Section: Egypt Independent (Egypt)
Libya asks UN to approve arms contracts
Libya urged the UN Security Council to approve a request for military purchases as it struggles to combat Islamic State extremists and protect its oil fields.The internationally-recognized government, one of two bodies that claims to rule troubled Libya, has asked the council’s sanctions committee to grant an exemption to an arms embargo...
EU ready with sanctions if Ukraine ceasefire violated, Merkel says
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Russia on Wednesday that any serious violation of the current ceasefire in east Ukraine – which she described as “fragile” – would prompt Europe to impose further sanctions on Moscow for supporting the separatists. “So far we’ve got a fragile ceasefire which needs to be...
More than 30 killed in coal mine blast in rebel-held east Ukraine
A blast at a coal mine in the eastern Ukrainian rebel stronghold of Donetsk killed more than 30 people, a local official said on Wednesday, with dozens more miners who were underground at the time unaccounted for. Miners’ relatives were gathering at the entrance to the Zasyadko mine desperately trying to get more information, a Reuters...
Mourners pay respects to murdered Kremlin critic Nemtsov
Several hundred Russians, many carrying red carnations, queued on Tuesday to pay their respects to Boris Nemtsov, the Kremlin critic whose murder last week showed the hazards of speaking out against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin’s aides deny any involvement in killing Nemtsov, who was shot in the back four times on Friday within...
Exclusive: Obama says Iran must halt key nuclear work for at least a decade
Iran must commit to a verifiable freeze of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear activity for a landmark atomic deal to be reached, but the odds are still against sealing a final agreement, US President Barack Obama told Reuters on Monday. Interviewed at the White House, Obama moved to dial back tensions over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin...
Kerry meets with Russia’s Lavrov over Ukraine crisis
US Secretary of State John Kerry held tense talks with his Russian counterpart in Geneva Monday to end fighting in Ukraine, where the UN says more than 6,000 have died in less than a year. The meeting with Sergei Lavrov in an upscale Geneva hotel came less than a week after Kerry accused Moscow of lying to his face about its involvement in the...
Ukraine military says rebels using truce to regroup
Ukraine’s military said on Sunday a ceasefire had been fully observed in eastern separatist territories overnight, but warned that pro-Russian rebels were using the truce to regroup for new attacks on government positions.A drop in violence and moves by both sides to withdraw heavy weapons from the front line had raised hopes a shaky...
Memorial rally in Moscow for slain Russian opposition leader
Supporters of Boris Nemtsov were preparing to march through Moscow Sunday afternoon in an outpouring of anger and grief at the brutal murder of the opposition leader and fervent critic of Vladimir Putin, who has vowed to bring the killers to justice. The 55-year-old former deputy premier was shot in the back several times just before midnight...
Ukraine’s military reports significant fall in fighting
Ukraine’s military said on Saturday there had been a significant decrease in attacks by pro-Russian separatists in the east overnight, but said rebels had fired GRAD missiles at the town of Avdiivka despite a two-week-old ceasefire deal. On Friday, Ukraine reported the first deaths among its servicemen in three days, underscoring the...
Russian opposition leader Nemtsov shot dead in Moscow, police hunt killers
Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, was shot dead steps from the Kremlin in central Moscow late on Friday. Nemtsov, 55, was shot four times in the back by assailants in a white car as he walked across a bridge over the Moskva River with...
