Section: The Jakarta Post (Indonesia)
UN food agency facing worst challenge since World War II
The head of the World Food Program says the UN agency is confronting its worst challenge since World War II in trying to tackle five top-level humanitarian crises at the same time.Ertharin Cousin said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press that the five crises — in Syria, Iraq, Central African Republic, South Sudan, and the Ebola...
French, German leaders try to save faltering Ukraine truce
The French president says he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have spoken with the leaders of Ukraine and Russia about the cease-fire that has been faltering amid fierce fighting over the eastern town of Debaltseve.Ukrainian forces began abandoning Debaltseve on Wednesday after weeks of heavy fighting against Russia-backed separatists. Control...
Bodies of 13 Ukraine troops delivered to morgue near Debaltseve
The bodies of at least 13 Ukrainian soldiers were delivered to a morgue close to the battleground town of Debaltseve on Wednesday as government forces retreated from the key transport hub, a morgue official said. “The corpses of 13 Ukrainian servicemen were brought in today,” Ruslan Fedonyuk, director of the morgue in the...
Hungary says agreement reached on new gas deal with Russia
Hungary on Tuesday reached a “political agreement” with Moscow on a new gas deal, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s main objective while hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin.Orban, who said only “technical” details needed to be finalized on the deal after his meeting with Putin, also advocated vigorously for...
Street fighting in flashpoint Ukraine town threatens truce
Street-to-street fighting broke out for the first time inside a flashpoint town in east Ukraine on Tuesday, officials and pro-Russian rebels said, dealing a harsh blow to a fragile ceasefire just three days old. The combat in Debaltseve, a strategic railway hub located between the separatist-held cities of Donetsk and Lugansk, was described as...
Ukraine army, rebels miss deadline to start weapons pullback
Ukrainian government troops and Russia-backed rebels failed Tuesday to start pulling back heavy weaponry from the front line in eastern Ukraine as a deadline passed to do so.Under a cease-fire agreement negotiated by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France last week, the warring sides were to begin withdrawing heavy weapons from the...
Rupiah opens at Rp 12,758 per dollar on Tuesday
The rupiah interbank trade rate in Jakarta in Tuesday’s first trading session weakened slightly by 11 basis points to Rp 12,758 per US dollar from Rp 12,747 per US dollar in the earlier trading session.Samuel Sekuritas economist Rangga Cipta said the rupiah was considered stable after Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data revealed that the...
Venus Williams beats player half her age at Dubai tournament
Defending champion Venus Williams beat an opponent half her age on Monday, winning 6-1, 6-2 against 17-year-old Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.Despite the age difference, the 34-year-old Williams looked physically fitter than her opponent and dominated throughout to earn her 16th straight win in...
Battle persists for Ukraine railway hub, despite peace deal
Intense artillery exchanges between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists persisted Monday around a strategic town in eastern Ukraine — fighting that threatens to dash a cease-fire deal brokered by European leaders last week.Under a cease-fire agreement negotiated by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, the...
After attacks, France fights call for mass migration of Jews
Faced with images of overturned tombstones and yet another deadly attack at a European Jewish site, French leaders on Monday countered calls from the Israeli prime minister for a mass immigration with their own plea to the Jewish community.Hundreds of Jewish graves were found desecrated in eastern France on Sunday, hours after a Danish Jew...
