Month: December 2023

Niger’s junta on Monday scrapped two key military agreements that the West African nation signed with the European Union to help fight the violence in Africa’s Sahel region as the country’s army leaders and a senior Russian defense official discussed military cooperation. Before the coup that deposed the country’s president, Mohamed Bazoum, Niger had been the West and Europe’s last major security partner in the Sahel, the vast region south of the Sahara Desert that Islamic extremist groups have turned into the global terror hot spot. In a memo, Niger’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the government has decided to “withdraw …

READ MORE

Envoys from the European Union’s 27 member countries will meet on Tuesday to start debating whether to launch membership talks with Ukraine, officials and diplomats said, something Hungary has threatened to block and others to saddle with more conditions.  The meeting marks the start of preparations among the 27 for a December 14-15 summit of the EU’s leaders that is due to decide on integration prospects for Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia.  The European Commission, the EU executive, has proposed that the summit agree to start negotiations with Ukraine — possibly in March or once Kyiv meets final conditions — …

READ MORE

The French parliament is considering a ban on single-use, disposable electronic cigarettes that are popular with teenagers for their sweet flavors and are under scrutiny as a new source of trash.  The ban, supported by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau, aims to protect the health of youths and mitigate the environmental impacts of the increasingly popular disposable products known as “puffs.”  The National Assembly was expected to vote on the measure Monday night. If passed, it would then move to the Senate and could go into effect by September 2024.  Disposable e-cigarettes are small, battery-powered devices …

READ MORE

As a second wartime winter arrives in Ukraine, the country is working to ensure this one will not be as difficult as last year’s, when Russian attacks caused severe damage to the power grid and heat delivery systems. Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. VOA footage by Eugene Shynkar. Video editor: Rod James. …

READ MORE

Military-ruled Burkina Faso on Saturday suspended “all distribution methods” of Le Monde daily after an article on a deadly jihadi attack in the north, in the latest measure against a French media organization. “The government has decided to suspend all distribution methods of the newspaper Le Monde in Burkina Faso starting from Saturday, December 2, 2023,” Communication Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo said in a statement. He criticized a “biased article,” referring to a story published on Le Monde’s website Friday about a bloody jihadi attack on a military base in Djibo on November 26. The United Nations says at …

READ MORE

Britain is continuing its efforts to have migrants seeking asylum in Britain sent instead to Rwanda to seek asylum there.  In the latest version, Britain would have British lawyers stationed in Rwandan courts to alleviate British concerns about the workings of the system in Rwanda.   Britain’s Supreme Court has already ruled that an earlier government plan to send asylum seekers to the East African country is illegal.  But that has not stopped some politicians from trying to devise a new way to implement the Rwanda plan.  Reports say Home Secretary James Cleverly is to fly to Rwanda this week to …

READ MORE

The White House warned Monday that U.S. resources for providing aid to Ukraine will run out by the end of the year unless Congress acts. “This isn’t a next year problem,” White House budget director Shalanda Young wrote in a letter to House and Senate leaders.  “The time to help a democratic Ukraine fight against Russian aggression is right now. It is time for Congress to act.” Young said nearly all of the $111 billion allocated to assist Ukraine had been used.  The largest pool of the money was used for military aid, while others were dedicated for economic and …

READ MORE

Many Western arms companies failed to ramp up production in 2022 despite a strong increase in demand for weapons and military equipment, a watchdog group said Monday, adding that labor shortages, soaring costs and supply chain disruptions had been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In its Top 100 of such firms, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, said the arms revenue of the world’s largest arms-producing and military services companies last year stood at $597 billion — a 3.5% drop from 2021. “Many arms companies faced obstacles in adjusting to production for high-intensity warfare,” said Lucie Beraud-Sudreau, …

READ MORE