Section: KXAN (USA)
Putin postpones World War II victory parade due to virus
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered the postponement Thursday of a Victory Day parade marking the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II, an event planned as a lavish celebration that has topped the Kremlin’s political agenda. Speaking in televised remarks on Thursday, a grim-faced...
France urging top powers to endorse UN virus cease-fire call
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says he hopes that “in the coming days” the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council can discuss and endorse U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for a cease-fire to all conflicts in the world in order to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Macron, who has been pushing for more...
Germany flies in seasonal farm workers amid virus measures
BERLIN (AP) — Two planeloads of Eastern European farmhands arrived Thursday in Berlin and Duesseldorf amid strict precautions to protect the country from the new coronavirus, as an ambitious German program to import thousands of seasonal agricultural workers got underway. Seasonal workers had been caught up in the country’s ban on travel...
Ukraine continues to battle forest fire near Chernobyl
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Emergency teams in Ukraine on Monday continued battling a forest fire in the contaminated area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that has raised radiation fears. Two blazes erupted Saturday in the zone around Chernobyl that was sealed after the 1986 explosion at the plant. Firefighters said they have managed to...
UN chief: Cease-fire appeal backed by parties in 11 nations
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that warring parties in 11 countries have responded positively to his appeal for a global cease-fire to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, but turning words into peace is enormously difficult and fighting has escalated in major conflicts including Yemen, Libya and...
Ukraine approves legislation in a bid for IMF aid
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s parliament has voted to lift the ban on the sale of farmland in a move that would allow the country to get $8 billion worth of aid from the International Monetary Fund. The bill, long pushed by economists to stimulate investment in agriculture, was approved by 259 votes out of 450 late Monday. It opens up the...
Polish court convicts 3 men in western Ukraine arson attack
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A court in southern Poland has convicted three Polish men of terrorism charges related to the torching of a Hungarian center in Ukraine in early 2018. The court in Krakow sentenced two of the men to prison terms and one to supervised release and community service. Ukrainian officials have suggested Russian links to the two...
MH17 trial to resume with no public due to virus measures
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The murder trial of three Russians and a Ukrainian accused of involvement in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 will be closed to the public and media when it briefly resumes later this month in a Dutch courtroom. The decision announced Tuesday to close the March 23 hearing comes after Dutch courts said...
Dutch prosecutors: Russia wants to thwart MH17 investigation
SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch prosecutor said Tuesday that there are “strong indications” Russia wants to undermine investigations into the downing of Malaysia Flight 17 and told judges at the trial of four suspects that many witnesses fear for their safety. Prosecutor Thijs Berger made the statement on the second day of the trial of three...
Trial of 4 suspects in downing of flight MH17 set to open
SCHIPHOL, Netherlands (AP) — The trial is opening Monday of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with multiple counts of murder for their alleged involvement in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. It’s a day that has been a long time coming for family and friends of the 298 people killed on July 17, 2014, when a Buk missile...
