Russia’s Syrian Game and Its Implications
Russia is nowhere near as isolated or as bereft of options in Syria as Western governments would like to believe.‘We’re not going to make Syria a proxy war between the United States and Russia’, US President Barack Obama told journalists recently, as Russian jets continued their air strikes over the war-torn country. But that...
Moldova: The Billion Dollar Question
On the brink of bankruptcy due to corruption Moldova, like neighboring Ukraine before it, is at risk of imploding. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
OSCE/ODIHR-supported study visit of Ukrainian police and prosecutors to Poland focuses on hate crime and freedom of religion or belief
193381 Police, prosecutors and members of the Security Service from Ukraine discussed effective responses to hate crime and international standards on freedom of religion or belief during a three-day study visit to Warsaw organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) from 19 to 21 October 2015. The participants...
Common security challenges across Mediterranean require stronger co-operation mechanisms, say participants at 2015 OSCE Mediterranean conference
SWEIMEH, Jordan, 20 October 2015 – Challenges affecting the Mediterranean region require co-operative solutions as they cannot be effectively tackled by any single country alone, assess participants at the 2015 Annual OSCE Mediterranean Conference in Jordan. “The Mediterranean does not divide us, it unites us,” said the Minister of Foreign...
OSCE media freedom representative calls on authorities in Croatia not to obstruct journalists in their work, following incident at border
VIENNA, 20 October 2015 – Croatian law enforcement officers should facilitate the work of journalists reporting on the refugee crisis, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today. “Law enforcement officers must ensure journalists’ safety and protect journalists’ right to report in a safe and free manner,”...
Weekly Update from the OSCE Observer Mission at Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk based on information as of 20 October 2015
Please note that this report is for media and the general public. SUMMARY Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall cross-border traffic increased at both BCPs. A fortieth Russian Convoy crossed the Donetsk BCP. DETAIL OM’s staff...
Moscow-Region Businessman Kills 4 in Shooting Spree
Unverified accounts say Amiran Georgadze opened fire after officials rejected his demand for a giant bribe. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Latvia Curiously Unmoved by Suggestion That Fences Don’t Work
Latvia is building a fence to keep the migrant wave from its shores. That fence will be on the Russian border. For any of you not following the news closely, the current migrant wave is coming through the European Union. Russia is not a member of the EU. Lithuania and Estonia, which border Latvia, are. Latvia has a large, restive, minority ethnic...
Russian Faces ‘Ethnic Hatred’ Charge for Sharing YouTube Videos
The suspect’s name was on an official list of suspected ‘terrorists’ before her case went to trial. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Just 200 yards from where Malaysia Airlines MH17 crashed last year in rebel-held eastern Ukraine, commerce is winning over war. Miners working in an illegal, hand-dug pit are extracting coal that’s destined to be sold to loyalists in the west.
Just 200 yards from where Malaysia Airlines MH17 crashed last year in rebel-held eastern Ukraine, commerce is winning over war. Miners working in an illegal, hand-dug pit are extracting coal that’s destined to be sold to loyalists in the west, the Bloomberg reports. The arrangement has its pitfalls, said Volodymyr Omelchenko, director of...