President Vladimir Putin yesterday warned that Russia was prepared to take “military-technical measures” in response to “unfriendly” Western actions over the Ukraine conflict, in a sharp escalation of rhetoric.

The United States yesterday said it will distribute hundreds of millions of free Covid tests in the face of surging Omicron cases, which forced governments worldwide to reimpose restrictions ahead of the holidays.

A welcome, furry distraction from political morass and flagging approval ratings has arrived at the White House, with Joe Biden introducing the residence’s newest inhabitant Monday -- a German shepherd puppy named “Commander.”

UN aid flights into Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa have been halted by air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition which supports the government, an airport official said yesterday.

Russia on Monday expelled two German diplomats in response to a spat with Berlin over a German court’s ruling that Moscow had ordered the 2019 assassination of an ex-Chechen commander in a Berlin park.

Libya’s education minister was arrested on Monday as part of an enquiry into a lack of schoolbooks, the prosecution service said.

The ruler of Dubai was ordered yesterday to pay his former wife and children around £550 million ($730 million) in what is thought to be the

1917 - In World War One, peace negotiations opened between the new Russian government and Germany at Brest-Litovsk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has been ordered by the High Court in London to provide a British record of more than 554 million pounds ($733 million) to settle a custody battle with his ex-wife over their two children.

Boeing (BA.N) Chief Executive Dave Calhoun and Airbus Americas (AIR.PA) CEO Jeffrey Knittel on Monday urged the Biden administration to delay planned deployment of new 5G wireless services, saying it could harm aviation safety.

Israel’s former military intelligence chief says the country was involved in the American airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January 2020. It was the first public acknowledgement of Israel’s role in the operation.

A major New year celebration in London will be cancelled, the British capital's mayor said on Monday, as worries mount over a surge in virus cases sparked by the Omicron variant.

Top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci on Sunday warned of a bleak winter ahead as the Omicron coronavirus variant spurs a new wave of infections globally, sparking restrictions and concerns over hospital capacity.

The mobile phone of a UN-backed investigator who was examining possible war crimes in Yemen was targeted with spyware made by Israel’s NSO Group, a new forensic analysis has revealed.

The death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year surged to 375 yesterday, as survivors pleaded for urgent supplies of drinking water, food and medicines.

1973 - The first peace conference between Israel and her Arab neighbours opened in Geneva. Jordan, Israel, Egypt, the United States, the Soviet Union and the UN took part.

Britain’s former Brexit minister, David Frost, yesterday insisted he had not stepped down to mount a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and gave his backing to the beleaguered leader.

A rare copy of a Superman #1 comic book that sold on newsstands for a dime in 1939 was purchased for $2.6 million in an auction.

At least 40 extra-judicial killings were conducted by the Myanmar military in July this year, according to a report.