Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
AP Photos: Ukraine’s wounded soldiers get pumped up
Breathing heavily and soaked in perspiration after the competition’s final round of weightlifting, Kovalsky said his infant daughter brought him the will to carry on; she was born a month and a half after he was wounded in March. The organizer, Kiev-based TV producer Eugene Koval, said he had learned about the Invictus Games “and I...
Trump signals shift from Obama’s focus on multilateralism
“The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time,” Trump tweeted days after the UN Security Council approved a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Some of Trump’s other positions have drawn swift rebuke...
Soft is out! Putin, Trump force EU to harden its defense
Far from Lithuania’s icy roads, where the exercise involving 4,000 allied troops from 11 nations sought to impress nearby Russia, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stressed the need for a stronger defense posture before EU legislators earlier this month. Even if the seeds of change were already planted, Trump shouted loud and...
Ukraine summons Israeli ambassador after UN controversy
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says its ambassador to Ukraine has been summoned by the foreign ministry in Kiev following Israel’s decision to cancel a planned visit by the Ukrainian prime minister. …read more Source: San Francisco...
Israel pledges reprisals for UN vote against settlements
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it began summoning the ambassadors of countries who voted in favor of the resolution, including those from the permanent members of the Security Council — Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France. Speaking to a weekly meeting of his Cabinet on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel...
Text of Pope Francis’ Christmas day message
Particularly in Aleppo, the site of horrendous fighting in recent weeks, it is most urgent that, in respect for humanitarian law, assistance and support be guaranteed to the sorely tried civilian population, who continue to live in desperate straits and immense suffering and need. May Israelis and Palestinians have the courage and determination...
Israel to do ‘all it takes’ to emerge unharmed by UN vote
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it began summoning the ambassadors of countries who voted in favor of the resolution, including those from the permanent members of the Security Council — Russia, China, the U.K. and France. The resolution, which condemned Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, sparked outrage in...
Govt troops, rebels claims cease-fire violations
Separatist mouthpiece Donetsk News Agency on Saturday accused government troops of shelling rebel positions at least 140 times since the time both parties had agreed to cease fire. The Ukrainian government initially reported no violations across the front line, but its operational headquarters later said the rebels opened fire four times at three...
The Latest: Putin: Stick with existing talks on Ukraine
Responding to demands to release Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov and other Ukrainians jailed in Russia, Putin has called for a comprehensive deal to free all prisoners, including those held in Ukrainian prisons. Putin noted that the killer was a police officer, saying it reflected a high level of “penetration of destructive forces”...
News of the Day From Around the World, Dec. 22
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said earlier this week that their two conditions for peace talks are the removal of the group leader’s name from the U.N. blacklist and the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan. […] the Afghan government rejected the group’s demands — an indication of the depth of the rift...
