Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 2 February 2017
Group calls for cease-fire amid upsurge in Ukraine fighting

At least 10 people have 2015 called for a cease-
been killed since Monday fire, for heavy weapons to
and dozens wounded. be pulled back from the
The Ukrainian govern- front lines and for a political
ment and the rebels have resolution of the conflict.
blamed each other for The agreement has been
the eruption of hostilities, observed only fitfully and
the worst in months. Both skirmishes and artillery fire
sides have moved heavy have persisted.
artillery, rockets and tanks What sparked the recent
close to the front line in escalation is unclear, al-
clear violation of a peace though Ukraine’s military
deal struck two years ago. has acknowledged that its
An urgent meeting of the troops have gained some
so-called Contact Group, ground around Avdiivka.
which brings together rep- “Step by step, meter by
resentatives of Ukraine, meter, our boys have he-
Russia and the rebels along roically moved forward,”
with the Organization for Ukraine’s Deputy Defense
the Security and Coop- Minister Ihor Pavlovsky
eration in Europe, ended told reporters in Kiev on
Wednesday in Minsk, Belar- Wednesday. “The entire
us. The group called for the Donbass is our territory,” he
Local residents queue to receive food and humanitarian aid in Avdiivka, eastern Ukraine, Wednes- opposing sides to cease added, referring to the reb-
day, Feb. 1, 2017. Freezing residents of an eastern Ukraine town battered by an upsurge in fight- fire and urged them to pull el-controlled areas.
ing between government troops and Russia-backed rebels flocked to a humanitarian aid center back their heavy weapons The fighting has caused
Wednesday to receive food and warm up.
(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) by the end of the week. power outages a midst a
Separatist rebels have strong cold snap, with tem-
INNA VARENYTSIA fighting between govern- government-held Avdiiv- been fighting government peratures in Avdiivka as
JIM HEINTZ ment troops and Russia- ka, just north of the rebel- troops and volunteer bri- low as minus 18 Celsius (0
Associated Press backed rebels flocked to stronghold city of Donetsk, gades in eastern Ukraine Fahrenheit). Hundreds of
AVDIIVKA, Ukraine (AP) a humanitarian aid cen- began over the weekend since April 2014 in clashes city residents streamed to
— Freezing residents of an ter Wednesday to receive and persisted into early that have killed more than a stadium where aid agen-
eastern Ukraine town bat- food and warm up. Wednesday. Donetsk city 9,700 people. The peace cies distributed food, and
tered by an upsurge in Heavy fighting around also was hit. deal signed in February to warming stations.q

Clashes as Romanians protest law decriminalizing some graft

ed with tear gas. At least alarmed critics. The coali-
one person was detained tion government has been
and a newspaper kiosk was in office for less than a
set on fire. Media reported month and the ordinance
that the violent protesters benefits its allies and Roma-
were football supporters nian officials facing corrup-
and not anti-government tion charges.
demonstrators. “It shows that the govern-
Emergency situations of- ment is willing to use back-
ficial Raed Arafat said door methods with no scru-
two police officers and tiny or checks and balanc-
two demonstrators were es in order to protect and
treated at hospitals for mi- promote itself,” said Dan
nor injuries. An unspecified Brett, an associate profes-
number of other officers sor at the Open University.
sustained light injuries. There were protests in a half
It was the second con- dozen cities around Roma-
secutive night of protests nia, with people calling for
against the government, the resignation of the gov-
whose adoption of an ernment.
emergency ordinance that President Klaus Iohannis,
decriminalizes abuse in of- who has limited powers
fice went against wide- and doesn’t oversee the
People hold posters depicting the leader of the ruling Social Democratic party Liviu Dragnea, the spread protests and warn- government, called the
other reading “Romania-Wake Up” during a protest in Bucharest, Romania, early Wednesday, ings from prosecutors and measure’s adoption “a day
Feb. 1, 2017. the president. of mourning for the rule of
(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) The ordinance was pub- law.” In recent years, Ro-
ALISON MUTLER Wednesday as tens of setback for the anti-corrup- lished in the official gov- mania has been touted
VADIM GHIRDA thousands demonstrated tion fight. ernment monitor at 3 a.m. as a regional leader for
Associated Press against the government A handful of protesters Wednesday. targeting the rich and the
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) for decriminalizing some of- threw firecrackers and The speed with which the powerful in a crackdown
— Protesters and riot po- ficial misconduct, a move smoke bombs at police center-left government on corruption. But the drive
lice clashed sporadically that critics at home and guarding the main govern- approved the proposal proved unpopular with
in Romania’s capital late abroad called a major a ment offices, who respond- and the hour of its action politicians.q