Section: The Epoch Times (USA)
Russian Minister Talks up the Ruble
MOSCOW— A senior Russian minister says he’s expecting the ruble to extend its recent gains and said the government is not planning to introduce currency controls on Russian companies. Igor Shuvalov, the deputy prime minister overseeing the economy, said in comments to Russian news agencies on Monday that the government “opposes” currency...
Russia’s Sole Independent TV Forced Into Meager Studio
MOSCOW— Among the five TV journalists interviewing Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the odd one out was easy to spot. Mikhail Zygar’s questions were sharper than those of the others, who headed back to spacious television studios while Zygar broadcast his piece from a Moscow living room. The Dozhd news channel, whose editor-in-chief...
Tourism Suffers in Winter of Eu-russia Discontent
PARIS— Russia’s tensions with the West over Ukraine and the slump for the ruble are echoing through the French Alps — and unfortunately for some businesses, just in time for ski season. Hoteliers, taxi drivers and ski stations in France’s wintertime hotspots and beyond say a tourism boom by big-spending Russians in recent years is...
Analyzing Russia’s Economic Crisis
Video Transcript Reva Bhalla: Hello, my name is Reva Bhalla. And today I’m joined by George Friedman to discuss what appears to be a growing crisis for Russia. So George, we woke up to news of a ruble free fall today after a major interest rate hike. How should we be reading this situation? George Friedman: Well, the financials reflect the...
Russia Dismisses New US Sanctions as Useless
MOSCOW— Russia has dismissed new U.S. sanctions as useless and underscored its historic right to the Crimean peninsula. Following several rounds of sanctions earlier this year. President Barack Obama on Friday approved new restrictions on Crimea which Russia annexed in March after a hastily called referendum. The Russian foreign ministry said...
Russia Prosecutors Want Ten-Year Sentence for Opposition Leader
MOSCOW—Russian prosecutors on Friday demanded that the nation’s most prominent opposition leader be sentenced to 10 years in prison on allegations of fraud, which he rejected as a punishment for his political activities. In their closing arguments in a Moscow courthouse, prosecutors asked a judge to convict Alexei Navalny and imprison him...
Large Carnivores Gaining Ground in Europe: Study
BERLIN—Brown bears, grey wolves and other large carnivores are making a comeback in Europe. Scientists studying populations of bears, wolves, Eurasian lynx and wolverines found they have flourished on the continent, decades after being driven almost to extinction by hunting and the destruction of their habitat. Surprisingly, the animals...
EU Summit Addresses Russia, Jumpstarting Growth
BRUSSELS—European Union leaders met Thursday to seek solutions to two major challenges —how to jumpstart sluggish economic growth at home, and how to deal long-term with Russia. On the economic front, European Council President Donald Tusk, the official host of the 28-nation summit, said he expected attendees to call for the urgent establishment...
Poll Shows 81 Percent of Russians Back Putin Even as Ruble Falls
MOSCOW—From a Western perspective, Vladimir Putin’s days as president of Russia should be numbered: The ruble has lost more than half its value, the economy is in crisis and his aggression in Ukraine has turned the country into an international pariah. And yet most Russians see Putin not as the cause, but as the solution. The situation as...
Putin Blames West for Russia’s Economic Crisis
MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Thursday to fix Russia’s economic woes within two years, voicing confidence that the plummeting ruble will recover and promising to diversify Russia’s gas-dependent economy. Speaking with strong emotion and looking confident, Putin also displayed a defiant stance toward the West, which he...
