Tag Archives: United States

CNN reports: The US announced new sanctions Wednesday on Russian financial institutions and individuals, including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, as it aims to increase economic pressure on Russia and Putin himself following horrific images from the Ukrainian city of Bucha. The US is targeting Putin’s two adult daughters because they believe the Russian President may be hiding …

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. government seized a mega yacht in Spain owned by an oligarch with close ties to the Russian president on Monday, the first in the government’s sanctions enforcement initiative to “seize and freeze” giant boats and other pricey assets of Russian elites. Spain’s Civil Guard and U.S. federal agents descended on the yacht at the …

The Verge reports: Russia says it will end cooperation with other nations on the International Space Station until the sanctions put on the country are lifted. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, announced in a thread on Twitter that the “restoration of normal relations between partners” on the ISS and other projects is only possible with the …

Reuters reports: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan suggested on Saturday that he might not accept a vote to oust him, a move he alleged was being orchestrated by the United States. Opposition parties say Khan has failed to revive an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic or fulfil promises to make his government more transparent and accountable, and have put …

The Associated Press reports: As the United States prepares to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees following Russia’s invasion of their country, existing communities in cities like Sacramento and Seattle are already mobilizing to provide food, shelter and support to those fleeing the war. “No refugee is waiting for you to be ready for them,” said Eduard Kislyanka, senior pastor …

The Washington Post reports: President Biden, who is holding emergency talks with NATO leaders in Brussels, is expected to announce plans for the United States to accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and others fleeing Russia’s invasion, according to two senior administrations official briefed on the plan, who said exact numbers could change. The conflict has now displaced half of Ukraine’s children, …

Bloomberg News reports: People living in NATO nations reported sharply higher confidence in U.S. global leadership during President Joe Biden’s first year in office than during the last year of Donald Trump’s presidency, according to newly released findings from Gallup, signaling support that Biden will draw on this week in pushing for renewed pressure on Russia. Polling from more than …

Bloomberg News reports: The omicron subvariant BA.2 is continuing to gain ground in the U.S., according to Covid-19 tests sequenced over the last two weeks. Helix, a San Diego-based genomics firm, has been watching the BA.2 variant since it first popped up in the U.S. in early January. Although it was initially slow to take hold, Helix now estimates that …

NBC News reports: The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected U.S. warnings that it may be preparing to conduct cyberattacks in response to Western sanctions, and said it did not engage in “banditry.” U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday told businesses to do more to protect themselves against possible cyberattacks by Russia, warning there was “evolving intelligence” that Moscow was exploring options …

The Hill reports: Former Presidents George W. Bush and Clinton visited a Ukrainian church in Chicago on Friday, laying down flowers in a show of solidarity with the nation. A video shared by the George W. Bush Presidential Center shows the 42nd and 43rd presidents each carrying yellow sunflowers in their hands, wrapped in blue and yellow cloth to represent …

CBS News reports: Finland has been named the world’s happiest country for the fifth year running, in an annual UN-sponsored index that again ranked Afghanistan as the unhappiest, followed closely by Lebanon. Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania recorded the biggest boosts in wellbeing. The largest falls in the World Happiness table, released on Friday, came in Lebanon, Venezuela and Afghanistan. Lebanon, …

Axios reports: Ukraine’s top national security official asked earlier this month for the U.S. to go beyond traditional military aid and provide the country with the funding, training and weaponry to support a long-term resistance movement, according to a letter obtained by Axios. Russia’s advances on the battlefield have largely stalled, prompting fears of a long, grinding war of attrition. …

Reuters reports: Russia warned the United States on Thursday that Moscow had the might to put the world’s pre-eminent superpower in its place and accused the West of stoking a wild Russophobic plot to tear Russia apart. Dmitry Medvedev [photo], who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said the United …

ABC News reports: Speaking just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on him to be a “leader for peace,” President Joe Biden on Wednesday is expected to detail how much military aid the U.S. is already providing — or will provide — to Ukraine. But it was unclear how much he would directly address Zelenskyy’s emotional and direct appeal …

CBS News reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address both Houses of Congress virtually on Wednesday morning as his country continues to try to fight off the Russian assault. “It’s one of the highest honors of any Congress to welcome remarks by foreign heads of state, but it is nearly unheard of, unheard of in modern times that we hear …

NPR reports: In an interview with NPR, Blinken spoke of Western sanctions that cratered the Russian ruble, led global firms to shutter their Russian operations, and closed the Moscow stock market. He said the unplugging of much of Russia’s economy from the West is beginning to wreak long-term effects that are “growing over time.” He insisted that U.S. sanctions against …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal, a rare show of unity in the deeply divided Congress. The resolution, introduced by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and backed by senators of both parties, encouraged the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and other nations to target the …

The Hill reports: Hillary Clinton is delivering an acceptance speech-style response after being sanctioned by Russia, mocking the country’s leaders by thanking them for the “lifetime achievement award.” The former secretary of State was one of several high-profile political figures that the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it would sanction, including President Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The Russian …

Politico reports: The Treasury Department on Tuesday announced additional sanctions targeting the president of Belarus, his wife and a number of Russian officials, the latest in a package of penalties intended to punish the Kremlin and its allies for Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. “We are taking action against this autocratic attack on democracy,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said …

The Washington Post reports: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will deliver a virtual address to members of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday morning, House Speaker Nancy Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced in a joint letter to their colleagues. “The Congress, our country and the world are in awe of the people of Ukraine, who …