Foreign
Will Smith resigns from film academy after slapping Chris Rock
April 2, 2022, 1:47 pm
HOUSTON, Texas – Will Smith resigned Friday from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscar awards last weekend. “I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct,” Smith said in a statement. “My actions at the 94th Academy Awards… Read More
Red Cross team fails to reach besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol
April 2, 2022, 12:34 pm
GENEVA - A Red Cross team on its way to Mariupol, Ukraine to facilitate the safe passage of some 100,000 civilians had to backtrack after arrangements and conditions made it impossible to proceed, said the humanitarian group on Friday. "The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team,… Read More
Ukraine urges France to enforce planned evacuation corridors
April 2, 2022, 12:25 pm
PARIS – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday urged France to continue diplomatic efforts with Russia to enforce its planned humanitarian corridors after Moscow's evacuation plan failed to let civilians out of the besieged city of Mariupol. “The initiative of France on… Read More
Istanbul talks gave 'meaningful impetus' to end war: Erdogan
April 1, 2022, 8:51 am
ANKARA – Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine held this week in Istanbul have given “meaningful impetus” to efforts to end the war, Turkey's president said in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart on Thursday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also reiterated his offer to host… Read More
US believes Putin misled by key advisors on Ukraine war
March 31, 2022, 9:57 am
WASHINGTON – The US said Wednesday it believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by his senior advisors about how his war against Ukraine is faring and the state of the Russian economy. The assessment is based on recently declassified US intelligence that indicates Putin is… Read More
Russia's war in Ukraine exacerbating global food crisis: diplomat
March 30, 2022, 7:48 pm
WASHINGTON – Russia's war in Ukraine is exacerbating a global food crisis already worsened by coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Tuesday. Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Sherman said Russian warships are blocking access to Ukraine's… Read More
Biden requests historic $813-B for defense-related programs
March 29, 2022, 8:53 pm
WASHINGTON – United States President Joe Biden requested on Monday a historic USD813 billion to fund the Department of Defense and defense-related programs at external agencies. The funds include USD773 billion in direct Pentagon funding, and an additional USD40 billion to fund defense-related… Read More
Ukraine claims Russia lost 17,000 troops during war
March 28, 2022, 8:44 pm
ANKARA – Nearly 17,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine so far, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Monday. Ukrainian forces have destroyed 123 Russian aircraft, 127 helicopters, 586 tanks,1,694 armored vehicles, 1,150 vehicles, 66 UAVs, 73 fuel tankers and seven boats, according to… Read More
Allies view NoKor’s ICBM launch involves not new missile: sources
March 28, 2022, 5:23 pm
SEOUL – South Korea and the United States regard North Korea as having disguised its launch of an existing intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week as that of a new larger one, informed sources said Sunday. The allies believe that the North again tested a Hwasong-15 ICBM on Thursday,… Read More
Night of historical firsts at 2022 Academy Awards
March 28, 2022, 4:26 pm
HOUSTON, Texas – Despite a violent moment at the 2022 Academy Awards where Best Actor winner Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face, it was a historical night at the Oscars on Sunday. Ariana DeBose became the first Afro-Latina and first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar,… Read More
France, Saudi, UAE talk about diversifying Europe energy supplies
March 28, 2022, 2:39 pm
PARIS -- France held talks Sunday with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on diversifying Europe's energy supplies to reduce the continent’s dependence on Russia. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a phone call with his Saudi and UAE counterparts Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and… Read More
Second black box found in China plane crash
March 27, 2022, 6:44 pm
BEIJING – The second black box has been recovered from the crash of China Eastern Airlines that killed all 132 people on board last week, authorities said on Sunday. The recorder was found 1.5 meters (5 feet) underground, according to emergency response headquarters for the accident. The Boeing… Read More
WHO, India establish global center for traditional medicine
March 26, 2022, 3:11 pm
ISTANBUL – The World Health Organization (WHO) and India signed an agreement to establish the WHO Global Center for Traditional Medicine, the agency said Friday. The center in Jamnagar in Gujarat state will open on April 21, the global health agency said in a statement. “For many millions of… Read More
S. Korea new Covid cases below 400K for 3rd day amid Omicron wave
March 26, 2022, 2:43 pm
SEOUL– South Korea's new daily Covid-19 cases stayed below 400,000 for the third consecutive day Saturday, as the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant continues amid eased virus curbs. The country added 335,580 new Covid-19 infections, including 49 cases from overseas, bringing the… Read More
45% of Ukraine population worry about accessing food: UN
March 26, 2022, 1:36 pm
GENEVA – As Russia's war on Ukraine enters its second month, the United Nations (UN) World Food Program said Friday it estimates that 45% of the people in Ukraine are worried about finding enough food to eat. “Food is one of the top three concerns, along with safety and fuel for… Read More
EU summit ends with no solution to high energy prices
March 26, 2022, 1:28 pm
BRUSSELS – European Union (EU) leaders were unable to agree on a way to tackle rising energy prices despite marathon talks on the second day of the EU summit on Friday. "Today, we discussed energy-related matters," European Council President Charles Michel told reporters after the summit,… Read More
EU readies new tough sanctions vs. Russia, Belarus
March 25, 2022, 8:38 pm
BRUSSELS – Leaders of the European Union (EU) member-states expressed readiness to introduce new tough sanctions against Russia and Belarus, the European Council said in its statement released on Friday. "The European Union has so far adopted significant sanctions that are having a massive… Read More
Trudeau announces sanctions on 160 more Russians over Ukraine war
March 25, 2022, 11:23 am
TRENTON, Canada – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged Thursday to stand "steadfast" with allied countries and he introduced another 160 sanctions against individual members of the Russian Federation Council. It brings the total number of "catastrophic sanctions" applied by Canada to… Read More
UN Security Council rejects Russian draft resolution on Ukraine
March 24, 2022, 3:38 pm
WASHINGTON – The UN Security Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly rejected a draft resolution from Russia on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Only China joined Russia in voting in favor of the text, with all of the chamber's other 13 members abstaining. The draft resolution expresses "grave… Read More
Omicron subvariant infections on rise in US
March 24, 2022, 3:07 pm
LOS ANGELES – The BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant has made up over one third of new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections in the United States (US), coinciding with the allergy season that may complicate symptoms and delay timely distinction. The BA.2 variant accounted for about… Read More
