US “alarmed”, 50,000 protest Georgia’s foreign agent bill
Tbilisi, Georgia Reuters About 50,000 opponents of a “foreign agents” bill marched peacefully in heavy rain through the Georgian capital on Saturday, after the United States said the country had to choose between the “Kremlin-style” law and the people’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. “We are deeply alarmed about democratic backsliding in Georgia,” White House national security adviser […]
Israel says Rafah assault looms; massive Gaza airstrikes end weeks of relative calm
Cairo, Egypt/Jerusalem Reuters Israeli warplanes pounded the northern Gaza strip for a second day on Wednesday in a fierce assault that has shattered weeks of comparative calm, and Israel said it was moving forward with plans for an all-out assault on Rafah in the south. After an abrupt Israeli pullback at the start of this […]
Netanyahu spurns Biden plea to call off Rafah assault in Gaza
Rafah, Gaza Strip/Cairo, Egypt/Jerusalem Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spurned a plea from Joe Biden to call off a planned ground assault of Rafah, the last refuge in Gaza for more than a million displaced people, where Israel believes Hamas militants are holed up. Netanyahu told lawmakers on Tuesday he had made it “supremely […]
Israel, Hamas skirmish in Gaza as truce efforts pick up pace
Jerusalem/Cairo, Egypt Reuters Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen clashed throughout the Gaza Strip over the weekend, as mediators picked up the pace of talks on a possible ceasefire to free hostages held by Hamas and bring a measure of Ramadan respite to the battered enclave. Prospects for securing any truce looked uncertain, however, with Israel […]
US to impose “major sanctions” on Russia over Navalny death; EU demands independent investigation
Washington DC, US Reuters The US will announce a major package of sanctions against Russia on Friday over the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the two-year Ukraine war, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. Biden, speaking to reporters as he departed on a trip to California, did not give details. A person gestures […]
Egypt discusses Gaza aid, rejects corridors for civilians, say sources
Cairo, EgyptReuters Egypt has discussed plans with the United States and others to provide humanitarian aid through its border with Gaza Strip but rejects any move to set up safe corridors for refugees fleeing the enclave, Egyptian security sources said on Wednesday. Gaza, a tiny coastal strip of land wedged between Israel in the north […]
US to accept certain non-Mexican migrants in Mexico as refugees
Washington DC, US Reuters The Biden administration will allow some migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who are already in Mexico to apply to enter the United States as refugees, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday. The move will add to a range of new legal pathways opened up by […]
US to send Ukraine cluster munitions, NATO makes membership pledge
Reuters The United States announced on Friday that it would supply Ukraine with widely banned cluster munitions for its counter-offensive against occupying Russian forces, and NATO’s leader said the military alliance would unite at a summit next week on how to bring Ukraine closer to joining. Rights groups and the United Nations secretary-general questioned Washington’s […]
US warns of catastrophic consequences if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine
Reuters The United States warned of “catastrophic consequences” if Moscow were to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, after Russia’s Foreign Minister said regions holding widely-criticised referendums would get full protection if annexed by Moscow. Votes in four eastern Ukrainian regions, aimed at annexing territory Russia has taken by force mostly since its invasion in February, […]
Russia has enough troops massed to invade Ukraine, US says
Moscow, Russia/Washington DC, USReuters Russia has massed enough troops near Ukraine to launch a major invasion, Washington said on Friday, as it urged all US citizens to leave the country within 48 hours after Moscow further stiffened its response to Western diplomacy. A Russian attack could begin any day and would likely start with an […]