Section: Cyprus Mail (Cyprus)
Shells hit Donetsk, five more Ukrainian soldiers killed
By Aleksandar Vasovic Artillery attacks on the Ukrainian city of Donetsk killed at least one civilian on Monday while Kiev’s military reported that five more Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in clashes with separatists in the east in the past 24 hours. Municipal authorities in Donetsk said 15 civilians were killed over the weekend by...
Death toll mounts in Ukraine fighting after peace talks fail
By Natalia Zinets and Aleksandar Vasovic Thirteen government soldiers and at least as many civilians have been killed in the past 24 hours in eastern Ukraine’s separatist conflict after the collapse of peace talks, Kiev authorities said. Hopes of easing the situation evaporated on Saturday with Ukraine’s representative and separatist...
Ukraine and rebels hold fresh peace talks as fighting rages
By Andrei Makhovsky and Richard Balmforth A new round of peace talks got under way involving Ukraine and separatists on Saturday, even as fighting between Kiev government forces and the Russian-backed rebels raged in Ukraine’s east, claiming civilian and military lives. The main members of the so-called ‘contact group’ – Ukrainian...
Aviation leaders seek new safety mandate after deadly 2014
By Allison Lampert and Allison Martell Aviation leaders will try to secure a mandate to implement new safety standards when they meet next week after a string of high-profile accidents around the world made 2014 the deadliest year for commercial airlines in almost a decade. Efforts to adopt new standards for global plane tracking and co-operation...
EU wins Greek backing to extend Russia sanctions, delays decision on new steps
By Robin Emmott and Pavel Polityuk European Union foreign ministers extended existing sanctions against Russia on Thursday, holding off on tighter economic measures for now but winning the support of the new left-leaning government of Greece, whose position had been in doubt. The ministers agreed to extend until September travel bans and asset...
Greek foreign minister repeats criticism of EU over Ukraine
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias stoked a brewing row with European partners over sanctions against Russia on Thursday, saying Athens would not be pushed into agreement because of its impending debt negotiations. Just days after taking office, the leftwing government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been embroiled in a dispute with...
EU’s Schulz warns Tsipras against straying from stance against Russia
European Parliament President Martin Schulz warned leftist Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday against diverging from the European Union’s stance towards Russia in the Ukraine crisis. Tsipras, who won election on Sunday, unsettled European partners on Wednesday by criticising an EU statement that warned Moscow it faced new...
EU to extend sanctions on Russia to end-2015
The European Union will extend asset freezes and travel bans imposed on dozens of Russians and Ukrainians after Moscow’s annexation of Crimea to the end of this year, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters on Wednesday. A draft statement, prepared for an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers on Thursday and seen by Reuters,...
Litvinenko post-mortem was world’s most dangerous ever, UK inquiry hears
Pathologists examining the body of ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned with a rare radioactive isotope London in 2006, carried out the world’s most dangerous-ever post-mortem, an inquiry into his killing heard on Wednesday. They also said they would probably never have discovered the way he had been killed had unusual tests not been...
Last survivors recall Auschwitz, ask if lessons learned
By Wiktor Szary and Wojciech Zurawski Around 300 survivors of the Auschwitz death camp were gathering on Tuesday to mark 70 years since its liberation by Soviet troops, joined by world leaders for a commemoration held in the shadow of war in Ukraine and a rise in anti-Semitism in Europe. Tuesday’s gathering in southern Poland marks perhaps...
