Angela Merkel And John Kerry

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council on Wednesday that he was "not optimistic" following his talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, appealing for calm after three weeks of deadly unrest.

From the migrant crisis to the anti-nuclear camp, speculation is rife about who will win the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, with Angela Merkel and John Kerry among the names mentioned.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday moved to defuse tensions after revelations of US spying on three French presidents angered France, while WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called for legal action over Washington's snooping and promised more disclosures to come.

The United States, on Saturday, warned that it could escalate sanctions on Russia after rebels overran a key Ukrainian town in violation of a truce, leaving a reported 179 government soldiers dead over a month of fighting.

World powers voiced concern over a shaky truce in Ukraine that went into a third day today with no sign of a let-up in fighting for a key eastern town and no pull-back of heavy weapons from the frontline.

The leaders of Russia, Germany and France agreed during late-night talks in Moscow to draw up a plan to end fighting in Ukraine as rebels wage a deadly offensive in the country's east, officials said on Saturday.

The leaders of Germany and France are expected to take peace proposals to Moscow today on the second leg of a dramatic initiative to end a conflict in Ukraine that has killed more than 5,000 people and driven Russia-West relations to new lows.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande were due in Moscow Friday after getting Kiev's tentative backing for a crunch peace plan aimed at ending surging violence in Ukraine.

More than a million people and dozens of world leaders were expected to march through Paris on Sunday in a historic display of global defiance against extremism after jihadist attacks that left 17 dead.

Foreign ministers from East and West will try to defuse the Ukraine crisis on Thursday in Geneva, once frequently the scene of Cold War negotiations, but will risk being upstaged by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As Russian flags fluttered in the breeze and retirees grew weepy at the thought of reuniting with Russia, residents of Ukraine's Crimea region held a secession vote on Sunday.

A chronology of the main developments in Ukraine and Crimea, from when the political crisis erupted in November to Crimea's controversial poll on whether to secede from Ukraine on Sunday.

Russia launched new military exercises near its border with Ukraine on Thursday, showing no sign of backing down on plans to annex its neighbour's Crimea region despite a stronger than expected drive for sanctions from the EU and United States.

Ukraine mobilised for war on Sunday and Washington threatened to isolate Russia economically after President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbour in Moscow's biggest confrontation with the West since the Cold War.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Israel today to discuss nuclear talks with Iran and to encourage Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council on Wednesday that he was "not optimistic" following his talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, appealing for calm after three weeks of deadly unrest.

From the migrant crisis to the anti-nuclear camp, speculation is rife about who will win the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, with Angela Merkel and John Kerry among the names mentioned.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday moved to defuse tensions after revelations of US spying on three French presidents angered France, while WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called for legal action over Washington's snooping and promised more disclosures to come.

The United States, on Saturday, warned that it could escalate sanctions on Russia after rebels overran a key Ukrainian town in violation of a truce, leaving a reported 179 government soldiers dead over a month of fighting.

World powers voiced concern over a shaky truce in Ukraine that went into a third day today with no sign of a let-up in fighting for a key eastern town and no pull-back of heavy weapons from the frontline.

The leaders of Russia, Germany and France agreed during late-night talks in Moscow to draw up a plan to end fighting in Ukraine as rebels wage a deadly offensive in the country's east, officials said on Saturday.

The leaders of Germany and France are expected to take peace proposals to Moscow today on the second leg of a dramatic initiative to end a conflict in Ukraine that has killed more than 5,000 people and driven Russia-West relations to new lows.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande were due in Moscow Friday after getting Kiev's tentative backing for a crunch peace plan aimed at ending surging violence in Ukraine.

More than a million people and dozens of world leaders were expected to march through Paris on Sunday in a historic display of global defiance against extremism after jihadist attacks that left 17 dead.

Foreign ministers from East and West will try to defuse the Ukraine crisis on Thursday in Geneva, once frequently the scene of Cold War negotiations, but will risk being upstaged by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As Russian flags fluttered in the breeze and retirees grew weepy at the thought of reuniting with Russia, residents of Ukraine's Crimea region held a secession vote on Sunday.

A chronology of the main developments in Ukraine and Crimea, from when the political crisis erupted in November to Crimea's controversial poll on whether to secede from Ukraine on Sunday.

Russia launched new military exercises near its border with Ukraine on Thursday, showing no sign of backing down on plans to annex its neighbour's Crimea region despite a stronger than expected drive for sanctions from the EU and United States.

Ukraine mobilised for war on Sunday and Washington threatened to isolate Russia economically after President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbour in Moscow's biggest confrontation with the West since the Cold War.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Israel today to discuss nuclear talks with Iran and to encourage Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a two-state solution with the Palestinians.