NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Monday pledged the alliance’s support for Ukraine as it faces a bloody insurgency by pro-Russian separatists in its eastern regions. More than 10,000 people have been killed since a Russian-backed rebellion against the pro-EU government in Kiev erupted in April 2014. Ukraine and the West accuse Moscow of smuggling weapons and troops across the porous border, a charge it denies. “Russia has maintained its aggressive […]

Nato has condemned Russia’s move to strengthen its nuclear arsenal, saying it amounted to “nuclear sabre-rattling” and was “unjustified” and “dangerous”. President Vladimir Putin said Russia would put more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles into service this year. It is part of a wide-reaching programme to modernise the country’s military. The move comes after the US proposed increasing its military presence in Nato states in Eastern Europe. Tensions are […]

KABUL: Suicide bombers targeted Afghanistan’s intelligence agency and other security forces in four coordinated attacks in the heart of Kabul and outlying areas yesterday, officials said, a bloody reminder of the insurgency’s reach nearly 12 years into the war. The brazen assaults, which occurred within a three hour timespan, were the latest to strike Afghan forces, who have suffered higher casualties this year as US and other foreign troops gradually […]