Section: News & Summaries

      Sweeping out Soviet past: Kirovohrad renamed Kropyvnytsky
      Jul14

      Sweeping out Soviet past: Kirovohrad renamed Kropyvnytsky

      The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine`s parliament, renamed the Ukrainian city of Kirovohrad on Thursday. The newly named city, Kropyvnytsky, will honor Ukrainian actor and playwright Mark Kropyvnytsky, who lived from 1840-1910. Rada resolution No. 4222 on renaming Kirovograd in Kirovohrad region was passed as part of a drive to bring geographical names in...

      Parliament supports president`s amendments to law raising export duty on scrap
      Jul14

      Parliament supports president`s amendments to law raising export duty on scrap

      The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted a bill, as amended by the Ukrainian president, calling for an increase of up to EUR 30 per tonne, for the period of one year, in the export duty on waste and scrap ferrous metals, as well as the abolition of mandatory state registration of contracts on scrap metal exports.The law ”On amendments to some...

      Illegal amber miners detained with arms, armored hardware in Rivne region (Photos)
      Jul14

      Illegal amber miners detained with arms, armored hardware in Rivne region (Photos)

      Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov reports that Ukraine`s National Police conducted a special operation on Wednesday morning to detain illegal amber producers in Rivne region, during which weapons and an armored multi-purpose tracked vehicle were seized.”A few days ago, when the Dnipro 1 special forces unit was monitoring the most remote...

      Ukraine`s army in Donbas was attacked 72 times in last 24 hours, one Ukrainian serviceman was killed and four were wounded
      Jul14

      Ukraine`s army in Donbas was attacked 72 times in last 24 hours, one Ukrainian serviceman was killed and four were wounded

      Russian-backed militants attacked Ukrainian troops participating in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, 72 times in the last 24 hours, with areas close to the Ukrainian-controlled strategic port city of Mariupol being shelled 37 times, according to the press service of the ATO headquarters. ”The largest number of...

      The Guardian: Japan`s Emperor Akihito not preparing to abdicate, palace insists
      Jul14

      The Guardian: Japan`s Emperor Akihito not preparing to abdicate, palace insists

      Uncertainty is swirling around the immediate future of Japan`s monarchy, as palace officials dismissed media reports that Akihito will become the first emperor in two centuries to abdicate, The Guardian reported.The imperial household agency, the rarefied body that oversees the country`s 2,600-year-old monarchy, was forced to issue strong denials...

      RFE/RL: Putin seeks `constructive dialogue` with new British leader
      Jul14

      RFE/RL: Putin seeks `constructive dialogue` with new British leader

      Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for ”constructive dialogue” on ”urgent issues” with Britain`s new prime minister, Theresa May, the Kremlin announced on July 13, according to Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).Putin in a message to May said he is convinced that ”preservation and increasing of the substantial potential of...

      New UK finance minister known for ‘safe hands’

      Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond needs to steer Britain’s economy through the aftermath of the Brexit vote. ||| London – Philip Hammond took over as Britain’s new finance minister on Wednesday, putting him in charge of the world’s fifth-largest economy as it risks sliding into recession after voters decided to...

      Reuters: Oil rises after big losses, glut concerns likely to persist
      Jul14

      Reuters: Oil rises after big losses, glut concerns likely to persist

      Crude prices rose on Thursday to recoup some of their big losses from the previous session, but gains are likely to be limited by mounting concerns the global glut in oil is not going away soon after two major agencies issued bearish reports, Reuters reported. Brent crude was up 44 cents at $46.70 a barrel at 0250 GMT (10:50 p.m. EDT). U.S. crude...

      BBC: Boris Johnson made foreign secretary by Theresa May
      Jul14

      BBC: Boris Johnson made foreign secretary by Theresa May

      New Prime Minister Theresa May has made Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who led the Brexit campaign, foreign secretary in her new government, BBC reported. He replaces Philip Hammond, who becomes chancellor, according to BBC.Ex-Energy Secretary Amber Rudd is home secretary and Eurosceptic David Davis is the Brexit secretary. Ex-chancellor...

      Reuters: Russia offers to fly warplanes more safely over Baltics
      Jul14

      Reuters: Russia offers to fly warplanes more safely over Baltics

      Moscow offered to fly its jets over the Baltic region with their transponders engaged, an apparent concession to NATO powers who accuse Russia`s air force of endangering aviation by turning off the devices that allow them to be detected by ground radar, according to Reuters.Moscow`s envoy to NATO told alliance ambassadors that Russian pilots...