LONDON: Britain will not hesitate to toughen sanctions on Moscow and will look to contribute to any Nato deployment if Russia invaded Ukraine, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today. Nato said yesterday it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets, in what […]
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LONDON: British police said today they had opened an investigation into possible Covid lockdown breaches at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street residence after receiving evidence from an internal government probe into a series of gatherings. Johnson is fighting for his political life after a series of claims that he […]
WASHINGTON: The United States today warned Russia of damaging sanctions, including high-tech export curbs, and said attempts by Moscow to “weaponise” its enormous oil and gas industry would backfire. “We are prepared to implement sanctions with massive consequences” that go far beyond previous measures implemented in 2014 after Russia invaded […]
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan appointed its first female Supreme Court judge on Monday, after a nomination process that proved unusually contentious. Justice Ayesha Malik, 55, had been selected by a commission that decides on the promotion of judges. As is typical for Supreme Court judges, she was sworn in on live TV, […]
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis said today he was following “with concern” rising tensions in Ukraine, and called for a day of prayer for peace next week. “I am following with concern the rising tensions that threaten to inflict a new blow to peace in Ukraine, and call into question the […]
RIYADH: Thailand’s prime minister will visit Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the Saudi foreign ministry said, in what will be the first high-level meeting between the two countries since a diplomatic row over a jewellery theft nearly three decades ago. Saudi Arabia downgraded its diplomatic relations with Bangkok following the theft […]
In a joint statement, the ministers expressed concern at Russia’s military build-up on the border with Ukraine and “their absolute support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Britain warned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday that its allies would stand together to fight for democracy […]
U.S. officials had expressed low expectations for Blinken’s meeting with Lavrov, and in brief remarks beforehand both envoys expressed little hope for a breakthrough. The United States and Russia scaled back their confrontational rhetoric over Eastern European security Friday, agreeing to extend negotiations as the Biden administration pursues a fragile […]
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden came in facing extraordinary challenges: A nation divided after the Donald Trump years, the Covid pandemic, and an economy in tumult. And he promised Americans a lot: To heal the country’s democracy, defeat Covid, address deep-rooted racial and economic problems, and restore US standing around […]
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Wednesday (Jan 19) said it was too soon to make commitments on lifting US tariffs on Chinese goods, but his chief trade negotiator Katherine Tai was working on the issue. “I’d like to be able to be in a position where I could say they’re […]