Biden at NATO: Ready to talk China, Russia and soothe allies
Brussels: President Joe Biden makes his entrance at a NATO summit aiming to consult European allies on efforts to counter provocative actions by China and Russia while highlighting the US commitment to the 30-country alliance that was frequently maligned by predecessor Donald Trump. The summit Monday comes as Biden tries to rally allies for greater […]
NATO to set up new space centre amid China, Russia concerns
Kester (Belgium): To a few of the locals, the top-secret, fenced-off installation on the hill is known as “the radar station”. Some folks claim to have seen mysterious Russians in the area. Over the years, rumours have swirled that it might be a base for US nuclear warheads. It’s easy to see how the rumours […]
UK sets deadline for Manchester to accept virus restrictions
London: The British government has given the city of Manchester a noon Tuesday deadline to agree to tighter coronavirus measures, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson struggles to impose his plan for localised restrictions on restive regions. Johnson’s government is resisting a recommendation from its scientific advisors to have a short “circuit-breaker” lockdown to curb the […]
US envoy warns new violence threatens Afghan peace process
Kabul: The US special envoy to Afghanistan warned on Monday that “distressingly high” levels of violence threaten to derail the ongoing peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Zalmay Khalilzad’s comments come as renewed fighting for days has plagued Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, a longtime Taliban stronghold. The Taliban this Friday agreed to […]
First commercial passenger flight from UAE lands in Israel
Tel Aviv: The first commercial passenger flight to Israel by a carrier from the United Arab Emirates landed near Tel Aviv on Monday, further cementing a normalisation deal between the two countries. Etihad Airways Flight No. 9607 landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion international airport just after 7 am. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner departed for Abu Dhabi […]
Curfew comes into force in French cities
Paris: French restaurants, cinemas and theatres are trying to figure out how to survive a new curfew aimed at stemming the flow of record new virus infections. France registered more than 30,000 virus cases Thursday, its highest single-day jump since the pandemic began, and nearly 200 cases per 100,000 people over the past week. Culture […]
UK government under pressure for COVID-19 strategy
London: The British government is sticking to its strategy of tiered, regional restrictions to combat COVID-19 amid mounting political and scientific pressure for stronger nationwide measures to prevent the coronavirus pandemic from spiraling out of control. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Friday reiterated the government’s belief that a regional approach where the toughest restrictions are […]
EU leaders divided over new climate goals for 2030
Brussels: European Union leaders remain divided about a more ambitious target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and will not reach an agreement at their summit starting Thursday. According to a draft of the meeting’s findings seen by The Associated Press, leaders will at this summit only start discussing the proposal to reduce emissions by at […]
Waiting for Brexit: Another deadline, likely another delay
Brussels: It is yet another vital deadline day in the four-year torturous trek called Brexit, but Spoiler Alert!: most likely nothing will happen. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had set the first day of the European Union summit on Thursday as the deadline to get a trade and security deal to replace its EU membership […]
China and Russia win seats on UN rights council, Saudis lose
United Nations: China, Russia and Cuba won seats on the UN’s premiere human rights body Tuesday despite opposition from activist groups over their abysmal human rights records, but another target, Saudi Arabia, lost. Russia and Cuba were running unopposed, but China and Saudi Arabia were in a five-way race in the only contested race for […]
