Ukraine: US And UK Warn Of Further Sanctions

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 21 Februari 2015 | 23.17

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Britain and the US have discussed further sanctions against Russia in the wake of the breakdown of a ceasefire in Ukraine.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Moscow is being "extraordinarily craven" in its support for Ukrainian separatists in fighting that has raged in recent days.

Mr Kerry said before a meeting in London with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond that the two countries would discuss new economic measures to put pressure on Russia to end such support for the rebels.

He said: "Russia has engaged in an absolutely brazen and cynical process over these last days.

"We know to a certainty what Russia has been providing to the separatists, how Russia is involved with the separatists.

"This is behaviour that is completely counter to everything that the global community has worked to achieve since World War II."

Mr Kerry accused Moscow of "land-grabbing" in Ukraine while cynically talking about peace.

He pointed specifically to the port of Mariupol, which pro-government forces say is threatened by a build-up of rebel military equipment.

If the rebels take the city, they would establish a land corridor between mainland Russia and the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Mr Kerry said: "What's happening with respect to Mariupol even now is just simply unacceptable, so we are talking about additional sanctions, additional efforts."

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Gallery: Thousands Mark Kiev Sniper Killings One Year On

Thousands of people have attended a ceremony marking a year since snipers killed scores of anti-government protesters in the Ukrainian capital Kiev

Mourners lit candles to remember the 100 who died over three days of demonstrations against the then president, Moscow-leaning Viktor Yanukovich

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Beams of light shone up into the sky as a minute's silence was held in Independence Square for the 'heavenly hundred'

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Those attending the ceremony, including current president Petro Poroshenko and the young son of one of the victims, then sang the national anthem

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Mr Poroshenko has claimed an influential aide to Vladimir Putin was behind the sniper killings in February last year

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The message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said, would be: "We're not going to play this game.

"We're not going to sit there and be part of this kind of extraordinarily craven behaviour at the expense of the sovereignty and integrity of a nation."

Mr Hammond also condemned the "unacceptable" way in which the ceasefire had been "systematically breached".

It comes as former Defence Secretary Liam Fox said the West should supply sophisticated weaponry, including anti-tank weapons and drones.

Kiev and the rebels have both accused each other of keeping up the attacks.

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Gallery: Ukraine: Protesters Bide Their Time (14 February 2014)

President Viktor Yanukovych ditched a planned EU trade and political pact in favour of closer ties with Moscow, sparking violent protests.

An anti-government protester drinks hot tea at the barricades built at the site of recent clashes with riot police.

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Ukrainian forces on Saturday reported attacks over the past day that killed one serviceman and wounded another 40, with mortars hitting the fringes of Mariupol, among other locations.

The rebels said Ukrainian forces shelled 15 locations overnight, including parts of Donetsk, the largest city the rebels control.

The current crisis was sparked by the ousting of Moscow-leaning president Viktor Yanukovych last February.

Weeks after Mr Yanukovych's removal, Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula and pro-Russian separatists seized key buildings in Ukraine's east, sparking a conflict that has killed more than 5,000 people.

The country's current president, Petro Poroshenko, has accused an influential aide to Mr Putin of being behind the killings of 100 activists during the demonstrations.

In Moscow, thousands of protesters gathered to demonstrate against what they called a "fascist coup" in Ukraine.

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23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mayweather-Pacquiao Fight Confirmed For May

Floyd Mayweather Jr will fight Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas in what's expected to become boxing's richest ever bout.

Mayweather announced the welterweight fight by posting a photograph of a signed contract online.

The 37-year-old fighter is expected to earn more than $120m (£77m) from the bout, while Pacquiao's split of the purse is likely to be around $80m (£52m).

The fight has been in the making for the past five years and follows lengthy negotiations over television rights. Rival networks reportedly thrashed out the terms for televising the fight earlier this month.

Additional stumbling blocks have been overcome in recent weeks, with both camps reaching an agreement on drug testing and both men able to wear their own gloves. No rematch clause has been included.

