New Moscow-Kyiv Dispute Strains Ukraine Peace Plan



New Moscow-Kyiv Dispute Strains Ukraine Peace Plan

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A peace plan to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine came under renewed strain Wednesday, with Ukraine and Russia clashing publicly over the next steps and further Ukrainian military casualties from rebel attacks testing a fragile cease-fire. Moscow reacted sharply after Ukraine agreed Tuesday to confer special status on rebel-controlled eastern regions and grant them limited self-rule — but only once local elections had been held under Ukrainian law, something unpalatable for rebel...

Navy Seal Killed During Parachute Training Exercise In Perris - CBS Local

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USA TODAY

Navy Seal Killed During Parachute Training Exercise In Perris
CBS Local
PERRIS (CBSLA.com/AP) — A U.S. Navy Seal was killed Wednesday during a parachute training exercise in Riverside County. Paramedics responded just before 9:10 a.m. near Richard Street and Highway 74 in the unincorporated area of Perris, according ...
Navy SEAL dies in Calif. parachute training accidentUSA TODAY
Navy SEAL Dies In Training Accident In CaliforniaHuffington Post
AP sources: Navy SEAL dies in California training accidentSan Francisco Chronicle
CNN International -UPI.com
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West's Mistrust of Russia Over Ukraine Imperils Global Security

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Deep mistrust between the West and Russia over Moscow's aggressive actions in Ukraine is threatening global security, top government officials say, and there is little sign of progress in ending the conflict or of rebuilding deteriorated relations. VOA’s Mary Alice Salinas reports from the State Department.

Tunisia Museum Attack Is Blow to Nation's Democratic Shift - New York Times

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New York Times

Tunisia Museum Attack Is Blow to Nation's Democratic Shift
New York Times
CAIRO — Gunmen in military uniforms killed 19 people on Wednesday in a midday attack on a museum in downtown Tunis, dealing a new blow to the tourist industry that is vital to Tunisia as it struggles to consolidate the only transition to democracy after the ...
Museum attack a 'great calamity' for Tunisia's young democracyLos Angeles Times
Two Britons "caught up" in Tunis museum shootingTelegraph.co.uk
Gunmen storm Tunisian museum, kill 17 foreign touristsReuters
Xinhua -Al Jazeera America -Daily Mail
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West's Mistrust of Russia Over Ukraine Imperils Global Security

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Deep mistrust between the West and Russia over Moscow's aggressive actions in Ukraine is threatening global security, top government officials say, and there is little sign of progress in ending...
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Swedish police: Several people shot, some dead, in Goteborg

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STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Swedish police say several people have been shot inside a restaurant in the city of Goteborg and that some of have died....
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Edward VIII's letter to woman he had affair with reveals he was 'sick of my bloody job'

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Edward, who was known as the Prince of Wales at the time, wrote the letter to Freda Dudley Ward, a married mother-of-two, who had a five-year affair with him before he married Wallis Simpson.

AP source: Secret Service knows suspect in cyanide probe - KVVU Las Vegas

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AP source: Secret Service knows suspect in cyanide probe
KVVU Las Vegas
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin). Uniformed Secret Service agents patrol the top of the White House as seen from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 17, 2015. According to the Secret Service a letter sent to the White House tenta.

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Ukrainian's Poroshenko agrees on Russian sanctions with Joe Biden - Irish Independent

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Irish Independent

Ukrainian's Poroshenko agrees on Russian sanctions with Joe Biden
Irish Independent
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko agreed in a telephone call that sanctions against Russia must be tied to the full implementation of the Minsk peace plan, the White House said.

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Navy SEAL killed when parachute fails to open during training - AL.com

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AL.com

Navy SEAL killed when parachute fails to open during training
AL.com
Skydiver Death This image from video provided by KABC-TV Los Angeles shows first responders standing by the flag-draped body of a skydiver in Perris, Calif., Wednesday, March 18, 2015. The skydiver believed to be a member of the military. The Riverside ...

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Tunisia terrorism attack: injured taken from Bardo museum - video 

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Ambulances take tourists and Tunisians from the scene of a deadly attack at the renowned Bardo national museum in Tunis. At least 20 people were killed when suspected Islamist extremists attacked the museum and its patrons with automatic weapons on Wednesday. Most of the dead were foreigners, with the Tunisian authorities branding it an attack on the country's economy Continue reading...

