MADRID Tue Mar 25, 2014 3:59pm EDT (Reuters) – Spain’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday partially struck down a sovereignty claim approved by lawmakers last year in the northern region of Catalonia, a vital step toward a referendum on full independence, court papers showed. In January 2013, Catalonia’s regional parliament unanimously adopted a declaration of self-determination saying the people had the right to vote on breaking away from the rest of Spain. The Madrid court declared […]
Europe
Students in Athens attempt to make largest origami mosaic
Students in Athens attempted to create a new Guinness World Record by making the largest origami mosaic.
Crimeans vote over 90 percent to quit Ukraine for Russia
(Reuters) – Russian state media said Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to break with Ukraine and join Russia on Sunday, as Kiev accused Moscow of pouring forces into the peninsula and warned separatist leaders “the ground will burn under their feet”. With over half the votes counted, 95.5 percent had chosen the option of annexation by Moscow, the head of the referendum commission, Mikhail Malyshev, said two hours after polls closed. Turnout was 83 percent, he added […]
Tensions in Ukraine May Effect Local Market
According to local market analyst, tensions in Ukraine may affect the local market with the oil-exporting sector being the hardest hit. The peso also suffered a downward spiral together with other regional currencies. The Philippine consulate in Ukraine sends its assurance that no Filipinos have been reported injured in the said country, despite the ongoing unrest.
Ukraine wants fugitive president to face Hague court
By Timothy Heritage and Natalia Zinets KIEV Tue Feb 25, 2014 6:35pm EST (Reuters) – Ukraine’s parliament voted on Tuesday to send fugitive President Viktor Yanukovich to the International Criminal Court, while his acting successor expressed concern about “signs of separatism” in Russian-speaking Crimea. A resolution, overwhelmingly supported by parliament, linked Yanukovich, who was ousted by the legislature on Saturday and is now on the run, to police violence against protesters which it said had […]
Ukrainian parliament appoints speaker Oleksander Turchinov as interim president
The Ukrainian parliament has appointed its speaker Oleksander Turchinov as interim president. The call comes one day after parliament voted to oust President Yanukovych, whose whereabouts remain unknown. The Ukrainian parliament on Sunday voted by an overwhelming margin to temporarily hand over the duties of president to parliament speaker Oleksander Turchinov until new elections are held on May 25. The decision comes one day after parliament voted to oust President Viktor Yanukovych. The legitimacy of the […]
Ukraine parliament names acting president, seeks government
(Reuters) – Ukraine’s parliament, exercising power since mass protests put the president to flight, named its new speaker as acting head of state on Sunday to replace Viktor Yanukovich and worked to form a new government. In a hectic round of voting in the chamber, near where triumphant but wary protesters remain encamped on Kiev’s main square, lawmakers stripped the still missing president of his abandoned country home. Its brash opulence, now on display, has […]
Blast in Russia kills three, authorities suspect gas
MOSCOW Sun Feb 23, 2014 1:55am EST (Reuters) – An explosion that investigators said may have been caused by gas killed three people at a shopping complex in Russia’s remote Altai region in southern Siberia on Sunday, law enforcement authorities said. Russian authorities are on alert for any attacks during the 2014 Winter Olympics, which end on Sunday in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. Initial reports gave no information about the cause of […]
Klitschko quits talks as police move in on Ukraine protesters
Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko has quit talks with President Viktor Yanukovich, saying that no progress had been possible. The discussions were held after the deadliest day so far of the current crisis. Klitschko said that he had quit talks after Yanukovich made an unconditional demand that the central square in Kiev be cleared. “Unfortunately, I bring nothing good from the talks,” he said. “The government must immediately withdraw troops and put an end to […]
Ukraine police charge protesters after nation’s bloodiest day
(Reuters) – Ukrainian riot police charged protesters occupying a central Kiev square early on Wednesday after the bloodiest day since the former Soviet republic, caught in a geopolitical struggle between Russia and the West, won its independence. Police battled their way into Independence Square, center of three months of protests against President Viktor Yanukovich, and demonstrators, some armed with clubs and wearing helmets and body armor, were losing ground. Smoke billowed from burning tents and […]
U.N. rights commissioner urges prosecution of North Korean crimes
GENEVA Tue Feb 18, 2014 5:52pm EST (Reuters) – U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay urged world powers on Tuesday to refer North Korea to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) following a U.N. report documenting crimes against humanity. North Korean security chiefs and possibly even Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un himself should face international justice for ordering systematic torture, starvation and killings comparable to Nazi-era atrocities, U.N. investigators said on […]
Ukraine government gives protesters ultimatum during deadly day in Kyiv
The Ukrainian government has issued an ultimatum to protesters to clear Kyiv’s Independence Square or face police action. The announcement came amid an escalation in tensions and reports of fatalities. A statement on the website of Ukraine’s Interior Ministry on Tuesday afternoon warned demonstrators to halt protest action by 1800 (1600 UTC). If protesters refused to clear out from occupied sites, “we will be forced to restore order with all legal means,” the Interior Ministry […]
