Tag - russia

 
 

RUSSIA

COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2015
Why Putin won't stop fighting
Economic pressure has never stopped Russia from waging wars. Putin will fight on in Ukraine, having convinced himself that the West is aiming to destroy Russia.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 25, 2015
Pro-Russian rebels attack key Ukrainian port; at least 30 reported dead
Pro-Russian rebels launched an offensive against the strategic port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, prompting the European Union's foreign policy chief to warn of a further "grave deterioration" in EU-Russian relations.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2015
Obama tries to out-Putin Putin
In his State of the Union address earlier this week, U.S. President Barack Obama showed that he's either blind to the dangers of the deteriorating relationship between Moscow and the West or is faking pride in a victory that is not even on the horizon.
WORLD / Society
Jan 23, 2015
Russian patriarch says halving abortions would solve population crisis
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on Thursday called for a deep cut in the "horrifyingly high" number of abortions, which he linked to a Western rejection of moral norms.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 23, 2015
Putin said to shrink inner circle as Ukraine hawks trump tycoons
Russian President Vladimir Putin isn't just angering leaders from Berlin to Washington. He's irking some of his richest friends, too, by snubbing their pleas to end the conflict in Ukraine and ostracizing all but a handful of hard-liners.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 23, 2015
Eight civilians reported killed in shelling of Donetsk trolley stop; foes blame each other
An artillery shell or mortar round struck a public transport stop in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least eight civilians in an incident both sides blamed on the other.
WORLD
Jan 22, 2015
Russia says Pyongyang positive signal on Kim visit in May
Russia received a positive initial signal from North Korea after President Vladimir Putin invited its leader, Kim Jong Un, to attend anniversary celebrations of the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
COMMENTARY
Jan 20, 2015
Proven scare tactics serve Putin well
President Vladimir Putin knows that the canny use of fear and forgiveness will allow him to retain his grip on power.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 18, 2015
Putin's focus on military buildup deepens Russia's budget problems
President Vladimir Putin's insistence on huge defense spending makes it hard to see how a government plan to make deep budget cuts will see Russia through a deepening economic crisis.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2015
Defiant Putin on a winning streak
Russian President Vladimir Putin has struck banking and nuclear deals with Iran and scored diplomatic successes with North Korea and Pakistan, all but negating the Western strategy of of economic sanctions and international isolation to compel the Kremlin to change its behavior.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2015
Inside Obama's secret effort to salvage U.S.-Russian ties
The Obama administration has been working behind the scenes for months to forge a new working relationship with Russia, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's showing little interest in repairing relations or halting his aggression in Ukraine.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 6, 2015
Kremlin critic cuts monitor tag, won't comply with house arrest
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said Monday he would no longer comply with the terms of his house arrest and had cut off his monitoring tag.
WORLD
Jan 1, 2015
Lithuania joins euro as tensions with Russia rise
Lithuania joined the euro zone at the stroke of midnight on Thursday, hoping to anchor itself in Europe as its former master Russia flexes its military muscle in the region.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 31, 2014
After 15 years in power, Putin risks running out of luck
When Vladimir Putin was handed power unexpectedly by an ailing Boris Yeltsin on the last day of the last century, his first move was to go on television to guarantee Russia the freedoms needed for a "civilized society."
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2014
End of the Facebook Revolution
When Facebook has already blocked an announcement inviting Muscovites to attend a January rally in support of an anti-corruption activist, imagine what it would do — or, for all we know, has already done — for the U.S. government.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 25, 2014
Putin orders vodka price cap as Russia's economy goes on the rocks
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government on Wednesday to rein in rising vodka prices, as he battles to preserve his popularity amid an aggravating economic crisis.
WORLD
Dec 23, 2014
Russia in grips of 'full-fledged economic crisis,' ex-minister says
Russia's government has pushed the country into an economic crisis by not tackling its financial problems fast enough, former finance minister Alexei Kudrin said on Monday, as evidence mounted of trouble spreading through the economy.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 20, 2014
Obama orders exports of goods, technology to Crimea blocked
President Barack Obama on Friday said he will ban exports of goods, technology or services to Ukraine's Crimea region, and called on Russia to end its annexation of the region.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2014
Putin isn't worried, but the West should be
A mere two weeks after delivering a weak, stumbling state-of-the-nation address, Russian President Vladimir Putin makes combative comments on Russian history and the economy that indicate he is still living in a 19th century of his own making.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 19, 2014
EU leaders ready long confrontation with Russia
European Union leaders warned Moscow they were ready to exercise their combined muscle over the long haul in a confrontation with an economically wounded Russia if President Vladimir Putin refused to pull back from Ukraine.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.