Section: Cyprus
Locals eating radioactive food 30 years after Chernobyl: Greenpeace tests
Economic crises convulsing Russia, Ukraine and Belarus mean testing in areas contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster has been cut or restricted, Greenpeace said, and people continue to eat and drink foods with dangerously high radiation levels. According to scientific tests conducted on behalf of the environmental campaigning group,...
German vice chancellor says Trump poses threat to peace and prosperity
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has criticised leading U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as a right-wing populist whose political views pose a threat to peace and prosperity. The comments by Gabriel, economy minister and leader of the Social Democrats, are the clearest sign yet that ruling politicians in Europe are...
Families of missing MH370 passengers sue airline as deadline nears
The families of 12 passengers aboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 filed suits against the airline on Friday before a two-year deadline for legal action expires. MH370 disappeared en route to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board. Multiple suits have been filed in the United States, Australian, Chinese and...
Public support for Putin to serve another term hits highest level in four years – poll
Public support for Vladimir Putin to serve another term as president has hit its highest level in four years, a survey by a state-run pollster showed on Thursday. Seventy-four percent of Russians would vote to re-elect Putin as president, according to a poll by VTsIOM. Putin dominates state media in Russia and is widely expected to contest the...
Syrian opposition yet to agree to fighting halt (Video)
By Tom Perry Syria‘s main opposition group said it has yet to commit to a US-Russian plan to stop fighting in Syria on Saturday, underlining rebel doubts over a deal they fear will not prevent Russian air strikes against them. Combatants are required to say whether they will agree to the “cessation of hostilities” by noon on Friday (1000 GMT),...
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...
