Section: KXAN (USA)
Putin’s ex-bodyguard turned governor recalls facing bear
MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin’s former bodyguard, who recently has been appointed regional governor, said he once confronted a bear outside of Putin’s residence. Alexei Dyumin, 43 told the daily Kommersant in an interview published Tuesday that he was on duty while Putin was asleep at a presidential residence when he saw a...
The Latest: Intelligence chief warns of more terror attacks
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the worldwide threat assessment from U.S. intelligence agencies (all times local): 10:20 a.m. Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper is telling the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia’s aggressive military intervention in Ukraine and other moves could put Moscow and the U.S. “into another...
Intelligence chief: North Korea restarts plutonium reactor
WASHINGTON (AP) — North Korea has expanded a uranium enrichment facility and restarted a plutonium reactor that could start recovering spent fuel in weeks or months, the U.S. intelligence chief said Tuesday in delivering the annual assessment by intelligence agencies of the top dangers facing the country. Director of National Intelligence James...
Russian envoy says Moscow will respond to NATO buildup
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s envoy to NATO has warned that Moscow will respond to a buildup of the alliance’s forces near Russian borders. Alexander Grushko said in televised remarks Monday that the deployment of NATO forces in eastern Europe “can’t be left without a military-technical answer.” He insisted that “Russia won’t...
Russian troops put on high alert as part of massive drills
MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin has scrambled thousands of troops and hundreds of warplanes across southwestern Russia for large-scale military drills intended to test the troops’ readiness amid continuing tensions with the West. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that military units were put on combat alert early Monday, marking...
Pope, Russian Orthodox patriarch to meet in historic step
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet in Cuba next week in a historic step to heal the 1,000-year-old schism that divided Christianity between East and West, both churches announced Friday. The Feb. 12 meeting between Francis and Patriarch Kirill will be the first ever between the leaders of the...
Ukrainian minister hopes resignation will speed up reforms
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian economy minister whose resignation plunged the country into yet another political crisis says he hopes the scandal will help create momentum for economic reforms. Aivaras Abromavicius resigned on Wednesday, saying he and his team could no longer drive forward the much-needed reforms because of resistance to...
NATO chief meets EU defense ministers to discuss cooperation
AMSTERDAM (AP) — NATO’s chief is meeting European Union defense ministers to discuss boosting cooperation between the military alliance and the 28-nation bloc to tackle looming threats to the region. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says he will use Friday’s meeting in Amsterdam to talk about “how we can work more closely on...
Fighting flares up in eastern Ukraine
MOSCOW (AP) — The Ukrainian government has accused Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine of violating the shaky truce with large-caliber weapons. The military conflict between government forces and separatist rebels in Ukraine’s industrial heartland has left more than 9,000 people dead since April 2014. Fighting subsided last year after a...
German state governor draws criticism over Putin visit
BERLIN (AP) — Bavaria’s governor is drawing criticism in Germany for traveling to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and sounding a softer tone on sanctions than his country’s government. Putin received Horst Seehofer Wednesday night. Seehofer leads one of Germany’s three governing parties but is an often-awkward ally. In...
