Exclusive: Ukraine Firefight Caught On Video

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 19 Februari 2015 | 23.31

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Sky News has obtained exclusive video of a prolonged gun battle between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian government troops close to the besieged eastern town of Debaltseve.

It was shot by a television crew who were with rebel forces and interviewing a prisoner of war when the sound of heavy gunfire erupts nearby.

The rebels are then filmed using assault rifles to shoot through windows before some open fire outside.

At least one fighter attacks the pro-Kiev forces with rocket propelled grenades.

The footage emerged as hundreds of Ukrainian troops pulled out from Debaltseve following battles with pro-Russian forces.

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has said his soldiers had left in a "planned and organised withdrawal" from the strategically important area.

A Russian TV station showed separatists hoisting their flag over a building as they seized the railway hub in defiance of a ceasefire brokered by France and Germany.

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Gallery: Ukraine Troops Leave Debaltseve

Pro-Russian separatists take position near the eastern Ukrainian city of Uglegorsk, 6 kms southwest of Debaltseve

Pro-Russian rebels stationed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Gorlivka, Donetsk region, launch missiles from Grad launch vehicles

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Pro-Russian separatists patrol a street in the eastern Ukrainian city of Makeyevka

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Ukrainian troops pulled out of the besieged flashpoint eastern town Debaltseve after it was stormed by pro-Russian rebels in what the EU said was a "clear violation" of an internationally-backed truce

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President Petro Poroshenko said 80% of units had left the town, in order to comply with the current ceasefire

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Some 2,000 pro-government forces have been fighting there but Mr Poroshenko denied claims the troops were encircled, and said they were leaving with weapons and ammunition.

However, some troops were believed to be trapped in the town, which links the two rebel-controlled regions in the east of Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk.

Sky's Stuart Ramsay spoke to a Ukrainian commander who said there were still pro-Kiev troops inside but they had put down their weapons.

At least 22 Ukrainian troops have been killed and over 150 were wounded in the fighting in recent days.

A rebel military spokesman, Eduard Basurin, reportedly told Russian television that more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered.

Kiev has admitted that soldiers have been taken prisoner, but has not said how many.

Journalists reported seeing dozens of tanks and vehicles carrying haggard soldiers leaving for the nearby town of Artemivsk.

One soldier spoke of heavy government losses, while another said they had not been able to get food or water because of the intense rebel shelling.

President Poroshenko went to the front line at Artemivsk to meet soldiers after he ordered the Debaltseve withdrawal.

Praising Ukrainian forces for "really socking it" to the separatists, he said he was going there "for the great honour of shaking hands with our heroes".

The 10-month conflict has left more than 5,000 people dead, and Ukraine accuses Russia of supporting and arming the rebels, a claim Moscow denies.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Ukraine to admit defeat in Debaltseve, saying "the only choice" of the troops was to "leave behind weaponry, lay down arms and surrender."

Separatists have reportedly started to withdraw heavy weapons from areas they control in eastern Ukraine where the ceasefire was holding.

The rebels say the agreement negotiated by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France last week does not apply to Debaltseve.

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Armstrong Admits Careless Driving After Crash

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong has pleaded guilty to careless driving after first allowing his girlfriend to take the blame for a crash.

The offence relates to a crash involving Armstrong's SUV and two parked cars in the luxury Colorado ski resort of Aspen.

Armstrong, who won the Tour de France between 1999 and 2005 until stripped of the title after a drugs scandal, first said his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, was behind the wheel.

She told police the couple had been to an Aspen Art Museum party on 28 December and she drove home because "Lance had a little bit to drink".

She said she lost control of the car on an icy road and that was why she went into the parked cars.

At a later interview, Hansen confessed Armstrong had been driving but said the pair had decided she should say she was responsible.

She also retracted her statement that Armstrong had had too much to drink.

"We've had our family name smeared over every paper in the world in the last couple of years and honestly, I've got teenagers, I just wanted to protect my family," Hansen told police, according to reports.

