Ukraine's President Signs Economic Treaty With Russia

Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych signed an economic treaty with Russia's Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday.

Yanukovych signed the economic agreement, despite mass protests, in Ukraine, against his doing so.

He also had twice pledged to sign an agreement with the EU.

Protests have been taking place for about a month now, with crowds as large as two hundred thousand, in Kiev's Independence Square alone.

Many Ukrainians worry that Yanukovych is taking their country back under Russian influence and fear a loss of their independence from their former Soviet masters.

The protests gained steam after three former presidents backed them.

Police were unable to clear out the protesters last Tuesday, and only partially successful on Wednesday.

Their failure had been followed by Yanukovych promising to get back to working on the deal with the EU.

However, his once again breaking his word has only heightened the calls for his removal from office and led to many to call him a traitor and warn that he should never return to the country.

6 US Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan

Six US soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, on Tuesday afternoon.

A seventh soldier was injured in the Blackhawk crash, in Zabul province.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, but it is believed to have been engine failure.

One hundred and fifty-six NATO troops have been killed, during 2013, in Afghanistan.

Only thirty of those were not American troops.

3 Alarm Fire Destroys Denver Apartment Complex

A three alarm fire tore through an under construction apartment complex, late Saturday night, in Glendale, Colorado.

The fire destroyed the new complex and jumped a road damaging another apartment complex and some condos.

Firefighters fought to keep the flames contained, but eventually did knock the fire out.

Extreme heat, from the flames, partially melted more than twenty nearby cars.

Flames nearing fifty feet could be seen across the Denver metro area.

Amazingly, no one was injured in the fire, which began around 23:00 MST and burned well into the early morning hours.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the blaze.

200,000 Protest in Kiev as Ukraine's President Plans Trip to Russia

Over two hundred thousand people protested in Kiev, on Sunday, as their president once again backed away from promises to treat with the EU.

Instead, President Viktor Yanukovych is now planning a trip to Moscow, scheduled for Tuesday.

His announcement comes after weeks of continuous protests have shaken the country.

Many Ukrainians worry that Yanukovych is taking their country back under Russian influence and fear a loss of their independence from their former Soviet masters.

The protests gained steam after three former presidents backed them.

Police were unable to clear out the protesters on Tuesday, and only partially successful on Wednesday.

Their failure had been followed by Yanukovych promising to get back to working on the deal with the EU.

However, he is once again breaking his word, and the calls for his removal are louder than ever.

Sunday's protests were the largest yet, as people braved freezing temperatures to hear opposition leaders speak.

US Senator John McCain joined the speakers, telling the people of Ukraine that they were on the right side and that the world was behind them in the fight for freedom.

Israel Defense Forces Soldier Killed

A member of the IDF was killed on Sunday night, near Rosh Hanikra.

He was shot and killed while patrolling on the Israeli side of the border, with Lebanon.

According to officials, the weapons fire came from the Lebanese side of the border.

Israeli helicopters rushed to the area, seeking the attacker, but were not successful in their search.

Lebanon has upped their alert status, in the area, as a result of the Israeli activity.

USMC: Lance Corporal Matthew R. Rodriguez

Lance Corporal Matthew R. Rodriguez, nineteen of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, died on December 11.

He was killed during combat in Helmand, Afghanistan.

Rodriguez was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California.

His decorations include: National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NATO Medal.

Shooting At Arapahoe High School Leaves 1 Student Dead, 1 Wounded in Colorado

Friday saw a shooting at Arapahoe High School, in Centennial, Colorado.

An eighteen year old student walked into the school, carrying a shotgun, and began asking for the whereabouts of one of the school's staff members.

Word quickly reached the staff member and, following active shooter protocols, he left the building.

When the student realized his target was gone he fired two or three shots, from the shotgun, seriously wounding a seventeen year old student.

Police arrived within minutes and as they closed in the shooter took his own life.

Officers found his body as well as two Molotov cocktails, one of which had been detonated, causing smoke issues for the first responders.

At this time it has not been confirmed what the student's motive was in wanting to kill the staff member, or why he shot the female student.

The wounded seventeen year old student was taken to Littleton Adventist Hospital, where she underwent surgery, and is in critical condition.

Mexico Ends Full Nationalization of Oil

With a vote of three hundred and fifty-three to one hundred and thirty-four, Mexico's congress voted to partially denationalize their oil industry.

The industry was nationalized back in 1938, but has recently struggled to stay economically afloat.

Congress's vote allows for private financiers to buy into the national oil company.

This leaves the country as the majority owner, but brings in outside money as well.

Mexico hopes to use investment money to search for new fields, further explore known ones, and utilize their resources to a greater level.

They are already the tenth largest oil supplier, in the world.

Catalonia Sets Date For Independence Referendum

On Thursday, Catalonia's regional government set a date for a referendum on independence from Spain.

They set a date, nearly a year from now, of November 9, 2014.

By placing it a year from now they hope to ensure that international observers will have ample time to see that their votes were free and that the voters were informed.

Voters will simply be asked if they wish for Catalonia to be an independent state.

However, the national government, in Madrid, pledged to keep any such referendum from happening.

At this time, it is unclear how the national government can actually keep the vote from taking place.

Ukraine's President Listens to Protesters and Moves to Sign With EU

President Viktor Yanukovych has reannounced his intention to sign a trade agreement deal with the European Union.

His announcement comes after weeks of protests took place in all the cities of Ukraine, especially in Kiev.

As many as one hundred and thirty thousand protested each day in the capital city.

Police were unable to clear out the protesters on Tuesday, and only partially successful on Wednesday.

Their failure forced the administration to face the reality of the people's anger over Yanukovych attempting to back out of the deal.

Yanukovych had instead decided to seek closer ties with Russia.

Many Ukrainians worry that Yanukovych is taking their country back under Russian influence and fear a loss of their independence from their former Soviet masters.

The protests gained steam after three former presidents backed them.