Section: KXAN (USA)
Russian FM says Ukraine peace talks to focus on frontline
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister says talks with his counterparts from Ukraine, France and Germany will focus on pulling back heavy weapons from a frontline in east Ukraine. Sergey Lavrov, who is set to attend the talks in Berlin later Wednesday, said the withdrawal of artillery should help end a recent escalation of fighting between...
Ukraine shelling claims more civilian lives
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — At least three civilians were killed in shelling Tuesday in eastern Ukraine as fighting continued between government and rebel forces in the separatist-held city of Donetsk. AP reporters saw the bodies of two people killed while waiting for a bus. Separatist authorities said another person died from an attack elsewhere in...
Survey: Trust down at 2009 levels after unpredictable year
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Trust in institutions has fallen to levels not seen since the financial crisis, after a year that produced the twin Malaysia Airlines disasters and the conflict in Ukraine, a global survey found Tuesday. As the world’s business elite gathered in the Swiss resort of Davos, the public relations firm Edelman found...
IMF cuts growth forecasts, citing sluggish EU, Japan, BRICS
TOKYO (AP) — The International Monetary Fund lowered its forecasts for global growth over the next two years, warning Tuesday that weakness in most major economies will trump gains from lower oil prices. The IMF’s report was released as China reported its slowest growth in 24 years. The IMF downgraded projections it issued in October by 0.3...
EU won’t ease Russia sanctions as Ukraine conflict rages
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s foreign ministers on Monday ruled out any easing of sanctions against Russia as long as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine, despite concerns about the economic consequences. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said the 28 ministers decided that the EU “will stay the course.” Denying any fraying of...
AP PHOTOS: Crimea’s people face challenges as part of Russia
SEVASTOPOL, Crimea (AP) — Crimea, promised Russian President Vladimir Putin, “will be a home to all the peoples living there.” Yet 10 months since the Kremlin tore up the map of Europe and seized the strategic Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine, many of Crimea’s 2.2 million inhabitants face a future rife with uncertainty and present-day...
Rebels claim to control Donetsk airport after intense fight
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine are claiming that they have seized control of the Donetsk airport after days of intense fighting. Ukrainian officials have not confirmed a retreat. Rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko said at a press conference early Monday in Donetsk that the rebels had taken control of the airport....
Ukraine leader vows to retake separatist-held east
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president vowed Sunday to reassert control over his country’s conflict-shattered eastern regions as fighting there reached a new peak of intensity. Petro Poroshenko told a crowd of several thousand gathered in central Kiev that Ukraine wouldn’t “give up an inch” of its land to Russian-backed...
Lithuania: Stay calm in case of foreign invasion
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania’s defense ministry is advising its citizens how to react in case of war, reflecting jitters over neighboring Russia’s intervention in Ukraine and a recent increase of reported airspace violations in the Baltic region. The 98-page booklet is to be distributed next week in Lithuania, a NATO member...
Kazakshstan’s war games simulate response to “separatists”
MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan is conducting military drills simulating a response to a would-be separatist threat amid jitters over the Ukrainian crisis. The Defense Ministry said Friday the three-day exercise was prompted by “geopolitical changes,” but didn’t elaborate. Under the scenario, Kazakh troops thwart an incursion by “extremists,...
