Section: Los Angeles Times (USA)
MH17 downed by missile that no one anticipated
The Dutch Safety Board says Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was downed by a Buk surface-to-air missile as it flew over eastern Ukraine. It adds that the plane should never have been flying there as Ukraine should have closed its airspace to civil aviation. It says “nobody gave any thought” to the risk…. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
Ukraine joins Western blockade of Russian military flights to Syria
Ukraine on Thursday announced that it was closing its airspace to Russian military flights bound for Syria, joining the NATO blockade of arms and military personnel that Western intelligence officials say signals a significant Kremlin buildup in the war-torn Middle East country. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
U.N. reports nearly 8,000 deaths in Ukraine war, laments Russian role
Almost 8,000 people are confirmed dead in the 17 months of fighting in eastern Ukraine, the United Nations’ human rights agency said Tuesday in a report that admonished Russia’s involvement in the deadly crisis. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
Ukraine move to cede powers to pro-Russia rebels sparks deadly melee
A bill granting autonomy to Ukraine’s restive eastern regions cleared its first parliamentary hurdle on Monday but sparked a violent right-wing protest that left a national guardsman dead and more than 120 people injured. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
Ukraine gets major debt relief from creditors — except Russia
Struggling against Russia-backed separatists and a shrinking economy, Ukrainian officials said Thursday that they had secured major debt relief from the country’s creditors. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
Ukrainian filmmaker’s 20-year jail sentence in Russia draws fire abroad
A Russian military court on Tuesday sentenced a promising young Ukrainian filmmaker to 20 years in prison on charges of terrorist activity, prompting accusations from rights groups, fellow directors and Western governments of a Kremlin move to punish critics. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
Marking Independence Day, Ukraine’s president vows to defeat rebels
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko vowed Monday to deploy thousands more troops and hundreds of new armored vehicles, and warned Russia-backed separatists that they will be defeated in their quest to divide Ukraine from its Western allies. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
A dastardly plot befitting Boris and Natasha is revealed
A Russian newspaper posted an audio tape on its website that purports to reveal two U.S. spies plotting to bring down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine last year. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
Investigators examine missile parts in probe of MH17 crash in Ukraine
An international team of criminal investigators is inspecting missile parts recovered from the eastern Ukraine site of last year’s crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in hopes of determining who is responsible for downing the plane, killing all 298 people on board. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
New Polish president demands better NATO protection from Russia
New Polish President Andrzej Duda used his inauguration Thursday to call on NATO to better protect Eastern Europe from Russian aggression and pledged to make Poland a key force in resolving the conflict gripping neighboring Ukraine. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
