VATICAN CITY, Feb 14 (Reuters) – Ukraine is open to a Vatican mediation of its conflict with Russia and wants Pope Francis to visit as soon as possible, even in the current situation, Kyiv’s new ambassador to the Holy See said on Monday. Speaking to Reuters in a telephone interview from Kyiv,[Read More…]

VATICAN CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Pope Francis said on Wednesday that war in Ukraine would be “madness” and hoped that tensions between that country and Russia could be overcome through multi-lateral dialog. Speaking at his Wednesday general audience, Francis thanked those who took part in his Jan. 26 international day of prayer for peace in Ukraine. “Let[Read More…]

Feb 9 (Reuters) – Canadian authorities are scrambling to find ways to end the 13-day-long occupation of the national capital’s downtown, hoping a combination of criminal charges, traffic tickets and the prospect of losing access to fuel will end the blockades. The number of protesters in Ottawa against public health[Read More…]

MOSCOW, Feb 9 (Reuters) – A senior Russian official accused the West on Wednesday of ramping up political pressure on Moscow by supplying weapons and ammunition to support Ukraine during a standoff over a Russian military buildup. Moscow has massed troops near Ukraine, and is set to stage military drills[Read More…]

GENEVA, Feb 2 (Reuters) – Hundreds of thousands of people in eastern Ukraine are living in dire conditions, with poor access to basic services and under constant threat from shelling and landmines, the Red Cross said on Wednesday, amid escalating tensions between Kyiv and Moscow. With countries heavily focused just now on the massing of Russian troops along Ukraine’s borders, there is[Read More…]

ISTANBUL, Feb 2 (Reuters) – Turkish authorities have found the bodies of 12 migrants who froze to death near Greece, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Wednesday, accusing Greek guards of sending them back across the border without shoes. Greece has long denied Turkish claims that its forces push migrants[Read More…]

AMSTERDAM, Feb 2 (Reuters) – The main umbrella group for Europe’s national Jewish communities urged HarperCollins to pull a book that suggests a Jewish notary betrayed Anne Frank, saying it had tarnished the teenage diarist’s memory and the dignity of Holocaust survivors. The U.S.-based publisher released the English language edition[Read More…]

KYIV, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Ukrainian police on Sunday detained a group of people suspected of preparing mass riots in the capital Kyiv and other cities to cause instability as tensions rise with neighboring Russia, Ukraine’s interior minister said on Monday. The United States and other Western countries have said[Read More…]

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The world’s 20 richest nations should more than double their annual spending to protect and restore nature to $285 billion by 2050, the United Nations and donors said on Thursday, calling for private and overseas investments to be ramped up too. In[Read More…]

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) – The United States delivered written replies on Wednesday to sweeping Russian security demands, a key step in a fragile diplomatic process as Russia staged new military drills on land and sea near Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the document, handed over in person[Read More…]