World/Nation
New peace deal reached for eastern Ukraine
MINSK, Belarus - The peace deal reached Thursday for Ukraine, if it holds, would be a partial win for both Moscow and Kiev: Ukraine retains the separatist eastern regions and regains control of its border with Russia, while Russia holds strong leverage to keep Ukraine from ever becoming part of NATO.
But neither side came away from the marathon talks unscathed.
There's no sign Russia will soon escape the Western sanctions that have driven its economy down sharply, and Kiev's price for regaining control of the border with Russia is to grant significant new power to the east.
But the complicated calculus of whether any side came out truly ahead can't be determined unless a single, straightforward term is fulfilled: halting the shooting and artillery salvos that have killed more than 5,300 people since April. That is supposed to happen on Sunday, at one minute after midnight.
A cease-fire called in September never fully took hold and fighting escalated sharply in the past month. Questions remain about whether either side possesses the will or discipline to ensure a truce this time.
GOP wants to change Obama military request
WASHINGTON -Congressional Republicans vowed Thursday to toughen President Barack Obama's day-old legislation to authorize military force against Islamic State fighters, and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi warned, "It's going to be hard" to find common ground.
Nothing underscored the yawning divide between the two parties more than Obama's request to bar "enduring offensive combat operations" from the struggle against terrorists who have seized territory in Syria and Iraq and beheaded hostages.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said disapprovingly that Obama's proposal would "tie his hands even further" than current law.
But Pelosi, recalling the long, difficult war in Iraq, said the president "has to be commended" for proposing to limit his own power.
Obama is seeking a three-year authorization for the use of force against the Islamic State militants or any successor groups, without regard to international boundaries. His proposal would leave in place 2001 legislation approving military action against al-Qaida following the terror attacks of 9/11.
Democrats urge Oregon governor to resign
SALEM, Ore. - Oregon's top Democrats urged Gov. John Kitzhaber to resign Thursday, saying he cannot lead the state effectively amid a growing ethics scandal involving his fiancee, a green-energy consultant suspected of using their relationship to land contracts for her business.
Senate President Peter Courtney said he and House Speaker Tina Kotek asked Kitzhaber, a Democrat who recently started his fourth term, to resign.
"I finally said, 'This has got to stop,'" Courtney told reporters after he and Kotek met with the governor. "I don't know what else to do right now. It seems to be escalating. It seems to be getting worse and worse."
The state treasurer also joined in the call for Kitzhaber to relinquish his office.
"Unfortunately, the current situation has become untenable, and I cannot imagine any scenario by which things improve," said Ted Wheeler, another Democrat. "Oregon deserves a governor who is fully focused on the duties of state."
Egyptian court orders Al-Jazeera journalists freed
CAIRO - A court ordered two Al-Jazeera journalists freed on bail Thursday after more than a year in detention on terrorism charges in a case that human rights groups have called a sham.
If authorities aim to eventually exonerate Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohammed, their strategy for doing so remains murky and slow as they apparently seek a face-saving way out of a legal process that has drawn international criticism of Egyptian justice.
A solution was found for a third Al-Jazeera defendant, Australian Peter Greste, when he was deported two weeks ago to his great relief. But Thursday's decision indicated the court was moving ahead with a retrial of Fahmy and Mohammed.
The decision to release Fahmy and Mohammed brought tears of joy and relief by their relatives in the Cairo courtroom.
Al-Jazeera called the decision "a small step in the right direction" but said the court should dismiss "this absurd case" and release both journalists unconditionally." The trial's next session is set for Feb. 23.
JournalistBob Simon of CBS dead at 73
NEW YORK - Bob Simon was kidnapped in Iraq, beaten in Belfast and held at gunpoint in Romania during a nearly 50-year career at CBS News. His bravery made the mundane way he died - in the back seat of a car on Manhattan's West Side Highway Wednesday night - seem all the more tragic.
Simon's work outlives him, and not just on reputation. A story he was working on with his producer, daughter Tanya Simon, about searching for an Ebola cure, is scheduled to air on "60 Minutes" this weekend. The newsmagazine will have a full tribute to Simon on Feb. 22.
He died at age 73.
- The Associated Press