Police revealed that Hansen and Armstrong left the scene before police arrived, but added Hansen had tracked down a man who had been renting one of the cars and promised to pay for repairs.

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23.31 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greece Loan Plan: EU Told Take It Or Leave It

Greece says the European Union has "just two choices" when it comes to Athens' request for a six-month extension to its loan programme - accept it or reject it.

Eurozone finance ministers in the Eurogroup will discuss the Greek plan on Friday.

But Germany has already rejected it, saying it was "no substantial proposal for a solution" and "does not meet the criteria" laid out by the ministers.

The office of the German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble issued the terse response just hours after Greece formally lodged its bid for a half-year deal to effectively replace its bailout, which is due to expire at the end of the month.

German finance ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger added that it amounted to a request "for bridge financing without fulfilling the demands of the (bailout) programme".

But after the snub, a Greek government source said: "The Eurogroup has just two choices. To accept or reject the Greek request. We will now discover who wants to find a solution, and who does not."

The country's new anti-austerity government is seeking a compromise to break the deadlock with European creditors, especially Germany, as it runs the risk of running out of cash and defaulting on its debts without agreement.

It has ruled out the prospect of any deal under the terms of its previous rescue because of its mandate from the Greek people who swept the anti-austerity Syriza party to power last month.

The details of the Greek request were not made public but the Reuters news agency said it had seen a document which suggested Greece had watered down its previous demands.

The letter, purportedly written by Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, pledged to honour all Greek debts and not take unilateral action that would undermine agreed fiscal targets.

The government of Alexis Tsipras blames the conditions attached to its bailout of hampering the country's recovery and leading to a deterioration of living standards.

Unemployment remains at more than 25%.

On Monday, the government rejected a plan to extend its current €240bn (£178bn) bailout deal, describing it as absurd.

Eurozone finance ministers had given Greece until Friday to request an extension of its current austerity and reform programme.

Germany has been particularly vocal in insisting the country sticks to the terms of its commitments.

The formal Greek request was submitted after the European Central Bank (ECB) agreed to increase its emergency funding to Greek banks amid a capital flight from the country.

Depositors are fearful the lack of a deal will force Greece from the single currency and back to the drachma, representing a significant devaluation.

A source told the AFP news agency the ceiling for emergency liquidity assistance - or ELA - to the banks was raised by the ECB from €65bn to €68.3bn (£50.3bn).

According to the source, the Greek central bank had requested an extension of roughly €10bn.

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Vanilla Ice Facing Burglary Rap Over House Break

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Islamic State Leader Used To Work As Secretary

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The man who heads the most brutal organisation in the world started his working life as a secretary, according to newly released US military files.

De-classified documents reveal details about the life led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before he became leader of Islamic State, the terrorist organisation that has sadistically murdered thousands of people in Syria, Iraq and Libya, including beheading western hostages.

Al-Baghdadi was captured by American soldiers in 2004 during the invasion of Iraq and spent almost a year in a military prison in the south of the country, according to documents seen by Business Insider.

His real name is Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Al Badry and while his date of birth was redacted from the files, he is thought to be 43.

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His occupation was written as "ADMINISTRATIVE WORK (SECRETARY)".

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There is also a prison photo of him wearing glasses.

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Global Efforts On Obesity 'Unacceptably Slow'

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Global efforts to tackle obesity have been "unacceptably slow" with no country to date reversing the trend, according to a major new study.

The six-part series published in The Lancet looks at how countries around the world are dealing with an increasing obesity epidemic, focusing on a range of issues from quality of diet to how children can be encouraged to eat healthier food.

It is estimated that 600 million people worldwide are obese, with 2.1 billion now overweight. Being overweight is believed to cause the deaths of 2.8 million people every year.

One of the authors, Dr Christina Roberto, from the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, explained: "Our understanding of obesity must be completely reframed if we are to halt and reverse the global obesity epidemic.

"On one hand, we need to acknowledge that individuals bear some responsibility for their health and on the other hand recognise that today's food environments exploit people's biological, psychological and social and economic vulnerabilities."

