News In Brief
Czech minister summons Russian ambassador over Crimea
Afp, Prague
Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek on Sunday summoned the Russian ambassador over Moscow's decision to send troops to Ukraine's Crimea region to tell him Russia's steps were "overdone and aggressive."
"The use of military units against a sovereign neighbouring state... is an absolutely unjustifiable step," Zaoralek told ambassador Sergei Kiselev.
Ban Ki-moon to meet Russian FM
Afp, Geneva
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday under the shadow of a spiralling crisis in Ukraine, his spokeswoman said.
The two men were to meet at the Russian mission in Geneva at 1:15 pm (1215 GMT), Ban's spokeswoman Corinne Momal-Vanian said without providing details about the issues to be discussed.
Before their meeting, both Ban and Lavrov were set to address the opening of the Human Rights Council's 25th session yesterday morning.
G7 promises robust aid for Ukraine
Afp, New York
The finance ministers of the world's top industrialized countries promised a firm aid package to Ukraine on Sunday, while calling for reform and a central role by the International Monetary Fund.
Earlier, leaders of the countries symbolically billed themselves as the "G7," saying Russia's actions were incompatible with the Group of Eight Nations, which Moscow joined in 1997, and withdrew from preparations for June's G8 summit in Sochi.
Egypt postpones ruling on new judges in Morsi trials
Afp, Cairo
An Egyptian appeals court has postponed until April 9 a request by lawyers to appoint new judges in two trials involving ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, judicial sources said yesterday.
The defence lawyers have demanded that the judges in two of three trials under way against Morsi withdraw, after private conversations between the defendants and their lawyers were allegedly taped and a newspaper leaked one between Morsi and lawyer Selim al-Awa.
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