by Associated Press BC-AP--Europe News Digest, AP Associated Press - 16 September 2014 07:20-04:00 TOP STORIES FROM EUROPE AT 1120 GMT UKRAINE KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine's parliament ratified an agreement to deepen economic and political ties with the European Union on Tuesday, and passed legislation to grant autonomy to the rebellious east as part of a peace deal. The ratification vote draws a line under the issue that last year sparked Ukraine's crisis, which resulted in the ousting of the president, the annexation of Crimea by Russia and a war with the Russia-backed separatists that has killed more than 2,600 people. By Laura Mills. SENT: 300 words, photos. UPCOMING 400 words by 1130 GMT. UKRAINE-FALLEN VILLAGE NOVOSVITLIVKA, Ukraine — The kindergarten building in this village in eastern Ukraine was once a source of pride. Renovated and brightly decorated with money provided by German donors, its classrooms were opening the doors of education to 120 pupils at a time. Today, the building is a dusty, rocket-riddled wreck. Scatterings of bullet holes in the walls suggest a gun battle probably took place nearby. By Peter Leonard. SENT: 960 words, photos. SCOTLAND-ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE EDINBURGH, Scotland — On Calton Hill, overlooking Edinburgh, stands Scotland's National Monument. A colonnade of classical stone pillars modeled on the Parthenon in Athens, it's grand, inspiring — and unfinished, ever since the money to build it ran out two centuries ago. It's a fitting image for the country as seen by independence campaigners, who hope voters will finish Scotland's incomplete journey to statehood by backing separation from Britain in a referendum on Thursday. By Jill Lawless. SENT: 960 words, photos. With: BRITAIN-SCOTLAND, spot developments. RUSSIA-ECONOMY MOSCOW — Russia's currency dropped to an all-time low against the dollar on Tuesday as investors fret about long-term economic damage from Western sanctions. The United States and the European Union last week imposed a new round of sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine that consisted in, among other things, blocking off Western financial markets to key Russian companies. By Nataliya Vasilyeva. SENT: 400 words, photos. EUROPE-KURDISH FIGHTERS KOEGE, Denmark — Shaho Pirani says he's just a phone call away from leaving his quiet life in Denmark and joining Kurdish forces battling against Islamic State militants in Iraq. The 30-year-old Kurd, who fled from Iran with his older brother in 1991, says he feels a moral duty to help the Peshmerga, the armed forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government, to fight the "psychopaths" of the Islamic State group. By Jan M. Olsen and Karl Ritter. SENT: 920 words, photos. DENMARK-COURT SHOOTING COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A person opened fire Tuesday inside a court building in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, authorities said. One man was killed and another was seriously wounded. Police said a suspect was arrested nearby and a shotgun was seized. There was no immediate information on the victims or the suspect. SENT: 120 words, photos. UPCOMING: 200 words by 1200 GMT. NETHERLANDS-HIGHWAY CRASH THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Emergency services say two people have been killed and an unknown number injured in a pileup at least 150 cars and trucks on a Dutch highway shrouded in thick mist. The Zeeland Security Region said in a statement that the series of crashes happened early Tuesday on the A58 highway in the southern province of Zeeland. SENT: 130 words. FRANCE-ECONOMY PARIS — France's prime minister faces a confidence vote in a parliament increasingly frustrated with unpopular President Francois Hollande's handling of the economy — including dissidents within his Socialist Party. The Socialists have a solid majority in parliament. But they are split between leftists who think restraining government spending will hurt the economy and Hollande allies, who believe that a country where government spending makes up 57 percent of annual gross domestic product needs reform. SENT: 130 words. BRITAIN-ECONOMY LONDON — Official figures show that inflation in the U.K. eased further below the Bank of England's target in August following falls in food and fuel prices. The Office for National Statistics says consumer price inflation slowed to 1.5 percent in August from 1.6 percent in July, a move that likely reinforces market expectations that interest rates are unlikely to rise this year despite robust growth and falling unemployment. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has already signaled that rates won't start rising until spring next year. SENT: 130 words, photos. TURKEY-QATAR-MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey's military is working on plans to establish a "buffer zone" against Islamic militants, on the country's borders with Iraq and Syria, Turkish media reports said Tuesday. Erdogan also told a group of journalists on board his plane during his return from a visit to Qatar late Monday that Turkey could take in leaders of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood who have been asked to leave Qatar. SENT: 320 words. POLAND-AFGHANISTAN WARSAW, Poland — A Polish military spokesman says one Polish soldier has been killed and two others wounded in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan. Spokesman Lt. Col. Piotr Walatek said Sgt. Rafal Celebudzki was killed early Tuesday on a street in Kabul when a suicide attacker exploded a bomb near a passing coalition military convoy. Celebudzki was driving one of the vehicles. SENT: 130 words. NETHERLANDS-BUDGET AMSTERDAM — The Dutch government is presenting a budget for 2015 that for the first time in years will be focused less on 'austerity' and more on security in light of international conflicts. In a day full of pomp and ceremony, King Willem Alexander will ride in a golden carriage to address both houses of parliament in the ceremonial 13th century "Hall of Knights" in The Hague. Toby Sterling. SENT: 130 words, photos. BELGIUM-EUTHANASIA-CONVICT BRUSSELS — A Belgian official says a convicted rapist and murderer who has been imprisoned for almost three decades has been granted the right to die after doctors agreed his psychological condition was incurable. The official said Tuesday Belgium's justice minister approved Frank Van Den Bleeken's transfer to a hospital where doctors will end his life. By Juergen Baetz. SENT: 120 words. News Topics: General news, Bombings, Economy, Religion and politics, Government and politics, Government spending, War and unrest, Currency markets, Legislature, Crime, Business, Religious issues, Religion, Social affairs, Social issues, Fiscal policy, Economic policy, Government business and finance, Government policy, Financial markets People, Places and Companies: Francois Hollande, Mark Carney, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, United Kingdom, Turkey, Netherlands, Denmark, Crimea, Belgium, Europe, France, Ukraine, Poland, Copenhagen, Athens, Afghanistan, Russia, Middle East, Qatar, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Greece, Central Asia, Asia Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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