Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
NATO ministers to meet on Russia, upgrading response force
BRUSSELS (AP) — With NATO officials calling Russia more unpredictable now than during the Cold War, alliance defense ministers on Thursday are expected to approve further measures to enhance the organization’s ability to deter and, if necessary, respond to military threats from Moscow, officials said. — An official go-ahead for a proposal...
Kremlin pursues military modernization despite economic woes
The buildup reflects President Vladimir Putin’s apparent readiness to raise the ante in a showdown with the West over Ukraine — but it is unclear whether Russia can afford the modernization drive amid slumping oil prices and Western sanctions. In the Ukraine crisis, Moscow for the first time demonstrated its new capacity for what experts...
A look at recent air disasters affecting Asia
A Taiwanese plane crashed into a shallow river on Wednesday, the latest accident in a tragic 12 months for Asian air travel. An ATR 72-600 plane operated by TransAsia Airways, a private Taiwanese airline, turned on its side in midair, clipped a bridge, hit a taxi and careened into a river Wednesday with 58 people on board. Popular low-cost...
Ukraine president confident of getting US weapons
U.S. President Barack Obama has opposed sending lethal assistance to Ukraine’s government, but a senior administration official told The Associated Press earlier this week the surge in fighting has spurred the White House to review the policy. …read more Source: San Francisco...
In Crimea, a theme park turns back the clock
For the de Villierses, the solution is to turn back the clock to the Byzantine Empire, the Christian offshoot of the Roman Empire that is known for its domed churches and elaborate mosaics, which once held sway over Crimea. […] in practice he is turning his new conquest into a sort of Orlando meets Las Vegas, with at least two major theme...
New Cold War: US, Russia fight over Europe’s energy future
The points on the map aren’t troop deployments, tank battalions and missile silos but pipelines, ports and power plants. […] Washington is helping set up new natural gas pipelines and terminals in a region that depends on Russia for more than 70 percent of its energy needs. Yet as the U.S. makes headway, the Kremlin is fighting back,...
Russian mother of 7 suspected of treason released
Investigators haven’t revealed details of the accusations, but media reports said Davydova called the Ukrainian Embassy after she had overheard a serviceman on a bus saying he and his comrades were preparing for a trip and decided he was talking about being sent to Ukraine. Despite mounting evidence, Moscow denies any role in fighting in...
5 killed in artillery fire as Ukraine fighting continues
Hostilities between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government troops resumed in January after a month of relative calm. …read more Source: San Francisco...
5 Ukrainian soldiers die in east Ukraine fighting
Defense Ministry Spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov told The Associated Press Monday that fighting remains most intense around Ukraine-held Debaltseve, which is now almost entirely encircled by Russia-backed rebels. Municipal authorities in Donetsk, the main rebel stronghold in the region some 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of Debaltseve, said in...
Ukraine fighting intensifies after truce isn’t reached
KIEV, Ukraine — Fighting intensified in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, the day after representatives of the government and pro-Russia separatists failed to reach a truce at a meeting brokered by Russian and international mediators. “Despite all their efforts and ungrounded claims of victory, our army concentrated enough troops, armor and artillery in...
