Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
22 civilians reported killed in east Ukraine
City hall in Luhansk, which is under the control of separatist rebels, said Tuesday that five people were killed when an old people’s home was struck by artillery fire. The use of unguided rockets in fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatist rebels has been taking a noticeably heavier toll in recent weeks and been...
EU envoys meeting on tougher Russia sanctions
BRUSSELS (AP) — The United States and the European Union are preparing a powerful one-two punch against the Russian economy, with EU ambassadors meeting Tuesday to discuss a dramatic escalation in the trade bloc’s sanctions on Russia. Measures under consideration include limiting Russia’s access to European capital markets and...
BP warns of impact of Russia sanctions on profits
LONDON (AP) — Energy company BP has warned that further international sanctions on Russia could have an adverse impact on its profits because of its stake in the oil giant, Rosneft. …read more Source: San Francisco...
Fighting turns back Ukraine crash investigators
Artillery fire blocked the route to the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines jetliner in eastern Ukraine on Monday, forcing an international delegation of European monitors and police officials to turn back without reaching the crash site. The setback in efforts to secure the site, to recover more bodies and to begin an independent investigation...
US: Russia has fired rockets into Ukraine
Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone Sunday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, urging him to stop the flow of heavy weapons and rocket and artillery fire from Russia into Ukraine, said a State Department official. “The wide areas of impact near the Ukrainian military units indicates fire from multiple rocket...
Russia ordered to pay $50 billion over Yukos
LONDON (AP) — An international court on Monday ordered Russia to pay over $50 billion in compensation to the former majority shareholder of now-defunct oil producer Yukos over the expropriation of the company more than 10 years ago. The Russian government under President Vladimir Putin in 2003 leveled massive tax claims against Yukos, then...
UN rights chief: Flight 17 possible war crime
GENEVA (AP) — The downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 may be a war crime, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Monday. Pillay, the U.N.’s top human rights official, called for a thorough investigation into the violation of international law that occurred when the flight was shot down with a surface-to-air...
Death toll mounts as clashes intensify in Ukraine
Territory between the cities has seen intensified fighting as government troops try to gain control over the area where a Malaysia Airlines plane was downed earlier this month. Dutch and Australian police set off for the crash site Monday morning in a convoy of 20 cars, aiming to secure the area so that investigations can continue and any...
Fighting intensifies where plane was downed in Ukraine
Ukrainian armed forces mounted a major onslaught against pro-Russian separatist fighters Sunday in an attempt to gain control over the area where a Malaysia Airlines plane was downed earlier this month. The U.S. State Department, meanwhile, released satellite images that it says back up its claims that rockets have been fired from Russia into...
Dutch police travel to site of MH17 plane disaster
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — Dutch police are traveling to the scene of the Malaysian plane disaster in eastern Ukraine to secure the site, which investigators complain has already been compromised. Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over a part of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists last week, killing nearly 300 people...
