Ukraine says 3 tanks entered from Russia

Ukraine says 3 tanks entered from Russia

KIEV, Ukraine

Ukraine’s president rallied support Thursday for his plan to end fighting in the country’s east in phone calls with the Russian and German leaders, even as he condemned what Ukrainian officials called an incursion of armored vehicles from Russia.

The Ukrainian interior minister said three tanks crossed into Ukraine along with other armored vehicles from Russia and were attacked by military forces fighting pro-Moscow separatists. He did not directly accuse Moscow of sending the tanks, but said it showed Russia had failed to fulfill promises to tighten border controls.

New trial ordered for ex-BP engineer

NEW ORLEANS

A new trial was ordered Thursday for a former BP engineer convicted of deleting text messages related to the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval threw out Kurt Mix’s obstruction-of-justice conviction, saying that remarks a jury forewoman overheard outside of the courtroom influenced the verdict.

Prosecutors said Mix, of Katy, Texas, deliberately deleted text messages to and from a supervisor and a BP contractor to stymie a grand jury’s investigation of the spill.

Study: Teens smoke, drink less, text more

NEW YORK

American teens are smoking less, drinking less and fighting less. But they’re texting behind the wheel and spending a lot of time on video games and computers, according to the government’s latest study of worrisome behavior.

Generally speaking, the news is good. Most forms of drug use, weapons use and risky sex have been going down since the government started doing the survey every two years in 1991. Teens are wearing bicycle helmets and seat belts more, too.

“Overall, young people have more healthy behaviors than they did 20 years ago,” said Dr. Stephanie Zaza, who oversees the study at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The results come from a study of 13,000 U.S. high school students last spring. Participation was voluntary and required parental permission, but responses were anonymous.

Morgan improving

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.

Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan is showing signs of improvement after a highway crash that badly injured him and killed one of his friends, his spokesman said Thursday.

Morgan, a former star of “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock,” remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition Thursday, but his medical team is “optimistic that his recovery is progressing,” spokesman Lewis Kay said.

Morgan, 45, suffered broken ribs and a broken leg in the Saturday morning crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. The crash killed fellow comedian James McNair and seriously injured two other people in Morgan’s limo bus.

Security tightened

KABUL, Afghanistan

Afghan police and soldiers manned checkpoints at almost every intersection Thursday, searching vehicles and frisking drivers in a massive security operation ahead of elections to choose a new president to guide the country after international combat forces withdraw.

Insurgents fighting the Western-backed government have intensified attacks ahead of Saturday’s runoff vote, and the Taliban issued a new statement warning voters to stay away from the polls.

Associated Press