Section: Cyprus Mail (Cyprus)
After turbulent 2014, expect little calm for 2015
By Peter Apps FROM FINANCIAL crisis in Russia to cyber warfare with North Korea, 2014 has generated new flashpoints right into its final days, setting 2015 up to be just as turbulent. Almost all of the major confrontations, such as the battle with Islamic State militants, the West’s stand-off with Russia over Ukraine and the fight against...
Ukrainian parliament angers Moscow by scrapping ‘non-aligned’ status
By Alessandra Prentice The Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday renounced Ukraine’s “non-aligned” status with the aim of eventually joining NATO, angering Moscow which views the Western alliance’s eastward expansion as a threat to its own security Kiev first announced its intention of seeking the protection of NATO membership in August...
Pro-Palestine parliaments – hopes and dangers
By John V Whitbeck THE EUROPEAN Parliament, after a late compromise in pursuit of consensus, passed on December 17, by a vote of 498 to 88 with 111 abstentions, a resolution stating that it “supports in principle recognition of Palestinian statehood and the two-state solution and believes these should go hand in hand with the development of peace...
Russia calls new sanctions on Crimea ‘collective punishment’
By Vladimir Soldatkin THE Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday new Western sanctions against Ukraine’s Crimea region were a “collective punishment” on residents who voted last March to join Russia, adding it was preparing to retaliate. Both the European Union and United States adopted tighter restrictions on investments in Crimea this...
EU leaders prepare for long confrontation with Russia
By Alastair Macdonald and Jan Strupczewski European Union leaders warned Moscow they are ready to flex their combined muscle and “stay the course” in a long confrontation with Russia if President Vladimir Putin refuses to pull back from Ukraine. “We must go beyond being reactive and defensive. As Europeans we must regain our self-confidence and...
Putin says Russia economy will be cured but offers no remedy
By Timothy Heritage and Alexei Anishchuk President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia’s economy would inevitably rebound after the rouble’s dramatic slide this year but offered no remedy to a deepening financial crisis. Under pressure to show he has a plan to fix the economy, Putin told an end-of-year news conference the actions...
Russia carried out snap military drills in Kaliningrad region
By Thomas Grove President Vladimir Putin ordered snap military drills in Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad region earlier this month, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. The drills, which mobilised 9,000 soldiers and more than 55 naval ships, were carried out to test the military’s combat readiness in Kaliningrad, an exclave that...
Ukraine is an outpost of the European Union
Borys Humeniuk WHEN in 1991 Ukraine gained independence, we were very glad and proud to have been able to break up with Russia in a civilised way and remaining friends. But, it turned out that our war has just been late for 23 years. The Kremlin could not imagine realisation of its provocative ambitions of restoring the Russian empire without...
EU considers tightening ban on energy, tourism in Crimea
By Robin Emmott The European Union is considering widening its ban on investment in Crimea to include barring the sale of technology for oil and gas exploration and stopping EU firms running tourist businesses there, according to a draft document seen by Reuters. The proposals, being worked on by EU officials, would also ban EU citizens from...
Ukraine’s military says suspends combat operations on ‘Day of Silence’
Ukrainian government forces said they had suspended combat operations as a “Day of Silence” began in the war-torn east on Tuesday, marking an effective ceasefire on the front line of the conflict with separatist rebels. In the city of Donetsk, the separatists main stronghold, a Reuters correspondent said firing was heard up to 9 am but later...
