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 […]
Taliban, Afghan civil society begin Oslo talks
OSLO: A Taliban delegation led by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday began talks focused on human rights with Afghan civil society members ahead of their highly anticipated meetings with western officials in Oslo. The delegation dedicated the first day of their three-day visit to talks with women’s rights activists and human rights […]
Israel demolishes Palestinian home in east Jerusalem
JERUSALEM: Israeli police demolished the home of a Palestinian family and arrested at least 18 people as they carried out a controversial eviction order in the sensitive east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah early on Wednesday. The looming eviction of other families from Sheikh Jarrah in May last year partly fuelled an 11-day war between […]
More than a dozen dead in coalition strikes on Yemen’s Sanaa following attack in UAE
An air strike killed about 14 people in a building in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, residents said on Tuesday, during strikes across the city launched by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi group. The alliance strikes on Houthi-held Sanaa followed an attack claimed by the Iran-aligned Houthis on Monday on coalition partner the United Arab Emirates, […]
US imposes sanctions on North Koreans, Russian after missile tests
WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on six North Koreans, one Russian and a Russian firm it said were responsible for procuring goods from Russia and China for North Korea’s weapons programmes, an action that follows a series of North Korean missile launches, including two since last week. The US Treasury Department said […]
Half of Europe on track to catch Omicron, says WHO
COPENHAGEN: More than half of people in Europe are projected to catch Omicron by March, the WHO said on Tuesday, as millions in China locked down again exactly two years after Beijing reported the first Covid-19 death. The highly-transmissible variant has ripped through countries at breakneck pace, forcing governments to impose fresh measures and scramble […]
US, Russia hold talks amid tensions linked to Ukraine
GENEVA: Senior US and Russian officials launched special talks on Monday aimed at defusing tensions over a Russian military buildup on the border with Ukraine, part of a flurry of diplomatic activity in Europe this week. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and his delegation arrived under Swiss police escort at the US diplomatic mission […]
