A string of top officials including the Georgian ambassadors to Italy, the Netherlands and Lithuania have resigned in protest at the move, as well as Deputy Foreign Minister Temur Janjali. “What we see is this resistance has really gone beyond previous public demonstrations,” said Tinatin Akhvlediani, a senior researcher with the EU foreign policy unit … Read more
The unrest followed a turbulent Thursday night when police used water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse crowds after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party announced the suspension. President Salome Zourabichvili joined protesters on Thursday, accusing the government of declaring “war” on its own people. The interior ministry said … Read more
Merkel has also called to explore a diplomatic solution to the war at some point, though the leadership in Ukraine says that Moscow cannot be trusted to negotiate in good faith. “It is not only in the interest of Ukraine, but also in our interest that Putin does not win this war,” Merkel told German … Read more
Eleven survivors, plus two witnesses, testified that only 26 men survived the ordeal. POLITICO published a summary of a survey that identified 97 victims, and listed their causes of death as suffocation, being beaten to death, being shot, being “disappeared” — taken away and presumably executed — and missing, presumed dead after last being seen … Read more
The U.S., meanwhile, declined to join a coalition including the European Union, Canada, Mexico, the U.K. and Norway that promised during the conference to embrace “ambitious” new climate plans by early next year. U.S. officials did not explain their absence from the effort, even though the Biden administration had helped orchestrate the pledge. Broadly, nations arrived unwilling to … Read more
This marks the second time in a year that Baltic Sea infrastructure — which includes communications cables and energy pipelines such as Nord Stream — has been damaged, raising concerns over security and sabotage. Another telecom cable in the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island was damaged Sunday morning, telecom company Telia Lietuva, … Read more
Rebalancing climate finance to increase and ‘ring fence’ investment and incentives across the full agri-food value chain – including in the hidden middle – is critical to stimulate momentum in food systems transformation and to simultaneously strengthen food security. This is particularly true for small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for most of the sector’s businesses.[7] … Read more
It’s unclear whether Russia has carried through with the threat, Euronews reported on Saturday. Gazprom is sending gas to Europe via Ukraine at normal levels, Bloomberg reported on Saturday. Nehammer said on Friday that Austria has a secure supply of alternative fuel and that “no one will freeze this winter, no home will be cold.” … Read more
Brantner wants to “make Green great again,” she said, adapting the slogan of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, whom she has criticized as a threat to global climate policy. Brantner will remain state secretary in the German economy ministry, headed by Robert Habeck, Germany’s vice chancellor. He is expected to be nominated as the Green Party’s … Read more
“I do not consider it possible to achieve those goals within the timeframe we have set. It’s greatly challenging — without having made progress on major issues related to competitiveness,” Christodoulides said without elaborating, according to the report. Nearly 200 countries are gathered in Baku, with a primary goal of agreeing on a new target … Read more
