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Category: Foreign

  • Ukraine, Moldova talks to join EU begins June 25

    Ukraine, Moldova talks to join EU begins June 25

    Talks

    Brussels, June 21, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova  joining the European Union will begin on June 25, the Belgian Government announced on Friday.

    Belgium, which is acting on behalf of EU member-states until the end of this month, said on X that ministers had approved plans for talks with the two countries.

    This would allow the negotiations to begin next week.

    Ukraine and Moldova applied for EU membership after Russia’s full-scale invasion of the former in February 2022.

    Moldova, like its larger neighbour, Ukraine, has a breakaway region called Transnistria that aligns itself to Russia.

    The start of talks does not mean the two countries would be joining the EU any time soon.

    The Belgian Presidency said that every step of the process would require unanimous agreement among current member-states.

    It said that several other countries had been waiting longer.

    EU leaders formally recognised Ukraine and Moldova as candidates for membership in June 2023.

    They granted candidate status to Georgia in December 2023.

    The other official candidates are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.

    The last country to be admitted into the EU was Croatia, which joined in 2013.

    Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007, and 10 countries joined in 2004. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Ijeoma Popoola

  • Belarus begins major military drills near Poland, Ukraine and Russia

    Belarus begins major military drills near Poland, Ukraine and Russia
    Drills
    Moscow, June 21, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Russia’s close ally Belarus has initiated major military manoeuvres in two regions: one bordering Poland and the other near Russia, both of which also border Ukraine.

    The Ministry of Defence in Minsk did not provide any information on the number of soldiers and technology involved on Friday.

    It was reported, in a ministry statement on Instagram, that operational command units, special forces, missile troops, artillery, air force and air defence were involved.

    In the first part of the exercise, the troops were to be deployed to the specified manoeuvre areas and fortify their positions there. After that, the actual combat exercises were to begin, the ministry stated.

    Training areas were named in the Brest region on Belarus’ western border with Poland and in the Gomel region in the east on the border with Russia. Both regions also border Ukraine from the north.

    Belarus is closely allied with Russia under the authoritarian leadership of Lukashenko, who has become increasingly dependent on Putin to sustain his regime.

    It’s only with Russian help that he held onto power following falsifications in the 2020 presidential election and mass protests.

    Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with its forces also attacking from Belarus with Lukashenko’s support. Moscow has stationed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.(dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

     

  • Ukraine says over 52,000 troops trained by EU

    Ukraine says over 52,000 troops trained by EU
    Troops
    Kiev, June 21, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Over 52,000 Ukrainian troops have been trained under the European Union Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM), local media reported on Friday.
    Ukrainian soldiers, sergeants and officers have participated in the training programme, according to the country’s defense ministry.
    Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Balanutsa urged the EU to extend the training mission as the Ukrainian army is forming new brigades.
    The two-year EUMAM was launched on Nov. 15, 2022.
    The mission includes training on demining, medical assistance, maintenance and repair, among others, and is conducted on the EU’s soil. (Xinhua/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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    Edited by Ummul Idris and Abiemwense Moru

  • FG, EU to strengthen cooperation, regional agreements 

     

    Cooperation

    By Maureen Okon

    Abuja, June 21, 2024 (NAN) The Federal Government says it is committed to ensuring that its relations with the EU continues to evolve by actively promoting partnership in all facets of their cooperation.

    The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, communicated this at a reception held on Friday in Abuja to receive the 11 EU ambassadors to West Africa who arrived from Brussels.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ambassadors were received by Ms Samuela Isopi, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS at her residence in Abuja.

    Speaking to the guests, Bagudu, reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to advancing regional cooperation in areas of rule of law, democracy, climate change, migration, amongst others to make life better for the citizenry.

    The Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jamila Ibrahim, said that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to empowering young people with the view of making them the catalysts for economic development in the country.

    She said that one the approved laudable policies and initiatives to be implemented by the administration was 30 per cent inclusion of youths in government.

    “The launch of the presidential initiative on youth enterprise clusters to make young people the drivers of the economy and improve their access to finances is commendable,” she said.

    Earlier, Isopi said that the essence of the gathering was to foster partnerships and strengthen ties.

