Author: Elena Becatoros
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US and Iran appear to move closer to ending their war as Trump threatens more bombing
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Iran appeared to be moving closer Wednesday to an initial agreement to end the war, as U.S. President Trump sought to pressure Tehran with threats of a new wave of bombing if a deal is not reached. Trump posted on social media that the two-month war could soon…
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Ukraine facing grinding campaign as it waits for weapons
KYIV, Ukraine • Ukrainian forces locked in a grinding battle for control of the country’s east struggled to hold off Russian troops and buy themselves some time Thursday while they await the arrival of the advanced rockets and anti-aircraft weapons promised by the West. With the arms deliveries possibly weeks away, Ukraine is looking at…
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Sievierodonetsk mayor says Russian forces seize half of city
SLOVIANSK, Ukraine • Russian forces in a “frenzied push” have seized half of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk that is key to Moscow’s efforts to quickly complete the capture of the industrial Donbas region, the mayor said Tuesday. “The city is essentially being destroyed ruthlessly block by block,” Oleksandr Striuk said. He said heavy…
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Lethal rocket strike in Sloviansk as Russia moves on Donbas
SLOVIANSK, Ukraine • Blood smears the stairwell floor and the shards of glass strewn about while shrapnel pockmarks the walls. Outside, a crater between two apartment blocks marks the spot where the rocket hit in the very early hours of Tuesday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk. Authorities said three people were killed and…
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Ukraine: 200 bodies found in basement in Mariupol’s ruins
KYIV, Ukraine • Workers digging through the rubble of an apartment building in Mariupol found 200 bodies in the basement, Ukrainian authorities said Tuesday, as more horrors come to light in the ruined city that has seen some of the worst suffering of the 3-month-old war. The bodies were decomposing and the stench hung over…
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Ukraine to hold first war crimes trial of captured Russian
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine • Ukraine’s top prosecutor disclosed plans Wednesday for the first war crimes trial of a captured Russian soldier, as fighting raged in the east and south and the Kremlin left open the possibility of annexing a corner of the country it seized early in the invasion. Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said her office…
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Russia pummels vital port of Odesa, targeting supply lines
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine • Russia pummeled the vital port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday, in an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines and Western weapons shipments critical to Kyiv’s defense. Ukraine’s ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker end to the conflict. With the war…
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New fire breaks out in crowded refugee camp on Greek island
ATHENS, Greece • Fire struck again Wednesday night in Greece’s notoriously overcrowded refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, a day after a blaze swept through it and left thousands in need of emergency shelter. The fires caused no injuries, but they renewed criticism of Europe’s migration policy. Wednesday night’s fires broke out inside the…
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Scientists race to prevent wipeout of world’s coral reefs
SOUTH ARI ATOLL, Maldives — There were startling colors here just a year ago, a dazzling array of life beneath the waves. Now this Maldivian reef is dead, killed by the stress of rising ocean temperatures. What’s left is a haunting expanse of gray, a scene repeated in reefs across the globe in what has…
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Greece says crashed EgyptAir plane suddenly lost altitude
CAIRO — An EgyptAir jetliner en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 people aboard veered wildly in flight and crashed in the Mediterranean Sea early Thursday, authorities said. Egyptian and Russian officials said it may have been brought down by terrorists. There were no signs of survivors. EgyptAir Flight 804, an Airbus A320 with…