Multiple deaths after restaurant shooting in Sweden

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STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Several people were killed in a restaurant shooting in the Swedish city of Gothenburg on Wednesday in what police say was likely to be a gang-related shooting.






  
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Biden, Poroshenko Agree On Russia Sanction Action

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U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko have agreed that sanctions against Russia must be linked to the full implementation of the February Minsk agreement. 

Italian Politician Looks to Highlight Gay Rights by Getting Married in Canada 

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Nicola Vendola, one of the first openly gay politicians in Italy, has announced his plan to marry his Canadian partner in Canada, as Italy has no current plan to legalize gay marriage.
The 56-year-old LGBT activist, who is also the left-wing representative for the traditionally conservative southern region of Puglia, is giving serious thoughts on starting a family and having children, Agence France-Presse reports.
“Everything is going to change, I’m going to marry Ed,” Vendola said about his partner Eddy Testa.
Although Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has announced plans to allow same-sex civil partnerships, the influential Catholic Church vehemently opposes extending this to nuptials.
Vendola also clashed with Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Italy’s influential gay fashion-designer duo, who recently drew the wrath of pop legend Elton John by describing children born to gay parents via IVF as “synthetic babies.”
“From their elevated social rung they don’t really understand what it means to live in a country where homophobia kills and the lack of basic rights weighs heavily on many people’s lives,” said Vendola.
[AFP]

Yellow cabs now outnumbered by Uber cars on NYC streets

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NEW YORK (AP) -- New York City's storied yellow cabs are taking a back seat to black cars....

Rights Group Criticizes Use of Cluster Bombs in Ukraine

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A U.S.-based rights group says both government and rebel forces used cluster bombs in eastern Ukraine in January and February, killing at least 13 civilians including two children. Human Rights Watch said Thursday that neither side in the conflict should be using such weapons and warned that their use could constitute a war crime. A spokesman for the rights group said not only do the weapons affect a large area when detonated, which endangers civilians, but unexploded munitions remain...

EU won't lift sanctions on Russia until Minsk conditions met - Merkel - Reuters UK

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Reuters UK

EU won't lift sanctions on Russia until Minsk conditions met - Merkel
Reuters UK
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel address a news conference following talks at the Chancellery in Berlin March 16, 2015. Credit: Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch ...
Lifting Sanctions Against Russia Premature at Present Stage - MerkelSputnik International 
Eurozone has not yet fully overcome debt crisis, says MerkelTHE BUSINESS TIMES

Obama, Merkel discuss Ukraine, Greek crises Web India

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Two Killed As Gunmen Spray Bar With Bullets

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Gunmen with Kalashnikovs attack a pub in an area of Sweden plagued by violence between rival criminal gangs.

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No Links Seen Between Terrorists and Gunmen in Tunisia Museum Attack, Premier Says 

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Officials have identified the attackers, who killed 19 people at the National Bardo Museum, as Yassine Laabidi and Hatem Khachnaoui.

Here are the salaries of 13 major world leaders - Business Insider

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Here are the salaries of 13 major world leaders
Business Insider
Earlier this month Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he and almost everyone working for him would take a 10% pay cut because of mounting economic sanctions imposed on his country. Whether Putin and his staff will actually feel the slash ...

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Putin Urges Russian Business Leaders to Return Capital - New York Times

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NDTV

Putin Urges Russian Business Leaders to Return Capital
New York Times
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged a gathering of Russia's billionaires and business leaders to return their capital to Russia and suggested that funds kept abroad could be frozen. In an apparent reference to the possibility of further U.S. ... 
Putin Takes His Wacky War Games One Step FurtherThe Fiscal Times

Russia expands military exercises to 80000 troopsThe Guardian Nigeria
Only Moscow can stop itThe News International
The Moscow Times
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'They shot anything that moved': Tourists caught up in Tunisian museum massacre reveal how gunmen slaughtered indiscriminately, with a father forced to watch his wife and child killed

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Survivors of the Tunisia massacre have described how the two militants gunned down 'anything that moved' on a busy museum plaza before taking more than 100 tourists hostage.

Chechen Man Faces Trial For Feeding Alleged Militant

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A man accused of buying food for a militant in Russia's Chechnya region faces trial on charges of acting as an accomplice to armed outlaws.

