The U.S. and Global Security Review - Blog by Michael Novakhov

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Clash follows biggest flare-up in fighting on border since 1994 ceasefire ended war over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region

Azerbaijani forces have shot down an Armenian military helicopter, the defence ministry in Baku said, in a flare-up in the longstanding conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The downing on Wednesday follows fighting three months ago in which at least 14 Azerbaijani soldiers died. The clashes, which began in late July, marked the most serious military incident along the Karabakh frontier since the 1994 ceasefire that ended a bloody conflict over the disputed region.

Iraq Losing Billions In Oil Revenues Due To IS
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:34 PM

Iraq’s Oil Ministry has said that the country is losing as much as $1.2 billion a month in oil revenues as a result of Islamic State militants seizing oil refineries and pipelines in the areas it controls.

NATO says Russian troops in Ukraine — Kyiv readies for combat by Agence France-Presse
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:34 PM

GlobalPost - Home

On the ground, several hours of heavy artillery fire rocked Donetsk, the most intense fighting since the weekend.

The Kremlin-backed Sputnik news agency says it wants to counter western propaganda how does that translate into its content? RFE/RL picks five articles from this weeks launch

Russias latest media product is the Sputnik news agency, named after the Soviet space programme. It is an ambitious international venture translated in to dozens of languages from bureaus around the world.

Dmitry Kiselyov, the head of state-funded Rossiya Segodnya, Sputniks parent company, say the project aims to counter western propaganda.

NATO commander: Russian troops, tanks, artillery move into Ukraine
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:31 PM

CNN.Com - World

A NATO commander says Russian tanks, Russian artillery, Russian air defense systems and Russian troops have crossed the border into increasingly fragile Ukraine.

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Russian Troops Crossing Into Ukraine, NATO Saysby By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:29 PM

NYT > World

The confirmation comes after days of reports from Ukrainian and European officials of tanks crossing into eastern Ukraine in scenes reminiscent of Russia’s invasion of Crimea.

OSCE's Ukraine Drones Under Fire
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:28 PM

The director of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the group’s drones monitoring military activity in eastern Ukraine have been shot at and jammed, part of a rapidly deteriorating situation in the region.

European Space Agency’s Spacecraft Lands on Comet’s Surface by By KENNETH CHANG
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:28 PM

NYT > World

The ambitious mission succeeded, despite a potential showstopper problem, when a signal arrived at Darmstadt, Germany, just after 11 a.m. Eastern time.

Day of the Imprisoned Writer: Nelson Aguileraby Luisa Valenzuela
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:28 PM

News: Leading authors mount international protest to defend persecuted colleagues

Luisa Valenzuelas open letter to a writer sentenced to jail in Paraguay for allegedly plagiarising a novel

Dear Nelson Aguilera,

I want to extend to you my complete support as well as that of many of my colleagues. Your trial is reminiscent of a witch hunt, far removed from all literary debate. Along with the experts, I believe that there has been absolutely no plagiarism, but rather a similar approach to topics that are in the public domain. And since time is the subject of your book, let us imagine HG Wells former president of PEN International passing judgment on María Eugenia Garay [who brought the case of plagiarism against Aguilera]; as if intertextuality werent often part of literary creation.

The rise of Anonymous hacktivists - Tech Weekly podcastby Presented by Leigh Alexander and produced by Jason Phipps with Jemima Kiss, Alex Hern and Samuel Gibbs
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:26 PM

Academic and author Gabriella Coleman discusses how a loose group of online pranksters have over the last decade become powerful activists and gained global attention Continue reading...

US, China Highlight Cooperation as Differences Loom Large
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:26 PM

China and the United States have jointly announced what they are calling a major agreement on climate change. The agreement was reached following talks in Beijing between U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The two also pledged to work together on a wide range of issues, but differences between the two countries still loom large. VOA’s Bill Ide has more from Beijing.

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Russia to Expand Military Presence
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:25 PM

Russia will expand its military presence further from its borders, reaching into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean basin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

Stop making excessive demands of Iran in nuclear talks, Rouhani tells US by Saeed Kamali Dehghan
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:24 PM

World News - Breaking International News And Headlines | Sky News

Iranian president says Tehran has made utmost efforts and adjustments to its demands as deadline for nuclear pact nears

Irans president, Hassan Rouhani, has asked the US to stop making excessive demands in the negotiations over the countrys nuclear programme, saying Tehran had already made enough compromises to reach a permanent settlement with the west when the two sides meet next week.

