Section: Main news

      Internet czar takes aim at Apple and Google

      Russia’s first official Internet adviser is pushing to raise taxes on American companies including Apple and Google. ||| Moscow – When he’s not checking Gmail on his MacBook, Vladimir Putin’s new Internet czar can’t stop railing against American technology companies.Google, Apple and Microsoft, collectively worth...

      What’s Behind the Resignation of Minister Abromavicius?
      Feb08

      What’s Behind the Resignation of Minister Abromavicius?

      The resignation of Aivaras Abromavicius from the position of Minister of Economic Development and Trade is another nail in the coffin for the hopes for serious reform in Ukraine. In resigning, he follows in the footsteps of his predecessor Pavlo Sheremeta, who was also unwilling to serve in a government that was more interested in personal gain...

      Human rights activists: Ukrainian citizens Karpiuk and Klykh were electric shock tortured in Russia
      Feb07

      Human rights activists: Ukrainian citizens Karpiuk and Klykh were electric shock tortured in Russia

      Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation refuses to open criminal proceedings and consider Ukrainian prisoners Mykola Karpiuk and Stanislav Klykh’s claim on torture. “The principal investigator’s arguments are that Karpiuk himself admitted involvement in the commission of these crimes and did so in the presence of a lawyer, so that his...

      Putin Corners Himself in Ukraine. We Would Be Crazy to Placate Him Now
      Feb05

      Putin Corners Himself in Ukraine. We Would Be Crazy to Placate Him Now

      The recent backroom bilateral talks between the United States and Russia about Ukraine have caused anxiety in the region, raised hopes that sanctions could be lifted, and elevated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s status to super power level.All are counterproductive.Since the bilateral talks and optimistic statements by US Secretary of...

      Ukraine wants UN to visit war zone

      Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations wants to invite the Security Council to visit war-wracked eastern Ukraine in the coming months. …read more Source:...

      Global food prices at 7yr low

      World food prices fell to near a seven-year low in January, weighed down by declines for agricultural commodities, particularly sugar. ||| Rome – World food prices fell to near a seven-year low in January, weighed down by declines for agricultural commodities, particularly sugar, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. Food prices...

      Why Do Ukraine’s Reform Ministers Keep Quitting?
      Feb03

      Why Do Ukraine’s Reform Ministers Keep Quitting?

      February 3, Ukraine’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade Aivaras Abromavicius announced his resignation at a press briefing with a big bang that may unleash a political crisis and shake the country’s fragile finances.Abromavicius, a 40-year-old investment banker of Lithuanian origin, who has lived in Kyiv for many years as a...

      Only Presidential Leadership Can Avert Ukraine’s Perfect Storm
      Feb03

      Only Presidential Leadership Can Avert Ukraine’s Perfect Storm

      The February 3 resignation of Ukraine’s Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius is a signal that the country’s efforts to dramatically reduce corruption and rent-seeking are meeting with serious resistance.The resignation also exposes how Ukraine’s political system works. Just as in established democracies, technocrats and experts...

      Russian Propaganda in Ukraine: Fighting Phantoms
      Feb03

      Russian Propaganda in Ukraine: Fighting Phantoms

      For Ukrainians, the war in eastern Ukraine has become an everyday reality. Only two years ago, though, no one in the country believed war was possible—and certainly no one expected that propaganda would be one of its main weapons.Since Ukraine’s independence in 1991, little attention was paid to building a system that would ensure the...

      Thanks But No Thanks, Mr. Inozemtsev: A Response from Kyiv
      Feb02

      Thanks But No Thanks, Mr. Inozemtsev: A Response from Kyiv

      What is wrong with Vladislav Inozemtsev’s recent opinion piece on how to help Ukraine?The problem with his article is not his advice itself, as flawed as it is, but the logic on which it is built. He uses the logic of imperialism, of an authoritarian state, of conspiracy theorists for whom the world is a chessboard and a powerful few are...