Ex-convict arrested in Phoenix-area shootings that killed 1 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ex-convict arrested in Phoenix-area shootings that killed 1
Atlanta Journal Constitution
MESA, Ariz. — A gunman killed one person and wounded five others Wednesday in a rampage that included a motel shooting, a carjacking and a home invasion and ended with his arrest at a nearby apartment in suburban Phoenix. The suspect was taken ...
Arizona shooting suspect has history of violenceMSNBC
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'I just got shot': Bloody selfie posted by Arizona shooting spree victim, 20 ...Daily Mail
Christian Science Monitor -Business Standard -ABC15 Arizona
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Islamic State claims Tunisia attack

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TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia said it would deploy the army to major cities and arrested nine people on Thursday after 20 foreign tourists were shot dead at a museum in the capital in an attack claimed by Islamic State.
  

EU gears up for propaganda war with Russia

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is set to launch a first operation in a new propaganda war with Russia within days of EU leaders giving formal approval to the campaign at a summit on Thursday.
  

ISIS destroy 4th Century Mar Benham monastery in Iraq

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The ancient building, built by Assyrian king Senchareb 1,600 years ago, stood in the Christian-dominated town of Bakhdida, just 20 miles south east of oil rich ISIS stronghold Mosul.

Tunisia Reels From a Terror Attack Possibly Linked to ISIS

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With Tunisians reeling from the terror attack that killed 18 foreign tourists on Wednesday in the heart of their capital, the government scrambled to try avert any further attacks, while accounting for how gunmen were able to mount the deadliest operation in decades, in broad daylight and with seemingly little difficulty.
Late Wednesday, security forces arrested nine people, five of whom were believed to be directly connected to the attack on the National Bardo Museum, according to Tunisia’s presidential office, which said the suspects were part of a terror “cell.” In the worst attack on foreigners in 13 years—andwith the highest death toll perhaps ever—two gunmen cornered the tourists in the museum parking lot early Wednesday afternoon, massacring several of them, before holding several others under siege inside. Security forces stormed the building about four hours later, killing the attackers and freeing the hostages. Among those killed were tourists from Spain, Italy, Poland and Germany, most of whom were passengers on a Mediterranean cruise-liner that had stopped for a day of sight seeing in Tunis.
As the shock sank in on Wednesday night, 88-year-old Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, who took office only in January after the country’s first presidential elections, vowed an all-out fight against jihadists. Tunisia, he said in a televised address, was “in a war with terror, and these savage minority groups will not frighten us. The fight against them will continue until they are exterminated.” Parliament on Thursday pledged more funds to beef up security and intelligence.
Yet despite the aggressive talk, Tunisians wondered whether their country’s security has been too lax, and how the growing threats within this small country of 11 million people had gone unnoticed.On Thursday, Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid admitted that one of the two gunman had been under surveillance, although it appeared that Tunisia’s security forces did not have information linking him to a specific militant organization. “He was known to the security services, he was flagged and monitored,” said Essid, speaking to the French network RTL. “We are in the process of further investigation. We cannot say which organization they belong to.”
Despite that, early suspicions of who was behind Wednesday’s attack point to the Islamic State of Iraq and greater Syria (ISIS). Tunisian analysts speculated on Wednesday that the attack on the museum might have been timed in retaliation for the death earlier this week of Ahmed al-Rouissi, one of Tunisia’s most wanted militants, who was killed fighting with ISIS in the Libyan city of Sirt.
On Thursday, the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist organizations, provided an English translation of an ISIS audio statement to the New York Times, in which the organization claimed responsibility for the tourist massacre, and warned of more violence to come. “We tell the apostates who sit on the chest of Muslim Tunisia: Wait for the glad tidings of what will harm you, impure ones, for what you have seen today is the first drop of the rain, God willing,” the paper quoted the statement saying. “You will not enjoy security, nor be pleased with peace, while the Islamic State has men like these.”
