Countries

Europeans won’t be able to ‘walk safely’ if EU’s current attitude persists, Erdogan warns
People in Europe won’t be able to “walk safely” and freely on the streets if they don’t change their current attitudes, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has warned, amid a deepening diplomatic row over the cancellation of Turkish rallies in the EU. [...]
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London ‘terrorist incident’ comes on 1st anniversary of Brussels bombings
Exact motivations behind the vehicle and knife attacks outside Parliament in London remain unclear, but observers have noted that the incident occurred on the anniversary of the multiple Islamist attacks on the Belgian capital on March 22, 2016. [...]
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Pentagon asks for $30bn to address readiness, Russia and ISIS
The Pentagon is asking Congress for an extra $30 billion for 2017, mostly to address pressing readiness issues and the fight against Islamic State – yet Russia and President Trump’s budget proposal dominated the Senate appropriations hearing. [...]
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A Clear Crime: Israel’s South Africa Moment May Be Drawing Nearer
Citing her "duty not to conceal a clear crime," the head of a Beirut-based U.N. agency has resigned after the withdrawal of a scathing UN-commissioned report that for the first time charges Israel is "a racist state that has established an apartheid system that persecutes the Palestinian people." While furious Israeli leaders likened the report to Nazi propaganda, Rima Khalaf said she rejected the [...]
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Caring for the Common Good Wins: Norway Ranks World’s Happiest Country
But in U.S., happiness is falling and Republican priorities stand to make it worse. Norway now holds the title of the world's happiest country, according to a new report that also outlines how Republican proposals to gut safety nets, enact tax windfalls for the rich, and attack public education—as well as bipartisan failures in terms of the global war on terror and campaign finance—are making [...]
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Poroshenko Leading Ukraine to ‘Palace Coup’ by ‘Playing Along With Radicals’
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko blamed Ukrainian radicals for Kiev having lost control over the situation in the eastern regions of Donbass. According to the Ukrainian leader, the blockade of Donbass by radicals risks plunging Ukraine into "anarchy" and violence. [...]
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Russia: The Conspiracy Trap
The dream fueling the Russia frenzy is that it will eventually create a dark enough cloud of suspicion around Trump that Congress will find the will and the grounds to impeach him. More likely, the Russia allegations will not bring down Trump. Meanwhile, while Russia continues to dominate the front pages, Trump will continue waging war on immigrants, cutting funding for everything that’s not the [...]
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Mexico to Strengthen Trade Ties With Russia, EU – Agriculture Minister
According to Mexican Secretary of Agriculture Jose Calzada Rovirosa, Mexico plans to strengthen trade ties with Russia and the EU. Mexico plans to strengthen trade ties with Russia and the European Union against the backdrop of bilateral relation issues with the United States, Secretary of Agriculture Jose Calzada Rovirosa said on Tuesday. [...]
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‘Two-Speed Europe’: The End of the European Dream?
Ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, calls within the EU for a so-called "two-speed Europe" are becoming more vocal. Sputnik Italy spoke with Italian economist Pasquale Lucio Scandizzo about who stands to benefit from such a model. [...]
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Illusions Wearing Off: Eastern Europe Turning Eyes From EU to Russia
As the European project seems to be finding itself in havoc, many countries from the former Eastern bloc have started to realize that they were too hasty in deciding to join the "European family," which was never a "fair game" and where they were "left to stagnate," thus they are now looking to Russia, according to political scientist Phil Butler. [...]
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This is Why Crimea is Russia’s ‘Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier’ in the Black Sea
The Russian military has launched a large-scale exercise at the Opuk training range, in Crimea. The drills involved the Russian Airborne Forces, the Black Sea Fleet and the Aerospace Forces. Airborne Forces commander Col. Gen. Andrei Serdyukov told reporters that the drills involved over 2,500 airborne personnel and some 600 units of military hardware. [...]
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Russia Takes Every Effort Toward Peace in Syria, Unlike Europe
Russia, unlike other countries in Europe, undertakes a great number of efforts toward the achievement of peace Syria amid the Middle Eastern country's military conflict, a member of the Serbian parliament, Bozidar Delic, said Tuesday. During the visit, the delegation observed the operation of the Russian center for reconciliation of opposing sides in Syria, and looked at the militants weap [...]
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10 Amazing Sights in Crimea That You Have to See for Yourself
The Russian peninsula of Crimea is a true jewel of the Black Sea, and has plenty of magnificent sights to offer even the most discerning of travelers. Palaces, mountains and ancient ruins – which sight appeals to you the most? [...]
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Downed IDF Aircraft: Syria’s SAMs ‘Send a Very Special Message’ to the Israelis
The Syrian Army says its air defenses have shot down one Israeli warplane and hit a second after four planes breached Syrian airspace and attacked government troops near Palmyra Friday morning. The Israeli military has denied the claims. Syrian military officials and observers told Sputnik that the incident sends an important message to Israel. [...]
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Crimea’s Reunification With Russia: People ‘Really Wanted to Return Home’
The Crimeans "really wanted to return to Russia," head of the Republic of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov told Sputnik, reflecting on events which led the Black Sea peninsula to hold a referendum on its status within Ukraine. Crimea's parliament and the local government of Sevastopol held the plebiscite following the foreign-sponsored coup which ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich in Februar [...]
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Delegation of European, Ukrainian Politicians Arrives in Crimea – Lawmaker
A delegation of mostly European and Ukrainian politicians has arrived in Crimea for a three-day visit, Ruslan Balbek, a Russian lawmaker representing Crimea, told Sputnik on Sunday. The delegation consists of about 20 people and includes members of the European Parliament, politicians from EU member states, CIS countries and Latin America. [...]
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IMF Postpones Third Review of Ukrainian Loan Program – Finance Ministry
The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has delayed the third review of its loan program to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said Sunday. Earlier in March, IMF Communications Department Director Gerry Rice said the fund's directors planned to meet on March 20 to make the final decision on providing a new tranche of loans to Ukraine. [...]
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Wake Up, Slowcoach! Twitter Ridicules Ukraine FM’s Crimea ‘Delirium’
Three years after Crimea's accession to the Russian Federation, which was marked with festivities in Russia on Saturday, Ukraine's Foreign Minister tweeted that freedom was "taken away" from the peninsular and vowed to return it. Of course, Russian politicians didn't take this lying down. [...]
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Got $100 Grand to Burn? Then You Too Can Become a Ukrainian Citizen!
Foreign nationals can get on a fast track to receiving Ukrainian citizenship by investing the equivalent of $100,000 US into the country's economy, according to a recent directive by the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers. In an official directive dated March 1 establishing immigration quotas for foreign nationals and stateless persons for 2017, 2,223 people married to Ukrainian citizens, and an [...]
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Putin ‘Would Take Same Decisions About Crimea’ Now as in 2014
Vladimir Putin would take the same steps concerning Crimea now, according to the Kremlin spokesman. Russian President Vladimir Putin is keeping the situation around Crimea under personal control and would not change his decisions even if there was such an opportunity, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday. [...]
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White House meeting with Trump was catastrophic for Merkel
There were discernible slights and insults for German Chancellor Angela Merkel at her first meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. For Donald Trump, it was just another day, full of outrageous behavior and controversy. The grave consequences of rudeness at this rarefied diplomatic level should not be underestimated. [...]
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Aleppo mosque airstrike controversy: ‘US only considers sources credible when it suits them’
Conflicting reports on an alleged airstrike on an Aleppo mosque won’t change the Pentagon’s attitude towards the various shady “activist” groups they cite as “reliable” sources when it suits them, says retired US AF Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski. [...]
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