Here are some of the top stories to start your day: Amid tensions with Russia, US President Joe Biden said he would be moving a small number of troops to eastern Europe even as top US general Mark Miley said the consequences of going to war with Russia would be “horrific” for both sides. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has cancelled US $130 million military aid to Egypt raising concerns over human rights violations.
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US President Biden to move troops to eastern Europe amid Russia tensions
US Joint chiefs chairman General Mark Milley, however, warned of consequences adding that a conflict over Ukraine would lead to a “significant amount of casualties” and it would be “horrific” and “terrible”. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said there was still “space for diplomacy” while adding that “conflict is not inevitable”.
Over human rights concerns, US cancels USD 130 million military aid to Egypt
On Friday, the State Department of the US said that Egypt had not met the conditions to receive the USD 130 million in foreign military financing, which has been on hold since September. The money would be shifted to other programmes, it said, without elaborating.
BA.2 subvariant more transmissible than original Omicron: Scientists
The Omicron variant BA.2 also known as a “stealth Omicron” has surged in UK and Denmark. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the BA.2 has increased in “proportion” to the original Omicron strain even as the US reported 127 new BA.2 cases.
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