There might also have been a warning shortly before the attack. A few hours before the gunmen opened fire at the museum, an ISIS supporter tweeted, “Coming good news to Tunisia’s Muslims,”according to Britain’s Daily Mail. The tweeter, whose handle is @riff0BA, promised “a shock to the disbelievers and the hypocrites, especially those who claim to be cultured.'”
When gunfire exploded on Wednesday afternoon, residents in Tunis could scarcely believe that their breezy seaside city was under a terrorist attack. Sayida Ounissi, 28, a member of parliament for the Islamist political party Ennahda, told TIME on Thursday that many of her colleagues in parliament at first brushed off the security alert, not believing that they might be in danger; the lawmakers were in session, discussing new anti-terrorism measures, when the gunmen attacked the nearby National Bardo Museum. “Despite all of the threats and assassinations, most of us living in the city think of terrorism as something happening outside, in Iraq and Libya,” Ounissi said, by phone from Tunis. “I was one of the rare people who took the alert seriously.” She quickly began to leave the parliament, followed by her colleagues.
That illusion of safety has been severely shaken. Indeed, Tunisian analysts believe that jihadist organizations see the country and its democratically elected government as a particularly juicy target. That is because Tunisia’s 2011 Jasmine Revolution sparked a wave of uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, emerging as the sole democracy from the Arab Spring.
Wedged between Algeria, where al-Qaeda affiliates are active, and unstable Libya, where ISIS is waging increasing attacks, tiny Tunisia seems highly vulnerable. Tunisian officials estimate that more than 3,000 citizens have fought with jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria over the past four years—making it one of the biggest sources of foreign fighters in the world. About 500 of them have since returned. Battle-trained, some could be planning to wage attacks at home. “We know very well that the Tunisia model is not to everyone’s satisfaction,” says Ounissi. “You have a Muslim democracy in a region with extremist organizations, who do not want freedom and democracy.”
Still, Wednesday’s attacks appeared to have inspired intense determination among Tunisians to protect their democratic revolution. After dark on Wednesday thousands of people poured into Tunis’s main boulevard, Avenue Habib Bouguiba, signing the national anthem and holding handwritten signs proclaiming that terrorism would not prevail. Others gathered in a candlelight vigil outside the Bardo Museum, shaken by the gruesome bloodshed on the city’s streets. “You can see the sense of shock on everyone’s faces,” says Jerry Sorkin, an American tour operator who has lived in Tunis for many years, and runs a cultural-tour company called TunisUSA. “People are not going to tolerate the violence,” he says, speaking by phone from the capital on Thursday. “They have gone so far in forming a democracy.”
Nonetheless, Wednesday’s attacks are likely to have a drastic effect on Tunisia, especially on the vital tourist industry, which has suffered since the Arab Spring. The travel industry makes up about seven percent of the country’s economy, and employs nearly 500,000 people. A two-hour flight from Paris, Tunisia’s sun-baked coastline drew millions of tourists before the revolution. Tunisia was hoping that this year’s summer would mark an upturn in tourists, many of whom have stayed away since 2011. But Sorkin says he had received several calls and emails since Wednesday from nervous clients who have booked tours to Tunisia. ” All we can tell them is, we really think this is an isolated situation,” he says.
Tunisians are hoping that is the case. On Thursday, Tunisia’s former Minister of Information Oussama Romdani, who served under Ben Ali, sent TIME an email titled simply, “how to help after the attack.” Inside was a photograph of a sunny Mediterranean beach, with the words: “Keep calm and visit Tunisia.”
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Lord Green: I was not 'asleep at wheel' at HSBC

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Excerpt of interview shows former bank head denying Margaret Hodge’s accusation and insisting that it was a ‘tower of strength’ during the financial crisis
Lord Green, the man who headed HSBC during the period when its Swiss bank helped wealthy customers dodge millions in tax, said he was “plainly not” asleep at the wheel in fresh extracts from his first public comments since the scandal broke.
Channel 4 News has published further details of an interview obtained after the broadcaster confronted Green during a lecture on banking ethics at a City of London church on Wednesday night.
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Shocked Survivors Recount Tunisia Horror

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An Italian woman shot in the attack tells how she and other tourists hid behind exhibits as gunmen sprayed bullets in the museum.

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The Warlord Checkmates The Tsar

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Vladimir Putin essentially had to choose between his handpicked Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, and his beloved FSB/KGB. Neither choice is great for the regime.

