Section: Latest news

      Turkey tells U.S. that Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind Russian diplomat`s killings
      Dec21

      Turkey tells U.S. that Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind Russian diplomat`s killings

      Turkey`s foreign minister has told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that Ankara and Moscow believe followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen were behind the killing of Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov, ministry sources said on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Ankara has also accused Gulen of orchestrating a failed coup in July, a charge the...

      Trump administration`s top ”defense priorities” does not include any mention of Russia – Pentagon
      Dec21

      Trump administration`s top ”defense priorities” does not include any mention of Russia – Pentagon

      A Pentagon memo outlining the incoming Trump administration`s top ”defense priorities” does not include any mention of Russia, which has been identified by senior military officials as the No. 1 threat to the United States, according to Foreign Policy. ”People there [in Pentagon] now would be pretty concerned to see Russia not on the list,” said...

      Ukraine investigates cyberattack on Kyiv power grid
      Dec21

      Ukraine investigates cyberattack on Kyiv power grid

      Ukraine is investigating a suspected cyber attack on Kiev`s power grid at the weekend, the latest in a series of strikes on its energy and financial infrastructure, the head of the state-run power distributor said on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Vsevolod Kovalchuk, acting chief director of Ukrenergo, told Reuters that a power distribution...

      Dutch Senate to support Ukraine-EU Association Agreement
      Dec21

      Dutch Senate to support Ukraine-EU Association Agreement

      The upper chamber of the parliament of the Netherlands will back the ratification of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement with Ukraine, according to a local Telegraaf. According to insiders, the lower house of parliament – House of Representatives – sees opposition to the government`s declaration on the agreement with Ukraine, but the situation...

      Italy to give Ukraine EUR 1 mln in emergency contribution
      Dec21

      Italy to give Ukraine EUR 1 mln in emergency contribution

      Italy`s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Angelino Alfano has announced his country has decided to give Ukraine EUR 1 million in emergency contribution through the World Food Programme and UNICEF. ”Italy has approved an emergency contribution of EUR 1 million, divided into two funding packages: an initial EUR 700,000 for...

      How ExxonMobil helped defeat Russia sanctions bill
      Dec21

      How ExxonMobil helped defeat Russia sanctions bill

      ExxonMobil successfully lobbied against a bill that would have made it harder for the next president to lift sanctions against Russia, clearing the way for the oil giant to restart a program worth billions of dollars if Donald Trump eases those restrictions as president, according to POLITICO. The company`s effort could be helped by outgoing CEO...

      The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passes anti-corruption amendments to Tax Code
      Dec21

      The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passes anti-corruption amendments to Tax Code

      The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted the bill, suggesting a number of amendments to the Tax Code, which minimize corruption risks in the bodies of the State Fiscal Service and improve Ukraine`s investment climate. 240 MPs, with the required minimum of 226 votes, supported the corresponding bill On Amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine...

      Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passes state budget 2017
      Dec21

      Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passes state budget 2017

      The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine overnight Wednesday, December 21, adopted as a whole the government-proposed bill on the state budget for 2017, with a 3% deficit and a 3% economic growth, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Draft law on the state budget No.5000 was supported by 274 MPs with the required minimum of 226 votes. While introducing the...

      Moscow police free Radio Liberty journalist, provide no explanation
      Dec21

      Moscow police free Radio Liberty journalist, provide no explanation

      Ivan Voronin, a journalist of the Russian language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who was detained by Moscow police amid a rally on Tuesday, December 20, together with seven more people, including a French national, has been released, according to his colleague from Radio Liberty Alina Shvydko. ”According to the journalist [Voronin],...

      Obama bans drilling in parts of the Atlantic, the Arctic
      Dec21

      Obama bans drilling in parts of the Atlantic, the Arctic

      President Obama announced on Tuesday what he called a permanent ban on offshore oil and gas drilling along wide areas of the Arctic and the Atlantic Seaboard as he tried to nail down an environmental legacy that cannot quickly be reversed by Donald J. Trump, according to The New York Times. Mr. Obama invoked an obscure provision of a 1953 law,...