Section: Egypt Independent (Egypt)
Merkel encourages G7 leaders to agree tough climate goals
German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Group of Seven (G7) leaders to commit to tough goals to cut greenhouse gases at the final day of their summit in the Bavarian Alps on Monday. Merkel, once dubbed the “climate chancellor”, hopes to revitalise her green credentials by getting the G7 industrial nations to agree specific emissions...
Obama says G7 to stand up to Russian aggression in Ukraine
US President Barack Obama said Group of Seven (G7) leaders meeting in the Bavarian Alps on Sunday would discuss standing up to Russian aggression in Ukraine amid an upsurge in violence there that monitors have blamed on Moscow-backed separatists. At the start of the two-day summit of the world’s leading industrial nations, host Angela...
Don’t be afraid of Russia, Putin tells West
Russia is not a threat to the West, President Vladimir Putin insisted in an interview published on Saturday, saying that he supported a Ukraine peace deal following a fresh outbreak of violence in the east of the ex-Soviet country. “I would like to say – there’s no need to be afraid of Russia,” Putin told Italian newspaper...
Ukraine says 5 servicemen killed in fighting, tensions still high
Five Ukrainian servicemen were killed in the worst upsurge of fighting in the east of the country in months and the situation remains tense, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday, as pro-Russian rebels also updated their own death toll. Presidential aide Yuri Biryukov reported the Ukrainian deaths on his Facebook page and said 39 servicemen had...
Ukraine forces, separatists fight first serious battles in months
Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists on Wednesday fought their first serious battles in months and Ukraine’s defense minister said an attempt by rebels to take the eastern town of Maryinka had been thwarted. Ukraine’s military said the Russian-backed rebels had tried to advance using tanks and up to 1,000 fighters west of the...
Russia dismisses EU criticism of travel blacklist
Russia criticised the European Union on Monday for allowing the publication of a list of European officials barred from entering the country in the diplomatic fallout over the Ukraine crisis. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow, which drew up the list in response to a similar ban on Russian officials by the EU, had handed over the list to...
Special Report: Russian fighters, caught in Ukraine, cast adrift by Moscow
From his hospital bed in the Ukrainian capital, Russian fighter Alexander Alexandrov feels abandoned by his country, its leaders and even the local Russian consul.Alexandrov, 28, says he’s a Russian soldier who was captured in east Ukraine after being sent there on active duty with Russian special forces to help separatists fighting Kiev....
Putin makes troop deaths in peacetime operations a state secret
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree making military losses in “special operations” during peacetime a state secret, as the Kremlin continues to rebuff accusations its troops are fighting in Ukraine. The amendment adds to the list of what Russia classifies as “state secrets” any “information...
Russia’s new ‘undesirables’ law draws Western ire
The United States led criticism of Russia’s new law targeting “undesirable” NGOs, which activists fear will stifle critical voices at international rights groups working in the country. Under the law signed by President Vladimir Putin on Saturday evening, Russian prosecutors will be able to target foreign groups whose...
Minister: Ukraine wants roadmap to EU accession at Riga summit
Ukraine’s foreign minister said his country wants assurances at a summit with the European Union this week that it is a suitable candidate for EU membership and its citizens will gain visa-free travel to the bloc next year.Officials from the EU and its member states meet six of the bloc’s eastern neighbours, including Ukraine, in the...