What's behind Russia's massive muscle-flexing? - Christian Science Monitor

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Christian Science Monitor

What's behind Russia's massive muscle-flexing?
Christian Science Monitor
Moscow — Strategic bombers to Crimea, nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles to Kaliningrad, and unprecedented war games in Russia's far north: Virtually every unit, from paratroopers to antisubmarine forces, appears to be out in the field ...
Russia to Send New Missiles to Baltic Exclave on ManeuversABC News
Russia says drills prove ability to quickly deploy forcesU-T San Diego
As tensions with Russia spiral, where is NATO?Reuters Blogs (blog)
Globalnews.ca
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Study Reveals Genetic Path of Modern Britons

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Researchers found that the modern British population falls into 17 clusters that are all very similar but genetically distinguishable.

U.S. Destroys Islamic State Drone In Iraq

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The U.S. military says it has destroyed a drone being used by Islamic State militants to scout the positions of their battlefield opponents

Valentin Rasputin, Russian Writer Who Led ‘Village Prose’ Movement, Dies at 77 

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Conservatives praised Mr. Rasputin as a keeper of the Russian soul, while liberals expressed concern about his nationalist views.

Study: Bilinguals Negotiate Between Two Views

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According to a new study, speaking two languages may influence how people perceive the world around them by putting a different emphasis on certain reactions. Psycholinguists from Britain's Lancaster University say bilinguals may have a more flexible way of thinking by paying attention to things inherently emphasized in different cultures. They say that for instance Japanese speakers usually group objects by material they are made of instead of their shape, while Korean speakers emphasize on how objects fit together. Likewise, the Russian language has different words and a more precise distinction between light blue and dark blue colors, while the English language does not. Another test showed that after being distracted in one language bilinguals tended to have their responses influenced by the second language.  In other words, English-German speakers acted like typical Germans when their English was “blocked” by repeating strings of numbers in German.  The same worked the other way around. Lancaster University scientists say the conclusion is that bilinguals have ability to negotiate between different perspectives in reaching conclusions about the world around them. Critics say the tests were only laboratory experiments and the findings may not apply to everyday life situations.

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Health of Jailed Russian Tycoon Failing as Trial Approaches

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The health of billionaire and political activist Gleb Fetisov, the wealthiest man behind bars in Russia, is deteriorating as he enters his second year in pretrial detention.

West's Mistrust of Russia Over Ukraine Imperils Global Security

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Deep mistrust between the West and Russia over Moscow's aggressive actions in Ukraine is threatening global security, top government officials say, and there is little sign of progress in ending the conflict or rebuilding deteriorating relations. The impact of events in Ukraine extends far beyond the country’s conflict-battered eastern region, where residents struggle to live with widespread destruction and periodic skirmishes between government troops and pro-Russian rebels that further imperil a delicate cease-fire deal. Western officials say what happens in Ukraine will affect the future of relations between the West and Russia. It has cast into question Russia’s credibility as global powers work with Moscow on critical security issues around the globe. “We have a lot of issues that we would like to work with Russia on and are working with Russia on: Iran, Syria, non-proliferation,” said Celeste Wallander, Senior Director for Russia and Eurasia on the U.S. National Security Council. “These are important issues. But we have to have a willing partner that we can trust.” Wallander spoke at a Washington forum on the role of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The United States and other Western nations accuse Russia of continuing to violate Minsk agreements reached in September and February calling for a cease-fire and the withdrawal of fighters and heavy weapons from conflict zones in eastern Ukraine. A core concern given Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, say top Western leaders, is whether Russia will honor other international commitments and agreements? With rising uncertainty and mutual suspicion, Russia is increasing its show of military might with ramped up exercises and NATO is flexing its muscle with land, air and sea drills in the Black Sea region. Need to rebuild trust German ambassador Rudiger Ludeking, who took part in the OSCE conference, said the Ukraine crisis threatens trans-Atlantic security. He added that rebuilding trust will be a priority when Germany takes over as OSCE chair next year. "Quite clearly the question of European security and how to get back to building trust will be very high, if not on top of the agenda," Ludeking said. During the OSCE forum, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Olexander Motsyk, and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Kislyak, sat next to each other on stage, but the divide between them was clear. Motsyk said Russian “aggression” in the conflict “must be stopped now so that it would not be felt in Moldova and Georgia, and to prevent it from expanding to the Baltic and other countries.” Kislyak said the claim against Russia is “absolutely out of this world.” U.S. security officials said the Ukraine crisis puts at risk not only European security, but also Washington’s relationship with Moscow. “Will the order that was created and has made Europe so prosperous and so secure, be threatened by the actions of an incredibly powerful and significant country that should be part of the solution, not the core of the problem?" Wallander asked. The forum took place the same week that Russians held massive rallies to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. 

