Russia

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu reached the women's singles final of the Syed Modi International badminton tournament after her fifth seeded Russian opponent Evgeniya Kosetskaya retired hurt midway into their semifinal on Saturday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be against international law and said he was confident that it would not happen.

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia, which has massed troops along the border, has drawn Washington and Moscow into a Cold War-style stand-off.

Iran, China and Russia held their third joint naval drills in the northern Indian Ocean on Friday, state TV reported.

A Chinese satellite had a near collision with one of the many chunks of debris left by the fallout of a recent Russian anti-satellite missile test, state media reported.

The Russian central bank proposed cracking down on cryptocurrencies, a move which if adopted could disrupt the burgeoning virtual money sector as Russia is one of the largest crypto-mining nations in the world.

Britain on Friday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping that the West would stand together to fight for democracy against dictatorships which it said were more emboldened than at any time since the Cold War.

China and Russia on Thursday blocked a US push to impose United Nations sanctions on five North Koreans in response to recent missile launches by Pyongyang, diplomats told AFP.

Russia announced Thursday it will hold huge naval drills in the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific and Mediterranean this month and February, at a time of heightened tensions with Western nations.

A Chinese satellite had a near collision with one of the many chunks of debris left by the fallout of a recent Russian anti-satellite missile test, state media reported.

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he expects Russia to "move in" on Ukraine but warned that Moscow will pay a stiff price for a full-blown invasion.

The White House vowed Wednesday that any Russian movement into Ukraine would face "severe" retaliation, after President Joe Biden appeared to suggest that a small-scale incursion would be met with a lesser pushback from NATO.

US President Joe Biden warned Wednesday that Russia would pay a stiff price for invading Ukraine, including a heavy human toll and deep harm to its economy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Kyiv Wednesday for crisis talks with Ukraine's leaders, as diplomatic efforts to dissuade Russia from attacking its pro-Western neighbour falter.

The United States is worried that the arrival of Russian troops in Belarus for exercises could lead to a permanent presence that might introduce nuclear weapons into the country, a senior State Department official told reporters Tuesday.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu reached the women's singles final of the Syed Modi International badminton tournament after her fifth seeded Russian opponent Evgeniya Kosetskaya retired hurt midway into their semifinal on Saturday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be against international law and said he was confident that it would not happen.

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia, which has massed troops along the border, has drawn Washington and Moscow into a Cold War-style stand-off.

Iran, China and Russia held their third joint naval drills in the northern Indian Ocean on Friday, state TV reported.

A Chinese satellite had a near collision with one of the many chunks of debris left by the fallout of a recent Russian anti-satellite missile test, state media reported.

The Russian central bank proposed cracking down on cryptocurrencies, a move which if adopted could disrupt the burgeoning virtual money sector as Russia is one of the largest crypto-mining nations in the world.

Britain on Friday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping that the West would stand together to fight for democracy against dictatorships which it said were more emboldened than at any time since the Cold War.

China and Russia on Thursday blocked a US push to impose United Nations sanctions on five North Koreans in response to recent missile launches by Pyongyang, diplomats told AFP.

Russia announced Thursday it will hold huge naval drills in the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific and Mediterranean this month and February, at a time of heightened tensions with Western nations.

A Chinese satellite had a near collision with one of the many chunks of debris left by the fallout of a recent Russian anti-satellite missile test, state media reported.

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he expects Russia to "move in" on Ukraine but warned that Moscow will pay a stiff price for a full-blown invasion.

The White House vowed Wednesday that any Russian movement into Ukraine would face "severe" retaliation, after President Joe Biden appeared to suggest that a small-scale incursion would be met with a lesser pushback from NATO.

US President Joe Biden warned Wednesday that Russia would pay a stiff price for invading Ukraine, including a heavy human toll and deep harm to its economy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Kyiv Wednesday for crisis talks with Ukraine's leaders, as diplomatic efforts to dissuade Russia from attacking its pro-Western neighbour falter.

The United States is worried that the arrival of Russian troops in Belarus for exercises could lead to a permanent presence that might introduce nuclear weapons into the country, a senior State Department official told reporters Tuesday.