Russian military deployment on the borders with Ukraine.
The West accuses Russia of having massed 100,000 soldiers near Ukraine's borders, while Russia has denied any plans to invade and has accused NATO countries of using belligerent rhetoric
#BREAKING Russia says joint military drills with Belarus begin amid Ukraine tensions
#UPDATE Russia and Belarus launch joint military drills aimed at "suppressing and repelling external aggression" -- raising concerns in Western countries that Moscow is plotting a major escalation in the conflict in Ukraine.
The exercises are scheduled to continue to February 20
#BREAKING Ukraine leader calls Russia-Belarus military drills 'psychological pressure'
#BREAKING France denounces 'violent' Russian military exercises in Belarus
#BREAKING NATO chief says Russia's Ukraine deployment 'dangerous moment for European security'
#UPDATE NATO's chief has warned that Russia's deployment for a military exercise in Belarus and on the borders of Ukraine marks a "dangerous moment" for European security
VIDEO: Russia's deployment for a military exercise in Belarus and on the borders of Ukraine marks a "dangerous moment for European security", NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says during a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
#UPDATE Russia and Belarus launched joint military drills on Thursday that heightened tensions and added urgency to diplomatic efforts by NATO leaders to avert a feared invasion of Ukraine u.afp.com/wgZJ
#BREAKING US, Belarus army chiefs have spoken to avoid drill 'miscalculation': Pentagon
#UPDATE US and Belarusian defense chiefs have held rare telephone talks to avoid a "miscalculation" during Russia-Belarus joint military drills, the Pentagon said Thursday, at a time of heightened tensions over the Kremlin's massing of troops near Ukraine
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#UPDATE A referendum on Moldova joining the EU passed with a razor-thin majority on Monday as pro-Brussels President Maia Sandu blamed the outcome on foreign meddling in a veiled reference to Russia, which denied the accusations ➡️ u.afp.com/5zL7
BREAKING France's high-speed train system disrupted by vandalism: operator
#UPDATE Hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris #Olympics , France's high-speed rail network has been hit by "malicious acts" including arson attacks that have disrupted the transport system, train operator SNCF says.
"This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyse the TGV network," SNCF told @AFP, adding that many routes will have to be cancelled and the situation would last "at least all weekend while repairs are conducted"
BREAKING The arson attacks on France's high-speed rail network were coordinated acts of "sabotage", a source close to the investigation tells @AFP
#BREAKING 104 police, 30 journalists among injured in Bangladesh clashes: TV
#UPDATE Protesters in Bangladesh set fire to several government buildings during a day of deadly nationwide clashes between students and riot officers, a police statement said.
"The miscreants have already torched, vandalised and carried out destructive activities," on the offices of state broadcaster BTV and the national disaster management agency along with "various" police and government buildings, said the statement, issued after a nationwide internet shutdown
Bangladesh wakes to torched government buildings, internet blackout.
This week's unrest has killed at least 39 people including 32 on Thursday, with the toll expected to rise further after reports of clashes in nearly half of the country's 64 districts
#BREAKING Biden says still considers Xi a 'dictator'
#UPDATE US President Joe Biden said after a summit with Xi Jinping that he still considers the Chinese president a "dictator", after he sparked fury from Beijing by making the comparison earlier this year.
"Well look he is, I mean he's a dictator in the sense that he's a guy who's running a country, a Communist country, that's based on a form of government totally different than ours," Biden said at the end of a news conference when a reporter asked if he would still use the term to describe Xi
#BREAKING China will not begin armed conflict with any nation, President Xi Jinping said Wednesday, after a high-stakes summit with US President Joe Biden.
"China does not seek spheres of influence, and will not fight a cold or hot war with any country," he told a gathering of business leaders in San Francisco
#BREAKING Any compromise with Russia will 'destroy' Ukrainian statehood: presidential aide to AFP
#BREAKING Putin says West used grain deal for 'political blackmail'
VIDEO: Ukrainian firefighters battle flames after a Russian strike on Odesa.
Ukraine's president accused Russia of deliberately targeting grain export infrastructure in the city after Moscow ended a landmark deal and lifted security guarantees in the Black Sea