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G.M. Exiting Russia, for the Most Part 

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The automaker will shutter its main factory and wind down sales of the Opel, but it will continue to market the Cadillac and other expensive cars.






GM Exiting Russia, for the Most Part - New York Times

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New York Times

GM Exiting Russia, for the Most Part
New York Times
The move reverses years of G.M. investments in Russia, where car sales had boomed. Now, however, the country is struggling with low oil prices and sanctions on its banks, and its economy is expected to contract 4 percent this year. “This decision ...
GM to Close Russian Assembly PlantWall Street Journal
GM puts brakes on its Russian operationsCNNMoney
GM
 
Says It Won't Throw Good Money After Bad in Russia; Closes Factory, Cuts ...Forbes
 
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 Detroit Free Press -ABC News
 
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Vladimir Putin's Russia is treading water in a sea of red ink - Reuters Blogs (blog)

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Reuters Blogs (blog)

Vladimir Putin's Russia is treading water in a sea of red ink
Reuters Blogs (blog)
As President Vladimir Putin looks out on to the world stage, he should be relishing Russia'srenewed status as a global player. But when Putin looks homeward, he sees a different reality. Three months into 2015, Russia's economic forecast ranges from ...
Crimea Annexation Anniversary: Russia Parties, Beefs Up MilitaryNBCNews.com
Russia To Scramble Bombers in Show of MightDefenseNews.com
Is Putin about to provoke conflict beyond Ukraine?CNBC
The Guardian -Telegraph.co.uk
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Arthur A. Hartman, U.S. Ambassador to Soviet Union, Dies at 89

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Mr. Hartman, who was appointed envoy to the Soviet Union by Ronald Reagan, filled a dozen or so economic and diplomatic Foreign Service posts over four decades.






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Sergei Diaghilev: ballet, beauty and the beast 

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Sjeng Scheijen on the life of the Ballet Russes founder, born on March 19 1872 








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В санкционный список России попали более 200 иностранцев :: Новости :: ТВ Центр - Официальный сайт телекомпании - ТВ Центр - Официальный сайт телеканала

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ТВ Центр - Официальный сайт телеканала

В санкционный список России попали более 200 иностранцев :: Новости :: ТВ Центр - Официальный сайт телекомпании
ТВ Центр - Официальный сайт телеканала
В список иностранных граждан, которым запрещен въезд в Россию, попали более 200 человек. Как сообщили "Известия", в основном это политики, чиновники и антироссийски настроенные общественные деятели. По данным МИД России, список может быть расширен в случае ...
В черные списки России попало свыше 200 иностранцевЗолотой Рог
Москва составила "черный список" иностранцев-русофобов: туда вошли Джон Маккейн и помощники ОбамыМосковский комсомолец
В санкционные списки России попало свыше 200 иностранцевFrant.me - Информационный портал Кузбасса
Взгляд -Аналитическое агентство "Русь Православная" -Утро.Ru
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Five Demographic Drivers in Russia

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Paul Goble

 

            Staunton, March 19 – Demography is not destiny except perhaps in the long term, but demographic developments can represent serious constraints and direct challenges to any country’s political elites.  Moscow faces an increasing number of these, and five of them have been noted in the Russian media this week.

 

  • Russian Cities Dying; Muslim Cities Booming. Moscow routinely talks about demographic figures for the country as a whole because the differences between those predominantly ethnic Russian areas with low birthrates and high death rates and those predominantly Muslim areas with high birthrates and low death rates.  The Chechen city of Argun had the highest birthrate per 1000 in 2011-2013 of 46, a figure close to those in sub-Saharan Africa, and 16 times the rate in the Russian city of Trubchevsk in Bryansk oblast which had a birthrate of only 2.9 per 1,000. Conversely, predominantly Russian cities had death rates of above 50 per 1,000, equivalent to losses during the Mongol conquest and vastly higher than those in Muslim areas. As a result of this pattern, almost three-quarters of Russian Federation cities have seen their population decline, despite the “positive” numbers Moscow often cites (daily.rbc.ru/special/society/17/03/2015/5506d6979a79471b5dcfdcee).
     
