Putin offers no compromise on Ukraine, says EU 'robbery' failed
MOSCOW, Dec 19 (Reuters): Russian President Vladimir Putin offered no compromise on his terms for ending the war in Ukraine on Friday and accused the European Union of attempting "daylight robbery" of Russian assets.Putin set out the Kremlin's stance on the war in the opening moments of his annual end-of-year...
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Pakistan accuses India of disrupting river flows
ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (AFP): Pakistan said on Friday it had detected "abrupt variations" of water flows on a river crucial to its farmers, accusing neighbouring India of releasing water without warning in defiance of a major treaty that New Delhi suspended this year.India in April announced it was suspending the...
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China threatens 'forceful measures' over US arms sales package to Taiwan
BEIJING, Dec 19 (Reuters): China's military will step up training and "take forceful measures" to safeguard the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the defence ministry said on Friday in response to a planned $11.1 billion US arms sales package to Taiwan.The package, the largest ever by the United States to...
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US judge convicted of helping immigrant evade arrest
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (AFP): A US judge accused of helping an undocumented man evade federal immigration agents was found guilty of obstruction on Thursday and now faces possible jail time, US media reported.The case, which became a focal point in the Trump administration's battle with the judiciary over immigration, stems...
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Trump admin suspends US green card lottery
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (AFP): US homeland security chief Kristi Noem suspended a green card lottery on Thursday, saying it was used by the suspect in a mass shooting at Brown University.Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, is accused of bursting into a building at the Ivy League school on...
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Gaza no longer has famine, says global hunger monitor
GENEVA, Dec 19 (Agencies): There is no longer famine in Gaza, a global hunger monitor said on Friday, after access for humanitarian and commercial food deliveries improved following a fragile October 10 ceasefire in the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.The latest assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase...
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US strikes kill five on alleged drug boats in Pacific
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (AFP): The US military said it killed on Thursday five more alleged drug traffickers aboard two vessels in the Pacific Ocean, bringing the divisive campaign's death toll to over 100.The Trump administration has carried out such strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September...
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Trump’s blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil raises new questions about legality
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (AP): US President Donald Trump's "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers off Venezuela's coast is raising new questions about the legality of his military campaign in Latin America, while fueling concerns that the U.S. could be edging closer to war.The Trump administration says its blockade is narrowly tailored...
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Myanmar arrests hundreds under new election law
Myanmar's junta said this week it had arrested more than 200 people under a new law against undermining elections, drawing criticism from a monitoring group that the legislation is being used to block criticism of the regime and prevent scrutiny, reports Reuters.The military government is set to begin a general...
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