Section: KXAN (USA)
Mongolia, between big neighbors, seeks permanent neutrality
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Sandwiched between China and Russia, landlocked Mongolia has long tread a middle path, maintaining a balance between Moscow and Beijing while referring to the U.S. and other remote allies as “third neighbors.” Now, with a wealth of mineral resources set to transform its largely agrarian economy, Mongolia is moving to...
Russia: Plane that crashed in Egypt broke up high in the air
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — The Russian passenger plane that crashed in Egypt, killing everyone onboard, broke up at high altitude, Russia’s top aviation official said Sunday. The Metrojet plane, bound for St. Petersburg in Russia, crashed 23 minutes after it took off from Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday...
Fire hits Ukraine arsenal, 1 believed dead
MOSCOW (AP) — Ukrainian news reports say a large fire in a military arsenal in an eastern town is setting off explosions and at least person is believed to have been killed. The fire began Thursday evening in Svatove, which is under government control although near areas controlled by Russia-backed separatist rebels. The deputy head of the...
Director of Ukrainian library detained in Moscow
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian investigators say the police have detained the director of a Ukrainian library in Moscow on suspicion of inciting ethnic hatred. The Russian investigative committee said in a statement on Thursday that it has asked a court to arrest 58-year old Natalya Sharina after the investigators found books in the library that allegedly...
Ukraine faces years of dependence on Western aid
VELYKI PRYTSKY, Ukraine (AP) — Looking on from her vegetable patch at the motorcade of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Ukrainian villager Olha Voloshchenko says she’d seen the lady on the TV news the night before, but “then the lights went off at our place.” The U.S. hopes agriculture in places like this dilapidated village will...
Ukrainian soldier killed near rebel-held Donetsk airport
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine says one of its soldiers has been killed by rebel forces that were violating a cease-fire in the east. It was the first reported government loss in fighting since mid-October. A February cease-fire between government and rebel forces has largely held since both sides renewed their commitment to observe the truce Sept....
Exit polls in Ukraine local elections show east-west split
MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Four exit polls from Ukraine’s local elections indicate the governing coalition has retained its dominant position in the west and center of the country despite widespread disappointment with the government of President Petro Poroshenko. In the south and east, voters favored the Opposition Bloc, formed from the...
Ukraine holds local elections that test oligarchs’ reach
MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainians are voting in local elections that are seen as a test of the strength of President Petro Poroshenko’s government and of the oligarchs accustomed to running regions of the country. The situation in Mariupol, a major port and steel city, is especially fraught. The city is torn by disputes over the influence...
New Russian military might on full display in Syria
HEMEIMEEM AIRBASE, Syria (AP) — Sleek combat jets loaded with precision bunker-buster bombs roar into the skies as soldiers in desert-style uniforms march past rows of neat housing at this Russian military base at one of Syria’s largest airports. The air campaign in Syria, Russia’s first military action outside the former Soviet Union...
Russia gives media a look at Syria air operations
HEMEIMEEM AIRBASE, Syria (AP) — Since early Thursday morning, Russian combat jets have been taking off from this base in western Syria, heading out for more of the heavy bombing runs that have allowed Moscow once again to portray itself as a major global player capable of projecting military power far from its borders. The Russian Defense...