  • Even Nations Losing Their Languages are Retaining Their Identities. Peoples who lose their national languages are generally assumed to be on the way to assimilation to the larger ones whose language they have accepted. But that may not always be the case.  Many of Russia’s Finno-Ugric nationalities are rapidly losing their languages, but many of their number who are no longer speaking their languages are nonetheless retaining their national identities. That does not mean that these peoples are not in trouble or that their languages should not be supported, but what it does mean is that there is a new category among such peoples who may prove a challenge to Moscow in the Russian: Non-Russians who speak only Russian but who continue to identify as members of their original nationality. That not only provides the basis for national revival but also creates a category of people who will have the skills to challenge the assimilating nation in new ways (mariuver.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/fu-ros-vymir/).
     
  • Are Fewer Gastarbeiters Coming to Russia or Not?  Konstantin Romodanovsky, the head of the Federal Migration Service, says that the decline in the number of people coming from Central Asia to work in Russia has stopped and that a significant portion of the earlier decline reflects better policing of the border rather than the Russian economic crisis Romodanovsky’s words are a reminder of how tricky Russian statistics on migration are: officials can count legal migrants but only estimate illegal ones, something that makes it difficult if not impossible there as elsewhere to know what the total of the two really is (nazaccent.ru/content/15231-romodanovskij-v-2014-godu-rossiya-zakryla.html).
     
  • Ukrainians Form 40 Percent of 100,000 Compatriots Moving to Russia. Ninety-eight percent of the 100,000 people who returned to Russia last year under Moscow’s program for compatriots came from CIS countries, and 39.2 percent of the total came from Ukraine alone, according to the Federal Migration Service. Most of them settled in areas in and around Moscow and not in the more distant regions the center had hoped they would choose (ria.ru/society/20150317/1052949628.html).
     
  • Needing Food, Moscow Lists More Farm Jobs as Alternative to Military Service.  As the prime draft-age cohort declines in size, the Russian government has drafted many people with physical and mental problems. But in the current situation, Moscow also faces the challenge of finding more young people to work in agriculture and produce food.  Its solution: the Russian government has now expanded the list of agricultural professions those who want to avoid military service can choose as an alternative. Among them is reindeer herding (nazaccent.ru/content/15200-v-kachestve-alternativnoj-sluzhby-v-armii.html).
     
     
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· · ·

Russia Targets NATO With Military Exercises - STRATFOR

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STRATFOR

Russia Targets NATO With Military Exercises
STRATFOR
Russian military exercises, the latest in a series across the country, have taken on a threatening posture. While the most recent installment is not the largest exercise Russia has conducted, the areas involved and the forces included seem to have been ...
NATO intercepts Russian military aircraftCNN 
Crimea Annexation Anniversary: Russia Parties, Beefs Up MilitaryNBCNews.com

What's behind Russia's massive muscle-flexing? (+video)Christian Science Monitor 
ABC News
 -Globalnews.ca

all 271 news articles »

Британские военные инструкторы начали обучать украинских солдат - Российская Газета

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Российская Газета

Британские военные инструкторы начали обучать украинских солдат
Российская Газета
Британские военные инструкторы приступили к обучению украинских силовиков. Об этом информирует ТАСС со ссылкой на ВВС. В частности, сообщается, что в Николаеве 35 английских специалистов уже обучают военнослужащих Украины оборонительной тактике и оказанию ...
Британские военные уже тренируют украинскихУкраинское национальное информагентство
Британские военнослужащие начали обучение солдат украинской армииРБК
СМИ: британские инструкторы начали подготовку украинских военныхРИА Новости
ЛІГА.net -РБК Украина
Все похожие статьи: 80 »

Russia slaps personal sanctions on 200+ foreign citizens – report - RT

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RT

Russia slaps personal sanctions on 200+ foreign citizens – report
RT
The report about the new list of foreigners subject to entry bans and asset freezes in Russia was published in the Thursday issue of the popular daily Izvestia. The newspaper referred to an undisclosed source in the presidential administration and the ...
EU, US Officials, Including John Boehner, May Be Added To Russia's Blacklist ...International Business Times

all 5 news articles »


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