Rouhani told his cabinet on Wednesday that the Iranian team would not retreat from the peoples rights when it travelled to Vienna to meet with diplomats from six major powers for what many see as a make-or-break moment.

US Sailors Attacked By Protesters In Istanbul
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:24 PM

The US embassy in Turkey says the incident, in which the US servicemen also had hoods forced over their heads, is "appalling".

Russia plans long-range bomber flights near North American waters: agency
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:23 PM

Reuters: World News

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday it planned patrols by long range bombers around North American waters, a move likely to raise Western concerns after NATO accusations of "provocative" incursions into European air space.

Video appears to show a gang of Turkish ultra-nationalists attacking US Navy sailors in Istanbul by Timothy McGrath
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:22 PM

GlobalPost - Home

This is really scary.

Timothy McGrath

There are endless reasons why people around the world might be angry at the US military. But there's no reason to attack a civilian-clothed Navy sailor on the street. Really not okay.

AP Top Headlines At 3:22 P.M. EST

BAGHDAD (AP) -- The attack was the most humiliating the Iraqi military had faced since June, when security forces melted away in the face of the Islamic State group's lightning advance across northern Iraq....

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US getting near-daily reports of drones flying near aircraft without permission by Associated Press in Washington
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:20 PM

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Sharp increase reported in drone sightings near airports and close to aircraft without the authorisation required by the FAA

The US government is getting near-daily reports and sometimes two or three a day of drones flying near airplanes and helicopters or close to airports without permission, federal and industry officials tell the Associated Press. Its a sharp increase from just two years ago when such reports were still unusual.

Many of the reports are filed with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by airline pilots. But other pilots, airport officials and local authorities often file reports as well, said the officials, who agreed to discuss the matter only on the condition that they not be named because they werent authorized to speak publicly. Michael Toscano, president of a drone industry trade group, said FAA officials also have verified the increase to him.

Russia just wants you to understand the truth by Dan Peleschuk
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:17 PM

GlobalPost - Home

MOSCOW — The last time Russia launched something called Sputnik, it captured the world’s attention and plunged the United States into a rut of self-doubt. Now the Kremlin is hoping to repeat the trick with a new media brand.

TIME

Is Julien Blanc the most hated man in the world? A series of online petitions against him suggest he might be.

Blanc, who describes himself as the “international leader in dating advice,” is a self-styled Pick-Up Artist (PUA) who travels around the US and around the world, teaching seminars to men on how to meet and seduce women. On Nov.6, Australia revoked Blanc’s visa before he held a seminar in Melbourne after an online Change.org petition argued he promoted “violence and emotional abuse against women.” The petition received thousands of signatures. After Blanc’s visa was revoked — and Victoria police confirmed that he had left the country — Australia’s immigration minister Scott Morrison explained the government’s position, saying, “This guy wasn’t putting forward political ideas, he was putting forward abuse that was derogatory to women and that’s just something, those are values abhorred in this country.”

But it seems like Australia’s not alone, as the backlash against Blanc has spread and petitions have cropped up to bar him from teaching seminars in the Japan, Canada, the UK and Brazil, among others.

PUAs have been around for years, selling themselves as dating gurus and charging men to attend seminars and conferences on learning the art of seduction. (For Blanc’s services, a course runs from $197 for 23 instructional videos to $497 for the videos and a ticket to a live event.) But while PUAs have always been controversial for their often sexist attitudes and demeaning views of human nature, Blanc seems to take the whole notion of The Game to an entirely different level. His now locked Twitter account includes statements such as, “Dear girls, could you please save me the effort and roofie your own drink?”

Meanwhile, videos of his seminars show him advocating – and even demonstrating – his particular techniques which include grabbing women by the throat or forcing women’s heads into his crotch. “At least in Tokyo, if you’re a white male,” Blanc says in one video to a room full of rapt men, “you can do what you want. I’m just romping through the streets, just grabbing girls’ heads, just like, head, pfft on the d–k. Head, on the d–k, yelling, ‘pikachu.’” As many of Blanc’s critics have pointed out, this doesn’t qualify as dating advice, it’s assault.

Sarah Green, spokesperson for the UK-based End Violence Against Women Coalition told TIME in an email, “We hope the Home Office will look at all the evidence available about Julien Blanc’s activities and refuse him a visa. His so-called pick up coaching promotes behavior amounting to sexual harassment and sexual assault. His comments and abuse of Asian women are deeply racist.”

