China says it will not accept US ‘pointing fingers’ after Blinken said Beijing is considering providing arms to Russia. Beijing has strongly denied US claims that China was considering arming Russia in its war against Ukraine, as it reiterated a call for dialogue to end the conflict. A Chinese spokesperson …
Read More »Pakistan, Afghan Taliban trade fire at border crossing; 7 dead
Pakistani border guards and Afghan Taliban forces traded cross-border fire on Monday morning, officials said, a day after Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers closed the Torkham border crossing amid increasing tensions between the two neighbors. Six Pakistani civilians and one Afghan soldier were killed on Sunday in the shelling and gunfire, according …
Read More »Tehran: Munich conference held in the name of security to charm war-mongers
Iran has blasted the organizers of the 2023 Munich Security Conference for not giving an equal chance to all members of the international community to present their views, saying the event took place under the slogan of security but actually promoted war. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani said during a …
Read More »Biden makes unannounced trip to Kyiv ahead of Russia-Ukraine war anniversary
US President Joe Biden promised new military aid for Ukraine worth $500 million during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, almost a year to the day since Russia’s invasion. Biden also said additional sanctions would be announced this week against the Russian elite and companies trying to evade sanctions …
Read More »PM al-Sudani concludes Munich trip: we conveyed Iraq’s vision for regional, international security
Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani on Saturday wrapped up a two-day visit to Munich and headed back to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, an official statement said. “The prime minister has returned to the homeland after participating in the Munich Security Conference 59,” the statement said. “At the Munich Conference, we …
Read More »US mass shooting leaves 9 children wounded, including 5-year-old, in Georgia
At least nine children have been wounded in a mass shooting at a gas station in Columbus, Georgia, US, as gun violence assumes alarming proportions in the United States. The nine victims, including a 5-year-old boy, were taken to a local hospital for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said, adding …
Read More »US, South Korea stage joint air exercise after North’s ICBM launch
The United States and South Korea have held a joint air exercise involving US strategic bombers after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a “sudden launching drill”. On Sunday, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the exercise, where South Korea’s F-35A, F-15K, and US F-16 fighters escorted …
Read More »Syria accuses Israel of deadly strike on central Damascus
Multiple casualties were reported in a “residential neighborhood” of the Syrian capital At least one missile hit the Kafar Souseh neighborhood of Damascus overnight, severely damaging a residential building and causing multiple deaths and injuries, state news agency SANA reported early on Sunday, blaming the Israeli military. A volley of …
Read More »US declares Russia committed ‘crimes against humanity’ in Ukraine
The Biden administration formally concluded that Russia has committed “crimes against humanity” during its nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine, US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday. “In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: …
Read More »Iraq asks EU for assistance in recovering stolen assets, combating corruption
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani on Saturday called on the European Union (EU) commission to help his cabinet combat corruption, extradite wanted persons, and recover stolen assets. Prime Minister al-Sudani’s remarks came during a meeting with the EU commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, on the sidelines of the …
Read More »Death toll from ISIS attack in Syria rises to 68: Monitor
The death toll from an attack blamed on ISIS in Syria has risen to 68, a war monitor said Saturday, the deadliest attack in over a year. “A total of 61 civilians and seven soldiers have been killed in the attack,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory …
Read More »US handling of balloon incident ‘hysterical,’ says China’s top diplomat
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said on Saturday that the US handling of the balloon incident had been “unimaginable” and “hysterical” – an “absurd” act that had violated international norms. “There are so many balloons all over the world, so is the United States going to shoot all of them …
Read More »North Korea fires long range missile ahead of US-South Korea drills
North Korea has launched at least one long-range ballistic missile off its east coast after warning of a strong response to the upcoming US-South Korea military drills. According to the South Korean military, the missile launch was conducted from the Sunan area near Pyongyang on Saturday. “North Korea fires an …
Read More »White House to hold ‘secret’ talks with Taiwan officials – FT
The Asian island’s foreign minister and national security adviser will reportedly visit Washington while a US delegation travels to Taipei. A Taiwanese delegation that is reportedly set to arrive in the US over the weekend will take part in “secret talks” with White House officials, the Financial Times has reported, …
Read More »Al-Sudani meets with the International Criminal Court Prosecutor
Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, met with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Ahmed Khan, in Munich. A statement by al-Sudani’s office said that the meeting discussed UNITAD’s efforts to investigate ISIS’s crimes against the Iraqi people, hold the responsible accountable, and achieve justice for the victims. …
Read More »Turkish quakes may be ‘rehearsal’ for big one in Istanbul – scientists
A local newspaper cites experts warning of a potential catastrophe if an earthquake hits the country’s biggest city Istanbul should prepare itself for a powerful quake, scientists and public figures have warned. This month’s disaster in southern Turkey, which claimed tens of thousands of lives, is a “rehearsal” for what …
Read More »Ukraine’s priority to hold the line as global security leaders gather
Russian forces intensified attacks along front lines in eastern Ukraine on Friday as senior politicians and military leaders from around the world were due to meet in Germany with Ukrainian officials expected to address the security conference. Bolstered by tens of thousands of reservists, Russia has intensified ground assaults across …
Read More »Former guard at British embassy sentenced to 13 years in prison for spying for Russia
A man who passed highly sensitive information to the Russian state while working as a security guard at the British embassy in Berlin was on Friday jailed for 13 years and two months in a London court. The court heard David Ballantyne Smith, 58, collected confidential information for more than …
Read More »Biden sets out views on prospects of cold war with China
US president says he makes no apologies for his order to shoot down the Chinese balloon Washington isn’t interested in starting a cold war with China, US President Joe Biden reassured an audience in a speech on Thursday in which he also said he plans to discuss the balloon incident …
Read More »UN resolution urges Israel to ‘immediately’ end settlement expansion
A newly-drafted UN Security Council resolution has called on the Israeli regime to “immediately and completely” end its settlement expansion activities across the occupied Palestinian territories, in a fresh blow to the extremist Israeli cabinet’s plots to steal more Palestinian lands. The resolution was drafted on Thursday ahead of a …
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