Russian troops massing near Ukraine border, says US
MOSCOW: Russia is massing yet more troops near Ukraine and an invasion could come at any time, perhaps before the end of this month’s Winter Olympics, Washington said on Friday. Moscow, for its part, stiffened its truculent response towards Western diplomacy, saying answers sent this week by the EU and Nato to its security demands […]
Biden, Saudi king discuss energy supplies, Iran and Yemen
United States President Joe Biden and King Salman of Saudi Arabia discussed energy supplies in the face of soaring fuel prices and developments in the Middle East, including Iran and Yemen, in a telephone call on Wednesday. “The two leaders committed to ensuring the stability of global energy supplies,” the White House said in a […]
Israeli troops kill three Palestinians in West Bank
NABLUS: Israeli forces killed three Palestinians on Tuesday during a daytime raid against what Israel described as a “terrorist cell”, leaving a vehicle in the West Bank city of Nablus riddled with bullet holes. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz praised the raid and said he had ordered an increase in “counterterrorism activities” due to recent […]
Australia to reopen borders to vaccinated tourists from Feb 21
Australia will open its borders to all vaccinated tourists and business travellers from February 21 in a further relaxation of pandemic restrictions announced Monday. Australia imposed some of the world’s toughest travel restrictions on its citizens and permanent residents in March 2020 to prevent them from bringing Covid-19 home. When the border restrictions were relaxed […]
Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping close ranks against US on Ukraine
China joined Russia on Friday to oppose the expansion of NATO amid heightening tensions with Ukraine, while Moscow backed Beijing in denouncing the formation of blocs in the Asia-Pacific region in a veiled reference to the Quad alliance. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, during their summit on the sidelines of […]
Erdogan offers to host summit on Ukraine
KIEV: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered on Thursday on a visit to Kiev to hold a Ukraine-Russia summit, as EU leaders stepped up outreach to the Kremlin to defuse fears Moscow could invade. The diplomatic offensive came as Russia accused the United States of ratcheting up “tensions” by sending 1,000 soldiers to Romania and […]
US deploys troops to support Nato in Ukraine standoff
WASHINGTON: The United States said on Wednesday it was deploying thousands of troops to bolster Nato forces in eastern Europe, ratcheting up its military response to fears that Russia could invade Ukraine. Russia has massed than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, and Western leaders have warned that any incursion into the ex-Soviet nation would be […]
US calls upon Russia to pull troops back from Ukraine border
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russia to immediately de-escalate tensions and to withdraw troops from Ukraine’s borders in a call on Tuesday with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Blinken “emphasised that further invasion of Ukraine would be met with swift and severe consequences and urged Russia to pursue a diplomatic path,” the US […]
Afghan Taliban to reopen public universities, no word on female students
Afghanistan’s public universities, closed since the Taliban seized power in August, will reopen in February, the Taliban acting higher education minister said on Sunday, without specifying whether female students would be able to return. Universities in warmer provinces will reopen from Feb 2, while those in colder areas would reopen on Feb 26, the minister, Shaikh Abdul […]
Two US aircraft carriers enter South China Sea; Taiwan complains of ‘incursion’
TAIPEI: Two US aircraft carrier groups have entered the disputed South China Sea for training, the Department of Defence said on Monday as Taiwan complained of a new Chinese air force incursion at the top of the waterway including a fearsome new electronic warfare jet. The South China Sea and self-governing Taiwan are two of […]