    NAN reports that the 11 ambassadors are expected to hold series of meetings with the Nigerian government and communities during their visit. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

     

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    Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo

     

  • Russia reports Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refinery, Crimean port

    Russia reports Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refinery, Crimean port

    Attacks
    Moscow, June 21, 2024 (dpa/NAN) One person died and several were injured during Ukrainian drone attacks overnight against an oil refinery in southern Russia and also the Crimea, Russian authorities said on Friday.

    Two people were injured in the refinery attack in the Krasnodar region, the state news agency TASS reported, citing the regional crisis response centre.

    The fire has since been extinguished, it said.

    Another drone attack in the region caused damage to the bus station in the town of Yuzhny and an industrial plant in the city of Krasnodar on Friday morning.

    One boiler house worker was killed and at least four people were injured by falling drone debris, according to the report.

    A total of 114 Ukrainian drones were shot down in the combined attacks, 70 of them over the Crimea and the Sea of Azov alone.

    The Ministry of Defence in Moscow said.

    Several Ukrainian remote-controlled boats with explosives were also reportedly destroyed.

    The information could not be independently verified. Previously, the Russian side has omitted to confirm actual damage in attacks that it claimed to have repelled.

    On this occasion, drones targeting the Crimean port city of Sevastopol were successfully downed.

    According to the Russian-appointed governor Mikhail Rasvozhayev.

    A drone was also reportedly shot down over Russia’s southern Volgograd region, which is far away from Ukraine.

    For its part, Russia targeted Ukraine with four cruise missiles overnight but all of them were intercepted, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Friday.

    Russia has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. Kyiv has since received extensive military aid from Western allies to maintain its defensive campaign.

    In an attempt to disrupt Russian military supplies, Ukraine also began to attack targets on Russian territory, especially oil refineries and transport infrastructure.

    With Western help, the country has also significantly expanded its own drone production.(dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

     

  • China says EU to blame for escalating trade frictions

    China says EU to blame for escalating trade frictions
    Trade
    Beijing, June 21, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN)  China’s commerce ministry on Friday said the European Union (EU) is to blame for escalating trade frictions, which could lead to a “trade war.”
    “The responsibility lies solely with the EU side,” the ministry said in a statement commenting on concerns from the European side over possible escalations of trade frictions.
    China does not want to see the ongoing trade frictions with the EU, the ministry stressed, pointing out that it was the European side that “regrettably” kept provoking trade disputes.
    Since the beginning of this year, the EU imposed 31 restrictive trade and investment measures against China, 25 of which were trade remedies, seriously undermining China-EU economic and trade cooperation, according to the ministry.
    Meanwhile, China has demonstrated an open and cooperative attitude and explicitly sought to solve the issues through dialogue and consultation, said the ministry.
    China has always followed the rules of the World Trade Organisation and used trade remedy measures with prudence and restraint, it said.
    In face of the EU’s protectionism, China is determined to safeguard its legitimate and lawful interests, and hopes the EU will handle the differences through dialogues and prevent trade frictions from escalating, the ministry noted. (Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannes.ng)
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    Edited by Ummul Idris/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

  • European Commission approves German subsidies for hydrogen pipelines

     

    Subsidies

    Brussels, June 21, 2024 (dpa/NAN) The European Commission has given Germany permission to invest about three billion Euros in its hydrogen infrastructure to build long-distance pipelines.

    The commission on Friday said that the positive effects of the government subsidies would be greater than the potential damage that could be caused by distortions of competition.

    Germany and other countries are investing in hydrogen as a potentially climate-friendly fuel for use in industry and transport.

    The European Union generally has strict rules about state support for companies through direct subsidies or tax benefits.

    The rules are aimed at ensuring companies from different EU countries can compete fairly within the bloc’s single market.

    The European Commission monitors compliance with these rules.

    So-called “green” hydrogen produced using renewable energy from wind and solar power is intended to replace fossil fuels such as diesel for trucks or coal in blast furnaces for steel production.

    The first major pipeline in Germany is due to go into operation in 2025, and a complete core network should be ready by 2032.

    In concrete terms, companies are to be supported in the form of state guarantees, through which they can obtain favourable loans.

