Washington: US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden Thursday to ban oil imports from Russia as further punishment for its invasion of Ukraine, a step the US administration has so far opposed. “The United States should not be subsidising Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine by purchasing and importing Russian oil, petroleum, natural gas and coal,” said […]
Reuters
Russia facing World Cup exile after ‘unacceptable’ FIFA plan
Paris: Russia’s future in the World Cup teetered on a knife-edge Monday after FIFA plans to allow them to play on neutral territory were dismissed as “unacceptable” by rivals, plunging the qualifying process for football’s showpiece event into chaos. Governing body FIFA warned that they were considering the ultimate sanction against Russia as punishment for […]
New Zealand protestors occupy parliament grounds for fourth day
WELLINGTON: More people arrived outside New Zealand’s parliament on Friday, as protesters calling for an end to a vaccine mandate and tough COVID-19 restrictions refused to end their demonstrations despite arrests by the police. It’s been four days since several thousand protesters, inspired by truckers’ demonstrations in Canada, occupied the parliament lawns in the capital Wellington, and […]
Facebook’s crypto project Diem sold after pushback
San Francisco: The Facebook-backed digital currency project Diem announced Monday the winding down and $182-million sale of its technology, capping a years-long initiative that drew significant concern from regulators. Facebook’s announcement in 2019 of plans to design a cryptocurrency and payment system raised immediate red flags for global finance officials, who expressed a barrage of […]
Over 1400 US flights cancelled after winter storm in Northeast
NEW YORK; About 1,400 U.S. flights were canceled on Sunday after the northeastern part of the country was walloped by a fierce winter storm a day earlier, with much quieter weather expected on Sunday. Several U.S. states had declared emergencies in response to the storm, which formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Carolinas and […]
US, Germany step up pipeline warnings if Russia invades Ukraine
WASHINGTON: The United States and Germany on Thursday warned Russia that a major gas pipeline was at stake if it invades Ukraine as Washington voiced hope for a diplomatic way out despite frigid statements from Moscow. A day after the United States and its allies formally responded to security demands issued by Russia, top officials […]
Syria Kurds hunt down militants after prison attack
Syria: Kurdish-led forces on Thursday found dozens of militants holed up in a Syrian prison during mop-up operations after recapturing the facility from Islamic State group fighters. An IS assault on the sprawling Ghwayran prison complex near the city of Hasakeh on January 20 sparked six days of fighting, in violence that claimed at least […]
Finland to start scaling back Covid curbs early
Helsinki: Finland will scale back some of its coronavirus restrictions early, the government announced Thursday as the strain on the healthcare system eases despite the Omicron wave sweeping the continent. Starting February 1, curbs on low-risk events and businesses will be eased. “The burden on hospitals is still high, but the most serious cases are […]
North Korea suggests it may resume nuclear, missile tests
SEOUL: North Korea would bolster its defences against the United States and consider restarting “all temporally-suspended activities,” state media KCNA reported Thursday, an apparent reference to a self-imposed moratorium on testing its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. Tension has been rising over a recent series of North Korean missile tests. A US push for fresh […]
Australia suffers deadliest day of pandemic: read how
SYDNEY: Australia on Tuesday suffered its deadliest day of the pandemic as a fast-moving Omicron outbreak continued to push up hospitalisation rates to record levels, even as daily infections eased slightly. Australia is dealing with its worst COVID-19 outbreak, fuelled by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus that has put more people in hospitals and […]