Italian Journalist Killed In Eastern Ukraine

The Italian foreign ministry says an Italian journalist has been killed, as voting for a new president of Ukraine begins.

The man was killed on Saturday during a mortar shell attack close to Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine.

"Unfortunately, all of the information points to the fact that he has died," a foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

News of the death comes as pro-Russia insurgents in the region were reported as trying to block voting by snatching ballot boxes and patrolling polling stations.

There are early signs of a high turnout for the vote, billed as the most important since the former Soviet republic won independence from Moscow 23 years ago.

The main candidates, including front-runner Petro Poroshenko, a confectionery magnate, are promising closer ties with the West in defiance of Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

But the absence of over 15% of the electorate Crimea, now annexed by Russia, and two eastern regions where fighting with pro-Moscow rebels continued on Saturday, may mar any result.

It could leave the Kremlin questioning the victor's legitimacy, despite Mr Putin's new pledge to respect the will of the people.

Voting began in most of Ukraine at 8am local time and will end 12 hours later. Exit polls will indicate the result ahead of the official outcome on Monday.

Only about 20% of the polling stations in the heavily industrialised, Russian-speaking Donetsk region, which has 3.3 million registered voters, were working by 9.30am local time, authorities said.

None were open in the city of Donetsk.

European election monitors have largely pulled out of the Donetsk region for their own safety, claiming a campaign of "terror" by pro-Russian separatists against Ukrainian electoral officials.

Others also complained of being prevented from voting, in some cases because ballot papers had not been delivered because of security concerns after at least 20 people were killed in the region during fighting over recent days.

Polls make Mr Poroshenko, known as the "chocolate king" because of his confectionery empire, overwhelming favourite to win the election.

The biggest question is whether he can take over 50% to win outright. If not, a run-off vote will be held on June 15.

His closest rival is former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko who remains a divisive figure to many, more closely linked than Poroshenko with the economic failures that have blighted post-Soviet Ukraine.

"It is time to hold a referendum on joining Nato to restore peace in Ukraine," said Ms Tymoshenko after voting in her native city of Dnipropetrovsk in central Ukraine.

As Mr Yanukovich's fiercest rival, Ms Tymoshenko may benefit from the fact that few of the five million voters in his eastern power base regions of Donetsk and Luhansk may be able to cast ballots for any of the 21 candidates.

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