In some countries, including the UK, childhood obesity numbers have levelled off, but so far no country has reversed its obesity epidemic.

Experts are now calling for a worldwide action plan including restrictions on how food aimed at children is marketed.

They also want regulation of food nutritional quality and availability in schools, better labelling with nutritional values and taxes on drinks that are high in sugar.

Corinna Hawkes, of the World Cancer Research Fund International, told Sky News: "People start to learn what foods they like, the foods that they prefer, in fact before birth, and every interaction they have with the world influences what they like to eat.

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Russia A 'Real And Present Danger' To NATO States

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There is a "real and present danger" Russia could repeat its covert campaigns in the Crimea and Ukraine to destablise former Soviet bloc countries, the Defence Secretary has warned.

Michael Fallon said NATO must be ready for Russian aggression against alliance members including Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

He warned the action could involve using irregular troops, cyber attacks and inflaming tensions with ethnic Russian minorities.

"NATO has to be ready for any kind of aggression from Russia, whatever form it takes. NATO is getting ready," he said.

Mr Fallon added that he was worried about Russian President Vladimir Putin's "pressure on the Baltics".

Last night RAF jets intercepted two Russian Tu-95 bombers off the coast of Cornwall. The incident comes two weeks after jets were scrambled to see off a similar Russian plane which flew down the English Channel off the coast of Bournemouth.

"It is the first time since the height of the Cold War that has happened and it just shows you the need to respond each time he does something like that," said Mr Fallon.

Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said: "They came down the west coast of Ireland and were met by RAF typhoons which had been scrambled from RAF Coningsby.

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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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On Wednesday, 29 October, RAF Typhoon fighter jets intercepted another two Russian bombers over the North Sea (Pic: MoD)

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This image taken by one of the RAF fighters during the 29 October incident shows another Typhoon tailing the Russian aircraft (Pic: MoD)

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The intercepts come amid what NATO described as an "unusual level of activity". (Pic: Norwegian army)

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"These aircraft regularly 'buzz' British airspace; not coming into British airspace, because that would be a violation, but coming very close. This is a game, they did it thousands of times during the Cold War.

"There have been three times as many of these flights coming close to European airspace recently. It's a game Russia plays but its playing it because it's being more aggressive."

Video has also emerged showing NATO jets flying within yards of two Russian Tu-95 bombers, believed to have been shot in January.

The film was shot from the Russian plane and shows three RAF Typhoons and a French fighter jet apparently escorting the Russian plane as it flew close to UK airspace.

David Cameron has urged Europe to tell Russia it faces economic and financial consequences for "years to come" if it continues to destabilise Ukraine.

"Those Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, they are using Russian rocket launchers, Russian tanks, Russian artillery, you can't buy this equipment on eBay.

"It hasn't come from somewhere else, it's come from Russia and we know that.

"There's a temptation for every European country to say 'Let's go on trading exactly as we have done with Russia, let's leave responsibility for what is happening in Ukraine to someone else and let's turn away'. I am afraid that would be a terrible mistake."

But the Government has been accused by a parliamentary inquiry of "sleep-walking" into the Ukraine crisis.

The EU Committee of House of Lords found there had "catastrophic misreading" of mood by European diplomats in the run-up to the stand-off between Russia and the West.

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Gallery: Ukraine Troops Leave Debaltseve

Pro-Russian separatists take position near the eastern Ukrainian city of Uglegorsk, 6 kms southwest of Debaltseve

Pro-Russian rebels stationed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Gorlivka, Donetsk region, launch missiles from Grad launch vehicles

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Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has demanded the release of all Ukrainians taken prisoner in the conflict, including those captured in the town of Debaltseve.

During phone calls to Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande he added that the rebel seizure of Debaltseve this week had been contrary to ceasefire agreement they reached last week.

Ukrainian military leaders have claimed pro-Russian rebels have launched mortar attacks on the village of Shyrokine about 30km (19 miles) from the coastal town of Mariupol and are building up their forces in the region.

"There is no attempt to seize our positions up to now. The rebels are bringing up reserves," the spokesman said.

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