“We clearly told them that trying to destabilize the government in Afghanistan is good for no one,” France’s AFP quoted Taliban-appointed Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as saying on Saturday. The statement followed a meeting in Doha, where the Taliban is holding its first face-to-face talks with US officials since …
Read More »Beijing warns Australia’s ‘provocative actions’ on Taiwan could be ‘cataclysmic’ for bilateral ties, after former PM visits island
Tony Abbott, who headed the Australian government between 2013 and 2015, delivered a speech at a conference in Taipei on Friday, urging the international community to show “solidarity” with the island. Beijing considers Taiwan to be a part of its territory under its ‘One China’ policy and does not recognize …
Read More »Russia will run out of gold in 20 years if new deposits not found, biggest gold miner warns
According to Grachev, Russia’s gold deposits currently total about 8,000 tons, while annual production amounts to 330 tons. “If the trend is not reversed, the industry may face a structural shortage of raw materials during the next decade or two,” the chief executive said, stressing that Polyus has 37 years …
Read More »Treasury Secretary Yellen warns Congress has 3 weeks before US defaults on its debts
“We now estimate that Treasury is likely to exhaust its extraordinary measures if Congress has not acted to raise or suspend the debt limit by October 18,” Yellen wrote in a letter, released Tuesday, to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and other congressional leaders. Failure to raise the debt ceiling, …
Read More »Standoff over Kosovo ‘going from bad to worse,’ Russia warns, calling on NATO to step up & prevent military conflict with Serbia
In an official statement issued on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that growing tensions between the two sides are going “from bad to worse.” The top official also emphasized that NATO has taken it on itself to keep peace in the disputed region and cautioned that failure to …
Read More »China warns US using human rights as ‘pretext’ for more anti-Russia sanctions, as Beijing publicly backs Moscow in new standoff
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has accused US lawmakers of using human rights as a “pretext” for imposing new anti-Russia measures that undermine recent negotiations between the Kremlin and Washington. Speaking on Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman said that “China is strongly against Washington applying unilateral sanctions under the pretext …
Read More »Malaysian PM says AUKUS will be ‘catalyst for nuclear arms race’ as ex-diplomat warns Australia is now ‘isolated’ in region
Ismail expressed concern about the effects on regional stability on Saturday, after he spoke to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the AUKUS treaty – Canberra’s new deal with the United States and United Kingdom to acquire nuclear-powered submarines apparently aimed at countering China. The AUKUS deal could become a …
Read More »UN warns unchecked AI & machine-learning tech can ‘violate human rights, damage lives’ as it calls for safeguards against abuse
In a statement on Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet stressed the need for an outright ban on AI applications that are not in compliance with international human rights law, while also urging for a pause on sales for certain technologies of concern. Noting that AI and …
Read More »Gates Foundation warns about future pandemic threats as Covid-19 response continues to snarl world economy
The foundation’s annual report, released on Tuesday, bemoaned the poverty increases wrought “by Covid-19” – omitting that much of the damage linked to the virus stemmed from economic shutdowns imposed by governments which were often taking their advice from the Gates Foundation and associated entities. However, the report ultimately put an …
Read More »US Treasury could default, Janet Yellen warns, calls on Congress to raise debt ceiling AGAIN
In a Wednesday letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Yellen warned default was coming sooner rather than later. Even the country’s emergency financial resources would be gone come October, she lamented. The US may be “unable to meet its obligations for the first time in our history,” Yellen wrote, adding …
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