Blinding snow whipped up by powerful winds pummeled the eastern United States into yesterday’s early hours, as one of the strongest winter storms in years triggered transport chaos and power outages across a region of some 70 million people.

Spain's sea rescue service on Wednesday picked up more than 300 migrants trying to reach the Canary Islands in rickety boats, with nine of them clinging to a semi-sunken dinghy.

Russia’s population declined by more than one million people in 2021, the statistics agency Rosstat reported Friday, a historic drop not seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The number of deaths from Covid-19 soared by a fifth worldwide in the last week, as the number of daily cases surged in the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday threatened Turkish media with legal action over content “incompatible with national and moral values,” in a move seen by critics as an attempt to stifle the dissent.

Italy’s warring parties were yesterday set to beg outgoing President Sergio Mattarella to stay for another term, fearing political chaos due to a possible failure to elect his successor.

The latest round of talks to salvage the Iran nuclear deal have been put on pause, the European Union’s coordinator said, calling for “political decisions” to break the deadlock.

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that the West had ignored Moscow’s security concerns over Nato expansion and Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

Russia selling S-400 missile defense system to India “shines a spotlight on the destabilising role” that Moscow is playing in the region and potentially beyond as well, the United States has said.

London police yesterday denied delaying a long-awaited government report into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street that have put Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s future in jeopardy.

Russia yesterday sent its strongest signal so far that it is willing to engage with US security proposals and reiterated that it does not want war over Ukraine.

Russia on Friday sent its strongest signal so far that it is willing to engage with US security proposals and reiterated that it does not want war over Ukraine.

The BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant, which is dominant in Denmark, appears more contagious than the more common BA.1 sub-lineage, Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said in a national address.

Russia yesterday said that the United States was failing to address its main security concerns over Ukraine but left the door open to further talks to ease tensions.

A member of Ukraine’s National Guard on Thursday opened fire on his fellow soldiers, killing five people and wounding five more, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said. The serviceman was detained by police but his motives remain unclear.

Western diplomats Tuesday linked humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to an improvement in human rights after meeting a Taliban delegation on a landmark visit to

Russia yesterday hit back at US threats of direct sanctions against President Vladimir Putin, saying moves against the Russian leader would be ineffective and hurt efforts to lower tensions over Ukraine.

Russia warned on Wednesday that imposing sanctions on President Vladimir Putin personally would not hurt him but would be "politically destructive", after U.S. President Joe Biden said he would consider such a move if Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russia yesterday added jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and a number of his allies to a list of “terrorists and extremists”, as authorities further clamp down on the opposition.

Canada’s foreign ministry was hit by a cyberattack last week that is still preventing diplomats from accessing certain online services, federal cyber security agencies confirmed on Monday.