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Ukrainian government plans broad customs reform
During a meeting of the National Reforms Council, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman, stated that the Ukrainian government will introduce a strategy for reforming the Ukrainian customs policy, to start from January 1, 2017, reported Telegraf.
“We will submit proposals to the National Reforms Council to approve the strategy for the reform of Ukrainian customs, and we would like this large-scale process to start on January 1, 2017,” Groysman said.
Earlier, it was reported that …
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Ten NATO members will deploy forces to Eastern Europe
At least ten NATO member states have pledged to contribute soldiers to the alliance’s four multinational battalions in the Baltic States and Poland.
Speaking to reporters following a meeting of the alliance’s defense ministers in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Albania, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia agreed to contribute to the battalion stationed in Latvia, where a Canadian contingent is already located; Belgium, Croatia, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and …
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Russian authorities seek to block LinkedIn
Russia's Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies and Mass Communications, also known as Roskomnadzor, will strive to block the LinkedIn social networking service. According to officials, the website, where approximately 400 million people are registered, violates the requirements of the law on the protection of the personal data of Russian citizens.
Rambler News Service reported that the agency had applied to the Tagansky District Court of Moscow in …
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Ukrainian Foreign Ministry protests Putin's visit to the Crimea
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has submitted a note of protest to its Russian counterpart concerning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the Crimea, Izvestia reported.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press service said that it did not consent to Putin’s visit to the annexed peninsula.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in connection with another… visit by Russian President Putin to the …
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US Ambassador to NATO: The EU should support sanctions against Russia until the Minsk agreements are implemented
The European Union, following the United States, must maintain sanctions against Russia until the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. This was stated by U.S. Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute before the start of the meeting of NATO member countries' defense ministers in Brussels.
"We expect that the EU will join us in extending sanctions against Russia, until we see the full implementation of the Minsk agreements," Lute said. He stressed that the OSCE SMM provides convincing evidence of …
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Putin and Obama discussed separation between terrorists and opposition in Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama discussed the issue of the separation of terrorists and opposition groups in Syria. This was reported by TASS with reference to the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Africa, Michael Bogdanov. He is also the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in Russia.
Bogdanov made this comment at the meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club after political scientist, Peter Dutkevich, questioned …
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Moscow will consider potential requests for military assistance from Iraq and Libya
On the 25th of October, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov stated that Russian leadership will seriously consider requests from Iraq and Libya—if they will be made—for the participation of the Russian Federation in military operations on their territory, Interfax reported.
"We are asked by other countries too, by Iraqis and Libyans: ‘will you become involved in the fight against terrorists on our territory?’ We answer: ‘We have not received official requests from you yet. If they …
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Levada Center ordered to pay fine for failing to register as a foreign agent
Moscow’s Tverskoy Court has ordered that the Levada Center pay a fine of 300,000 rubles ($4,800) for failing to register as a foreign agent, Interfax reported.
In September, the non-governmental research organization was officially included on the list of non-profit organizations (NGOs) that perform the functions of a foreign agent on Russian territory.
The Center has repeatedly denied that it is associated with foreign governments.
The Tverskoy Court determined on Wednesday that the Levada …
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Russian Defense Ministry: Russia and Syria haven't bombed Aleppo for a week
The Russian and Syrian Air Forces have completely stopped flights over Aleppo during the last seven days, stated the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, on Tuesday, October 25. “Aircraft do not approach the city and do not attack,” Konashenkov said. According to the colonel, six humanitarian corridors continue to work for civilians on a round-the-clock basis; points providing hot meals and first aid are open.
A representative from the Defense Ministry …
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U.S. surveillance aircraft fly near the Crimea and Russia's flotilla in the Mediterranean
U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft flew along the coast of the Crimea on Wednesday, Interfax reported. A separate surveillance aircraft flew near Russia’s warships in the Mediterranean Sea, according to websites that track the movement of military aircraft.
The first U.S. plane reportedly took off from the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily, where it proceeded to fly over the Black Sea south of the Crimean coast.
The second aircraft also took off from Signolla, and flew over the eastern …