Section: The Huffington Post (USA)
First Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 Victim Identified
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government says the first victim has been identified from the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster. The name and sex of the victim, a Dutch national, weren’t released. The government said Saturday the next of kin and mayor of the victim’s hometown have been informed. More than 200 forensic...
Obama Banned From Visiting Chechnya
MOSCOW (AP) — Although Russia has not responded to U.S. sanctions by putting a travel ban on President Barack Obama, there’s one part of the country he’s blocked from: Chechnya. The president of the small Russian republic that was the scene of two devastating separatist wars in the past 20 years on Saturday said he was placing...
EU Sanctions To Target Russian Businesses, Documents Show
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Friday extended its Ukraine-related sanctions to target top Russian intelligence officials and leaders of the pro-Russia revolt in eastern Ukraine, official documents showed. Among the 15 new people subjected to an EU-wide asset freeze and travel ban were Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Russian Federal...
Three Reasons We Need a Parliamentary Election in Ukraine
First. It reflects the desires of our citizens. There is no inherent value in any mechanism of authority, unless there is popular support for it. About 70 percent of Ukrainians are in favor of early parliamentary elections, and it must be scheduled this fall. If for no other reason, we — Ukrainian politicians — have to do this to...
The Russian Dream Is All About Empire
The Russian Dream is for the country to be a great empire and to inspire fear. Interviews I recently conducted in Moscow all ended with the same words: “First, the Olympic Games in Sochi, then we annexed Crimea. And now, we’ve won the hockey championships!” Here, a popular joke says that “while everyone thought Russia was...
European Union Imposes Sanctions On Top Russian Officials
BRUSSELS, July 25 (Reuters) – The European Union said on Saturday it had imposed asset freezes on a number of top Russian officials, including the chiefs of Russia’s FSB security service and foreign intelligence service. Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB, and Mikhail Fradkov, head of the foreign intelligence service, were among 15...
A Proud Russkiy Citizen or an Upatriotic Traitor of Mother Russia?
I refuse to be defined by my passport — both literally and metaphorically. Surely there’s more to an individual than his personal identification number and/or the color of his passport? There was a time, not so long ago, when I traveled with my parents as a post-Soviet kid, and each time we pulled out our exotic-looking,...
Weekend Roundup: Queen Rania vs. Shimon Peres
Two icons of peace and conciliation in the Middle East, Queen Rania of Jordan and Israel’s outgoing president, Shimon Peres, are at bitter loggerheads in this week’s WorldPost. While Peres speaks of Israel’s “moral heritage” and the undisputed right to defend itself against Hamas missiles, Queen Rania pleads for a...
Malaysia Air Flight 17: Let Grief, Not Anger, Guide Us
The downing of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 by a missile over rebel held territory in the eastern Ukraine is a tragedy that senselessly ended 298 lives. But to avoid more such catastrophes, we need to let grief, not anger, guide our response. Anger clouds sound judgment; it allows the current tragedy to become a seed for new ones. We need to...
AP Journalists Saw Rebels With BUK Missiles Hours Before MH17 Crashed
SNIZHNE, Ukraine (AP) — It was lunchtime when a tracked launcher with four SA-11 surface-to-air missiles rolled into town and parked on Karapetyan Street. Fifteen hundred miles (2,400 kilometers) to the west, passengers were checking in for Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. It had been a noisy day in this eastern Ukrainian town, residents...