Pacquiao had spoken openly about his desire to reach a deal, but there had been silence from Mayweather until he announced the news via social media.

"What the world has been waiting for has arrived," said American Mayweather on the social networking website Shots.

"Mayweather vs. Pacquiao on May 2, 2015 is a done deal.

"I promised the fans we would get this done, and we did. We will make history on May 2nd. Don't miss it! This is the signed contract from both fighters.

"Giving the fans what they want to see is always my main focus. This will be the biggest event in the history of the sport. Boxing fans and sports fans around the world will witness greatness on May 2.

"I am the best ever, TBE, and this fight will be another opportunity to showcase my skills and do what I do best, which is win. Manny is going to try to do what 47 before him failed to do, but he won't be successful. He will be number 48."

The 37-year-old American, nicknamed "Money", is unbeaten in 47 fights with 26 knockouts, but Pacquiao is considered the biggest threat to his status as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Pacquiao was sleeping in the Philippines when the fight was announced, but his camp issued a statement saying the fans deserve the long-awaited fight.

"Pac Man" suffered back-to-back defeats in 2012, the second a shocking loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, but he repaired his reputation with three straight victories.

"It is an honour to be part of this historic event," said Pacquiao. "I dedicate this fight to all the fans who willed this fight to happen and, as always, to bring glory to the Philippines and my fellow Filipinos around the world."

Fight experts have been divided in their predictions for this eagerly anticipated encounter, with some favouring Pacquiao's all-action fighting style, while others back Mayweather to prevail with his slick counter punching.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola Testing Kit Gives Results In 15 Minutes

The World Health Organization has approved a rapid test for the Ebola virus which can deliver a diagnosis in just 15 minutes.

In what could be a breakthrough for bringing the epidemic in West Africa to an end, the test kits will be deployed to countries affected by Ebola within a matter of weeks.

Although less accurate than traditional tests, which can take anywhere between 12 and 24 hours, this kit does not require electricity - making it ideal for examining patients in remote areas.

During rigorous trials conducted by the WHO, the ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test correctly identified 92% of those infected with Ebola, and 85% who were free of the virus.

The health agency has said this new testing kit should be followed up with a laboratory test wherever possible.

Meanwhile, the UN's Mission for Ebola Emergency Response has praised Liberia's progress in slowing down the spread of the virus - but warned against complacency as the number of new patients continues to fall.

Ebola has killed more than 3,800 people in Liberia since December 2013 - but now, students are returning to their schools after they were closed for six months.

In Sierra Leone, an investigation is under way into how money meant to fight Ebola was used. Out of $5.75m (£3.75m) received in funding, a third was spent without invoices and receipts being saved.

Doctors, government officials and businesspeople now must answer to the Anti-Corruption Commission, which wants an explanation of where the cash went.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Under-fire Ukrainian Troops Quit Debaltseve

Separatist rebels fired on Ukrainian positions over 50 times in the last 24 hours, despite a cease-fire, according to a government military spokesman.

Anatoliy Stelmakh said the village of Kurakhovo, west of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, was hit by fire from Grad rockets and that the village of Berdyansk, west of Mariupol, was hit by artillery fire during the night.

Meanwhile, sporadic fighting is continuing in and around Debaltseve as government troops withdraw from the city, five days after the ceasefire took effect.

Reporting from the city Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay said: "The fighting is still taking place to the north and there are small numbers of Ukrainian soldiers still trying to get out.

"The city is in bits, people who have been living here have been emerging from basements, there are no shops, no running water and there is no food.

"Some aid has been delivered by the separatists but it's not enough to feed people or keep them warm. It's a very tough existence.

"We're also hearing there has been a lot of shelling in Mariupol as the Ukrainian army moved out."

Seizing Mariupol, which lies on the Sea of Azov, would be strategically important for the separatists as it would open supply routes to Crimea which has suffered shortages since being annexed by Vladimir Putin in March.

The streets of the city are mostly empty after dark and a Ukrainian military official in command there said Russia had been flying reconnaissance flights close to the town of Shyrokyne 10km away.

