From AFP:
The Netherlands held an emotional ceremony for the 298 victims of flight MH17 shot down over the separatist-held eastern Ukraine in July, in a tragedy that brought the conflict in the ex-Soviet state to the international fore.
Some 1,600 relatives and friends of the dead from 18 countries gathered alongside members of the Dutch royal family for the sombre event in Amsterdam where the names and ages of those who perished were read out.
Ukraine and the West blame Russia for supplying the pro-Kremlin separatists with the missile that shot down the plane, while Moscow and the rebels have pointed the finger at Kiev's forces.
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
Russia's central bank has forecast three years of stagnation, cutting economic growth estimates for 2014-16 to almost zero.
The bank's predictions suggested that Western sanctions and lower oil prices are clouding Russia's prospects in the final years of President Vladimir Putin's third term.
The base scenario set out in an annual monetary policy strategy document issued on November 10 forecast economic growth of 0.3 percent this year, zero in 2015, and 0.1 percent in 2016.
The bank's forecast anticipated that Western sanctions imposed over Russia's actions in Ukraine would last at least until the end of 2017.
It was based on the assumption that the oil price will rise to $95 per barrel next year but then decline again.
It predicted better growth rates if the sanctions are lifted earlier or oil prices are higher than expected.
From AFP:
US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met briefly Monday in Beijing on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific summit of APEC, a senior US official said.
The two leaders, who have been engaged for months in a standoff over the crisis in Ukraine, "only had a brief encounter where they didn't have time to cover issues," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Just in from RFE/RL's News Desk:
The former so-called "people's governor" of the separatist-held Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine has returned to the volatile region after receiving medical treatment in Russia.
Pavel Gubarev's aide said on November 10 that he had been discharged from a hospital in Russia's Rostov-on-Don where he was taken after surviving what was reported as an assassination attempt, and is currently in Donetsk.
Last month, Russian media reports said that unknown assailants fired on a vehicle Gubarev was traveling in along the Rostov-On-Don-Donetsk highway on October 13.
Gubarev’s vehicle went off the road and struck a tree. He was hospitalized at the time in serious condition.
Prior to the incident, Gubarev had posted a message on his Facebook page saying he intended to make a major announcement soon.
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
A Russian lawmaker who suspects Russian paratroopers were killed in Ukraine says prosecutors have refused to provide information about where the soldiers died, citing laws on “state secrets.”
Lev Shlosberg, a Pskov newspaper publisher and local lawmaker, wrote in a November 10 blog post that Russian military prosecutors declined to provide details in response to his petition listing 12 servicemen who died away from their posts between July and September.
Shlosberg, who published a scan of the purported October 28 response, had asked where the soldiers died and whether their deployment violated the constitution.
Shlosberg has gathered evidence suggesting Russian soldiers have died in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies sending troops to support pro-Russian separatists in the conflict.
Shlosberg was badly beaten by unidentified assailants after his newspaper published an investigation into the funerals of two paratroopers in August.
From AFP:
An AFP journalist saw 28 trucks, six tanks and 14 howitzer artillery systems and two armoured personnel carriers driving through rebel territory around Donetsk on Monday.
The West has repeatedly expressed concern at Ukrainian claims that Russian military reinforcements are being sent in while Moscow denies that it is involved in the fighting in the east.
However, it openly gives the rebels political and humanitarian backing and it is not clear how the insurgents could otherwise have access to so much sophisticated and well-maintained weaponry.
More from Reuters on the brief meeting today in Beijing between Obama and Putin:
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a "brief encounter" on the sidelines of APEC summit events on Monday night but did not have time to discuss the main issues between their two countries, a senior U.S. official said.
The informal conversation between the two leaders, who have been deeply at odds over Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict and its backing for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, took place during events to welcome participants to the Chinese-hosted summit.
"They only had a brief encounter where they didn't have time to cover issues," the senior official said. "We'll let you know if they interact/cover issues tomorrow."
The White House has said that there are no plans for formal face-to-face talks between Obama and Putin at the Asia-Pacific conference or at the G20 summit later this week in Brisbane.