Europe, Ukraine | featured news

An 18-year-old Ukranian woman died Thursday, two weeks after her grisly rape set off protests across the country against corruption and favoritism toward the wealthy.

With its gas business in decline, Russia on Tuesday begin filling a new pipeline that goes directly under the Baltic Sea to Germany, bypassing Ukraine, Belarus and Poland.

Russian natural gas began flowing Tuesday into Ukraine after a nearly two-week cutoff that left large parts of Europe cold and dark and underscored the continent's vulnerability and dependence on Russia's energy.

The European Union piled pressure on Russia and Ukraine on Friday to resolve a dispute cutting gas supplies to Europe in mid-winter and Germany said Russia must honor energy contracts.