The United States on Tuesday accused companies in the United Arab Emirates, the Central African Republic and Russia of engaging in illicit gold deals to help fund the mercenary fighters of Russia's Wagner Group. The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement it has sanctioned four companies linked to Wagner and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that it alleged were used to help pay the paramilitary's forces fighting in Ukraine and undertaking operations to support Russian interests in Africa. "The Wagner Group funds its brutal operations in part by exploiting natural resources in countries...
Britain will end a ban on visitors from 11 African countries aimed at combatting COVID-19, the government said Tuesday. Despite an alarming spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. After the variant was first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, the British government compiled a travel "red list" of the 11 African nations later in the month. Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced in parliament Tuesday that the ban would be lifted on Wednesday at 0400 GMT since the country had achieved community transmission of omicron. "Now that there is community transmission...
China is reporting its first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus on its mainland. Health authorities say a person in the northern port city of Tianjin tested positive for the new variant after arriving from overseas on December 9. The individual, who was shown to be asymptomatic, is now quarantined and undergoing treatment in a hospital. The first reported case of omicron on the Chinese mainland comes two years after COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, was first detected in the central city of Wuhan. China has since imposed a "zero-tolerance" strategy, including...
A wide range of businesses reopened to the public in Austria Monday, one day after authorities ended recent national lockdown restrictions to battle the latest surge of COVID-19 infections. The lockdown had been imposed last month. Under the revised rules, however, unvaccinated people will still be restricted from leaving their homes except for work or essential business, such as grocery shopping or doctors' visits. As of Sunday, theaters, museums and holiday markets were allowed to reopen, although some regions chose to stagger their reopening. Vienna, for example, will let cafes and...
China and Nicaragua reestablished diplomatic ties on Friday after the country broke relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, boosting Beijing in a part of the world long considered the United States' backyard and angering Washington. China has increased military and political pressure on Taiwan to accept its sovereignty claims, drawing anger from the democratically ruled island, which has repeatedly said it would not be bullied and has the right to international participation. China's Foreign Ministry, announcing the decision after meetings with Nicaragua's finance minister and two of...
The United States, Australia and Japan said Sunday they will jointly fund the construction of an undersea cable to boost internet access in three tiny Pacific countries, as the Western allies seek to counter rising Chinese influence in the region. The three Western allies said they would develop the cable to provide faster internet to Nauru, Kiribati and the Federated States of Micronesia. "This will support increased economic growth, drive development opportunities, and help to improve living standards as the region recovers from the severe impacts of COVID-19," a joint statement from the...
North and South Korea have restored a communication hotline that was cut off by Pyongyang last June. According to the South's presidential office, the leaders of both countries have agreed to...
Critical infrastructure facilities were hit by drone strikes early on Thursday, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Volodymyr Zelenskiy's presidential office said on Thursday. "Another attack...
Andrew McCabe, pejabat FBI No. 2 yang secara umum dikritik Presiden Donald Trump atas dugaan bias politik, mundur dari biro tersebut hari Senin waktu AS, beberapa minggu sebelum masa pensiunnya,...