Section: Cyprus Mail (Cyprus)
Ukraine coalition loses majority after second party quits
Ukraine’s Samopomich party has quit the ruling coalition, one of its leaders Oleh Berezyuk said on Thursday, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk to find new allies or risk the collapse of the government. The announcement came just a day after another party led by former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko quit the coalition....
Western-backed Ukrainian government survives no confidence vote
Ukraine’s Western-backed government survived a no-confidence vote on Tuesday, staving off the immediate prospect of a snap election in a country fighting a deep recession and a pro-Russian separatist insurgency. The vote took place just hours after President Petro Poroshenko publicly urged the prime minister to resign, a move that...
Turkey vows ‘harsh reaction’ if Kurds try to take Syrian town
By Ercan Gurses and Daren Butler Turkey will not allow the northern Syrian town of Azaz to fall into the hands of a Kurdish militia and its fighters will face the ‘harshest reaction’ if they approach it again, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday. A major offensive supported by Russian bombing and Iranian-backed Shi’ite...
Putin, Obama discuss Syria on phone (Updated)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to intensify diplomatic and other cooperation to implement an agreement on Syria struck at talks in Munich, the Kremlin said on Sunday. Major powers agreed on Friday to a temporary “cessation of hostilities” in Syria. The pause is due to begin in a week’s time . After...
After 1,000-year split, pope and Russian patriarch embrace in Cuba
HAVANA, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill embraced and kissed on Friday in a historic meeting, uniting to issue a global appeal for the protection of Christians under assault in the Middle East. Nearly 1,000 years after the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity split apart, the meeting at an airport...
Russia keeps bombing despite Syria truce; Assad vows to fight on
MUNICH/AMMAN, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Major powers agreed on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to fight until he regained full control of the country. Although billed as a potential breakthrough, the “cessation of hostilities” agreement does not take...
“Cessation of hostilities” in Syria lets Russia keep bombing
By John Irish and Warren Strobel Major powers agreed on Friday to a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria to begin in a week, doing nothing in the meantime to halt Russian bombing poised to give government forces their biggest victory of the five-year-old war. If implemented, the deal would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. It has the...
NATO agrees Russian deterrent but avoids Cold War footing
By Robin Emmott and Phil Stewart NATO agreed on Wednesday its boldest steps yet to deter Russia from any attack in the Baltics or eastern Europe, setting out ways to rapidly deploy air, naval and ground forces without resorting to Cold War-era military bases. In an effort to dissuade Moscow after its 2014 annexation of Crimea, NATO defence...
Pope, Russian Orthodox patriarch to hold historic meeting in Cuba
By Philip Pullella Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet in Cuba next week in what could be a historic step towards healing the 1,000-year-old rift between the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity. The Vatican and the Moscow Patriarchate announced on Friday that Francis will stop in Cuba on Feb 12 his way to...
German-Russian ties feel Cold War-style chill over rape case
By Andreas Rinke and Paul Carrel Moscow’s intervention in an alleged rape case involving a German-Russian girl has heightened suspicions in Berlin that it is trying to stir up trouble, with a view to weakening Chancellor Angela Merkel. The case of the 13-year-old, named only as Lisa F., became the focus of political intrigue after she told...
