Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
Massive Chernobyl shelter safely put over exploded reactor
CHERNOBYL, Ukraine (AP) — Workers completed a massive shelter over the Chernobyl nuclear plant’s exploded reactor on Tuesday, one of the most ambitious engineering projects in the world that one expert said had closed “a nuclear wound.” Workers will now begin dismantling unstable parts of the original cover, the so-called...
Chernobyl shelter safely placed over exploded reactor
The half-cylinder-shaped shelter began being moved toward the reactor on a system of hydraulic jacks two weeks ago and reached its destination Tuesday, a significant step toward liquidating the remains of the world’s worst nuclear accident, 30 years ago in what is now Ukraine. …read more Source: San Francisco...
1 big difference between French primary candidates: Russia
Francois Fillon, who polls suggest is the front-runner, wants to end sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, work alongside Russia against the Islamic State group, and insists “Russia poses no threat to the West.” If Fillon wins the nomination, that would put him in a powerful position heading into the April-May election...
Obama, Putin meet during summit in Peru
LIMA, Peru — President Obama spoke briefly with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Syria and Ukraine on Sunday as an economic summit got under way in Peru, in their first known conversation since Donald Trump was elected the next U.S. president. Both the White House and the Kremlin said the leaders had agreed that U.S. Secretary of State John...
The Latest: Obama, Putin discuss Syria conflict, Ukraine
A White House description of the meeting says after exchanging pleasantries, Obama encouraged Putin to uphold his country’s commitments under the Minsk deal aimed at ending the conflict. The White House says Obama called for Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to keep working in initiatives with other...
Report: German Chancellor Merkel’s to seek fourth term
Repeatedly named “The World’s Most Powerful Woman” by Forbes magazine, Merkel also has been suggested by some as the last powerful defender of liberal values in the West following Donald Trump’s election as the next U.S. president. While she’s never been described as a visionary or earned much praise for stirring...
Leaders mark Soviet dissolution, urge Ukraine dialogue
In December 1991, the leaders of the Soviet republics of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed a pact that broke up the U.S.S.R. and defeated the efforts of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to keep the country together. …read more Source: San Francisco...
Poland to compare photos of US man in Nazi crimes probe
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Polish prosecutor pursuing a Nazi crimes investigation of a Minnesota man said Thursday that experts will compare the man’s photos with that of a Nazi commander to make sure they are the same person. The Associated Press has identified the man, Michael Karkoc, as a World War II commander of a unit in the SS-led...
Trump election puts pressure on Merkel to take liberal lead
[…] with outsider Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president and the rising strength of far-right and populist movements in Europe, some have suggested that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is left as the last powerful defender of liberal values in the West. Since taking office in 2005, Merkel has been a fixture of the international...
ICC supporters call for unity after withdrawals, Russia snub
The court’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, sought to downplay the impact of the departures, saying, “this is not a crisis for the Rome Statute system, but a set-back in our joint efforts towards achieving a more peaceful and just world.” Human Rights Watch urged member states not to water down the court’s core...
