Section: AsiaOne (Singapore)
Leaders hold Ukraine peace talks as fighting surges
MINSK – The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine held peace talks in Belarus on Wednesday, while in Ukraine pro-Moscow separatists tightened the pressure on Kiev by launching some of the war’s worst fighting.Ukraine’s army said 19 of its soldiers were killed in pro-Russian separatist assaults near the railway town of...
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 set out Athens’ proposals for a new debt programme at an emergency meeting with his counterparts...
Five killed in shelling of Ukraine rebel stronghold Donetsk
DONETSK, Ukraine – Five people were killed in mortar attacks on the Ukrainian rebel-controlled city of Donetsk early Wednesday as peace talks were due to be held in Minsk.Pro-Russian rebel representative Ivan Prikhodko told AFP that mortar fire had killed two people, including a bus driver at the bus station.An employee of the Donetsk...
‘Spy mania’ makes comeback in Russia amid Ukraine war
MOSCOW – What do a nuclear scientist, a young mother of seven, a church employee and a former military factory boss have in common?They’ve all been charged with high treason, espionage or disclosing state secrets in newly spy-phobic Russia.With ex-KGB President Vladimir Putin staking his reputation on Russia’s takeover of Crimea...
Ukraine fighting intensifies ahead of peace summit
KIEV – Intense fighting in Ukraine, including a rocket strike on Kiev’s military headquarters in the east, killed at least 20 people on Tuesday on the eve of a four-way peace summit.Pro-Russia rebels sought to encircle railway hub Debaltseve, and Ukrainian forces launched a counter-offensive around the strategic port of Mariupol as...
Ukraine parliament agrees to dismissal of top prosecutor
KIEV – Ukraine’s parliament voted on Tuesday to approve a presidential proposal to dismiss the General Prosecutor, criticised by deputies and activists for failing to roll out reforms and bring justice for those killed in last year’s “Euromaidan” revolution.Vitaliy Yarema was appointed last June after the toppling of...
Obama delays Ukraine arms decision amid diplomatic whirlwind
WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama on Monday agreed to hold off a controversial decision on sending arms to Ukraine until German-led efforts to broker a ceasefire with Russia are given a chance.Hosting Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House, Obama said he hoped she could reach a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end 10...
Putin will not accept ultimatums over Ukraine: Kremlin
MOSCOW – Russia said Monday that President Vladimir Putin would not tolerate any ultimatums over Ukraine after a report said Germany had given him until Wednesday to agree a peace plan or face new sanctions.”We’ve already said everything about the tone of the negotiations,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on...
Russians write open letter to Putin over foreign-currency mortgages
MOSCOW – Russians with foreign-currency mortgages have written an open letter to President Vladimir Putin seeking help with repayments that have soared because of the rouble’s plunge, saying they were misled by banks.The letter, published by the Vedomosti and Kommersant business newspapers on Monday, reflects discontent over the...
Obama hosts Merkel amid deepening Ukraine crisis
WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama hosts Angela Merkel at the White House on Monday, as worsening violence in Ukraine confronts them with a choice between throwing more weapons into the war and risky peace talks.The German chancellor will visit the Oval Office for a tete-a-tete as divisions grow over how to stop bloody fighting between...
