Section: AsiaOne (Singapore)
Relief, but doubts at truce in Ukraine conflict zone
DONETSK, Ukraine – 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...
Two civilians killed after start of Ukraine ceasefire: Pro-Kiev official
KIEV – Two civilians were killed by rockets fired by rebels shortly after the start of a ceasefire in east Ukraine Sunday, a pro-Kiev official said, but firing halted along most of the frontline.An elderly man and woman died after Grad missile fire hit the town of Popasna in the Lugansk region some 20 minutes after a truce came into force...
Ukraine ceasefire begins after fierce fighting in besieged town
DONETSK – A ceasefire in Ukraine was cautiously observed by both sides early Monday, despite accusations by Kiev and the US that Russia had fuelled a final push by rebels to gain territory before the deadline.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered troops to abide by the truce from midnight (2200 GMT), in line with a deal reached in...
Guns fall silent in Ukraine’s Donetsk as Poroshenko orders ceasefire
DONETSK – Shelling stopped abruptly at midnight on Saturday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk after President Petro Poroshenko ordered government forces to halt firing in line with a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the country’s bloody conflict.Poroshenko, wearing the uniform of the armed forces supreme commander, said in a...
Obama tells Poroshenko of ‘deep concern’ over Ukraine violence
WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama called his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko on Saturday to express his “deep concern” and “sympathy” over spiraling violence as a ceasefire came into force in eastern Ukraine.The truce officially started at midnight (2200 GMT on Saturday) but surging fighting in the runup...
IS group poses gravest threat to US: poll
WASHINGTON – Americans believe the Islamic State group poses the most serious threat to the United States in the next decade, according to a poll released Friday.Eighty-four per cent of those quizzed by Gallup said IS jihadists, who have grabbed large areas of Iraq and Syria in a brutal onslaught, and terrorism in general presented a...
“Merkel mania” as hyperactive chancellor tackles Ukraine, Greece
BERLIN – Kiev, Moscow, Munich, Washington, Ottawa, Minsk and Brussels – all in a week’s work for Angela Merkel, whose tireless efforts to broker peace in Ukraine and keep Greece in the euro zone won praise even from the chancellor’s fiercest critics in Germany.”I don’t feel bad. And the week isn’t even...
Eight Ukrainian servicemen killed in past 24 hours despite peace deal
KIEV – Eight Ukrainian service personnel have been killed and 34 wounded in fighting against separatists in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, a Kiev military spokesman said on Friday, despite a four-power peace deal worked out in Belarus.”In the Donbass (eastern Ukraine), this night was not a calm one. The enemy shelled positions...
Greek PM confronts European leaders over bailout
BRUSSELS – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras confronts European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his first EU summit Thursday, after his government failed to secure a deal on renegotiating its huge bailout.Tsipras warned ahead of the Brussels summit that the EU was now at a “turning point” following the...
‘Drastic decline’ in media freedom worldwide
PARIS – Media freedom suffered a “drastic decline” worldwide last year in part because of extremist groups such as Islamic State and Boko Haram, the watchdog group Reporters Without Borders said in its annual evaluation released Thursday.”There has been an overall deterioration linked to very different factors, with...
