Section: News & Summaries
BBC: North Korea carries out second failed missile launch
North Korea has conducted an unsuccessful launch of an intermediate-range missile, according to the South Korean military, the BBC has reported. This is the second failed test in less than a week after the North`s recent launch of a Musudan missile, which has an estimated range of 4,000km (2,500 miles), according to the BBC. It is said to be...
No Peace without the People: A Case for Grassroots Reconciliation in Ukraine
This week’s meeting in Paris of the Normandy Four is a critical one. If there is no measurable progress there to advance a framework for peace in Ukraine, public sentiment that Minsk is exhausted as a peace process will only grow. (Editor’s note: France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine agreed to a preliminary roadmap for implementing the...
Ukraine views $3 bln loan as Putin`s bribe to Yanukovych to give up EU integration plans
Kyiv authorities consider a $3 billion loan from Russia negotiated between then-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2013 as a `political bribe`, which the Kremlin paid to encourage Ukraine to give up its EU integration plans. In this regard, Ukraine is ready to defend its position in court, Ukraine`s...
Major Russian naval deployment to intensify Aleppo assault – Reuters
Russian warships off the coast of Norway are carrying fighter bombers that are likely to reinforce a final assault on the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo in two weeks, a senior NATO diplomat said on Wednesday, citing Western intelligence, according to Reuters. The fleet passed by the Norwegian city of Bergen on Wednesday, the diplomat said, while...
Retail trade in Ukraine up by 3.3% since year`s start
Retail trade turnover in Ukraine grew by 3.3% since the beginning of the year, as compared to the same period last year (in constant prices), to UAH 829.8 billion, according to the State Statistics Service. The highest growth in retail turnover was recorded in Lviv and Kyiv regions – up by 7.6% and 6.9%, to UAH 49.2 billion and UAH 43.9 billion,...
Berlin meeting: Poroshenko agrees not to restore control of the border by Ukrainian government – armed OSCE mission will control it
The leaders of Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia agreed to draw up a road map by the end of November to carry out the Minsk peace agreement for eastern Ukraine, according to Radio Liberty. After six hours of talks on the wars in Ukraine and Syria in Berlin on October 19-20, German Chancellor Angela Merkel emerged to say the leaders ”didn`t...
EU leaders and slackers in supporting Ukraine`s reforms – Euromaidan Press
There is a regional divide in the willingness of EU member states to assist Ukraine, which undermines the EU`s effectiveness as a political player: the northern and eastern member states actively support Ukraine`s transition, there is a lack of engagement by many western and southern member states, Euromaidan Press reports. In a report from...
U.S. presidential debate: Trump won`t commit to accept poll result – BBC
Republican Donald Trump has refused to commit to accepting the election result if he loses, in the final TV debate against Hillary Clinton, according to BBC. ”I will tell you at the time,” he told moderator Chris Wallace. For days he has claimed the election is ”rigged”, BBC wrote. The Las Vegas debate continued the campaign`s bitter tone, with...
Reuters: Oil prices dip after strong rally, but sentiment remains confident
Oil prices dipped on Thursday on profit taking after markets rallied the previous day due to a draw in U.S. stocks and an expectation of an OPEC-led cut in production, according to Reuters. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were trading at $51.38 per barrel at 0238 GMT, down 22 cents from their last close, Reuters wrote....
NBU cuts official exchange rate to UAH 25.69 to dollar
The National Bank of Ukraine on Wednesday evening lowered the official hryvnia exchange rate by three kopiykas, bringing the national currency to UAH 25.69 to the dollar. The Central Bank set the following official exchange rates of the hryvnia against leading foreign currencies for October 20: $100 costs UAH 2,569.3239 (on October 19, it was UAH...