Ukraine fetes Russian pullback from strategic Snake Island outpost
KYIV: Russia on Thursday withdrew from Snake Island, a craggy speck of land in the Black Sea, handing Ukraine a symbolically-potent political victory and depriving Moscow of a strategic outpost for its air defences and electronic warfare systems. The island’s capture by Russian forces on the first day of their invasion entered Ukrainian folklore. Just […]
Expanding Nato squares up to Russia threat
MADRID: The United States vowed on Wednesday to shore up Europe’s defences in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Nato declared Moscow the West’s greatest threat. Meeting in Madrid, alliance leaders said Russia “is the most significant and direct threat to allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area”. This […]
UK military chiefs urge army ‘mobilisation’ over Russia threat
LONDON: British military leaders warned on Tuesday that UK armed forces must “mobilise” in response to the threat posed by Russia, with the army’s new chief invoking the Allies’ struggle against Nazi Germany. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Patrick Sanders, a general and the army’s most senior officer, both argued in separate speeches that Britain’s […]
Biden, Xi may speak in ‘next few weeks’
SCHLOSS ELMAU (Germany): US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to speak in the next few weeks, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday, citing growing convergence among Nato and G7 members about the challenge China poses. The Group of Seven rich democracies will address China’s non-market economic practices, […]
Iraqi PM visits Saudi Arabia and Iran to discuss regional stability
TEHRAN: Iraq’s prime minister met with leaders in rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran on Sunday, discussing regional stability as part of Baghdad’s efforts to mediate between the two Middle East heavyweights. Mustafa al-Kadhemi visited Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran, after earlier meeting with Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in […]
Thousands of quake survivors without food, shelter in Afghanistan
• 118,000 children impacted by the disaster in Afghanistan • People struggling to find equipment to bury dead • Pakistan dispatches second tranche of assistance GAYAN: Aid trickled to devastated villages in remote parts of Afghanistan on Friday but thousands of people remain without food, shelter and water three days after the country’s deadliest earthquake in […]
People in Dubai urged to use apps for ordering sacrificial animals
DUBAI: Veterinarians are called in to inspect the sheep at an abattoir in Dubai ahead of one of Islam’s major festivals. The municipality is now encouraging residents to use smart apps to order the sacrificial animals. Demand is all-year round in the emirate, with mask-clad workers at the abattoir in Al Qouz industrial area — […]
Xi warns against ‘expanding military alliances’ at BRICS
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against “expanding” military ties on Wednesday in a speech ahead of a virtual summit with top leaders from Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa. Beijing is hosting the meeting of the influential club of BRICS emerging economies, which accounts for more than 40 per cent of the global population […]
Saudi crown prince, Erdogan meet in Turkey with ‘full normalisation’ in sights
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Turkey for the first time in years on Wednesday for talks with President Tayyip Erdogan aimed at fully normalising ties that were ruptured after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In April, Erdogan went to Saudi Arabia after a months-long drive to mend relations between the regional powers, including […]
Russia threatens to hit back as Lithuania bans rail transit to Kaliningrad
MOSCOW: Russia on Monday demanded the immediate lifting of Lithuania’s “openly hostile” restrictions on the rail transit of EU-sanctioned goods to Moscow’s exclave of Kaliningrad that borders Lithuania and Poland. Moscow accused the Baltic nation of banning the rail transit of goods subject to sanctions imposed by the European Union over Russia’s miliary campaign in […]
