Foreign policy
Russia and Ukraine’s battle for Donbas could decide the war — and it could go either way
Ukrainian soldiers stand on their armored personnel carrier (APC), not far from the front-line with Russian troops, in Izyum district, Kharkiv region on April 18, 2022. Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty Images Russia’s new offensive in the Donbas region could prove to be extremely significant and decisive in the war, analysts warn, and could […]
Read More
U.S. is taking ‘a close look’ at whether to label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Here’s what that means
WASHINGTON — As the international community seeks new ways to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin for its brutal war against Ukraine, the idea of labeling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism has recently gained attention within the Biden administration. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked U.S. President Joe Biden to designate Russia a state sponsor […]
Read More
One dead after police fire on protesters in Sri Lanka amid bailout talks with IMF
Mounting frustration over inflation, scarcity and lengthy power cuts brought demonstrators in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on Monday. Angry protestors called for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Buddhika Weerasinghe | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sri Lankan police fired live ammunition to scatter protesters on Tuesday, killing […]
Read More
Battle for Donbas: 3 reasons why Russia is shifting its war machine to east Ukraine
A tank belonging to pro-Russian rebels is seen in separatist-controlled Donetsk, Ukraine on March 11, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The “battle for Donbas” looks to be underway in Ukraine, as Russia concentrates its war machine on the eastern region — a major strategic, political and economic target for the Kremlin. […]
Read More
Ukraine says phase two of the war has begun as Russia begins offensive in the Donbas
‘Second phase’ of war has begun, Ukraine’s chief of staff says Russia’s offensive in Ukraine has entered its second phase, a top Ukrainian official said. “Donbas. The second phase of the war has begun, but I will tell you, believe in the Armed Forces,” Andriy Yermak, President Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said in a Telegram post, […]
Read More
North Korea is committed to an ‘alarming change’ in its nuclear policy, professor says
North Korea ultimately wants to have more nuclear weapons to use against the U.S. troops in South Korea and Japan in the event of an invasion, according to a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. North Korea currently has the ability to use a small number of nuclear weapons against the United States, […]
Read More
U.S. commits to ending anti-satellite missile testing, calls for global agreement
A Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) launches from the U.S. Navy’s USS Lake Erie at a non-functioning National Reconnaissance Office satellite on Feb. 20, 2008 as an anti-satellite weapons U.S. Department of Defense The United States government has committed to ending the practice of anti-satellite missile tests, Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Monday, urging other nations […]
Read More
Ukraine’s major western city of Lviv hit by missiles; Mariupol resistance holds out despite heavy losses. Follow our live updates
Five missile strikes hit Western city of Lviv, civilians killed, officials say Air raid sirens are sounding once again in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv after it was hit by five missile strikes, its mayor said. The strikes killed six people and wounded eight, according to the Lviv regional governor. These are the first major […]
Read More
Sri Lanka’s reluctance to tap IMF helped push it into an economic abyss
Protesters in Colombo on Easter, April 17, 2022. The Rajapaksa government has leaned heavily on its foreign exchange reserves, eroding them by more than 70% in two years. Jewel Samad | AFP | Getty Images Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis has triggered an unprecedented wave of spontaneous protests as the island nation of 22 million […]
Read More
Moscow claims forces have taken most of Mariupol; Ukrainian fighters given last chance to surrender
Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol told ‘their lives will be spared’ if they surrender Maxar satellite imagery gives an overview of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in eastern Mariupol where Ukrainian fighters are believed to be holding out against a Russian takeover of the southern port city. Maxar | Maxar | Getty Images Russia says […]
Read More