Section: Main news

      2016 Will Be a Make It or Break It Year for Ukraine
      Jan12

      2016 Will Be a Make It or Break It Year for Ukraine

      Two years ago, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians braved the freezing temperatures on Kyiv’s Maidan to protest. Since then, Ukraine has gone through almost too many crises to count: upheaval with the ousting of former President Viktor Yanukovych; Russian occupation of Crimea; a war with Russian forces in the Donbas that continues to...

      Putin ‘didn’t mean to scare Merkel’

      President Vladimir Putin said that he did not mean to scare German Chancellor Angela Merkel with his dog at a meeting in 2007. ||| Moscow – Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Monday that he did not mean to scare German Chancellor Angela Merkel with his dog at a meeting in 2007.Merkel is rumoured to have a...

      Russia ‘wants global action on terrorism’

      Russia wants to fight terrorism jointly with the rest of the world, President Vladimir Putin said. ||| Moscow – Russia wants to fight terrorism jointly with the rest of the world, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Monday, while again accusing the West of exacerbating international crises that had contributed to it....

      Netflix almost global

      Netflix’s video-streaming service went live in more than 130 countries on Wednesday, covering almost the entire globe. ||| Las Vegas – Netflix’s video-streaming service went live in more than 130 countries on Wednesday, covering almost the entire globe except China, in a huge global push by Chief Executive Reed Hastings to...

      Merkel to receive Four Freedoms Award

      German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named as this year’s recipient of a prestigious international award. ||| The Hague, Netherlands – German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named as this year’s recipient of a prestigious international award, with organisers lauding her “great moral leadership” in Germany and pivotal role...

      How Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Sabotaged the Reform Process
      Jan06

      How Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Sabotaged the Reform Process

      Viktor Shokin, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, was upbeat in his New Year’s message to colleagues. While “2015 was a difficult and responsible year for us all,” he wrote, we “carried out unprecedented reform and overhaul of the prosecutor’s system, bringing it closer to European standards.” Almost thirty...

      Ten Reasons Why I’m Optimistic About Ukraine’s Economy in 2016
      Jan05

      Ten Reasons Why I’m Optimistic About Ukraine’s Economy in 2016

      The outlook for the Ukrainian economy in 2016 is positive. Many important reforms were carried out in 2015. The necessary exchange rate adjustment has occurred and most required bank closures have taken place. The parliament has adopted tax changes and a decent budget for 2016. The debt restructuring deal has postponed foreign debt service. The...

      Airline ‘bans checked bags on flights’

      Malaysia Airlines temporarily banned checked-in baggage on its flights from Kuala Lumpur to Europe due to strong headwinds. ||| Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia Airlines on Tuesday temporarily banned checked-in baggage and limited the weight of cabin bags on its flights from Kuala Lumpur to Europe due to strong headwinds.Starting late Tuesday...

      Putin’s Next Potential Target: The Baltic States
      Jan05

      Putin’s Next Potential Target: The Baltic States

      Although Russia’s economy is reeling and its military forces are increasingly engaged in Syria and Ukraine, NATO commanders, governments, and analysts are concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s adventurism has not run its course. Most anxieties focus on the Baltic states as Russia’s next potential military...

      From Ordinary Business Trip to Russian Jail: Former Ukrainian Political Prisoner Exhorts West to Keep Pressure on Russia
      Jan05

      From Ordinary Business Trip to Russian Jail: Former Ukrainian Political Prisoner Exhorts West to Keep Pressure on Russia

      Editor’s Note: Yuriy Yatsenko testified before the US Helsinki Commission in Washington on December 11, 2015. His remarks have been shortened.I am a Ukrainian citizen who was illegally arrested and detained by the Russian Federation for over a year for political reasons. Nadiya Savchenko, Oleg Sentsov, and others who are less known have...