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Heavy rain triggered evacuation orders in Sydney on Thursday, as swollen rivers threatened homes and flooded roads in the latest wild weather to lash Australia’s east. Residents in several suburbs of Sydney’s south and southwest were told to leave for safety as fast-flowing rivers rose. “We have seen exceptionally sharp, …

China warned on Thursday it would take strong measures if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and said such a visit would severely impact Chinese-U.S. relations, following media reports she would go next week. China considers democratically ruled Taiwan its own territory and the subject is a …

Vienna revoked the status of four diplomatic staff members, joining other European nations’ expulsion spree Austria has declared personae non-gratae to four Russian diplomats, the foreign ministry announced on Thursday. Many other nations made similar moves this week, expelling dozens of Russian diplomats. Three employees of the Russian embassy in …

Police have fired tear gas at protesters in Sudan as thousands rallied against last year’s military coup on the anniversary of previous popular uprisings, most recently against autocrat Omar al-Bashir three years ago. According to the independent Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, a 19-year-old was hit by a bullet fired …

Russia has condemned the United States’ fresh sanctions on two of its largest banks, saying they are a direct blow to the Russian population and ordinary citizens. Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov made the remarks on Wednesday after Washington announced a new round of sanctions against Sberbank …

The conflict in Ukraine takes a new twist as Russia uses its newest Kinzhal hypersonic missiles close to the border with NATO member Romania, and Kiev says it will soon receive a new shipment of advanced US weapons, including Javelin and Stinger missiles. According to reports, Russia said on Saturday …

Thousands of people have taken to the streets across Spain, staging anti-government protests triggered by soaring prices. According to reports, Spaniards hit the streets in Spain’s main cities on Saturday in protest at the soaring cost of food, lighting and fuel in the country. Protesters gathered by the far-right Vox …

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says his country, unlike the US, is not seeking “selfish interests” by the restoration of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. According to Press TV, Lavrov made the remarks on Saturday when he was asked whether the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) …

The French have staged protest rallies against racism and police brutality across the country, calling for an end to “state crimes.” According to reports, thousands of protesters marched through streets in the capital city Paris, as well as other main cities including Bordeaux, Toulouse and Lyon, on Saturday. They held …

China has denounced the “provocative” passage of the US destroyer Ralph Johnson through the strategically-sensitive Taiwan Strait, which separates the self-ruled island from mainland China. According to reports, a Chinese military spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday that the sail-through was a “very dangerous” act and sent the “wrong …

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin claimed that Russia made “missteps” and “struggled with logistics” in its military campaign in Ukraine, and asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to “seek a diplomatic solution.” When CNN’s Don Lemon asked Austin about his assessment of Russian forces in Ukraine, the Pentagon chief said, “Oh, …

A number of US war hawks are traveling to Poland and Germany this weekend to meet with NATO allies and military officials over Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, marking the second trip that lawmakers have made to Poland in recent weeks. “This strong, bipartisan delegation proves the Senate stands united …

African American adults have been hospitalized at a higher rate than whites during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC report released on Friday showed that in a period beginning on Dec. 19, 2021, and ending on Jan. …

Thousands of people have taken to the streets across Spain to protest against rising energy costs that have been exacerbated by Russia’s operation in Ukraine. The rallies on Saturday were called by Spain’s far-right Vox party. The major grievances are the spiraling costs of food, light and fuel. In the capital …

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned the West against “renormalizing” ties with Russia, which he accuses of attacking civilians in Ukraine. Johnson labeled Russia’s military operation in Ukraine “a vicious and a barbarian attack on innocent civilians, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the 1940s.” “To try …

The Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, Marzouq al-Ghanim, has condemned the international community for exercising double standards vis-à-vis the world’s ongoing conflicts, calling for the expulsion of the Israeli delegation from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Speaking at an IPU meeting in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta on Saturday, …

The United States has reacted bitterly to a Friday trip by Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to the United Arab Emirates, which came despite more than a decade of untiring efforts by Washington and its allies to isolate Damascus. “We are profoundly disappointed and troubled by this apparent attempt to legitimize Bashar …

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visits the United Arab Emirates in his first such visit to an Arab state since the beginning of foreign-backed violence in Syria. Meeting with Assad on Friday, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahya “stressed that Syria is a fundamental pillar of Arab security,” …

People have taken to the streets of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, and several other locations across Yemen to condemn the siege imposed by the Saudi-led coalition against their impoverished country, urging the Yemeni forces to intensify their retaliatory attacks against the aggressor regimes. Yemenis staged protests in several districts in …

Angry villagers, backed by Syrian army troops, have blocked a US convoy from advancing in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah. Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said on Friday that residents of the villages of Rehiyeh al-Sawda and Tamna al-Rehiyeh in the countryside of Qamishli City in Hasakah had blocked a …