Section: AsiaOne (Singapore)
Ukraine leader says troop deaths ‘serious breach’ of truce
BERLIN – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko declared the killing of three government troops by pro-Moscow rebels a “serious breach of the ceasefire”, during a telephone call Friday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, her office said.”The firing by separatists on Ukrainian troops who were withdrawing constitutes a...
Russian opposition leader Nemtsov shot dead in Moscow
Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition politician and former deputy prime minister who was an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, was shot dead meters from the Kremlin in central Moscow late on Friday.Nemtsov, 55, was shot four times in the back, the Interior Ministry said. A police spokeswoman on the scene said he had been walking on a...
Chinese diplomat tells West to consider Russia’s security concerns over Ukraine
Western powers should take into consideration Russia’s legitimate security concerns over Ukraine, a top Chinese diplomat has said in an unusually frank and open display of support for Moscow’s position in the crisis.Qu Xing, China’s ambassador to Belgium, was quoted by state news agency Xinhua late on Thursday as blaming...
China tells West to consider Russia’s security concerns over Ukraine
BEIJING – Western powers should take into consideration Russia’s legitimate security concerns over Ukraine, a top Chinese diplomat has said in an unusually frank and open display of support for Moscow’s position in the crisis.Qu Xing, China’s ambassador to Belgium, was quoted by state news agency Xinhua late on Thursday as...
Deaths shake Ukraine truce, Poroshenko wary of Russia threat
KIEV – Ukraine on Friday reported the first deaths in three days in east Ukraine, denting hopes a ceasefire will hold, and President Petro Poroshenko said Russia would pose a “military threat” even if the truce is solid.Government troops fighting pro-Russian separatists in the east began towing artillery away from the front line...
Russian exile: Putin is a ‘naked king’ facing economic ruin
LONDON – Former Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky said on Thursday Vladimir Putin was a “naked king” presiding over an economy that will weaken further, eventually provoking a battle between rival clans in Moscow.”Putin with bare chest isn’t a mighty leader: He is a naked king,” Khodorkovsky, once...
Ukraine says pulling back arms as UN plans emergency session
Ukraine’s military said it had started withdrawing heavy weapons from the frontline, bolstering a stuttering peace plan as the UN Security Council scheduled an emergency session Friday on the ceasefire deal.The announced pull-back – a key part of a peace deal negotiated earlier this month – comes after a shaky truce that was...
EU calls on Russia to free Ukraine pilot ‘urgently’
BRUSSELS, Feb 26, 2015 (AFP) – The European Union called on Russia Thursday to “urgently” release Ukraine military pilot Nadia Savenchko on humanitarian grounds after 75 days on hunger strike to protest her detention.A spokesperson for EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said Russia “bears a responsibility for her...
Kyrgyzstan to vote on controversial anti-gay law
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyzstan is set to vote on a controversial bill that would make it a crime punishable by up to six months in jail to present gay relationships in a positive way in the ex-Soviet state.The move by the predominantly Muslim Central Asian country follows an anti-gay law passed in Russia in 2013 which bans promoting gay...
Putin ‘destabilizing’ Ukraine, Kerry says
WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of destabilizing Ukraine through “land grabs,” warning Moscow and the rebels had failed to meet the terms of a tattered ceasefire.Putin had put in place policies which “violate all the international norms with respect to...
