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Moody's downgrades forecast for Russia's economic development
Moody’s, the American rating agency, has lowered the forecast of the Russian GDP to 2.5%. This is according to press release by Moody’s, as reported by the RBC news agency on the 18th of February. The previous forecast had assumed a 1% decline in the GDP.
Moody’s has also adjusted the forecast of Brazil’s GDP to 3%, Saudi Arabia’s GDP to 1.5% and South Africa’s GDP to 0%. According to Moody’s, the reason for changing the forecasts of the main oil-producing countries, such as Saudi Arabia …
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Mexico recognizes Crimean vessel to be property of Ukrainian company
Mexico has officially recognized that the Titan-2 crane vessel registered in Crimea belongs to the Kiev-based company, Chornomornaftogas. This was reported by the Naftogaz of Ukraine press service.
The vessel was hired by a Swedish company in 2003 as a bareboat charter. In 2011, the Swedish company sub-chartered it to Mexican company, Oceanografia SA de CV. However, after a while the Mexican company went bankrupt and the vessel was expropriated by the Mexican financial authorities. …
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Ukrainian Border Guards find Expired Food in Humanitarian Convoy from Russia
Today, Russia undertook the unilateral registration of the 49th so-called humanitarian convoy. According to the State Border Service, two humanitarian assistance convoys, consisting of 101 vehicles, passed through the Russian crossing points at Donetsk and Matveev Kurgan and entered Ukraine between 5:55 am and 6:50 am.
"The convoy was monitored by the Ukrainian Inter-ministerial group, but only by means of visual observation and without implementation of any control measures as the movement of …
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Moscow hints that it will not cooperate with ICC's investigation into 2008 Russo-Georgian War
Moscow has hinted that they will not cooperate further with the International Criminal Court of The Hague (ICC) in its investigation into war crimes committed in Georgia in 2008 following the Court's announcement that all parties involved will be held accountable.
Last month, the ICC made the decision to start an investigation into the war crimes committed in Georgia in August of 2008. The Court stated that “such crimes include murders, crimes against humanity, unlawful deportation, …
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European Commission Makes Plans to Reduce Dependence on Russian Gas
The European Commission has introduced a new version of the proposal to create an Energy Union designed to reduce European dependence on Russian gas, as reported in a press release from the European governing body.
The proposal calls for the provision of several standards to ensure the security of the energy supply. In particular, it is proposed that the principles of solidarity are imposed, if necessary, to provide an emergency energy supply. This would involve the improved coordination of …
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Viktor Orban Calls for Normalization of Relations between EU and Russia During Visit to Moscow
The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, called for the normalization of relations between Russia and the EU during his visit to Moscow.
Budapest is interested in the normalization of relations between Russia and the EU, the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, stated on Wednesday, February 17th, at a meeting with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
"We all would like the relations between Russia and Europe to normalize. It is in the interests of Russian-Hungarian …
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Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada discusses issue of Internally Displaced Persons
The Parliamentary hearings on the issue of internally displaced people from the occupied Donbas region took place in the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 17th of February. The representatives of state authorities, local authorities, human rights organizations and the public participated in the meeting. The issue surrounding the reasonability of blocking the occupied territories was raised among others at the Parliamentary hearings.
As stated by the head of the Crimean Human …
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Russian court requests 1 year community service for woman accused of posting pro-Ukrainian content
On the 17th of February, the Prosecutor in the Railway Court of Ekaterinburg City in Russia requested a year of community service for Catherine Volgozheninova. The Prosecutor also requested a deduction of 10% of her earnings in the state income. She is accused of extremism and reposting extremist content on the social network site Vkontakte. Volgozheninova is a store clerk and a single mother.
The Prosecutor explained that Volgozheninova received this lenient sentence as she has a small …
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UN seeks almost $300 million for 2016's Humanitarian Response Plan for Donbas
2.5 million Ukrainians affected by the conflict in the Donbas region will receive humanitarian assistance in 2016.
Agencies of the United Nations (UN), together with the Ukrainian government, have requested that donors donate $298 million to finance the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2016. This was reported by the UN News Center.
“Over nearly two years, the affected people, mainly the elderly and families with children, are trying to cope with the consequences of the conflict in …
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Herashchenko: 127 Ukrainians are still held by separatists in the Donbas
The Commissioner of the President for the peaceful settlement of the situation in Donetsk and Lugansk regions and Ukraine’s representative to the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine-Russia-OSCE), Iryna Herashchenko, stated at a press conference on the 17th of February that 127 Ukrainians are held captive by militants.
“Currently, we have 137 Ukrainians, who are illegally held captive. Ten of them are held in Russian prisons,” the Ukrainian news quoted her as saying. …