Somalia Strike: The US has carried out a military strike against the Shabab extremist network in Somalia. The target is believed to be a senior Shabab operative. The details have not been released, but it may have been a drone strike.

The Shabab network is the group that took over a shopping mall in Nairobi and killed 60 people.

Ukraine: As his army goes on the defensive, Ukraine PresidentPetro Poroshenko yesterday accused Russia of “direct and undisguised aggression” in the eastern part of the country. Ukraine lost control of the Luhansk airport after losing a fight with a Russian tank battalion. While denying his soldiers are in the fight, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been calling for statehood for eastern and southeastern Ukraine.The Ukraine army was winning until last week when Russia helped the rebels open a third fighting front in the south.

And as the fighting intensifies, international politics are heating up. NATO is expected this week to approve a 4,000-man rapid reaction force for Eastern Europe. A Russian military official said his country views NATO expansion in the east to be a military threat and will adjust Russia’s military strategy to meet it.

The Great Escape: Thirty teenagers in a Nashville youth detention facility escaped through a weak spot in the fence late last night. It happened shortly after a change of the guard staff and a large group of inmates went out in the yard. Authorities don’t know if the escape was planned or spontaneous. Thirteen were caught quickly, but 17 of them are still on the run. The facility holds kids who have committed at least three felonies.

Ferguson: Two Internet donation pages for the police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Mo. appear to have been shut down after raising $400,000. The donations are for the legal defense of Officer Darren Wilson. The investigation into the shooting continues and Wilson so far has not been charged with doing anything wrong. Meanwhile, police in Ferguson have begun wearing body cameras.

Deutschland Nein Uber Alle: A German court has banned the Internet car service Uber from operating in the country until a hearing on whether it is legal. The court said Uber drivers, who are just everyday people who offer their services as taxi drivers, don’t have the proper licenses and permits. The San Francisco-based Uber has begun to meet resistance in several cities around the world, in part because taxi companies are fighting back as Uber eats into their business.

Uber said in a statement, “We believe innovation and competition is good for everyone, riders, and drivers, everyone wins. You cannot put the brakes on progress.”

Small Screen: ABC’s David Muir takes over this week as the anchor of World News Tonight, following the departure of Diane Sawyer. Muir, 40, is the youngest anchor of a network news broadcast in 50 years. He’s gotten a lot of airtime in a rapid rise with ABC, but the network is betting its future on a man who is not a household name.

Sex in Space: Five geckos sent into space by Russia to study their sex lives have died, possibly having frozen to death. The experiment proves what they should already know in Russia. Life isn’t sexy when you’re freezing your ass off.

-30-