President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the United States will join Germany in imposing sanctions on the Russian Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project in retaliation for Moscow’s military pressure against Ukraine. “I have directed my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers,”...
Britain on Tuesday sanctioned five Russian banks and three individuals in response to Russia’s recognition of Ukraine’s separatist regions. The Russian banks sanctioned are Rossiayaz Bank, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank, and the Black Sea Bank, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced. Gennady Timchenko, Igor Rotenberg, and Boris Rotenberg...
Iran signaled “significant progress” Monday in talks on reviving a stalled accord on its nuclear program. But President Ebrahim Raisi, on his first visit to a Gulf state, insisted Washington must lift its crippling sanctions on Iran. The country’s president is a personal target of United States’ sanctions. Raisi spoke out ahead of a summit [&h...
TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi will visit Qatar on Monday with a high-ranking delegation, according to Iranian media. The visit comes at the official invitation of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, state news agency IRNA reported. During the visit, the Iranian leader will witness the signing of several agreemen...
Many U.S. states are relaxing indoor and school mask mandates. But health professionals warn the danger isn’t over yet, as new variants of COVID-19 continue to spread nationwide. Among the first to loosen indoor mask restrictions are New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Illinois, New York and Massachusetts. California also plans t...
A US congressional delegation led by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi met the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah. The U.S. delegation would travel to Israel, Germany and the UK, said Pelosi’s office in a statement on Tuesday. The trip will focus on security, economy a...
The U.S. ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom criticized a controversial hijab ban in schools by the Indian state of Karnataka. Rashad Hussain said in a tweet Friday that the ban would stigmatize and marginalize women and girls. He said “Religious freedom includes the ability to choose one’s religious attire.” India’s extern...
ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Wednesday criticized the US arms sale to Taiwan, saying it will take measures to defend the territorial integrity of the country. “The Peoples Liberation Army will take all necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, thwart external interference and secessionist attempts, and p...
UNKNOWN LOCATION, BELARUS – FEBRUARY 08: Russia and Belarus will start a joint military exercise on Thursday amid tension around the Ukraine border. According to the Belarusian Ministry of Defense, the joint military exercise “Allied Resolve 2022” will take place till February 20. The military units of the Russian Armed Force...
A video showing a hijab-wearing Muslim student being heckled by a Hindu far-right mob in the state of Karnataka has caused outrage in India. Muskan Khan was surrounded by men wearing saffron scarves as she arrived at her college in the city of Mandya. Khan said that as she confronted the protestors, she found that […]