Russian commanders say military aviation exercises have been taking place in the south, close to the Ukraine border.

Major Roman Lavlyaveyev said: "During today's flights we are working on group flights in low and extremely low heights and also practising attacks on ground targets while performing simple and complicated manoeuvres."

Meanwhile Britain's diplomatic role in the crisis has come under fire in a scathing report by a House of Lords committee.

Peers accused Britain and the EU of a "catastrophic misreading" of the mood in Europe in the run up to the war and declared Britain and the EU were guilty of "sleep walking" into the conflict.

The report is a further blow to the government after Britain's former top NATO commander, General Sir Richard Shirreff, accused David Cameron of becoming a "foreign policy irrelevance" in the crisis.

A foreign office spokeswoman rejected the Lords' report and said Britain had played a leading role in supporting Ukraine's right to chart its own future by ensuring that the EU imposed tough sanctions on Russia.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Somalia: Dozens Dead In Al Shabab Attack

At least 25 people are reported to have been killed in an attack on a hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

Gunmen stormed the Central Hotel after a car and suicide bomb exploded at the fortified building near the presidential palace.

Clouds of black smoke could be seen pouring from the hotel.

Reports say the deputy major of Mogadishu and an MP were among those killed.

The deputy prime minister and minister of transport are reported to have been injured.

A presidential official said the death toll was likely to rise because some of the people hurt had bad injuries.

"The building was badly hit, the explosion was very big," said a policeman. "There were very many wounded people too, many of them seriously."

Islamist fighters from the al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab militant group said they had carried out the attack.

"Our fighters attacked the Central Hotel," spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab told AFP. "The aim is to kill the apostate officials."

The rebels are fighting to overthrow the government and have launched a number of attacks on targets with international connections.

These have included attacks on hotels, the international airport, the presidential palace Villa Somalia and a UN compound.

The fighters say they are attacking government officials because they are allowing the deployment of foreign African Union troops in Somalia.

The latest attack comes a month after a suicide bomber blew up a car at the SYL hotel, a day before a planned visit from Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

NATO General Warns Over Russia and Baltic

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Britain's most senior officer in NATO has warned that Russia could invade the Baltic States using tactics on display in Ukraine.

In a speech in London, General Sir Adrian Bradshaw said there is a "danger that Russia might believe that the large scale conventional forces which she has shown she can generate at very short notice as we saw in the snap exercise that preceded the take-over of Crimea could in future be used not only for intimidation and coercion but potentially to seize NATO territory."

Such a move, were it to happen, would invoke Article 5 of the organisation's constitution. This states that all NATO nations must come to the aid of other members in an act of collective defence.

It would bring the Alliance into direct conflict with Russia.

Sir Adrian is known as DSACEUR - Deputy Supreme Commander of NATO forces.

"We are today seeing Russian conventional forces employed, albeit subject to continued brazen denials by the Kremlin, in eastern Ukraine to assist separatists to seize territory," he told an audience at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

He added: "The threat from Russia and risk it brings of miscalculation resulting in a strategic conflict, however unlikely we see it, represents an existential threat to our whole being."

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Gallery: Nov 1: RAF Redirects Russia Bombers

Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept Russian military 'Bear' bombers for the second time in a week, it has emerged (Pic: MoD)

The aircraft were were sent up from RAF Lossiemouth on Friday, 31 October, to escort the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-95 aircraft (Pic: MoD)

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23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK 'Guilty Of Sleep-Walking' In Ukraine Crisis

The Prime Minister has rejected claims that the UK Government is guilty of "sleep-walking" into the Ukraine crisis.

In a scathing report by a House of Lords committee, peers accused both Britain and the EU of a "catastrophic misreading" of mood by European diplomats in the run-up to the stand-off between Russia and the West.

But speaking in Glasgow, the Prime Minister disagreed - and said responsibility for the crisis "lied absolutely squarely with Vladimir Putin and Russia".

David Cameron added: "In terms of what Britain has done, we were the first country to say that Russia should be thrown out of the G8, and Russia was thrown out of the G8.

