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...
U.S. military officials warned Tuesday that China's unrelenting pressure campaign against Taiwan is only increasing the chances for mistakes and, perhaps, an unintended fight. The Pentagon accused Beijing of ratcheting up tensions across the Taiwan Strait, cautioning that the "provocative" tactics could backfire. "The PRC (People's Republic of China) has stepped up efforts to intimidate, pressure Taiwan and other allies and partners, including increasing their military activities conducted in the vicinity of Taiwan, the East China Sea and the South China Sea, which we believe are...
The White House is holding a two-day international conference starting Wednesday to combat ransomware computer attacks on business operations across the globe that cost companies, schools and health services an estimated $74 billion in damages last year. U.S. officials are meeting on Zoom calls with their counterparts from at least 30 countries to discuss ways to combat the clandestine attacks. Russia, a key launchpad for many of the attacks, was left off the invitation list as Washington and Moscow officials engage directly on attacks coming from Russia. This year has seen an epidemic of...
Governor Greg Abbott of the southwestern U.S. state of Texas issued an executive order Monday banning all COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the state by any entity. "No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19," the order states. Abbott is one of several Republican governors in the United States who have clashed with President Joe Biden's initiatives to curb the...
Russia's coronavirus task force Tuesday reported a record 973 coronavirus-related deaths in one day as the surge in new infections continues. The task force also reported 28,190 new daily infections, close to the record 29,499 set in December. Russian officials have blamed the spike in infections on the nation's sluggish vaccination program. The Health Ministry reports that at most, one-third of the population has been fully vaccinated, despite the fact the nation was quick to roll out its Sputnik vaccine early this year. According to Reuters, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday...
Southwest Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Monday following thousands of flight cancellations over the weekend but said it expects to resume normal service this week. For the third straight day, passengers were left stranded amid confusion about what caused the cancellations. Southwest blamed the weekend cancellations on bad weather and air traffic control issues in Florida. The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged some control issues on Friday; however, it noted that no other airlines suffered large-scale cancellations throughout the weekend. The union for Southwest's...
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,...