Moscow’s move comes a day after the Warsaw government delivered its first Leopard tanks to Ukraine.Russia has halted oil supplies to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline, the chief executive of Polish refiner PKN Orlen says, adding that the company would tap alternative sources to plug the gap. The supply halt via the pipeline – exempted from EU sanctions imposed on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine – came a day after Poland delivered its first Leopard tanks to Ukraine. “We’re effectively securing supplies. Russia has halted supplies to Poland, for which we are prepared. Only 10 percent of crude…
Author: National Tone
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek was upset by Barbora Krejcikova 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Dubai Championships on Saturday. Krejcikova closed the tournament by beating the top three players in the WTA rankings: No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, then Swiatek. No. 8 Daria Kasaktina was also overcome in the second round. The Czech is the fifth woman in the Open era to beat the world’s top three at the same event. “It’s a big achievement and I think it’s going to give me a lot…
Jimmy Keohane rescued a point as Rochdale scored a late leveller to earn a 1-1 League Two draw at 10-man Crewe.Rio Adebisi made up for a poor first-half miss by heading the Railwaymen in front in the second half. But bottom club Dale were pressing for a winner after Keohane’s effort, which was followed by Connor O’Riordan’s dismissal.Goalkeeper James Beadle kept out the visitors in the opening minutes on his home debut on loan from Brighton, tipping Owen Dodgson’s drive onto the crossbar and reacting to block Ian Henderson’s rebound.The 18-year-old also pushed a Danny Lloyd effort around the post.…
In October last year, the Iraqi parliament approved a new government with a mandate to jump-start political reforms. Among its priorities is the amendment of Iraq’s problematic constitution. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani made the first step in this process by appointing Hassan al-Yasseri as his constitutional adviser. Meanwhile, the parliament has announced that it will form a constitutional revision committee. This will not be the first time that Iraq attempts to reform its constitution since it entered into force in 2005. Constitutional revision committees were formed in 2009 and 2019, but both of those efforts petered out, mainly as a result of a failure to build…
President Kais Saied claimed migration from sub-Saharan Africa was aimed at changing his country’s demographic makeup.The African Union (AU) has criticised Tunisia and urged it to avoid “racialised hate speech” following President Kais Saied’s comments directed at migrants from elsewhere on the continent. Saied ordered the expulsion of undocumented migrants from Tunisia on Tuesday, saying immigration was a plot aimed at changing his country’s demographic composition. Local rights activists condemned his comments, calling them “racist”. In a statement issued late on Friday, the AU Commission said it had called Tunisia’s representative for an urgent meeting to register “deep shock and…
Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Putin, will make a state visit to China from February 28 to March 2.Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will visit China on February 28 for a state visit, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Saturday. Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has backed Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, with Belarus dependent on its neighbour both financially and politically. “At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will pay a state visit to China from February 28 to March 2,” spokesperson Hua Chunying said. Last September,…
Jack Tudor produced a stunning ride on the well-backed Kitty’s Light to make it back-to-back Eider Chase victories for trainer Christian Williams.Sent off the 7/4 favourite after looking well treated for the marathon four-mile-and-one-furlong test at Newcastle, Kitty’s Light came from well back after a shuddering error left Tudor’s saddle out of place. Despite the obvious inconvenience, Tudor never gave up as he drew alongside Ben Jones on The Galloping Bear. Stamina then came to the fore as Kitty’s Light battled past, giving Williams another day to remember after Win My Wings took the famous prize 12 months ago before…
Elections for the Nigerian presidency and both houses of the federal parliament are being held across the country’s 36 states, in what is set to be the sixth successive civilian-to-civilian transition of power since a return to democracy in 1999. Eighteen candidates are jostling to succeed Muhammadu Buhari, who steps down as president in May, having served out two four-year terms. But only four are considered frontrunners: Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the leading opposition People’s Democratic Party, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party…
Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia have finally announced their long awaited showdown in Las Vegas on April 22.After months of prolonged negotiations, two of the most exciting talents in American boxing will share the ring as they put their unbeaten records and proud reputations at stake. The venue for the fight in Vegas is still to be confirmed, with the MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena being considered, although organisers have explored the possibility of bringing it to Allegiant Stadium, the home of NFL franchise the Las Vegas Raiders.Davis, 28, and Garcia, 24, will meet at a contracted catch…
The Salvadoran government has been accused of widespread abuses as it waives civil liberties to combat gang activity.The Central American nation of El Salvador has transferred 2,000 people accused of gang membership to a recently opened “mega-prison”. The transfer comes after a wave of anti-gang operations in which police swept up more than 64,000 people and key civil liberties were suspended. In a Twitter post on Friday, President Nayib Bukele celebrated the arrival of the alleged gang members at the prison, which has space for 40,000 people and is said to be the largest in the Americas. “At dawn, in…