EU to boost Russian gas imports

The European Union plans to significantly increase the purchase of Russian natural gas through countries that are ready to pay for the commodity in rubles, TASS news agency reported, Wednesday citing a government source in Brussels.

India’s oil crisis rises

India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is struggling to find a vessel to ship 700,000 barrels of crude from Russia’s Far East, in a growing sign that complex trades involving one of Moscow’s biggest partners being interrupted by Western sanctions, sources say.

Female grad student behind suicide attack at Pakistani university

A woman suicide bomber who killed 3 Chinese teachers in Pakistan was a teacher who had enrolled for a master’s degree months before her attack, carried out on behalf of separatist insurgents, a Pakistani official said, Wednesday.

Moscow cites risk of nuclear war

Russia accused NATO of creating a serious risk of nuclear war by arming Ukraine in a proxy battle as Washington and its allies met on Tuesday to pledge the heavy weapons Kyiv needs to achieve victory.

Twitter ‘must be responsible’ under Musk: UK

Britain on Tuesday said Twitter “must be responsible” following its purchase by Elon Musk, amid concerns it could overly relax content moderation policies under the controversial billionaire entrepreneur.

Kim vows to boost N.Korea’s nuclear arsenal

North Korea will rapidly accelerate the development of its nuclear arsenal, leader Kim Jong Un said while overseeing a vast military parade showcasing his most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles, state media reported Tuesday.

US State Department backs 165mn ammunition sale to Ukraine

The U.S. State Department on Monday said it supported the approval of a possible sale of $165 million worth of ammunition to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against Russia’s ongoing invasion.

No respite for re-elected Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron enjoyed no respite on Monday as, hours after he won re-election by defeating far right’s Marine Le Pen, political opponents called on voters to deny him a parliamentary majority.

EU to offer India more military hardware - media

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will offer Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a boost in sales of EU-made weapons to New Delhi on Monday, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed senior EU official. Brussels is supposedly seeking to encourage India to reduce its ties to Russia amid the Kremlin’s ongoing military campaign in Ukraine.

Macron vs Le Pen: France faces stark choice for president

The French began voting on Sunday in an election that will decide whether pro-European Union, centrist President Emmanuel Macron keeps his job or is unseated by far-right eurosceptic Marine Le Pen in what would amount to a political earthquake.

Top US officials expected in Kyiv: Zelensky

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin were set to visit Kyiv on Sunday to discuss Ukraine’s call for more powerful weapons, two months after Russia’s invasion began.

Moscow aims to capture southern Ukraine: Russian general

A Russian general said on Friday that Moscow wants to seize all of southern and eastern Ukraine, far wider war aims than it had acknowledged as it presses on with a new offensive after its campaign to capture the capital Kyiv collapsed last month.

Palestinians clash with Israeli police, 57 injured

At least 57 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police within Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Friday, medics said, as violence persisted during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at a site also revered by Jews.

Frustration grows, nerves fray in Shanghai’s lockdown purgatory

Stiffening resolve after three weeks of strict lockdown, authorities warned Shanghai’s 25 million frazzled residents on Friday that their purgatory would go on until the Covid-19 virus was eradicated neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

At least 16 dead as blasts rock Afghan cities

At least 16 people were killed by bomb blasts in two Afghan cities on Thursday -- including 12 worshippers at a Shiite mosque in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group (IS).

Putin orders sealing off trapped Ukraine defenders

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday claimed the “liberation” of the flattened city of Mariupol after nearly two months of fighting, demanding that its trapped Ukrainian defenders be sealed up in their underground last stand.

Russia launches ‘Battle of Donbas’ all-out assault on east Ukraine

Russia launched its long-awaited all-out assault on east Ukraine on Tuesday, seizing its first town after unleashing thousands of troops in what Ukraine has described as the Battle of the Donbas, a campaign to take two provinces.

MPs get vote on investigating whether PM misled Parliament

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a vote later this week on whether he should be investigated over claims he misled parliament by repeatedly insisting that he did not breach the COVID-19 regulations.

US drops mask mandate on airplanes, trains

The Biden administration will no longer enforce a U.S. mask mandate on public transportation, after a federal judge in Florida on Monday ruled that the 14-month-old directive was unlawful, overturning a key White House effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Ukraine’s Mariupol defenders ignore Russia surrender deadline

Ukrainian soldiers resisted a Russian ultimatum to lay down arms on Sunday in the pulverised port of Mariupol, which Moscow said its forces had almost completely seized in what would be its biggest prize of the nearly two-month war.

Johnson warns of ‘threats from autocratic states’ ahead of India visit

Ahead of his upcoming visit to India, which will begin on April 21, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday took to Twitter to warn against ‘threats from autocratic states,’ while India, he said, is a ‘highly valued strategic partner’ for his country.

Indian police arrest 14 after communal clashes in New Delhi

Indian police arrested 14 people in connection with violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims during a Hindu religious procession in the country’s capital, New Delhi, police said in a tweet on Sunday.

Pakistan’s parliament votes in Sharif as Prime Minister

Pakistan’s parliament on Monday elected Shehbaz Sharif Prime Minister after a week-long constitutional crisis that climaxed on Sunday when his predecessor Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote.

Macron wins first round of France’s presidential election

Emmanuel Macron won 27.85 percent of votes in the first round of France’s presidential election, while far-right veteran Marine Le Pen scored 23.15 percent, according to final results from the interior ministry on Monday.

Fears grow over anticipated Russian assault in Ukraine’s east

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday thousands of Russian troops were massing for a new offensive in the east, and Russia said it would not halt its military operation in Ukraine for any further peace talks.

France votes with Macron seeking new term in tight election

French President Emmanuel Macron faced a tough test Sunday seeking re-election in a vote projected to produce a tight run-off with far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

Shehbaz Sharif set to become next Pakistan Prime Minister

A new premier will be chosen in Pakistan Monday, with centrist Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif already anointed to lead the nuclear-armed nation of 220 million people after Imran Khan was dismissed Sunday as Pakistan’s Prime Minister after losing a no-confidence vote.

Russian air force hits 86 Ukrainian military facilities

Russian combat air force has destroyed 86 Ukrainian military facilities since the evening of April 9, Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

50 killed in rocket strike on rail evacuation hub: Ukraine

Ukraine said as many as 50 people, including five children, were killed and many more were wounded and lost limbs in a rocket strike at a railway station packed with civilians fleeing the threat of a major Russian offensive in the country’s east.

Russian forces pound key Ukraine cities, Ukraine demands tougher sanctions

Artillery pounded key cities in Ukraine on Wednesday, as its president urged the West to act decisively in imposing new and tougher sanctions being readied against Russia in response to civilian killings widely condemned as war crimes.