Blanc is just one instructor employed by the US-based group Real Social Dynamics, which bills itself as the “World’s top dating coaching, self-actualization & social dynamics company” and holds seminars and “bootcamps” around the world for men who are looking for advice on chatting up women. RSD has been around for years, but the widespread backlash against the group — and Blanc — is a recent phenomenon. (Neither Blanc, nor RSD responded to TIME’s request for a comment.)

The backlash to Blanc gained momentum when Jenn Li, a Chinese-American woman living in Washington, D.C., came across the video of his lecture about Japanese women, which she found “horrifying.” Writing in The Independent, she described why she was inspired to start the hashtag #takedownJulienBlanc. “By perpetuating the idea that Asian women are a ‘free for all’ for predatory men, he is encouraging other pathetic men to abuse them.”

She also began posting the details about upcoming RSD events on Twitter and encouraging people to pressure the venues to cancel them, as well as sharing tweets and Facebook posts from Blanc, which she found offensive.

This week, her campaign has picked up steam. What’s more, other governments seem open to following the example from Down Under. Canada’s Citizen and Immigration Officer Chris Alexander responded to the Canadian Change.org petition on Twitter, posting:

1/ I see your tweets & am aware of #KeepJulienBlancOutofCanada. His content is completely counter to Canadian values and common decency.

— Chris Alexander (@MinChrisA) November 10, 2014

2/ My job is to ensure our imm system does not facilitate violence against anyone in Cda & ensure women are protected from all forms of such

— Chris Alexander (@MinChrisA) November 10, 2014

3/ We are looking at all options and will consider using every tool at our disposal to protect the rule of law on Canadian soil.

— Chris Alexander (@MinChrisA) November 10, 2014

Meanwhile, the UK’s petition, has already garnered some 70,000 signatures and significant attention from the press. (Though there is a competing Change.org petition in the UK, started by a Julian Noir, which advocates for the Home Office to not deny Blanc a visa, which the petition equates with “censorship,” it has received little attention in comparison.) When asked about the petition by TIME, the UK’s Home Office noted that they did not comment on individual cases, but added that Theresa May, Britain’s Home Secretary, “has the power to exclude an individual if she considers that his or her presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good.”

Read the whole story

· · · ·

White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite 'killed by sniper in Ukraine'
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:14 PM

News | Mail Online

Samantha Lewthwaite, 30, was gunned down by a Russian sniper two weeks ago, alleged Regnum news agency in Moscow.

Russian tanks and troops crossing Ukraine border, says NATO commander
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:13 PM

News | Mail Online

U.S. General Philip Breedlove said his officials witnessed the force cross over the 'completely wide-open' border between the countries at some point in the last two days.

Iraqi PM sacks 26 army commanders for incompetence and graft
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:11 PM

Reuters: World News

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi sacked 26 military commanders on Wednesday for corruption and incompetence, in an apparent effort to improve the army's performance against Islamic State militants.

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Chechen IS Militants In Kobani Vow To Save Kurds From Communism
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:10 PM

A group of Chechen militants fighting with Islamic State (IS) in the Syrian town of Kobani have said they will not allow the Kurdish people to be "symbolized by godlessness and communism."

Democrats' favorability hits new Gallup poll low - Charlotte Observer
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:06 PM

Democrats' favorability hits new Gallup poll low
Charlotte Observer
“Their favorability rating has never been lower,” said a Gallup analysis of a Nov. 6 to 9 survey. The good news: “The American public does not admire Republicans more, their numerous election victories notwithstanding. Neither party can say it is making ...

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Russian tanks and troops crossing into Ukraine, says Nato commander by Ewen MacAskill, defence correspondent
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:05 PM

General Philip Breedlove warns of renewed war as border between two countries becomes completely porous

Natos chief military commander has said that columns of Russian tanks, artillery and troops have been spotted crossing the border into Ukraine over the last two days, amid fears of a renewal of all-out conflict in the war-torn east of the country.

Moscow has denied that any columns have crossed the border and challenged Nato to produce evidence.

