Ukraine bars its national teams from events with Russians, Belarusians

By Max Hunder KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine barred its national sports teams from competing in Olympic, non-Olympic and Paralympic events which include competitors from Russia and Belarus, the sports ministry said in a decree on Friday. Ukraine’s deputy sports minister, who signed off on the move, told Reuters in an interview that it was a “bad…

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Blinken seeking to upgrade Vietnam ties as Hanoi treads narrow path

By Humeyra Pamuk, Francesco Guarascio and David Brunnstrom HANOI (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Vietnam on Friday hoping for progress towards upgrading relations with a key trade partner that shares U.S. worries about China’s growing might. For Hanoi, it will be a delicate test: how to show openness to the…

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Leak of classified information was deliberate criminal act -Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The leak of classified information was a “deliberate, criminal act,” the Pentagon said on Thursday. Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder referred questions about the investigation to the Department of Justice. Ryder added the Pentagon had taken steps to review distribution lists and ensure that people receiving information had a need to…

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North Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM, warns of ‘extreme’ horror

By Soo-hyang Choi and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea announced on Friday it had tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a development set to “radically promote” its forces, which experts said would facilitate missile launches with little warning. Leader Kim Jong Un guided Thursday’s test, and warned it would make enemies…

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Norway expels Russian diplomats who it says worked for intelligence

By Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) – Fifteen Russian diplomats expelled by Norway this week had sought to recruit sources, intercept communications and buy advanced technology, the Norwegian PST security police said on Friday. The diplomats’ real employers were the Russian GRU, FSB and SVR intelligence services, PST counterintelligence chief Inger Haugland told a news conference….

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After earthquake, Istanbul gripped by fear that bigger disaster awaits

By Birsen Altayli and Can Sezer ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The deadliest earthquake in Turkey’s modern history has reawakened fears on the other side of the country that Istanbul is an even bigger disaster waiting to happen, sending hundreds of thousands scrambling to find safer homes. Some 5 million of the 16 million residents of Turkey’s…

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U.S. leaks show clash between ‘need to know’ vs ‘need to share’

By Jonathan Landay, Idrees Ali and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The latest U.S. intelligence leak illustrates a paradox of spycraft: keeping secrets means limiting their distribution but protecting against dangers like another Sept. 11, 2001, attack means sharing them. Balancing those twin demands is a key challenge for U.S. President Joe Biden as his administration…

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Exclusive-Chinese firm imported copper from Russian-controlled part of Ukraine – data

By Filipp Lebedev and Gleb Stolyarov (Reuters) -A Chinese company bought at least $7.4 million worth of copper alloy ingots from a plant in a Russian-annexed region of Ukraine that is subject to Western sanctions, according to Russian customs data reviewed by Reuters. China has not imposed any restrictions on trade with Russia, but the…

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