David R. Sands

Speaker Pelosi set to visit Taiwan despite fierce threats from Beijing

A congressional delegation headed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to arrive in Taiwan this week despite blunt warnings from Beijing against the trip, as the White House warned that tensions between the U.S. and China could be reaching a tipping point.

August 1, 2022

Intriguing chess title match on tap as champion Carlsen vacates the throne

The news, not exactly surprising, was stunning nonetheless -- world chess champion Magnus Carlsen was voluntarily relinquishing his crown and would not play a second title defense match against Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi planned for 2023.

July 27, 2022

Both British PM candidates support stalled plan to ship asylum seekers to Rwanda

Both of the candidates looking to succeed Boris Johnson say they back -- and would even expand -- the ousted prime minister's controversial plan to send illegal immigrants in large numbers to the African nation of Rwanda, a plan sharply denounced by immigrant and human rights groups in the U.K.

July 24, 2022

Grain shipments will continue despite Russian cruise missile strikes, Ukraine says

A deal to begin shipping Ukrainian grain to markets around the world will proceed despite Russia's surprise attack on the Black Sea port city of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said Sunday.

July 24, 2022

Iranian exile dissident group calls off summit after terror threat

A major gathering of Iranian dissidents in Albania opposed to the theocratic regime in Tehran this weekend has been abruptly called off owing to a terror threat, organizers said.

July 23, 2022

Conservatives’ ideological wings clash as Sunak, Truss square off to succeed Johnson

Two top ministers in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Cabinet will now square off in the race to succeed him as former treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss emerged as the finalists in a spirited contest that could bring new divisions for the ruling Conservative Party.

July 20, 2022

World chess champ Magnus Carlsen to relinquish crown

World chess champion Magnus Carlsen, the first Norwegian to win the crown and one of the strongest players in history, announced Wednesday he will not defend his title again in an upcoming match.

July 20, 2022

Rishi Sunak tops latest poll, Kemi Badenoch out in race to succeed Britain’s Boris Johnson

Britain's Conservative Party base skews White and male, but its choice to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson is guaranteed to be anything but.

July 19, 2022

Attacking wizard Shabalov plays defense on way to U.S. senior chess title

Pittsburgh GM Alexander Shabalov has been a frequent "contributor" to this column over the years, mostly because of the many games demonstrating his brilliant attacking skills.

July 19, 2022

Some old favorites shine on the summer chess calendar

It's a busy period for chess -- the Candidates Tournament has just concluded, the U.S. senior, junior and junior girls' championships are all underway in St. Louis, and the 44th Olympiad is set to start in Chennai, India, in just over two weeks.

July 12, 2022

Japan says elections will go on despite the assassination of Shinzo Abe

Japan will proceed with scheduled elections Sunday for the parliament's upper house despite the stunning assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, government officials said.

July 8, 2022

No clarity, but no shortage of candidates ready to replace Johnson

It might be easier -- and quicker -- to list who is not considering a run to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and thus the 56th and next prime minister of Great Britain.

July 7, 2022

‘Them’s the breaks’ — Johnson stepping down as Britain’s leader

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned Thursday, brought down by a steady stream of personal and policy scandals just three years after leading his Conservative Party to its biggest parliamentary majority in more than three decades.

July 7, 2022

Nepomniachtchi wins second chess title shot as champ Carlsen wavers

He's not quite the Rodney Dangerfield of top-level chess, but GM Ian Nepomniachtchi was not getting a whole lot of respect ahead of the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Madrid, despite having won the same event just over a year ago.

July 5, 2022

South Korea’s Yoon denies anti-China push in new NATO ties

Reflecting the fine line China's Asian neighbors must walk, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said his precedent-setting trip to the just-concluded NATO summit should not be seen as a shot across Beijing's bow.

July 3, 2022

China lashes out against ‘Asian version of NATO’

The decision by NATO leaders for the first time to highlight the global security threat posed by China has triggered outrage in Beijing, where the Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday accused the Western military alliance of pushing a narrative that "distorts the truth" and "promotes confrontation" between the West and China.

June 30, 2022

China rejects NATO criticism in new strategic blueprint

NATO is turning its attention to China, and Beijing is not happy about it.

June 30, 2022

A timely tribute to the glories of Ukrainian chess

If his loss to world champion Magnus Carlsen in their lopsided title match last year is having any hangover effects, GM Ian Nepomniachtchi is hiding them well.

June 28, 2022

United Nations rights chief Bachelet slams Supreme Court abortion decision

The top United Nations human rights official denounced the Supreme Court's decision Friday to overturn the national right to abortion as "a huge blow to women's human rights and gender equality."

June 24, 2022

Early takedowns as candidates battle for world chess title shot

The plot got thick quick as the FIDE Candidates Tournament kicked off last week in Madrid, with two Americans among the eight elite grandmasters competing for the right to take on world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway later this year for the game's ultimate prize.

June 21, 2022