Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
John Kerry awarded French Legion of Honor for peace-making
Accepting the award, an emotional Kerry recalled visiting Normandy D-Day beaches as a child with his French mother, and watching her cry. Kerry has visited Paris countless times as secretary of state for high-level diplomatic meetings on Syria, Ukraine and other hotspots. …read more Source: San Francisco...
France’s court annuls Kazakh banker’s extradition to Russia
PARIS (AP) — A top French court refused to hand over a Kazakh banker-turned-dissident to Russia despite accusations he embezzled millions, saying it considered the extradition request from Moscow to be “politically motivated.” Requests for the return of criminal suspects can be rejected if they are judged to be politically motivated....
NATO chief urges West to keep pressuring Russia over Ukraine
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is urging Western allies to maintain diplomatic pressure and sanctions on Russia until it respects the peace agreement in Ukraine. After talks with NATO and Ukraine foreign ministers, Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday of a “massive increase in cease-fire violations” in the...
NATO chief trumpets new ‘momentum’ with EU military ties
Trump lambasted Europeans during the U.S. campaign for not paying their fair share of defense budgets and wants NATO to do more to combat terrorism. The two-day meeting in Brussels is aimed in part at reassuring the incoming U.S. administration that European allies are spending more and that the world’s biggest military alliance is already...
Putin’s Russia seeks to project power with modern military
MOSCOW (AP) — With an aircraft carrier deployed off Syria’s shores and hundreds of new jets, missiles and tanks entering service each year, President Vladimir Putin can project Russian military power on a scale unseen since Soviet times. A massive reform effort launched in the wake of Russia’s 2008 war with Georgia has transformed a...
European Union populists: Is the genie out of the bottle?
Unless EU juggernauts like France and Germany find ways to turn the tide, it could leave the defeat of the extremist right wing in Austria’s presidential election on Sunday as a mere blip on an increasingly muddled screen. “Inside this vote, there is a vote of frustration, discontent — punishment,” Orsina said of the...
Russian patriarch blesses new Paris church, a Putin project
Putin has championed the project, prompting protests from rights groups. Since the 2008 sale of the site to Russia, diplomatic relations have soured over Moscow’s actions in Syria and Ukraine. …read more Source: San Francisco...
Russia’s Putin warns artists against offending believers
MOSCOW (AP) — Top Russian cultural figures urged President Vladimir Putin on Friday to protect the freedom of artistic expression — something the Russian leader pledged to do, even as he warned artists to be careful not to offend religious believers. A Moscow art gallery recently shut down an exhibition of nude photos by an American photographer...
Putin hopes to fix ties with US, pool anti-terror efforts
The speech reflected Moscow’s hope that President-elect Donald Trump could help repair ties with Washington that have sunk to a post-Cold War low over the crisis in Ukraine, the Syria war and other disputes. Tensions escalated during the U.S. election campaign, when President Barack Obama’s administration accused Moscow of hacking...
AP Interview: Lithuania: Trump right on Europe defense costs
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Two senior Lithuanian officials have told The Associated Press that President-elect Donald Trump is actually right that Europeans must increase military spending. Trump stunned Washington’s allies during the U.S. election campaign by suggesting that American military guarantees to NATO members could depend on...
