Weekly update from the OSCE Observer Mission at Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk based on information as of 10:00 (Moscow time), 5 May 2015
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 BCPs. The overall cross-border traffic increased at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). DETAIL OM’s staff composition The OM is currently operating with 20 staff members, consisting...
West absent as Russia marks Victory Day
On 9 May, Russians celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. The leaders of the Soviet Union’s allies in that conflict, Great Britain and the US, will not be present. Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend. But of major Western leaders only German Chancellor Angela Merkel will go, not to the parade but to a...
Russian Military Peeps Into Latvia, Moldovans Demand Action on Huge Bank Scandal
Plus, Finland’s Sanoma pulls out of Russian media market and an Uzbek Cold Warrior dies after a lifetime of struggle against communism. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Spot Report by OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM): Four incidents involving the SMM within last 36 hours
On 1 May, the SMM was not allowed access to its observation post located 4km north-west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) where members of the battalion on the ground took position (See SMM Daily Report 2 May, 2015). On 2 May, at 11:55hrs, en route to Shyrokyne, approximately 1km west of the entrance of the village, the SMM heard a burst of...
Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30 (Kyiv time), 1 May 2015
The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was restricted by third parties and by security considerations* – observed ongoing fighting in and around Donetsk airport, in the environs of Shyrokyne, and – to a lesser extent – in a number...
Economist Tyler Cowen on inequality, Canada, and the state of global superpowers
Tyler Cowen is an economist, academic and writer. His popular blog, Marginal Revolution, co-written with Alex Tabarrok, a colleague at George Mason University, turned Cowen into “an economics celebrity,” in the words of one LA Times writer. More recently, Cowen and Tabarrok ventured into the world of online education with their creation of...
NATO’s Eastern Flank: Rebuilding Deterrence?
In the face of Russian belligerence, more sophisticated deterrence is required on NATO’s eastern flank. The UK, together with the Baltic States, should assume a greater role in providing this …read more Source: Royal United Services Institute...
NATO Commander: Russia May Be Preparing New Ukraine Offensive
The NATO supreme allied commander said Thursday that the alliance needs better military intellige… …read more Source: American Security Council...
What rallying call could revive the EU’s public support?
It isn’t easy these days to be a pro-Europe politician. Trying to rally public support for the EU looks like a recipe for being thrown out of office come the next election. The anti-EU camp, by contrast, seems to have no problem at all in rallying its supporters. On the left, Greece’s Syriza rode to election victory on a plainly...
Healthcare equality must go to the top of the EU agenda
It’s not easy for European policymakers to stay ahead of the game in the face of today’s challenges. There are the high-profile external pressures from conflicts in Ukraine, Iraq and Syria, to the more distant yet hugely threatening Ebola virus. At the same time, the 28 member states of the European Union are confronting internal...
