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Biden Sums Up First Year; Ukraine Is Among Prime Topics

During his first press conference of the year, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke candidly at the White House on Wednesday about the possibility of a Russian invasion in Ukraine. "My guess is he will move in — he has to do something," Biden said of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He warned that such an invasion would be met with the harshest measures. "He has never seen sanctions like the ones I promise will be imposed if he moves,” Biden said. “What I'm concerned...

Security Scanners Across Europe Tied to China Government, Military

At some of the world’s most sensitive spots, authorities have installed security screening devices made by a single Chinese company with deep ties to China’s military and the highest levels of the ruling Communist Party. The World Economic Forum in Davos. Europe’s largest ports. Airports from Amsterdam to Athens. NATO’s borders with Russia. All depend on equipment manufactured by Nuctech, which has quickly become the world’s leading company, by revenue, for cargo and vehicle...

British Police Arrest 2 in Texas Synagogue Attack Investigation

British police on Thursday arrested two men as part of an investigation into a hostage taking at a synagogue in Texas. “Two men have been arrested this morning in Birmingham and Manchester,” counter terrorism police said. The daylong siege at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, about 16 miles northeast of Fort Worth, Texas, ended in gunfire on Saturday night with all four hostages released unharmed and the death of the suspect.

US Travel Advisory Dismays Canadians Amid Omicron Wave

Canadians, quietly prideful about their relatively high rates of COVID-19 vaccination and face mask compliance, were taken aback last week when the United States declared the country unsafe and advised Americans not to travel across their northern border. “That the U.S. government … has placed Canada at the top COVID threat level for Americans to travel is baffling to me,” said Grant Perry, who worked with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline on Canada’s H1N1 response. “COVID is...

US Sanctions 4 Ukrainians Accused of Aiding Russia

The U.S. government says it is sanctioning four Ukrainians “engaged in Russian government-directed influence activities to destabilize Ukraine.” “The individuals we are targeting, two of whom are members of Ukraine’s parliament, act at the direction of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and support Russia's destabilizing and dangerous influence operations, which undermine not just Ukraine but also the fundamental principles of democracy,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said...

Blinken Vows 'Swift and Massive' Response Should Russia Invade Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed Thursday that the United States and its allies would inflict “swift and massive” costs on Russia if it invades Ukraine but said Russian President Vladimir Putin can still opt for a diplomatic solution to rising tensions in eastern Europe. “We’re at a decisive juncture,” Blinken said in Berlin of the standoff between Western countries and Moscow over Putin’s massing of 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s eastern flank. Blinken said the U.S. has...

Europe, US Aim to Ensure Mali Doesn’t Become First of Many Dominoes

Frustrations are growing in and around Mali, where regional and international efforts to speed up the interim government’s transition to democratic elections appear to be at a dead end. Still, key players from Europe and the United States are refusing to give up, warning what is at stake goes much beyond Mali itself. More from VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin.