International

Big power talks on Ukraine crisis make little progress

(Reuters) – High-level diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine made little apparent headway at talks in Paris on Wednesday with Moscow and Washington at odds and Russia’s foreign minister refusing to recognize his Ukrainian counterpart. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said discussions would continue in the coming days in an attempt to stabilize the crisis and he expected to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov again in Rome on Thursday. “Don’t assume […]

In Ukraine’s Crimea, a tense and surreal standoff

(Reuters) – Holed up on their bases, Ukraine’s besieged servicemen and the Russians surrounding them in Crimea are locked in a standoff that at times is tense and at others surreal. Almost a week after Russian forces began their swift and bloodless takeover of the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula, there is a standoff as the two sides dig in and play a waiting game. The Russians have swatted down isolated attempts by the Ukrainian forces […]

Venezuela’s Chavez remembered with pomp and protests

(Reuters) – Followers of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez flooded the streets of Venezuela on Wednesday for the anniversary of his death, an emotional but welcome distraction for his successor from violent protests raging for the last month. A year after Chavez succumbed to cancer, his self-proclaimed “son,” President Nicolas Maduro, faces the biggest challenge to his rule from an explosion of anti-government demonstrations that have led to 18 deaths since February. Though the protests […]

U.S. businessman convicted in DuPont economic espionage case

By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO Wed Mar 5, 2014 3:43pm EST (Reuters) – A U.S. jury on Wednesday convicted a California businessman of stealing DuPont trade secrets to help a state-owned Chinese company develop a white pigment used in a wide range of products. In a San Francisco federal court, jurors found Walter Liew guilty on multiple counts including conspiracy to commit economic espionage and trade secret theft. U.S. prosecutors contended Liew paid former DuPont […]

Christchurch Streets Flooded After One Of The Worst Storms Since 1975

(Reuters) — The streets of Christchurch were flooded on Wednesday (March 05) after one of the worst storms since 1975 hit New Zealand’s second biggest city overnight and in the early hours of the morning, local media said. Power was cut to hundreds of homes as emergency services were called in to rescue stranded motorists and sandbag businesses. One council worker, Sean Ryan-Harris described the scene. “We’ve seen a couple of cars, the waves themselves are actually going above their […]

Putin: military force would be ‘last resort’ in Ukraine

(Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin delivered a robust defense of Russia’s actions in Crimea on Tuesday and said he would use force in Ukraine only as a last resort, easing market fears that East-West tension over the former Soviet republic could lead to war. But tension remained high on the ground. Russian forces fired warning shots in a confrontation with Ukrainian servicemen at an air base, and Russian navy ships were reported to have blockaded the strait […]

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.

At least 11 killed in brazen attack on Pakistani court

(Reuters) – Gunmen burst into a court in a busy shopping area in the center of the Pakistani capital on Monday, killing at least 11 people in a brazen attack likely to shatter any prospect of meaningful peace negotiations with Taliban insurgents. A loud explosion reverberated across central Islamabad just after 9 a.m., followed by bursts of gunfire. Police said at least 30 were wounded. A judge was among those killed. “There was a blast, […]

Ukraine mobilizes after Putin’s ‘declaration of war’

(Reuters) – Ukraine mobilized for war on Sunday and Washington threatened to isolate Russia economically after President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbor in Moscow’s biggest confrontation with the West since the Cold War. “This is not a threat: this is actually the declaration of war to my country,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said in English. Yatsenuik heads a pro-Western government that took power in the former Soviet republic when […]

Ukraine in State of Upheaval

The crisis between Russia and Ukraine are escalating as Ukraine’s new leaders accused Russia of declaring war with Kiev mobilizing its troops. The international community called for diplomatic solutions.

Ukraine mobilizes for war, calls up reserves

(Reuters) – Ukraine mobilized on Sunday for war and called up its reserves, after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to invade in the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. Ukraine’s security council ordered the general staff to immediately put all armed forces on highest alert, the council’s secretary Andriy Parubiy announced. The Defense Ministry was ordered to conduct the call-up, potentially of all men up to 40 in a country […]

West scrambles, Kiev braces as Putin threatens Ukraine war

(Reuters) – The West faced its biggest confrontation with Russia since the Cold War and Ukraine marshaled its forces for defense after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the right to invade his neighbor. Ethnic Russian forces have already bloodlessly seized Crimea, an isolated Black Sea peninsula where most of the population are Russian and Moscow has a naval base, and sought to disarm the small Ukrainian contingents there on Sunday. Of potentially even greater concern […]