Family of Ebola Victim Reaches Settlement With Dallas Hospital - Wall Street Journal
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:05 PM

CBC.ca

Family of Ebola Victim Reaches Settlement With Dallas Hospital
Wall Street Journal
DALLAS—The family of the Liberian man who died of Ebola in Texas after initially being sent home from an emergency room with a prescription for antibiotics said Wednesday that it has reached a legal settlement with the hospital that treated him. Relatives ...
Ebola victim's family, hospital reach settlementSFGate
Ebola Victim's Family and Dallas Hospital Reach SettlementTIME
Family of deceased Ebola patient reaches agreement with Dallas hospitalFox News
Reuters- Fort Worth Star Telegram -CNN
all 112 news articles »

Ebola victim's family, hospital reach settlement - Charlotte Observer
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 6:05 PM

Ebola victim's family, hospital reach settlement
Charlotte Observer
Mai Wureh, center, sister of Thomas Eric Duncan, smiles after she and Josephus Weeks, nephew of Duncan, concluded a news conference in Dallas, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014. The hospital that treated Duncan, the only Ebola patient to die in the United ...

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Caution should be the watchword for scientists trying to predict the future by Philip Ball
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:25 PM

The acquittal of Italian seismologists over the LAquila earthquake is welcome. But in the business of forecasting, uncertainty is no excuse for complacency

The successful appeal of six Italian scientists against their manslaughter conviction, after they failed to predict a lethal earthquake in 2009, will be welcomed by the many researchers outraged by the initial court judgment. When the seismologists were put on trial in 2010 for allegedly giving residents of the town of LAquila a false sense of security about an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 that killed more than 300 people, around 5,000 scientists signed an open letter of protest addressed to the Italian president Giorgio Napolitano.

The letter stated: There is no accepted scientific method for earthquake prediction that can be reliably used to warn citizens of an impending disaster. To expect more of science at this time is unreasonable. The case was seen as evidence of an anti-science bias in Italian society and a failure to understand what scientific prediction is all about.

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Poll: Democratic Party image sinks to new low - USA TODAY
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:24 PM

USA TODAY

Poll: Democratic Party image sinks to new low
USA TODAY
The U.S. Capitol on Nov. 12, as Congress returns for the lame-duck session. The dome is shrouded in scaffolding for a long-term repair project. (J. Scott Applewhite, AP). The Democratic Party's image has hit a record low following the beating its members took ...
Election 2014: The Big PictureExpress Milwaukee
Voters (Sort Of) Say Republican Wave Was Repudiation Of Obama, DemocratsPeople's Pundit Daily
The Blue Banner's View: #ElectionDay2014 serves as prediction for political ...The Blue Banner
Western Journalism -Huffington Post -Charlotte Observer
all 147 news articles »

US Navy sailors harassed, assaulted in Turkey - Fox News
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:23 PM

Fox News

US Navy sailors harassed, assaulted in Turkey
Fox News
A throng of radical Turkish nationalists roughed up a trio of U.S. Navy servicemen in Istanbul on Wednesday, pulling bags over their heads and shouting, “Yankees go home!” in an incident captured on video. In the video, which was quickly posted on ...
Turkish Protesters Rough up US Sailors in IstanbulABC News
Turkish radicals rough up 3 US Navy sailors in IstanbulLos Angeles Times
US sailors hit by 'hood attack' in TurkeyDaily Mail
CBS News -Huffington Post -New York Daily News
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2 Window Washers Reported Trapped On Scaffold At 1 World Trade Center - CBS Local
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:22 PM

World - Google News

CBS Local

2 Window Washers Reported Trapped On Scaffold At 1 World Trade Center
CBS Local
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Two window washers were reported trapped on a scaffolding at 1World Trade Center, according to the Office of Emergency Management. Images from the scene showed the scaffolding dangling at a precarious angle.
Watch live: Window washing scaffold dangling off side of 1 World Trade CenterNew York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV
Workers on Dangling World Trade Center ScaffoldingABC News
Scaffolding incident at World Trade Center siteNews 12 New Jersey
New York Daily News
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Window washers trapped near 69th floor of World Trade Centerby Alan Yuhas in New York
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:21 PM

New York fire department deploying second scaffold platform to rescue the two workers after witnesses saw a cable snap and the platform collapse

A dangling scaffold near the 69th floor of One World Trade Center has prompted a rescue operation by New York fire department to get two workers off the platform.

The New York fire department says two workers, uninjured, are secured to the scaffolding and in intermittent radio contact with ground operations. According to the department, another team of window washers are deploying a second scaffold platform to lower and reach the workers, who are trapped hanging at a sharp angle on the south side of the tower.

