Dec 02 U.S., EU and allies hit Belarus with coordinated sanctions By Lorne Cook, Associated Press The four have targeted Belarus since President Alexander Lukashenko won yet another term in office last year after elections that the West and other observers say were fraudulent. Continue reading
Dec 02 Aid official says Afghanistan’s crises ‘progressively getting worse’ By Lee Keath, Associated Press United Nations figures from early November show almost 24 million people in Afghanistan, around 60 percent of the population, suffer from acute hunger. That includes nearly 9 million people who live in near-famine. Continue reading
Dec 02 U.S. warns Russia to stay away from Ukraine amid troop buildup By Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press The Kremlin has voiced concern about a possible escalation of fighting in eastern Ukraine's separatist conflict as the U.S. issued a strong warning to Russia to stay away from Ukraine. Continue reading
Dec 02 Omicron and delta spell return of unpopular restrictions By Lori Hinnant, Associated Press Governments face a thorny calculus made more difficult by the prospect of backlash, increased social divisions and the fear of being voted out of office. Continue reading
Dec 01 Watch 5:41 India extends door-to-door vaccine campaign as omicron variant worries officials By Fred de Sam Lazaro The trajectory of omicron infections is being watched closely in India, where the official death toll from COVID-19 is approaching half a million. The true toll is likely much higher. Memories are still fresh of the devastation caused by the… Continue watching
Dec 01 Watch 5:43 Officials pessimistic about agreement between U.S. and Iran amid tense talks By Nick Schifrin For the first time Wednesday, the recently elected Iranian government is negotiating its nuclear program with the world powers who signed the nuclear deal back in 2015. Iran wants relief from economic sanctions. The U.S. and Europe want Iran to… Continue watching
Dec 01 Mysteries of omicron variant could take weeks to decipher By Lauren Neergaard and Laura Ungar, Associated Press Up to now, the world has been slow to react to each coronavirus curveball. This time an early warning from South Africa and Botswana might have offered important head start. Continue reading
Dec 01 WHO nations inch closer toward deal to combat pandemics By Jamey Keaten, Associated Press WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the consensus decision during a special session of the U.N. health agency’s members was a “cause for celebration.”… Continue reading
Dec 01 Volcanic lava imperils church, homes on Spain’s La Palma island By Emilio Morenatti, Associated Press The volcano is going strong and seismic activity in the area has increased in recent days. Spain’s National Geographic Institute registered 341 earthquakes over the past 24 hours. Continue reading
Dec 01 Belarus detains journalists, activists in crackdown on dissent By Yuras Karmanau, Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities in Belarus raided the homes of dozens of journalists and activists Wednesday, according to a human rights group, in what appeared to be the biggest one-day crackdown on dissent in the past three months. Independent… Continue reading