Ukrainian Reporter Shot Dead in Kyiv

Two gunmen shot and killed a leading Ukrainian reporter Thursday. Ukraine's interior ministry reported that Oles Buzina, chief editor of the newspaper Segodnya, was killed near his home in Kyiv.

Mr. Buzina was known for his pro-Russia positions.

On Wednesday, a former Ukrainian lawmaker also known as pro-Russian, was killed in a similar attack. That shooting also happened near his home in Ukraine's capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Mr. Buzina was killed for political reasons.

Putin says Russian economy could improve in two years

Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in a live nationwide call-in show Thursday. The televised show is a yearly event in which Putin takes questions from Russian citizens.

Thursday's callers discussed the country's economy, U.S.-Russia relations, the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and the murder of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov.

Russia's central bank has predicted the country's economy will shrink by as much as 5 percent this year. But on Thursday, Mr. Putin said he believes Russia's economy could increase again in less than two years.

Al-Qaida captures major airport in southern Yemen

Al-Qaida militants have taken control of a major airport in Yemen's southern port of Mukalla. Officials say the al-Qaida fighters faced little military resistance.

Mukalla is the capital of Yemen's largest province, Hadramawt.

The militants also won control of a major oil center and sea port in southern Yemen.

US CEO cuts own pay to increase employees' pay

The leader of a credit card payments company in the western U.S. city of Seattle is reducing his own yearly earnings to increase employee pay.

Dan Price, the owner of Gravity Payments, told his employees this week that he will cut his $1 million per year salary to $70,000. He will use that savings as well as company profits to make it possible for every employee to earn a salary of $70,000.

The company currently pays an average of $48,000 a year to its 120 employees.