Window washing platform collapsing on 1 WTC bldg - just drove by pic.twitter.com/NZIsno6vNQ

NATO Says Russian Forces Entering Ukraine Again
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:21 PM

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia has moved large convoys of military equipment and personnel into eastern Ukraine in recent days.

Hungary to stand by EU's Russia sanctions, wants help on gas
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:20 PM

Reuters: World News

BERLIN (Reuters) - Hungary will stand by its European Union allies' decision to impose sanctions on Russia over Ukraine but will need help to safeguarding energy supplies put at risk by the dispute, its foreign minister said on Wednesday.

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US Sailors Attacked in Istanbulby webdesk@voanews.com (Matthew Hilburn)
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:19 PM

Three U.S. sailors were assaulted Wednesday on the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, by a group of what the Pentagon is calling “thugs.” A Youtube video of the attack, appears to show young Turkish men shouting “Yankee, go home!” while throwing paint and shoving the sailors. At one point, an attacker is seen placing a plastic bag over the head of a sailor. One of the Turkish men called the sailors “murderers,” adding “we want you to leave our land.” The sailors were able to make it...

My Thought for the Day: most of us are trying not to be dicksby Natalie Haynes
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:18 PM

Were all people, not true or false believers, and ethical decisions are easier to reach if we start from that premise

Thought for the Commute is a campaign by the British Humanist Association, which has long argued that nonreligious worldviews should be included on BBC Radio 4s Thought for the Day. When the association asked me if I would contribute my thought, I was happy to oblige. Id probably have spent longer thinking about it if I had thought about how big the words would look on the side of a bus. But maybe I would have been distracted by how much better my hair looks in a question-mark shape, as it appears on the ad. Im pretty sure its this kind of high-end thinking that gets me involved in campaigns that feature Nehru and Bertrand Russell.

The campaign coincides with a poll released this week revealing that more than 55% of Britons think atheists are just as moral as religious people. Of those who described themselves as very religious, 25% thought atheists were more likely to be moral than the religious, which is perhaps more extraordinary. The figures suggest an uncoupling of morality from religion: you may be moral and religious, but the latter doesnt guarantee the former. More and more of us are coming to believe that our moral framework comes from something other than religion.

Russia to Sharply Extend Bomber Flightsby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:18 PM

Russia says it is sharply extending the range of its bomber flights from the Arctic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, a new show of military force even as Moscow continues to spar with the West over its intervention in Ukraine. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the new flights Wednesday, saying that "in the current situation we have to maintain military presence" in the western Atlantic, the eastern Pacific, as well as over waters approaching the United...

Iraqi Prime Minister Fires 26 Army Commandersby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:16 PM

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi sacked 26 military commanders Wednesday for corruption and incompetence, in an apparent effort to improve the army's performance against Islamic State militants. "The military leadership should have competence, and this is an important thing, as it is not possible for someone who is not efficient to do his work properly," Abadi said in comments to army officers broadcast on state television. "The second thing is integrity, as...

Iran Says Has Responded To 'Some' Obama Lettersby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:16 PM

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, says Tehran has in "some cases" responded to letters by U.S. President Barack Obama.

In Net Neutrality Push, Internet Giants on the Sidelines - New York Times
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:15 PM

New York Times

In Net Neutrality Push, Internet Giants on the Sidelines
New York Times
Silicon Valley's giant companies have been quiet lately on the question of whether the government should protect an open Internet, which they've previously argued is vital to innovation. Don't count on them staking out a stronger position even though ...

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News Analysis: President Xi Jinping Makes It His Mission to Empower China by By CHRIS BUCKLEY
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 5:11 PM

NYT > World

The Chinese leader has bold ambitions at home and abroad and sees China as a great power peer of the United States.

Americans want congressional GOP, not Obama, to lead country: poll - Washington Times
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 2:07 PM

Washington Times

Americans want congressional GOP, not Obama, to lead country: poll
Washington Times
President Barack Obama meets with Congressional leaders in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Nov. 7, 2014. From left are, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., ...
The South: Solid once again _ for RepublicansTifton Gazette
GOP dominates state legislatures from sea to shining sea (almost)Kansas City Star (blog)
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all 1,209 news articles »

Ukraine Digs In to Keep Airport From Rebels
Wednesday November 12th, 2014 at 2:03 PM