Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
New Kazakh president sworn in after longtime leader resigns
MOSCOW — The eldest daughter of Kazakhstan’s outgoing longtime leader was appointed speaker of parliament on Wednesday, fueling speculation that she may succeed her father as president after next year’s election. Her appointment comes a day after her father, 78-year-old Nursultan Nazarbayev, surprised many by announcing he was...
International Women’s Day: Strikes, protests, holidays
MADRID — Marches and protests were held Friday across the globe to mark International Women’s Day under the slogan #BalanceforBetter, with calls for a more gender-balanced world. The day, sponsored by the United Nations since 1975, celebrates women’s achievements and aims to further their rights. Thousands of women walked off the job...
Ukrainian leader, citing Russian aggression, pledges to join NATO
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine must join the European Union and NATO to protect itself from Russia’s expansionist actions, President Petro Poroshenko said Saturday as he officially launched his re-election campaign. Poroshenko, who is seeking a second five-year term in the March 31 vote, accused Russia of planning to meddle in the election. He...
Ukraine to send naval ships through Kerch Strait soon
MINSK, Belarus — Ukraine’s defense ministry warned Russia on Friday that it will soon send navy ships through the Kerch Strait where Russia fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels two weeks ago. The announcement sets up another possible flash point in the long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine that erupted in 2014 with...
President calls up reservists
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s president on Monday announced a partial call-up of reservists for training amid tensions with Russia, saying the country needs to beef up its defenses to counter the threat of a Russian invasion. The Kremlin dismissed the Ukrainian leader’s statement as an “absurd” attempt to inflame tensions. Tensions...
Russian males barred from entering Ukraine
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials on Friday raised the stakes in their nation’s growing confrontation with Russia, announcing a travel ban for most Russian men and searching the home of an influential cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church. The long-simmering conflict bubbled over Sunday when Russian border guards rammed into and opened...
Trump cancels meeting with Putin, citing Russia-Ukraine naval clash
BUENOS AIRES — President Trump abruptly canceled a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he headed to the Group of 20 Nations summit Thursday, citing Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian vessels as a source of tension in a relationship he has fostered in the face of criticism. Trump tweeted his decision from Air Force One...
Putin derides Ukraine’s martial law as political trick
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s president donned combat fatigues to implement martial law in much of the country on Wednesday, a move Russia denounced as a cynical political trick as both sides ratcheted up tensions after a weekend standoff in the Black Sea. Each side blamed the other for the bellicose turn of events, with Ukraine saying Russia...
Poland seeks permanent US troop presence, offers financing
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s defense minister says he has held talks with U.S. officials about having thousands of American troops permanently stationed as a deterrent in Poland. Poland is concerned for its own and the region’s security following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, its support for separatists in...
Putin says sanctions cause the global economy to suffer
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says the global economy has suffered from politically driven sanctions. Speaking Friday at a business forum in St. Petersburg, Putin pointed at “not just erosion but the dismantling of a system of multilateral cooperation that took decades to build.” In an apparent...
