Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the alert status for his nuclear forces to “special regime of combat duty” as Russia and Ukraine battle for the fourth day. Putin ordered the Russian defense minister and the chief of the military’s General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a “special regime of combat duty.” The […]
Category: Foreign
Russia central bank urges calm amid cash run fears
Russia’s central bank has issued an appeal for calm amid fears that new financial sanctions could spark a run on its banks. It said it “has the necessary resources and tools to maintain financial stability and ensure the operational continuity of the financial sector”. The EU, the US, the UK and Canada have announced […]
Russia’s attack on Ukraine raises a harrowing question: How widespread would fallout from a nuclear bomb be?
Russian forces attacked Ukraine with missile strikes and shelling on Thursday, kicking off a dramatic escalation of the conflict in the region. Russia has launched about 200 missiles since the start of the attack, a senior US defense official said at a Friday news briefing. At least 25 civilians have been killed in the fighting, […]
Kyiv still standing on Day 3, Zelenskyy refuses to leave country
Kyiv remains under Ukrainian control as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuses to leave his country on the third day of Russia’s invasion. Russia started its advance into the capital city Friday night but appeared to make limited progress until early Saturday morning local time when gunfire could be heard in the city center. Government officials […]
Ukraine military vehicles enter Kyiv to defend city
Ukrainian military vehicles are entering Kyiv to defend it against approaching Russian troops, Ukraine’s interior ministry says. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said earlier the city had “entered into a defensive phase”. The government is calling on the people of Kyiv to do everything it can to resist Russian troops, including making Molotov cocktails and taking […]
U.S. inflation rate could reach 10% as energy prices soar due to Ukraine Invasion
The threat of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is raising the risks of an energy supply shock, which some observers say could send the annual U.S. inflation rate up to 10% at some point from 7.5% as of January. That’s the view of RSM chief economist Joseph Brusuelas and BNY Mellon’s Daniel Tenengauzer. In […]
Putin’s angry speech rewrites Ukraine’s history
With his latest speech, Putin was clearly ceding no ground on his key security demands: Nato expansion must be rolled back, and Ukrainian membership is a red line. He complained that Russia’s concerns had been ignored as irrelevant for years and accused the West of trying to “contain” Russia as a resurgent global force. Read […]
The Queen has tested positive for Covid, Buckingham Palace has said
The monarch is experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms” but expects to continue “light duties” at Windsor over the coming week, the palace said. “She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines,” it added in a statement. The Queen, 95, had been in contact with her eldest son and heir, the […]
Blaring warning sirens wail in east Ukraine rebel-held capital
A loud warning siren sounded in the centre of the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Friday after a Russian-backed separatist leader in the breakaway region announced an evacuation of residents, a Reuters witness said. Separately, the head of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic, east Ukraine’s second separatist-held region, also announced an evacuation of residents. […]
Drug cartels empowered by Biden’s border policies and Mexico’s failed cooperation
Mexican drug cartels are surging and flush with cash as the Biden administration struggles to establish a new enforcement approach along the U.S. southern border — a situation compounded by the fumbling policies of Mexico’s left-leaning government and waves of Chinese-made fentanyl flowing into the organized criminal networks in recent years. Mexican President Andres Manuel […]
Ukraine invasion imminent, as shellfire hits Donbas region
Both Ukrainian armed forces and separatists controlling parts of eastern Ukraine spoke of renewed shelling in the region early Thursday. Video and images confirmed by CNN show that a pre-school in Ukrainian-controlled territory was hit by a shell Thursday. The Ukrainian armed forces said that “Russian occupation troops shelled the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska.” Read […]
Ottawa police chief fired for not moving against blockade
Ottawa’s police chief was ousted Tuesday amid criticism of his inaction against the trucker protests that have paralyzed Canada’s capital for over two weeks, while the number of blockades maintained by demonstrators at the U.S. border dropped to just one. The twin developments came a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked Canada’s Emergencies Act […]