Times Of Harvard

Mali called on France Wednesday to “restrain itself” from delivering “unfriendly and derogatory” remarks against the military government of the West African country. The “unfriendly and derogatory remarks” are likely to “harm the development of friendly relations between the nations,” the Malian Foreign Ministry said in a brief message to Anadolu Agency . The statement came after the Malian Foreign Ministry Tuesday summoned the French ambassador to Bamako to express its “displeasure” after French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the Malian government. The verbal exchange was sparked by Macron’s remarks on Mali last Thursday, made on the sidelines of the Africa 2020 event at the Elysee Palace – where he questioned the legitimacy of the current government in Mali. “We presided over the national tribute to Sergeant Maxime Blasco (a French soldier killed in Mali on Sept. 24) and he is buried among his own. What the Malian prime minister said is unacceptable. This is a disgrace. And it

NATO canceled the accreditation of eight members of the Russian mission on Wednesday, saying they were "undeclared Russian intelligence officers." A NATO official said the alliance reduced the number of positions Russia can accredit from 20 to 10. Noting that NATO's policy to Russia remains consistent, the official said: "We have strengthened our deterrence and defense in response to Russia's aggressive actions, while at the same time we remain open for a meaningful dialogue." According to Russian news agency Interfax , Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian lower house of parliament's international affairs committee, said: "Moscow would retaliate." Relations between NATO and Russia have been strained, especially after the country’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny last year. NATO canceled the accreditation of seven Russian officials in 2018 for the poisoning of former Russi

British police investigating the killing of a 28-year-old woman in London said Thursday they are probing whether she was attacked by a stranger, in a case that sparked new concerns for the safety of women walking the capital's streets. The Metropolitan Police are calling for information over the killing of primary school teacher Sabina Nessa on Sept. 17 in Kidbrooke, southeast London. Detectives believe she was attacked during what would have been a five-minute walk through a local park on her way to meet a friend at a pub. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said authorities are recruiting more police officers and had introduced a strategy to tackle violence against women and girls earlier this year. London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Thursday described the violence against women as a national “epidemic." “We have to got give this issue the same seriousness we give other issues,” he told ITV. More than 180 women have been killed by men across England from March 2020,

 In the shadow of a fortified Capitol, a few hundred demonstrators turned up Saturday for a rally to support those charged in January’s riot, but were vastly outnumbered by the media and a heavy police presence. U.S. Capitol Police were taking no chances, with hundreds of officers brought into Washington in an effort to avoid a repeat of the pre-inauguration attack. The fence around the Capitol was put back up, the city police force was fully activated and Capitol Police requested assistance from the National Guard. There were a few scuffles as the rally started and one person was arrested for carrying a knife, police said, but no major incidents were reported early on. Still, law enforcement officials remained on edge, concerned about the possibility of violent protesters and counterprotesters. Police were also preparing for the possibility that some demonstrators may arrive with weapons, though backpacks were allowed into the area and there were no checkpoints.  The rally was ringed

Just one month ago, President Joe Biden and his health advisers announced big plans to soon deliver a booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine to all Americans. But after campaigning for the White House on a pledge to “follow the science,” Biden found himself uncharacteristically ahead of it with that lofty pronouncement. Some of the nation’s top medical advisers on Friday delivered a stinging rebuke of the idea, in essence telling the White House: not so fast. A key government advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected Biden’s plan to give COVID-19 booster shots across the board and instead recommended the extra vaccine dose only for those who are age 65 or older or who run a high risk of severe disease. Biden’s Aug. 18 announcement that the federal government was preparing to shore up nearly all Americans’ protection had been made with great fanfare. It was meant to calm the nerves of millions of Americans fearful of a new, more transmissible strain of the coronavirus. “The plan is for ev

 China is prepared to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan if it succeeds in toppling the Western-backed government in Kabul, U.S. News has learned, a prospect that undercuts the Biden administration's remaining source of leverage over the insurgent network as it continues its startling campaign to regain control. Beijing has publicly pressured the Taliban to continue working toward a peace agreement with President Ashraf Ghani's government – an outcome China appears to genuinely prefer and one the U.S. has pressed with growing urgency. However, new Chinese military and intelligence assessments of the realities on the ground in Afghanistan have prompted leaders in the Chinese Communist Party to prepare to formalize their relationship with the insurgent network, according to multiple U.S. and foreign intelligence sources familiar with the Chinese assessments. The move comes as the Taliban has been routing Afghan forces – as of Thursday afternoon it had ov