Section: South Africa
Rouble, rand, lire strengthen
The rouble jumped 0.8 percent and Russian shares rose after the European Union held off imposing new sanctions though broader emerging equities slipped for the fourth day, their mood soured by weak Chinese housing data. ||| London – The rouble jumped 0.8 percent on Tuesday and Russian shares rose after the European Union held off imposing...
NATO sees ‘very serious’ Russian military Ukraine build-up
Russia has launched a “very serious” military build-up inside Ukraine and on their shared border, deploying troops and sophisticated equipment including air defence systems, NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday. Troops, artillery and “very modern” air defence weapons could be seen “both inside of Ukraine and also on the Russian side of the...
German FM jets to Kiev, Moscow in bid to revive Ukraine peace plan
Germany’s foreign minister jetted to Kiev and Moscow on Tuesday (18/11/2014) in a bid to revive a failing peace plan in east Ukraine, as deadly fighting pushed EU-Russia relations to breaking point. Berlin’s top diplomat Frank-Walter Steinmeier was set to hold key talks with Ukraine’s pro-Western leaders before heading to Moscow...
Moscow hopes ties with EU have not crossed ‘point of no return’
Russia said on Tuesday (18/11/2014) it hopes its ties with the EU had not yet crossed the point of no return over the Ukraine crisis after Brussels slapped more sanctions against Kremlin-backed separatists fighting Kiev. “We are hoping that the ‘point of no return’ has not yet been crossed,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a...
Czechs mark Velvet Revolution with red cards
Thousands of Czechs marched to mark the the 25th anniversary of the fall of communism, and issue a warning to the pro-Moscow president. ||| Prague – Thousands of Czechs marched through Prague on Monday to mark the the 25th anniversary of the fall of communism, waving soccer-style red penalty cards as a warning to a president they see as...
Grim prognosis for stricken Ukraine hospital
Facing frequent shelling and desperate conditions, staff and patients at Donetsk’s Hospital 21 in eastern Ukraine say they have no choice but to hunker down, stay put and cling to life as best they can. …read more Source:...
Nine soldiers, police die in Ukraine
Six Ukrainian soldiers and three police officers have been killed in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, security officials say. …read more Source:...
Nikkei sees worst slump in months
European shares dropped on Monday, hit by concern over the pace of global growth after new of Japan’s recession. ||| Edinburgh – European shares dropped on Monday, hit by concern over the pace of global growth after data showed Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, unexpectedly slipped into recession. The FTSEurofirst 300...
Merkel warns Ukraine conflict could spill over
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday (17/11/2014) accused Russia of destabilizing Ukraine and Eastern Europe, warning that the conflict between Kiev and separatists could spread to neighbouring countries. “Russia violates Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Merkel said in a speech at the Lowy Institute, a foreign policy...
Moscow confirms expulsions of German and Polish diplomats
Russia said on Monday (17/11/2014) it has expelled a German diplomat and a number of Polish diplomats in response to the expulsion of its diplomats amid cooling ties with the EU over Ukraine. Moscow said the German was expelled from Moscow in a retaliatory measure for what it described as an “unfriendly” step earlier by Berlin of expelling a...
