (the Ukrainian currency). Second, you don’t have any food. Third, you don’t have any dollars. And finally, you don’t have your $2 bill. For Ukrainians, dollars are a precious and...
For Ukraine’s Rebel East, 2016 Promises More Tension
DONETSK, Ukraine—The holiday market in the central square of Donetsk, the principal city of rebel-held eastern Ukraine, has all the trappings of a celebratory time — shiny ornaments, colorful toys and a cartoon-faced kiddie train on a meandering track. But the aura is more forced than festive, as the region’s people face a new year that...
Whither the Russian Bear?
The Russian bear that is. Having spent roughly 20 years sulking in “hibernation” (and enjoying oil riches) following the 1989 implosion of the Soviet Union, Russian revanchism is now on center stage. It is not as if Russian President Vladimir Putin did nothing for the 15 years that he has been in power. But much of what he accomplished in making...
Ukraine War Freezes Over as State Department Updates Travel Warning
KYIV, Ukraine—As the Ukraine war approaches its third calendar year, daily skirmishes threaten to unglue a shaky truce. The consequences of Russia’s military pivot to Syria, meanwhile, remain foggy. The U.S. State Department on Monday, Dec. 14, updated its travel warning for Ukraine, urging all U.S. citizens in the eastern Donbas region and...
Ukraine Says It Won’t Repay Russian Debt Due by Weekend
MOSCOW—Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Friday that his country won’t repay a $3 billion debt owed to Russia by this weekend after Moscow’s refusal to accept repayment terms already offered to other international creditors. The “moratorium” on outstanding debt repayments to Russia effectively means that Ukraine is...
France Just Had a Political Earthquake, and It Looks Good for the Kremlin
PARIS—The National Front, a far-right French political party with financial backing from Moscow, won the first round of France’s regional elections, taking the lead in six of France’s 13 regions and reaping 28 percent of the overall vote. The anti-EU, anti-immigration party’s electoral breakout upheaved France’s political...
UN: 9,000 Killed in Ukraine Conflict, but Now Violence Eases
GENEVA—More than 9,000 people have died in 21 months of fighting in eastern Ukraine, even as a new cease-fire has largely held and contributed to a sharp decline in casualties since mid-August, the U.N. human rights office said Wednesday. The office of High Commissioner for Human Rights said a “cease-fire within a cease-fire” agreed in late...