"What we need to do now is to deliver the strongest possible message to Putin and to Russia that what has happened is unacceptable, that the ceasefires need to hold, and if they don't, there will be more consequences, more sanctions, more measures.

"Russia should not make the mistake of thinking in any way that America, Britain, France or Germany will be divided or will be weak. We won't. We'll be staunch, we'll be strong, we'll be resolute and in the end, we'll prevail."

The House of Lords' EU committee said a decline in expertise on Russia in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and other EU foreign ministries had left them ill-equipped to formulate an "authoritative response".

It said for too long the EU's relationship with Moscow had been based on the "optimistic premise" that Russia was on a trajectory to becoming a democratic country.

The result was a failure to appreciate the depth of Russian hostility when the EU opened talks aimed at establishing an "association agreement" with Ukraine in 2013.

Kiev and the West accuse Russia of arming the insurgents and sending soldiers into Ukraine - something Russian President Vladimir Putin denies.

Despite Britain's role as one of the signatories to an international agreement assuring the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the Lords' report said the Government "has not been as active or as visible as it could have been" in seeking to resolve the crisis.

The findings come as a further blow to David Cameron after Britain's former senior NATO commander, General Sir Richard Shirreff, said the Prime Minister had become a diplomatic "irrelevance" in the crisis.

In the report, committee chairman Lord Tugendhat said: "It (the committee) believes that the EU, and by implication the UK, was guilty of sleep-walking into this crisis.

"The lack of robust analytical capacity, in both the UK and the EU, effectively led to a catastrophic misreading of the mood in the run-up to the crisis."

A foreign office spokeswoman rejected the criticism, saying: "The UK has played a leading role in supporting Ukraine's right to chart its own future by ensuring that the EU imposed tough sanctions on Russia for seeking to dictate these choices."

The office "has strengthened its expertise on Russia and the region and will continue working to ensure a strong and united response to Russian aggression", she added.

On Thursday, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon warned that EU NATO members Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania could be the next target of Russian interference.

Russia's deputy foreign minister Aleksandr Lukashevich said his comments were "beyond diplomatic ethics" and warned that the Kremlin would "find a way to react".

The row erupted as Russian bombers were spotted near to British sovereign airspace, the latest incident in a trend seen as a show of strength by Russia.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Court Shown Manchester 'Terror Target' Photos

By Hannah Thomas-Peter, US Correspondent

Photographs of what prosecutors say were potential terror targets in Manchester have been shown in an open court for the first time.

The images were recovered from a drive US government lawyers say belonged to Tariq ul-Rehman.

He is an alleged co-conspirator of accused terrorist Abid Naseer, who is on trial in a federal court in New York.

Pakistani Naseer, 28, is charged with playing a major part in a co-ordinated al Qaeda plot in 2009 to target New York, Manchester and Copenhagen.

The photos revealed to the court show ul-Rehman posing in front of Manchester's Arndale shopping centre and other busy public spaces.

A second batch showed ul-Rehman and an unidentified male posing near entrances, exits and shops at the Arndale centre.

Ul-Rehman was one of 12 men arrested in terror raids in the North West of England in 2009.

The raids happened because police believed an attack was just days away.

They had been forced to rush in after the UK's most senior counter-terror officer, Bob Quick, allowed documents relating to the planned raid to be photographed on his way in to Downing Street.

All 12 men, including Ul-Rehman and Abid Naseer, were released without charge, but Naseer was extradited to the US in 2013.

In her opening arguments, prosecutor Celia Cohen said she would show the court the images, which were made to look like tourist photos, but were actually reconnaissance for an attack designed to "replicate the devastation of 9/11".

Prosecutors say that Naseer and his alleged co-conspirators visited potential targets to calculate where they might do most damage.

Ms Cohen told the court the defendant selected the Arndale shopping centre and chose an area to target with lots of glass fronted shops in order to maximise casualties.

During legal argument the court also heard new details of documents recovered from Osama bin Laden's Abbottabad compound in Pakistan.

