Ukrainian separatists force mass flight
SVYATOHIRSK, Ukraine – As fighting escalates around the town Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine, a growing wave of civilians are fleeing their homes, taking the risk of being struck by stray projectiles on their way, and often leaving family members behind.
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that around 1,000 of Debaltseve’s residents have been evacuated in the past days. Many end up at a government-owned holiday camp in the resort town of Svyatohirsk, where the sound of artillery fire is replaced with an uneasy quiet.
Rebel officials did not address any specific demands, but accused Ukraine of acting in bad faith and pursuing offensive maneuvers against their forces and civilians under their jurisdiction. In Donetsk, the main rebel-held city, three civilians were killed and four wounded in shelling, the city administration said.
400 migrants repelled after storming fence
MADRID – Spain says 400 African migrants tried to storm border fences separating its North African enclave Melilla from Morocco and has warned of a buildup in numbers across the frontier.
The Interior Ministry said the migrants charged past Moroccan border forces Sunday by throwing rocks, but were repelled by Spanish guards.
A statement said groups of around 1,000 migrants have approached the border fences almost every day throughout January.
Thousands of African migrants living illegally in Morocco try to enter the Spanish enclaves each year, hoping to reach a better life in Europe.
Hong Kongers march for democracy
HONG KONG – Thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators marched through Hong Kong’s streets Sunday in the first major rally since mass protests last year.
Chanting “No fake universal suffrage. I want genuine universal suffrage,” the demonstrators held yellow umbrellas, which became a symbol of the earlier protests when the activists wielded them as a defense against police using pepper spray.
The demonstrators oppose the Chinese government’s decision that candidates in the 2017 election for Hong Kong chief executive will be vetted by a largely Beijing-controlled nominating committee.
Egypt releases Al-Jazeera reporter
CAIRO – A reporter for Al-Jazeera English was released from an Egyptian prison and deported Sunday after more than a year behind bars, but his two Egyptian colleagues remained jailed in a case widely condemned as a sham by human-rights groups.
Australian Peter Greste was whisked away on a flight to Cyprus. His release came as a welcome surprise to fellow reporters and activists who spent months pressing for his freedom.
But rights groups and Greste’s Qatar-based broadcaster called on Egypt to release the other two defendants in the case, which has hindered the country’s international standing as it struggles to recover from the political unrest and economic collapse caused by the 2011 uprising.
Egyptian authorities accused them of providing a platform for Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, now declared a terrorist organization. But authorities provided no concrete evidence. The journalists and their supporters insist they were doing their jobs during a time of violent upheaval.
Ice Church draws all types of Christians
BALEA LAC, Romania – High on a remote mountain in Romania, priests have blessed a church made entirely from ice, outstanding both for its architectural style as well as being a place for religious tolerance.
Builders have once again created the Ice Church, which is only reachable by cable car at an altitude of 6,600 feet. Water from Balea Lake, 190 miles northwest of Bucharest, is blessed by priests. Chunks of ice are then cut with a chain saw and cemented together with water and snow to make the church.
Built and blessed anew every winter for the past few years, priests have performed baptisms and wedding blessings in the Ice Church.
Relations between the different Christian churches in Romania have been strained over the years due to disputes relating to church ownership. The communists seized churches in 1945, which were then given to the Romanian Orthodox Church. Some have not been returned to other denominations.
Associated Press