    This could cover losses that are expected at the start of the project. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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    Edited by Ummul Idris/Ese E. Eniola Williams

     

  • German environmental groups warn against cuts to climate funding

    German environmental groups warn against cuts to climate funding

    Warning

    Berlin, June 21, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Environmental groups are demanding that the German Government should not cut funding for efforts to address climate change, amid tough negotiations over a reduced 2025 budget.

    In a joint appeal published on Friday, several large advocacy groups appealed to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck not to allow the cutbacks.

    They said this based on “necessary investments in greenhouse gas neutrality” as well as international funding for climate initiatives.

    They argued that the investments now would prove to be far cheaper than the eventual cost of having failed to address climate change.

    The letter was signed by the leaders of the German League for Nature and Environment (DNR), the German Association for Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND).

    The Environmental Action Germany (DUH), Germanwatch, Greenpeace Germany and the Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) are all parts.

    Scholz’s three-party coalition is locked in difficult negotiations over the 2025 draft government budget, which included deep proposed cuts at several ministries to address large budget shortfalls.

    Finance Minister Christian Lindner, a leader of the pro-business liberal Free Democrats (FDP), has insisted that the government must abide by strict rules against government borrowing and deficit spending.

    “The current negotiations for the 2025 federal budget will not only decide whether social cohesion can be maintained.

    ”They will also decide whether Germany can achieve its climate targets, which are binding under international law,” the letter said.

    The letter also criticised the tight budget restrictions, arguing that failing to make “necessary investments in the climate-neutral transition” now would also endanger Germany’s economy. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Bashir Rabe Mani

  • Father held after suspected grenade kills child on Croatia holiday

    Father held after suspected grenade kills child on Croatia holiday

    SuspectA

    Prague, June 21, 2024 (dpa/NAN) A child from the Czech Republic died instantly when a hand grenade apparently exploded in a car during a family holiday in Croatia, police in the Balkan country said on Friday.

    The 46-year-old father of the child, who was around nine years old, was taken into custody after the incident on Wednesday, according to a police report.

    Two women were seriously injured, as well as the child’s father, who suffered minor injuries.

    Among other infractions, he has been accused of committing a serious violation of public safety.

    According to the report, the man ignored warning signs in Croatian and English and entered the marked danger zone of a military training area near the town of Knin with family members.

    He let the child take a device, probably a hand grenade, that it had found into the car “in the reckless belief that there would be no undesirable and life-threatening consequences.”

    The vehicle later had to stop in the central town of Bilišane due to a breakdown.

    The explosive charge detonated as the child attempted to remove it from the car.

    Police are investigating the incident at both locations.(dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Bashir Rabe Mani

  • Germany’s state governments look to trim radio programming

    Germany’s state governments look to trim radio programming

    Programme

    Berlin, June 21, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Germany’s state-level governments want the public broadcasting system to cut down number of radio programmes as part of a broader reform.

    This is aimed at making the system more cost-efficient.

    The coordinator of Germany’s Broadcasting Commission of the Federal States, Heike Raab, told dpa on Friday.

    He said that there have been discussions about consolidating special-interest public television channels and limiting the number of smartphone apps operated by the public broadcasters.

    He said the Germany, public broadcasting is funded by a fee charged to households and is governed under a treaty between all 16 German states.

    The broadcasting commission, controlled by the states, determined the general structure of public broadcasting in the country.

    Although the broadcasters themselves operate with journalistic independence and control the content of their programming, he said.

    “We will reduce the number of radio programmes,” Raab told dpa, although he did not specifically name any targeted reductions.

    The commission planned to present recommendations to Germany’s 16 state premiers in October.

    Recently, the regional broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk announced that it was planning to have fewer than the current six radio programmes in the long term.

    The cost-savings push came amid controversy over efforts to raise the monthly mandatory household contributions from 18.36 euros to 18.94 euros (19.72 dollars to 20.24 dollars), which some state leaders oppose.

    Raab said the commission was looking to redefine the mandates for some public broadcasters.

    To also eliminate some redundant programming and encourage more cooperation with educational and cultural institutions.

    “We are strengthening everything relating to cooperation and efficiency,” he said.(dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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    Edited by Cecilia Odey/Bashir Rabe Mani