Section: The Gulf Today (United Arab Emirates)
Two Ukrainian soldiers killed in war-torn east
KIEV: Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 14 more injured over 24 hours in clashes between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, a security official in Kiev said on Saturday. Most of the casualties were near Donetsk, the major separatist hub close to the line of contact, Ukrainian army spokesman Andriy Lysenko said,...
Kiev court permits self-rule for pro-Russia rebels
MOSCOW: Ukraine’s highest court on Friday allowed parliament to vote on Western-backed constitutional amendments aimed at stemming daily bloodshed by giving pro-Russian insurgents partial autonomy in the separatist east. The idea of granting at least three years of self-rule to rebellious parts of Ukraine’s industrial war zone has...
Abbott slams ‘outrageous’ Russian MH17 veto
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Thursday Russia’s “outrageous” veto of a UN resolution to establish a special tribunal to try those who shot down flight MH17 over Ukraine reinforced concerns Moscow was protecting the perpetrators. Eleven of the 15 members of the Security Council voted in favour late on Wednesday of the...
EU to extend relief for farmers hit by Russia sanctions
MOSCOW: The EU said on Thursday it will extend until next year a multi-million euro aid package to help struggling European farmers hit by Russian sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. The European Commission, the executive arm of the 28-nation European Union, said it was finalising details after Russian President Vladimir Putin last month extended...
Four civilians killed in Ukraine fighting
KIEV: Four civilians were killed in intense shelling attacks between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian rebels in the separatist east of the war-torn state, officials from both sides said on Thursday. “Two civilians were killed as a result of shelling in Dzerzhynsk,” about 50 kilometres north of the rebels’ de facto capital Donetsk,...
Putin opposes MH17 tribunal ahead of UN vote
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he opposed the creation of an international tribunal to prosecute those who shot down a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine, hours before a UN vote on such a proposal. Putin’s comment was the latest to indicate Russia may block moves at the United Nations, co-sponsored by the...
OSCE monitors ‘attacked’ in Ukraine
KIEV: Western monitors of Ukraine’s tattered truce on Tuesday reported coming under “targeted” fire that has forced them to rethink their future operations in the war-torn former Soviet state. The Organisation for the Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has been at the heart of global efforts to end a 15-month conflict between...
Ukraine displacement soaring: Charities
LVIV: Ukraine is facing a “hidden emergency” because of the government’s failure to plan for nearly 1.4 million people uprooted by the war in the east, which has left many struggling to find shelter, charities say. They accused the government of breaking its promise to provide housing for people displaced by the conflict and urged it to...
Ukraine detains another suspected Russian soldier
KIEV: Ukrainian state security agents on Sunday questioned a soldier suspected of being a Russian army officer who was picked up while riding in a military truck packed with ammunition in the country’s east. If he is confirmed as a Russian soldier, Ukraine is likely to use the case to bolster its charges that Russia is continuing direct...
Moldova edges towards new pro-Europe government
CHISINAU: Three pro-Europe Moldovan parties announced on Wednesday they had agreed to form a new ruling coalition to produce a government to pilot the country towards integration with the European Union and unlock fresh foreign funding. The small ex-Soviet state, sandwiched between Ukraine and EU member Romania, has been in turmoil after a...
