Section: Egypt Independent (Egypt)
Ukraine guardsman killed in nationalist protest outside parliament
A Ukrainian national guardsman was killed and nearly 90 others wounded by grenades hurled from a crowd of nationalist protesters on Monday as they were guarding parliament where lawmakers backed giving more autonomy to rebel-held areas.The violence, which the government blamed on the main nationalist party, and division in the pro-Western camp in...
Refugee crisis suddenly Merkel’s biggest challenge
Returning from her summer break in mid-August, German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised some eyebrows by describing Europe’s refugee problem as a bigger challenge than the Greece crisis, which had overshadowed all else in the first half of 2015.No one in Germany is questioning her assessment any longer.In the past two weeks, the country has...
Swiss law aims to return foreign funds stashed by erstwhile leaders
Switzerland expects to adopt a new law by the end of the year that will speed restitution of illicit funds stashed in the Alpine country, where thousands of ‘politically exposed persons’ are believed to hold bank accounts, a top Swiss official said on Monday. Swiss authorities are cooperating with a number of countries, among them...
Putin buffs up image while exploring shipwreck off Crimea
Russian President Vladimir Putin burnished his action man image on Tuesday by diving down in a mini-submarine to explore a shipwreck off the coast of the Crimea peninsula that Moscow seized from Ukraine last year.Putin – wearing a beige pantsuit – plunged down to a depth of 83 metres seated alongside the pilot in the glass-bubble cabin of the...
Mali hotel siege ends, hostages freed – Mali defense ministry
Malian special forces backed by French soldiers ended the siege of a hotel in central Mali early on Saturday, freeing four hostages being held there by suspected Islamist militants, a defense ministry spokesman said. “It seems to be over and it has ended well,” said Colonel Diaran Koné. “We freed the four hostages. But...
Russia merges air, missile, space branches of its military to create Aerospace Forces
Russia has merged several branches of its military into the Aerospace Forces — a reorganization aimed at enhancing coordination and efficiency.Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Monday that the decision offers “the optimal way of improving the system of the nation’s aerospace defense.”The new branch will include the nation’s air...
Russia vetoes UN resolution on MH17 Tribunal
Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution Wednesday that sought to set up a special tribunal to try those responsible for shooting down flight MH17 over Ukraine. Eleven of the 15 members of the Security Council voted in favour of the resolution, which had been drafted by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine....
State Department: US troops to train regular Ukrainian military troops
US troops will begin training regular Ukrainian military forces later this year in an expansion of their current mission, which so far has been limited to instructing Interior Ministry national guard units, the State Department said on Friday. “This training is part of our long-running defense cooperation with Ukraine and is taking place at...
Interior Ministry: Explosions in Lviv aimed at destabilizing Ukraine
Two policemen were wounded in explosions at two district police stations in the west Ukrainian city of Lviv on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said, linking the cases to a deadly standoff between a far-right group and police over the weekend. In a statement, the ministry said the entrances to the stations had been booby-trapped with explosives and...
Poroshenko says terrorist threat in Ukraine has ‘significantly risen’
President Petro Poroshenko said on Friday the threat of terrorism had “significantly risen” in Ukraine, describing the country as awash with weapons trafficked from the east where a shaky ceasefire has eased fighting against pro-Russian rebels. At a meeting with Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk and Interior Minister Arsen Avakov,...
