Section: KXAN (USA)
Ukraine drops nonaligned status
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian president has signed a bill dropping his country’s nonaligned status but signaled that he will hold a referendum before seeking NATO membership. Petro Poroshenko told a news conference on Monday that he is working to reform the Ukrainian economy and its military forces to meet European Union and NATO...
Russian ruble drops 7 percent as economy shrinks
MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian currency extended its losses on Monday after a report showed the economy has started shrinking in annual terms for the first time since 2009 as the country is buffeted by falling oil prices and Western sanctions. Meanwhile, the government, which has been scrambling to support the ruble and the economy, announced fresh...
Indonesian official: Prospects bleak for missing jet
SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) — As search crews on Monday scoured the Indonesian waters where an AirAsia jet carrying 162 people is believed to have gone down, officials predicted a tragic ending to the region’s latest aviation mystery. AirAsia Flight 8501 vanished Sunday morning in airspace thick with storm clouds on its way from Surabaya,...
Search resumes for AirAsia jet
SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) — Officials say ships and planes are resuming their search for AirAsia Flight 8501 which went missing more than 24 hours ago on a flight from Indonesia to Singapore. The Naval Aviation Center commander at the Surabaya air force base says that 12 navy ships, five planes, three helicopters and a number of warships are...
Ukraine nuke plant unit taken offline
MOSCOW (AP) — One unit of Ukraine’s Zaporozhiya nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, has been taken offline because of generator problems. State nuclear power company Energoatom says the unit was disconnected from the electricity net early Sunday to prevent internal damage to the generator. It did not give further details, but said...
Missing flight is 3rd Malaysia-linked incident
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An AirAsia flight with 162 people aboard disappeared Saturday on the way from Indonesia to Singapore. It’s a third air incident this year involving Malaysia, where budget carrier AirAsia in based. Here’s a look at the two other disasters and the latest missing flight. ___ MH370 The disappearance of Malaysia...
AirAsia plane with 162 on board missing in Indonesia
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — In the third air incident connected to Malaysia this year, an AirAsia plane with 162 people on board went missing on Sunday while flying over the Java Sea after taking off from a provincial city in Indonesia for Singapore. The two countries immediately launched a search and rescue operation for Flight QZ8501 but there...
Ukraine says Crimea transport halt temporary
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian security official says suspension of transport connections with Crimea is expected to be only a temporary measure. Ukraine on Friday blocked rail and bus travel between the mainland and the peninsula that was annexed by Russia in March. On Saturday, the Crimean customs service said automobiles also were being...
Woman who bared breasts in Vatican square is freed
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Holy See has released a Ukrainian activist who bared her breasts in St. Peter’s Square on Christmas Day and snatched the statue of Baby Jesus from the Vatican’s outdoor Nativity scene. Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said the Holy See prosecutor, met with Yana Zhdanova on Saturday and decided to...
Big prisoner swap confirmed
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — It’s the biggest exchange of prisoners since the pro-Russian insurgency flared up in eastern Ukraine in April. Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russia rebels have exchanged nearly 370 prisoners today — a major step toward easing hostilities in eastern Ukraine. According to a Russian state news agency, Ukraine handed...
