Anti-war sentiment grows in Russia despite govt crackdown

Police officers detain a woman in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Photo Courtesy: AP

MOSCOW (AP): As Russian troops were closing in on the Ukrainian capital, more and more Russians spoke out Saturday against the invasion, even as the government’s official rhetoric grew increasingly harsher. Street protests, albeit small, resumed in the Russian capital of Moscow, the second-largest city of St. Petersburg and other Russian cities for the third… Continue reading Anti-war sentiment grows in Russia despite govt crackdown

Putin puts Russia’s nuclear forces on alert, cites sanctions

A women holds a child and a dog in a shelter inside a building in Mariupol, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. Photo Courtesy: AP

KYIV, Ukraine (AP): In a dramatic escalation of East-West tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces put on high alert Sunday in response to what he called “aggressive statements” by leading NATO powers. The order means Putin wants Russia’s nuclear weapons prepared for increased readiness to launch and raises… Continue reading Putin puts Russia’s nuclear forces on alert, cites sanctions

Ukrainians flee war, seeking safety across western borders

File Photo A child from Ukraine sleeps in a tent part of a humanitarian centre for refugees at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, in Palalanca, Moldova, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Photo Courtesy: AP

PRZEMYSL, Poland (AP): Thousands of Ukrainians crossed into neighboring countries to the west in search of safety as Russia pounded their capital and other cities with airstrikes for a second day. Those arriving were mostly women, children and the elderly after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday banned men of military age from leaving the… Continue reading Ukrainians flee war, seeking safety across western borders

Australia welcomes back tourists with toy koalas, Tim Tams

Passengers are welcomed as they arrive at Sydney International Airport in Sydney, Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. Photo Courtesy: AP

CANBERRA, Australia (AP): International tourists and business travelers began arriving in Australia with few restrictions on Monday, bringing together families in tearful reunions after separations of two years or longer forced by some of the most draconian pandemic measures of any democracy in the world. Australia closed its borders to tourists in March 2020 in… Continue reading Australia welcomes back tourists with toy koalas, Tim Tams

The Queen tests positive for Covid

File Photo In this undated photo issued on Friday Dec. 25, 2020, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II records her annual Christmas broadcast in Windsor Castle, Windsor, England. (Victoria Jones/Pool via AP)

(BBC): The Queen has tested positive for Covid, Buckingham Palace has said. The monarch is experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms” but expects to continue “light duties” at Windsor over the coming week, the palace said. “She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines,” it added in a statement. Her eldest… Continue reading The Queen tests positive for Covid

China rejects US trade complaint, criticizes Washington

File Photo Workers install the nameplate of the Beijing Stock Exchange on the Financial Street in Beijing, Nov. 14, 2021. Photo Courtesy: AP

BEIJING (AP): China on Thursday rejected a U.S. accusation that Beijing is failing to live up to its market-opening commitments in a new round of complaints as companies wait for the two governments to restart talks on ending a tariff war. The Ministry of Commerce criticized the Biden administration for saying it is developing new… Continue reading China rejects US trade complaint, criticizes Washington

US accuses financial website of spreading Russian propaganda

In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, A Russian tank is loaded onto railway platforms after the end of military drills in South Russia. Photo Courtesy: AP

WASHINGTON (AP): U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday accused a conservative financial news website with a significant American readership of amplifying Kremlin propaganda and alleged five media outlets targeting Ukrainians have taken direction from Russian spies. The officials said Zero Hedge, which has 1.2 million Twitter followers, published articles created by Moscow-controlled media that were then… Continue reading US accuses financial website of spreading Russian propaganda

Flights to Ukraine halted or redirected as crisis brews

File Photo An instructor shows a woman how to use a Kalashnikov assault rifle, as members of a Ukrainian far-right group train, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022. Photo Courtesy: AP

MOSCOW (AP): Some airlines have canceled or diverted flights to Ukraine amid warnings from the West that an invasion by Russia is imminent despite intensive weekend talks between Moscow and Washington. In an hourlong call Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Joe Biden said an invasion of Ukraine would cause “widespread human suffering” and… Continue reading Flights to Ukraine halted or redirected as crisis brews

Olympian displays sign calling for ‘No War in Ukraine’

In this frame from video, Vladyslav Heraskevych, of Ukraine, holds a sign that reads "No War in Ukraine" after finishing a run at the men's skeleton competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. Photo Courteys: NBC via AP

BEIJING (AP): A Ukrainian skeleton athlete flashed a small sign that read “ No War in Ukraine ” to the cameras as he finished a run at the Beijing Olympics on Friday night. Vladyslav Heraskevych’s sign was printed on a blue-and-yellow piece of paper, matching the colors of his country’s flag. He did not display… Continue reading Olympian displays sign calling for ‘No War in Ukraine’

US inflation jumped 7.5% in the past year, a 40-year high

File Photo Gas price is seen at a Mobil gas station in Vernon Hills, Ill., Friday, June 11, 2021. Photo Courtesy: AP

WASHINGTON (AP): Inflation soared over the past year at its highest rate in four decades, hammering America’s consumers, wiping out pay raises and reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s decision to begin raising borrowing rates across the economy. The Labor Department said Thursday that consumer prices jumped 7.5% last month compared with 12 months earlier, the steepest… Continue reading US inflation jumped 7.5% in the past year, a 40-year high