In the World

UKRAINE

Poroshenko calls for new peace effort

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko conceded Monday that his forces are unable to militarily defeat separatists backed by Russian mercenaries and armaments, and he called for a new attempt at negotiating an end to the fighting at an international summit on Jan. 15.

The meeting to be held in the Kazakhstan capital, Astana, will include Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Poroshenko and his Western allies accuse of instigating the rebellion in eastern Ukraine, and French and German leaders. President Obama has also been asked to join in the negotiations, Poroshenko said.

Though Poroshenko's tone at a news conference was conciliatory, he reiterated demands for recovery of all separatist-occupied territory as well as the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in March. - L.A. Times
BRITAIN

Emergency landing

A Virgin Atlantic jet bound from London to Las Vegas turned back and made an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport on Monday after developing a problem with its landing gear. The airline confirmed the Boeing 747-400, carrying 447 passengers and a crew of 15, landed safely about four hours after it took off. Gatwick said several passengers suffered minor injuries, and the incident caused a major disruption to travelers. - AP
SCOTLAND

New Ebola case

A health-care worker just back from Sierra Leone has been diagnosed with Ebola and is being treated in a Glasgow hospital, Scottish authorities said Monday. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called it the first case of Ebola ever diagnosed inside the United Kingdom. The patient arrived home late Sunday, the government said, and was admitted to a hospital Monday after developing a fever. - AP