Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
2 Ukrainian military fighter jets shot down
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Two Ukrainian military fighter jets have been shot down in the east, according to the country’s Defense Ministry. The Sukhoi-25 fighters were shot down 1:30 p.m. local time Wednesday over an area called Savur Mogila. Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksiy Dmitrashkovsky says the planes may have been carrying up to two...
Despite sanctions call, UK OKs Russia arms exports
LONDON (AP) — Britain is still authorizing the export of arms and military equipment to Russia despite the government’s call for tough sanctions over Moscow’s arming of separatist rebels in Ukraine, a group of lawmakers said Wednesday. The permits cover sniper rifles, night sights, small arms ammunition, gun mountings, body...
In international flight, volatile conflicts abound
In Africa, the entire Sahel region is awash with weapons that include portable air defense systems leftover from the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi. The world is pockmarked with volatile hot spots stretching from West Africa to Central Asia — a wide arc where commercial flights and airline passengers could potentially be at risk from...
Bodies of Malaysia jet victims to leave Ukraine
U.S. officials say Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was probably shot down by a missile on Thursday, and fell on territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists who have been battling the Kiev government since April. …read more Source: San Francisco...
Airlines ban flights to Israel after rocket strike
JERUSALEM (AP) — A Hamas rocket exploded Tuesday near Israel’s main airport, prompting a ban on all flights from the U.S. and many from Europe and Canada as aviation authorities responded to the shock of seeing a civilian jetliner shot down over Ukraine. Israel declared that Ben-Gurion Airport was safe and said there was no reason to...
Lax security at crash site hampers investigations
HRABOVE, Ukraine (AP) — When international monitors and Malaysian aviation experts arrived Tuesday at the two main sites where the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 smashed into the undulating countryside of eastern Ukraine, there was almost no perimeter tape. The lack of security and images of separatist rebels rifling through the...
US to present intelligence data on plane crash
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration said Tuesday it would present data from the U.S. intelligence community laying out what’s known about the Malaysia Airlines plane that was shot down in Ukraine. Earnest said the U.S. welcomed the news that most of the remains of the 298 killed have been handed over to authorities and the...
Gaza rocket lands near Israel’s main airport
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police say a rocket from Gaza landed in an area near Israel’s international airport. Police spokeswomen Luba Samri says Tuesday that the rocket caused damage to a house and lightly wounded one Israeli. As a result, Delta Air Lines says it is canceling all flights to Israel until further notice. Airlines and...
Russians fed conspiracy theories on Ukraine crash
Putin, traveling home from Brazil, passed along the same flight path as the Malaysian passenger jet less than one hour before it was hit — suggesting an assassination attempt. An Associated Press journalist saw a Buk launcher — which rebels have bragged about owning in social media — in rebel-held territory near the crash site...
Amid sanctions, France in warship sale to Russia
PARIS (AP) — French President Francois Hollande is defending plans to deliver a warship to Russia, despite calls for a European arms embargo against Moscow over the fighting in Ukraine. European Union foreign ministers are meeting Tuesday in Brussels, with some calling for tougher sanctions against Russia. …read more Source: San...
