Browsing: Russia

“I think by offering this course and making it permanent, Baylor is offering an important counterweight to the excessive focus that has existed for Russia for decades … at this institution,” Kudelia said. “The war is only a reminder of how significant this region is for the world, but Russia is not going to go away, and Ukraine is not going to go away. And the problem that we have in Russian and Ukrainian relationships are problems that will not be solved easily over the next couple of months or years.”

Griner, who was a free agent, re-signed with the Mercury on a one-year contract according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Saturday because no announcement has been made.

The Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society will host a lecture about religious and political issues in Russia Thursday at the Michael Bordeaux Research Center as part of the biannual Keston Institute board meeting.

The United States and its European allies hit more than two dozen Russian government officials, executives and companies with new sanctions Monday as punishment for their country’s actions in Ukraine, yet the penalties stopped short of targeting Russia’s broader economy and it remained unclear if they would work. In Moscow, there was relief that the sanctions were not as far-ranging as feared.

NATO foreign ministers moved Tuesday to beef up the defenses of front-line alliance members feeling menaced by a more assertive Russia, with Secretary of State John Kerry proclaiming the U.S. commitment to their security is “unwavering.”

In a gilded Kremlin hall used by czars, Vladimir Putin redrew Russia’s borders Tuesday by declaring the Crimean Peninsula part of the motherland — provoking a surge of emotion among Russians who lament the loss of empire and denunciations from Western leaders who called Putin a threat to the world.

There is an adage I find myself quoting often — “Laws matter so long as they are enforced” — and when I apply this sentiment to the current situation in the Crimea region of Ukraine I am appalled by the intrusion of Russian forces.

Protesters in cities around the world targeted major Olympic sponsors Wednesday, just ahead of the Winter Games in Sochi, urging them to speak out against Russia’s law restricting gay-rights activities. Two more sponsors of the U.S. Olympic team condemned the law, but leading global sponsors did not join them.

With the 2014 Winter Olympics quickly approaching, the Russian city of Sochi is bracing for the world’s stage. More than $50 billion has already been spent on the games, making it the most expensive Olympics ever.

Thirty squats might be your exercise for the day. Thirty squats could also get you a ride on the subway. At least, that’s the case in Russia.

A vending machine has been set up in a Moscow subway station that would allow people to buy a subway ticket by doing 30 squats. A ticket would normally cost 30 rubles, or 92 cents.

U.S. and Russian negotiators remain at odds on a U.N. Security Council resolution that would hold Syria accountable if it fails to live up to pledges to dismantle its chemical weapons stockpiles, American officials said Tuesday, as President Barack Obama warned the world body that it risks its credibility and reputation if it does not act.

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met for nearly 90 minutes at the United Nations and though progress was made in some areas, they were unable to reach agreement on the text of a resolution that would meet Obama’s standard, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss publicly the closed-door meeting.