South Korea is set to pay compensation to Iran’s Dayyani Group over a 2015 dispute after the United States cleared the path towards the payment without violating its sanctions against…
World
Russia Won’t Rule Out Military Deployment to Cuba, Venezuela
Russia on Thursday sharply raised the stakes in its dispute with the West over Ukraine, with a top diplomat refusing to rule out a Russian military deployment to Cuba and…
U.K. Government Cuts COVID Isolation Period to 5 Days
British officials said Thursday the self-isolation period for people in England who test positive for COVID-19 will be reduced from next week to five full days, instead of seven. Health…
China Defends Sweeping Maritime Claims After U.S. Criticism
China on Thursday defended its “historical rights” to virtually the entire South China Sea, following a new U.S. government report saying Beijing’s claims are almost entirely invalid. Foreign Ministry spokesperson…
U.K. Ministers Rally Around Embattled Johnson, for Now
With varying degrees of enthusiasm, senior British government ministers on Thursday expressed support for Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson and rejected demands he resign for attending a garden party during…
France Makes Travel Easier for Vaccinated British Tourists
France announced it was slightly easing COVID-19 protocols for vaccinated travelers from Britain, dropping a requirement for proof of an essential reason for the trip and for obligatory self-isolation upon…
WHO Official: Omicron Probably Caused COVID-19 Surge in Mideast in Early Jan.
A “shocking” surge in COVID-19 cases across the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean region is probably due to the omicron variant, a WHO official said, warning that some countries in…
German Court: Syrian Man Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity
A German court has convicted a former Syrian secret police officer of crimes against humanity for overseeing the abuse of detainees at a jail near Damascus a decade ago. The…
New Data Finds AstraZeneca Booster Generates Higher Antibodies Against Omicron
AstraZeneca said on Thursday preliminary data from a trial it conducted on its COVID-19 shot, Vaxzevria, showed it generated a higher antibody response against the omicron variant and others, including…
Russia-Led Bloc Starts Pulling Troops Out of Kazakhstan
A Russia-led military bloc began to pull its troops out of Kazakhstan on Thursday after a week-long deployment that helped the Central Asian nation overcome the worst bout of violent…
Iran, U.S. Lock Horns Over Sanctions Relief, Nuclear Curbs in Vienna Talks
Iran and the United States are displaying little flexibility on core issues in indirect nuclear talks, raising questions about whether a compromise can be found soon to renew a 2015…
Biden Imposes First Sanctions Over N. Korea Weapons Program After Missile Tests
The Biden administration on Wednesday imposed its first sanctions over North Korea‘s weapons programs following a series of North Korean missile launches, including two since last week. The sanctions targeted…
U.S. Largely Settled on Russia Sanctions if it Invades Ukraine
The United States has largely settled on the options for sanctions against Russia should it invade Ukraine and will be prepared to impose them as soon as any tanks roll,…
British Council Confirms Release of Iranian Employee Amiri
Aras Amiri, an Iranian employee of the British Council, has arrived back in the United Kingdom after an Iranian court lifted her travel ban over her spying sentence, the UK…
Pfizer Study Shows COVID-19 Booster Can Be Given Along With Pneumonia Shot
Pfizer Inc said on Wednesday booster doses of its COVID-19 vaccine can be administered along with its pneumonia vaccine and produced strong safety and immune responses in people aged 65…
NATO, Russia in High-Level Talks as Ukraine Tensions Simmer
Senior NATO and Russian officials were meeting Wednesday to try to bridge seemingly irreconcilable differences over the future of Ukraine, amid deep skepticism that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s security proposals…
U.K.’s Johnson Apologizes for Attending Lockdown Party
Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized Wednesday for attending a garden party during Britain’s coronavirus lockdown in 2020, saying there are things his government “did not get right.” Johnson is facing…
Putin: Russia on the Verge of a New Virus Surge
President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is facing a new surge of coronavirus infections because of the highly contagious omicron variant. “It’s obvious that we are in a very…
WHO: COVID-19 Cases Rose by More Than 50%, Deaths Stable
The number of new coronavirus infections in the last week jumped by about 55%, although the number of deaths remained stable, the World Health Organization said in its latest pandemic…
France Says Still Far From Reviving 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal
Iran and world powers are still far from any agreement to revive their 2015 nuclear deal despite making some progress at the end of December, France’s foreign minister said on…