KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine is ready to launch its long-awaited counteroffensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Saturday. “We strongly believe that we will succeed,” Zelenskiy told the Wall Street Journal. “I don’t know how long it will take. To be honest, it can go a variety of…
By Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia warned the United States on Saturday it should stop brandishing ultimatums over the collapse of arms control agreements, saying Moscow would only return to a nuclear arms reduction treaty if Washington abandons its hostile stance. Russia and the United States, by far the biggest nuclear powers, have both expressed…
By Kanupriya Kapoor SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Indonesia’s defence minister on Saturday proposed a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, calling for a demilitarised zone and a United Nations referendum in what he called disputed territory. Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko dismissed the plan, reiterating Kyiv’s position that Russia should withdraw its troops from…
By Chen Lin and Xinghui Kok SINGAPORE (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rebuked China on Saturday for refusing to hold military talks, leaving the superpowers deadlocked over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top security summit, Austin said Beijing’s reluctance to talk undermined efforts…
By Kanupriya Kapoor and Ju-min Park SINGAPORE (Reuters) – South Korea’s defence minister said on Saturday that some countries were “ignoring North Korea’s unlawful behaviour”, which he said threatens to weaken U.N. sanctions against its missile and nuclear programmes. China and Russia on Friday ignored a U.S. call for the U.N. Security Council to condemn…
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China “strongly opposes” NATO repeatedly labelling it a threat, China’s embassy to Norway said on Saturday, referring to remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a recent visit to the Scandinavian country. “China urges NATO to stop stirring up regional conflicts and creating divisions and unrest,” the embassy said in a…
By Angie Teo and Jessie Pang TAIPEI (Reuters) – A Taiwan theatre is showcasing a Hong Kong play about Tiananmen Square to mark the 34th anniversary of the crackdown in Beijing, saying almost as much about shrinking freedoms in the former British colony as it does about the 1989 bloodshed. Taiwan’s Shinehouse theatre group, with…
(Reuters) – Tropical Storm Arlene is forecast to weaken on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory late on Friday. Arlene, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico, is forecast to degenerate to a remnant low on Saturday and dissipate by early Sunday, the Miami-based weather forecaster said. (Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama…
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – Panama launched a police operation on Friday at its border with Colombia to fight organized crime and human smuggling linked to the growing flow of migrants crossing the dangerous jungle of the Darien Gap. “Operation Choco” aims to stop transnational organized crime in the Darien by mobilizing aerial support and confronting…
By Cassandra Garrison MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico said on Friday it would counter U.S. arguments over agriculture biotech measures, including plans to limit its use of genetically modified (GM) corn, in trade dispute settlement consultations requested by Washington earlier in the day. The consultation request comes as the North American neighbors inch toward a full-blown…
