David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
Israeli president praises Biden as Netanyahu prepares to meet lame-duck U.S. leader
Israel's nonpartisan President Isaac Herzog hailed President Biden as a "true ally of the Jewish people" as leaders around the world struggled to process the news Sunday that the U.S. president was stepping down when his term ends in January. Published July 21, 2024
Trump, Zelenskyy talk by phone amid questions over future of U.S. support for Ukraine
Former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held their first telephone conversation Saturday. Published July 21, 2024
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu confirms meeting this week with Biden before speech to Congress
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Biden on Tuesday, a day before giving a much-anticipated speech to Congress on the war in Gaza and the crisis in the Middle East, the prime minister's office confirmed Sunday in a statement. Published July 21, 2024
Silver hair, gold medal: U.S. men repeat at world senior team chess event
It was a senior moment -- in a good way -- for the U.S. as American squads took home a gold, silver and bronze medal at last week's 2024 FIDE World Senior Team Championships, held in Krakow, Poland. Published July 16, 2024
Friends, foes of Trump around the world rush to condemn assassination attempt
World leaders, including many who had been critical of former President Donald Trump and his policies, were quick to express sympathy for Mr. Trump and condemn the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Published July 13, 2024
Amid doubts, Biden tries to showcase foreign policy strengths at press conference
President Biden made no major news but avoided major gaffes as he handled a number of hot-button foreign policy issues during his much-anticipated solo press conference Thursday evening. Published July 12, 2024
Biden, Yoon praise moves to strengthen U.S. nuclear commitment to deter North Korea
U.S. and South Korean officials say they made significant progress this week on a new pact to strengthen the U.S. nuclear umbrella to defend Seoul in the event of an attack from North Korea. Published July 12, 2024
Ukraine on ‘irreversible’ path to NATO membership, chief Stoltenberg says
NATO leaders gave the clearest sign yet that Ukraine will one day be a part of the world's most powerful military alliance, with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg telling reporters at NATO's 75th anniversary summit in Washington Wednesday that Kyiv's acceptance into the club is now "not a question of if, but when." Published July 10, 2024
Quick thinking: Caruana aces rapid playoff to capture Superbet Romania chess title
If he could have played this well this fast before, he might well have won it all. At 31, GM Fabiano Caruana is in danger of going down as this generation's greatest chessplayer never to have captured the world title, a title many think he richly deserves. Published July 9, 2024
Iran’s top leader shrugs off weak turnout numbers as presidential runoff vote begins
Iran's top leader attempted to shrug off plunging turnout numbers as Iranian voters headed to the polls Friday for a runoff presidential election between a moderate candidate and one of the country's best-known hard-liners. Published July 5, 2024
Labor nabs historic win in British election as Conservatives are ousted after nearly 15 years
The newly center-left Labor party stormed to a massive victory in Britain's parliamentary polls, as exit polls confirmed widely held expectations that the ruling Conservatives would be out of power for the first time in nearly 15 years. Published July 4, 2024
Bronstein at 100: Celebrating one of the game’s greatest players, writers and artists
The great Soviet grandmaster David Bronstein, born 100 years ago this year, was among the world's very best players from the 1940s to the 1970s, just missed in his bid to become world champion and wrote some of the greatest chess books of all time. Published July 2, 2024
Conservative National Rally takes historic first in French parliamentary vote
France's anti-immigration, far-right National Rally party, once considered a fringe group, scored its biggest electoral triumph to date, taking a clear first place in snap parliamentary elections Sunday called by President Emmanuel Macron in a gamble to try to limit the party's influence. Published June 30, 2024
Heavy turnout reported in pivotal French election that could bring conservative gains
French officials reported unusually heavy turnout Sunday in a pivotal snap election called by President Emmanuel Macron that could see a once-fringe right-wing party on the doorstep to power. Published June 30, 2024
Hungary’s Orban, allies announce push to unite Europe’s surging right-wing parties
On a day when France's right-wing parties were hoping to score a historic electoral breakthrough, conservative European parties a few hundred miles away were announcing plans for an ambitious continent-wide union of forces. Published June 30, 2024
French conservatives looking strong on eve of critical election test
French President Emmanuel Macron's gamble to hold a snap election to thwart the power of rising right-wing parties is looking ever more risky as final polls showed the far-right National Rally poised to score major gains in the first of two rounds of voting Sunday. Published June 28, 2024
Lee impresses, but Tan takes the top prize in chess at hard-fought Cairns Cup
Chinese GM Tan Zhongyi made a powerful statement ahead of her world title match next year against reigning women's world champion GM Ju Wenjun, capturing the 4th Cairns Cup over an elite field of female rivals at the St. Louis Chess Club last week. Published June 25, 2024
Netanyahu revives claim that White House is holding up needed arms for Gaza fight
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday defended his claims that the U.S. had slow-walked vital arms shipments in the midst of the war in Gaza. Published June 23, 2024
Budding talents, old souls: Nogerbek, Divya capture world chess junior titles
It has to be admitted that the world junior and world junior girls' titles don't have the same cachet as they did in the days when young up-and-comers such as Boris Spassky, Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand used the event as their coming-out party on the global stage. These days, the kids can go right to the grown-ups' table, soaring up the ratings ladder and getting top tournament invitations without having to play the younger circuit first. Published June 18, 2024
Russian President Putin plans trip to North Korea to upgrade relations between two U.S. adversaries
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea Tuesday in the latest sign of warming ties between the two U.S. adversaries. Published June 17, 2024
