independence news stories on Newser

Scotland Schedules Independence Vote

Kevin Spak — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:43:42 CST

Scottish voters will finally get their chance to throw off the, er, iron hand of Queen Elizabeth in 2014, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has announced. Salmond's Scottish National Party has long argued that Scotland should seek independence from the UK , and Salmond wants a referendum on it held just...

Border Fights Erupt as Sudan Votes

Matt Cantor — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:23:46 CST

Violence has broken out in Sudan as the country votes this week on southern independence , with at least 23 dead in fighting near the north-south border, the Guardian reports. Observers are carefully watching the Abyei region, which was promised its own referendum to decide whether it would join the north...

The Millennial: Tech-Savvy, Still Living With Mom

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:44:11 CDT

Maybe it's the crap economy, or maybe they're just sensitive, but 20-something millennials are proving you can go home again—in fact, you can never leave. Long lauded for their tech savvy, the Washington Post notes that 20-somethings are not only not flying the coop later than previous generations, they're...

Greenland Votes for Self-Rule

Katherine Thompson — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:52:01 CST

Three-fourths of the Greenlanders who voted in yesterday’s referendum on self-rule want more autonomy from Denmark, Time reports. The historic vote—which must still be adopted by parliaments in Copenhagen and Nuuk—puts the world’s largest island on the path to becoming the first independent Inuit state. But that road...

In Kosovo Visit, Gates Walks a Fine Line With Russia

Jason Farago — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:06:00 CDT

The US will maintain its current troop levels in Kosovo until at least the end of 2009, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. His trip to Kosovo is the first by an American cabinet member since the republic declared independence in February. The move of support is meant to show...

'Independent' South Ossetia Dreams Big

Jason Farago — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:40:01 CDT

When the Russian government recognized South Ossetia as an independent state last week, the international reaction was not only anger but incredulity. The breakaway Georgian province has only 70,000 citizens, and they have suffered both wretched poverty and years of fighting. But citizens insist that theirs is a viable...

Medvedev: Why I Recognized 2 Provinces

Jason Farago — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:04:00 CDT

Yesterday Russia recognized the Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states—a move that Dmitry Medvedev calls "a heavy decision." Writing in the Financial Times , the Russian president says that independence for the two breakaway regions, which have suffered under Georgia's "vicious war on its minority nations,...

Russia's 'Buffer Zone' Includes Georgia Territory

Nick McMaster — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:41:01 CDT

Russia may soon officially recognize the sovereignty of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, lawmakers said today, even as the military moved to establish so-called buffer zones that include Georgian territory, the Wall Street Journal reports. Then-president Vladimir Putin used the move to recognize the secessionist republics to criticize countries which did...

Iraqi Troops: 'We're Not Ready to Go It Alone'

Matt Cantor — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:51:38 CDT

Iraq’s army has taken strides toward independence—but it still needs the help of American forces, say Iraqi troops and officers interviewed by the New York Times . “We are too many years behind other countries. We need the coalition forces until 2015,” said one officer. But American officers are increasingly...