Section: theSun (Malaysia)
Ukraine truce fades
DONETSK: Government forces and pro-Russian separatists said they would not carry out an agreement to pull back heavy guns in east Ukraine today, pushing a shaky peace deal closer to collapse. Fighting has eased in many areas since a ceasefire came into force on Sunday, but the rebels have refused to halt attacks on a town where Ukrainian forces...
No UN resolution reached yet on Ukraine
UNITED NATIONS, United States: The 15 members of the United Nations Security Council will engage in more consultations on the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, but are not yet ready to adopt a resolution, diplomats said Sunday. The world peace and security body had been due to vote on a Russian-drafted resolution calling on all parties to implement...
Yemeni militia stands defiant ahead of UN vote
SANAA: Shiite militiamen who seized power in Yemen vowed to defy “threats” as the UN Security Council prepared to adopt a resolution Sunday calling on them to step aside or face consequences. Yemen is a traditional US ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda, but the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country has descended into chaos since the...
Relief, but doubts at truce in Ukraine conflict zone
DONETSK: Residents of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday morning following a first night without bombardments after a fragile ceasefire came into force in east Ukraine. But despite the sudden outbreak of peace few around the conflict zone seemed confident that the truce would last long after the collapse of...
Hopes of agreement after peace talks in Minsk
MINSK: The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France may be close to agreement following all-night talks on resolving the Ukraine conflict, diplomatic sources said on Thursday. Details remained unclear after more than 12 hours of peace talks in the Belarus capital Minsk, with one source saying there was hope agreement could reached and...
Greece fails to reach bailout deal with Europe
BRUSSELS: Greece’s new anti-austerity government failed to reach a deal with its European partners Thursday on renegotiating its huge bailout, with talks now set to go down to the wire next week. Finance minister Yaris Varoufakis (pix) set out Athens’ proposals for a new debt programme at an emergency meeting with his counterparts...
Leaders to discuss ‘last chance’ Ukraine peace bid
KIEV: French, German and Ukrainian leaders are to discuss a last-ditch peace bid for east Ukraine with Vladimir Putin today, after the US called for “deeds” from the Russian leader accused of masterminding the conflict. President Francois Hollande and Chancellor Angela Merkel were to join Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Putin...
Nato to boost eastern defences after Russian ‘aggression’
BRUSSELS: Nato was set Thursday to agree a major boost to its defences in eastern Europe including six bases and a spearhead force of 5,000 troops in response to what it called Russian aggression in Ukraine. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg insisted that the moves likely to be approved by defence ministers meeting in Brussels were purely...
19 civilians and troops killed in Ukraine in 24 hours: officials
KIEV: Fourteen civilians and five government soldiers have been killed in fighting in east Ukraine over the past 24 hours, government and rebel officials said Thursday. Pro-Russian separatists said shelling killed eight residents and wounded 33 more around their stronghold Donetsk. Across the lines, a local Ukrainian official said six civilians...
At least 23 feared dead as passenger flight crashes in Taiwan
TAIPEI: At least 23 people were killed and up to 19 were missing after a Taiwanese TransAsia Airways plane with 58 passengers and crew on board crashed into a river shortly after taking off from a downtown Taipei airport on Wednesday, officials said. As many as 28 people however appeared to have escaped miraculously from the crash after the plane...
