Section: Cyprus
Britain says to contribute troops, planes to reassure Baltics over Russia
By Kylie MacLellan Britain will send four Typhoon fighter jets again this year to help NATO with air policing in the Baltic States, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said on Thursday, promising that up to 1,000 British troops will also join a NATO rapid reaction force. NATO agreed at a summit in Wales last September to create a “spearhead” rapid...
German, French leaders to take Ukraine peace plan to Kiev, Moscow
By Nicholas Vinocur and Lesley Wroughton The leaders of Germany and France launched a new diplomatic initiative over Ukraine on Thursday, announcing they would fly together to Kiev and Moscow with a proposal to resolve the conflict that could be “acceptable to all”. The coordinated trip by Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande...
Shell hits hospital in Ukraine’s Donetsk, dead feared – city mayor
A shell hit a hospital in the east Ukrainian rebel-controlled city of Donetsk on Tuesday and dead and injured were feared, the city administration said. “There was an artillery shell at 12 noon … The shell hit a hospital, there are dead and wounded,” a statement on the administration’s website said. Send to Kindle …read more Source:...
At least 9 killed when TransAsia plane crashes into Taiwan river
By Faith Hung and Michael Gold At least nine people were killed and dozens were unaccounted for after a Taiwanese TransAsia Airways plane with 58 passengers and crew on board crash-landed in a Taipei river on Wednesday, officials and domestic media said. Dramatic pictures taken by a motorist and posted on Twitter showed the planed cartwheeling...
Ukraine says lost five more soldiers in the east in past 24 hours
By Richard Balmforth Five Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 27 wounded in fighting with pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine’s eastern regions in the past 24 hours, Kiev military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said on Tuesday. Ukrainian military say fighting has been particularly intense around the town of Debaltseve, a major rail and road...
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...
