The two Western organisations are moving to work more closely together, a development the Kremlin has ridiculed.A day after committing to stronger ties in the wake of the Ukraine war, NATO and the European Union launched a task force aimed at boosting the protection of critical infrastructure. Announcing the move on Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said there was a need to “confront” a new type of threat following last year’s attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines and Moscow’s “weaponising of energy”. “Our experts from NATO and the European Union will work hand-in-hand to identify key…
Author: National Tone
German police have begun clearing climate protesters out of an abandoned village in a showdown over the expansion of a coal mine. On Wednesday morning, officers in riot gear moved into Luetzerath, where hundreds of activists have been holed up trying to stop the expansion of the nearby Garzweiler coal mine run by energy firm RWE. Activists have for the past two years attempted to protect the village from being bulldozed to make way for the opencast lignite mine, in a standoff that highlights the tensions around Germany’s climate policy. Environmentalists say bulldozing Luetzerath would result in huge amounts of greenhouse…
Romeo Beckham, son of former England captain David, made his debut for Brentford B on Tuesday night in a London Senior Cup match at ninth-tier side Erith & Belvedere.His father watched on in south-east London, hidden under the hood of a black raincoat, as Romeo came on as a second-half substitute with the Bees 2-1 down, before a late comeback saw them win 3-2. A club-record 554 fans were in attendance as the 20-year-old whipped in a dangerous cross from the right wing – acknowledged by the home side’s Twitter account – and also came close to scoring as he…
In early December 2022, after months of violence and uncertainty, the UN mission in Sudan announced the signing of a “framework agreement” between the country’s military and political parties. The deal is aimed at ending a standoff between the two sides triggered by a coup in October 2021. A product of international mediation led by the US, the framework agreement supposedly provides for a two-year, “civilian-led” transition towards elections. It is true that after the 2021 coup, which triggered a new episode of violent repression that already claimed the lives of some 120 protesters, Sudan desperately needs to find its way…
Novak Djokovic suffered an injury scare ahead of the Australian Open with a hamstring twinge forcing him to cut short a practice match with Daniil Medvedev.The 21-time Grand Slam champion, who missed last year’s Australian Open after being deported due to his vaccination status, played just one set against Medvedev before withdrawing. Djokovic lasted a little under 40 minutes on Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, in what marked his first appearance in Melbourne since being forced to leave the country last year. Image: Djokovic won the Adelaide International 1 last week The Serb, seeded No 4 for this month’s major in…
British pair Jodie Burrage and Lily Miyazaki breezed into the final round of qualifying for the Australian Open as they aim to join Emma Raducanu and Harriet Dart in the main women’s singles draw.World No 128 Burrage beat Czech player Barbora Palicova 6-1 6-2 to set up a meeting with France’s Selena Janicijevic. World No 178 Miyazaki overcame South Korea’s Jang Su-jeong 6-4 7-6 (7-2) and will next face American Coco Vandeweghe.A third Briton, Katie Boulter, plays Russian Polina Kudermetova later on Wednesday.Raducanu remains hopeful she will be fit for the Australian Open, which runs from January 16-29. The British…
Tigrayan rebels have begun handing in their heavy weapons, a key part of an agreement signed more than two months ago to end a gruelling conflict in northern Ethiopia, a spokesman for the rebel authorities said. The handover in the town of Agulae, about 30km (18 miles) northeast of the regional capital Mekelle, was overseen by a monitoring team comprising members of the two sides and a regional body, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The terms of a peace agreement signed on November 2 include disarming rebel forces, restoring federal authority in Tigray and reopening access and communications to…
Eastern Ukrainian town renowned for its salt mines has been the centre of days of fierce fighting.The head of Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group has claimed to have secured control of the salt mining town of Soledar in Ukraine’s east, but uncertainty remains amid continued battles in the city centre. Soledar has been the focus of days of intense fighting as Russia has viewed it as key to its campaign for the nearby strategic city of Bakhmut and Ukraine’s larger eastern Donbas region. It was not possible to verify the conditions on the ground, and Ukrainian officials have not commented on…
A judge in Nicaragua has ruled on Tuesday that a Catholic bishop, known for criticising the government of President Daniel Ortega, will stand trial on charges of conspiracy and spreading false information. Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who serves the inland diocese of Matagalpa, has been under house arrest since August, in what international rights groups consider an attempt to stifle dissent. Ortega has a history of detaining members of the opposition, and he has previously attacked the Catholic Church as a “perfect dictatorship”, denouncing its priests as “killers” and “coup plotters”. Álvarez’s arrest and prosecution come as part of a years-long…
The deepening political crisis in Haiti has come into renewed focus as the country’s only remaining senators saw their terms expire overnight, an alarming development in a country beset by surging gang violence and instability. The Senate was Haiti’s last democratically elected institution, though its ranks had been reduced to just 10 after the country failed to hold legislative elections in 2019 to fill vacant seats. Those 10 senators represented a country of nearly 12 million people. But as their terms expired overnight on Tuesday, the Caribbean country has been left without a single legislator in its House or Senate.…