They are expected to be shown in full next week after the judge ruled they were admissible.

The court is also expected to hear the testimony of serving undercover MI5 intelligence officers, who will give evidence in wigs and make-up in order to protect their identities.

Naseer, who is representing himself, denies all the charges against him.

If convicted he faces life in prison.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Eurozone Agrees To Extend Greek Bailout

Eurozone finance ministers have agreed to extend Greece's rescue loans - although not by as long as the government wanted.

The deal, which will enable Athens to continue paying its bills, was reached at talks in Brussels which were delayed for four hours as ministers worked on a draft accord.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the eurozone's top official and the Dutch finance minister, said Athens had asked for a six-month extension but this was rejected.

"Four months is the appropriate delay in terms of financing and future challenges," he said.

The agreement was clinched just a week before Greece's €240bn (£178bn) bailout expires, leaving just enough time for some member country parliaments to endorse it.

As part of the deal Greece must provide a list of economic and other reforms based on the current bailout programme by Monday.

This will be reviewed on Tuesday by the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission.

If the three institutions do not believe the proposals go far enough, the list will be revised with a view to it being agreed by the end of April.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said the deal would mark a new era for Athens and its relations with the European Union.

"Today was a pivotal moment because Greece for five years now has been lonely, isolated in the Eurogroup. Today that isolation has broken," Mr Varoufakis said.

He said Greece had not used any threats or bluff to get the agreement and added it was a small step in a new direction for the country.

Markets reacted positively to the deal, with the Dow and S&P 500 surging to fresh records on Wall Street.

Mr Dijsselbloem said it was a "first step in this process of rebuilding trust" between Greece and its euro partners and allows for a strategy to get the country "back on track."

"Trust leaves quicker than it comes," he said.

Mr Dijsselbloem worked flat out on Friday to secure an agreement as Germany insisted Greece stick with the austerity commitments included in its bailout programme.

The fraught discussions focused on a new package of concessions beyond those contained in the formal request for a loan extension submitted on Thursday.

Greece has ruled out another bailout like the existing one, saying the people who swept the anti-austerity Syriza party to power last month would not tolerate it.

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Gallery: Art War On The Streets Of Athens

Athens has become a Mecca for street artists as anger grows over the impact of Greece's bailout deal with Europe

Wall paintings have sprung up all over the city reflecting the general frustration at rising unemployment and falling living standards

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Fire Engulfs Dubai's Torch Tower Skyscraper

A huge fire engulfed part of the Torch Tower in Dubai in the early hours of this morning, forcing hundreds of people to flee the 1,100ft skyscraper.

Witnesses said the blaze appeared to have started at around 2am in the middle of the residential building, rapidly spreading across some 15 floors.

In several videos posted on social media websites, multiple floors of the high-rise were seen ablaze.

Strong winds fanned the flames and burning debris from the fire could be seen falling from building.

One witness said flames shot out from two sides of the building as glass and metal rained down from near the summit of the structure.

Another witness said it looked "like the Titanic going down", according to Gulfnews.com.

One resident, Briton Steve Short, 53, from Liverpool, praised the work of firefighters who arrived quickly.

He said fire alarms alerted people to the blaze and building management sent workers knocking on doors to ensure residents got out.

Residents of at least one neighbouring tower were told to evacuate as a precaution because of high winds, but they were later allowed back inside.

It took firefighters several hours before they extinguished the blaze, according to a witness at the scene.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Officials said there were no reports of casualties.

Opened in 2011, the Torch Tower has 79 floors and is one of the world's tallest residential buildings.

It is located in the Marina district of the city which is home to dozens of towering apartment blocks and hotels, many of them built over the past decade.

The apartments are popular with Dubai's large number of expatriate professionals.

Dubai, known for its skyline of hugely varied skyscrapers, has seen fires at towers in the past.

In 2012, a huge blaze gutted the 34-Tamweel tower in the nearby Jumeirah Lake Towers district. It was later revealed to have been caused by a cigarette butt thrown into a bin.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

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