Nikol Pashinyan notes ‘objective problems’ in relations with Kremlin, but says they have not grown into a crisis.Armenia’s prime minister has accused a Moscow-dominated security alliance of leaving his country in the cold in the face of a threat of renewed hostilities with neighbouring Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been repeatedly critical of what he described as the failure of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, or CSTO, to protect member Armenia amid a standoff with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia, which has sought to preserve strong ties with its ally Armenia while also maintaining friendly relations with energy-rich Azerbaijan, has…
Author: National Tone
No claim of responsibility for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province attacks which took place as country carries out its seventh census.Islamabad, Pakistan – Two policemen accompanying population census teams have been killed in separate attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In one of the incidents, a group of attackers on Monday ambushed a police vehicle carrying nine men, Waqar Ahmed, the district police official of Tank district, told Al Jazeera. “There were 10 to 12 attackers who were hiding in a water channel, from which they started firing on our mobile. The police retaliated but one constable, Khan Nawab, died in…
The US government approved a major oil project in Alaska that supporters say represents an economic lifeline for Indigenous communities but environmentalists say is a disaster in the fight against global climate change. The decision on ConocoPhillips Alaska’s $8bn Willow project, in a federal oil reserve roughly the size of Indiana, was revealed on Monday. Here is what you need to know: What is the Willow project? The 30-year scheme aims to produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day — about 1.5 percent of total US oil production. Willow is currently the largest proposed oil project on US…
A 24-year-old man has been handed a three-year stadium ban from every stadium in the UK for racially abusing Brentford striker Ivan Toney.Antonio Neill, who sent the racist message to Toney over social media on October 14 last year, has also been handed a four-month sentence suspended for two years.Toney shared the abuse he received on his Instagram account, sparking a police investigation which found the suspect in Blyth.Neill pleaded guilty to sending an offensive message at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court in January before being sentenced on Monday.Brentford and Northumberland Police are describing this as a “landmark ruling” because it is…
It has been over a month since an armed group abducted Phillip Merthens, a New Zealand-born pilot, on February 7, 2023, in Indonesia’s Nduga, West Papua. The group is the West Papua Liberation Army. Known by the acronym TPNPB, it’s an armed wing of the Papua Liberation Movement (OPM). As local media reported, TPNPB, led by Egianus Kogoya, a local commander, stormed the Susi Air small plane after it landed, set it afire and took the pilot hostage. TPNPB then brought him to its stronghold area where it would use him as its “political leverage”. The military and police still…
The United Kingdom views China as representing an “epoch-defining challenge” to the world order and sees the UK and Europe’s security tied to Russia’s unsuccessful prosecution of its war on Ukraine, an update to the UK’s strategic foreign and defence policy blueprint states. In a “refresh” to the Integrated Review (IR) policy paper, the UK highlights the challenges posed by China and its deepening partnership with Russia, as well as Moscow’s growing cooperation with Iran. The 63-page report unveiled on Monday toughens the UK’s language and positioning towards Beijing and Moscow and stresses the systematic and existential threat that both…
Launches come as the US and S Korea carry out large-scale military exercises N Korea sees as rehearsals for invasion.North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast, its second show of strength this week, as South Korea and the United States conduct their biggest military exercises in years. The missiles were fired in a window of about 10 minutes from 7:41am local time on Tuesday morning (22:41 GMT Monday), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. “Our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance in preparation for additional launches, while maintaining a full readiness…
It is that time of year again. Millions of basketball fans across the United States are gearing up for several weeks of fast-paced competition to crown the next men’s collegiate basketball champions. Hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which administers university athletics in the US, the annual tournament — known as March Madness — officially begins later this week. It is one of the most anticipated sporting events in the US, and more than 18 million people tuned in to watch last year’s final, which saw the Kansas Jayhawks defeat the North Carolina Tarheels. Here is what you…
The Toronto Blue Jays assigned 12 players to their minor-league spring training camp on Monday, after defeating the Boston Red Sox 16-3 in Grapefruit League play. The most notable name was left-handed pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann, who was shut down for a few days with left shoulder soreness, according to manager John Schneider on Monday. Tiedemann was re-assigned along with left-handed pitchers Jimmy Burnette and Jimmy Robbins, as well as righties Hayden Juenger and Sem Robberse. They were joined by outfielder Cam Eden and catcher Jamie Ritchie. Optioned were RHP Yosver Zulueta and RHP Hagen Danner, as well as infielders…
Ukraine has said that Russia’s proposal to extend the wartime grain export deal for 60 days goes against the agreement between the two countries. A Russian delegation announced on Monday that Moscow was ready to extend the Ukraine grain export deal following talks with the United Nations – but only for a further 60 days. The United Nations said in a statement that it “notes” the Russian announcement about the extension and reaffirmed its support for the deal struck in July as “part of the global response to the most severe cost-of-living crisis in a generation”. Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr…