The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Europeans urge U.S. Rubio to maintain pressure on Russia

    Europeans urge U.S. Rubio to maintain pressure on Russia

    • Zelenskiy: Ukraine ready to advance peace plan
    • Macron seeks fine-tuning of Trump’s peace plan

    The leaders of the European countries supporting Ukraine, the so-called coalition of the willing, yesterday insisted to keep pressuring Russia with sanctions in a video call with U.S. Secretary of Marco Rubio, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

    “Since pressure remains the only language Russia responds to, we will continue to increase it until there is a genuine willingness to engage on a credible path toward peace,” she said in post on X.

    She said the coalition will keep on supporting Ukraine and that a central point in the negotiations is the financing of Ukraine, which include the use of frozen Russian sovereign assets.

    This came as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine was ready to advance a U.S.-backed framework for ending the war with Russia and discuss disputed points with U.S. President Donald Trump in talks he said should include European allies.

    In a speech to the coalition of the willing allies, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Zelenskiy urged European leaders to hash out a framework for deploying a “reassurance force” to Ukraine and to keep backing Kyiv for as long as Moscow showed no inclination to end its war.

    U.S. and Ukrainian officials have been trying to narrow the gaps between them over Trump’s plan to end Europe’s deadliest and most devastating conflict since World War Two, with Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on Russian terms, including territorial concessions.

    “We firmly believe security decisions about Ukraine must include Ukraine, security decisions about Europe must include Europe … Because when something is decided behind the back of a country or its people, there is always a high risk it simply won’t work,” Zelenskiy said, according to his speech text.

    Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan needs improvement to make it acceptable for Ukraine and Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron told RTL radio.

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    A 28-point U.S. peace proposal made last week caught many in the U.S. government, Kyiv and Europe off-guard and prompted fresh concerns that the Trump administration might be willing to push Ukraine to sign a deal heavily tilted towards Moscow.

    “It’s an initiative that goes in the right direction: towards peace. However, there are aspects of that plan that deserve to be discussed, negotiated, improved,” Macron said. “We want peace, but we don’t want peace that is effectively a capitulation.”

    He added that only the Ukrainians could decide what territorial concessions they are ready to make.

    “What was put on the table gives us an idea of what would be acceptable to the Russians. Does that mean that it is what must be accepted by the Ukrainians and the Europeans? The answer is no,” Macron added.

    Ukraine’s first line of defence in case of peace with Russia would be regenerating its own army, and there can be no limit on it, Macron said. He also said frozen Russian assets are in Europe, and Europe alone can decide what to do with them.

    The U.S. plan would impose a limit on the size of Ukraine’s army and give Washington some control of frozen Russian assets.

    A Ukrainian diplomat cautioned that territorial concessions remained a major sticking point, meaning a final deal was far from certain despite accords on various specific points. “These are really tough questions for us,” the diplomat said.

    Trump told a White House event yesterday he thought a deal on Ukraine was getting close but gave no other details, saying only: “We’re going to get there.”

    Zelenskiy could visit the U.S. in the next few days to finalise a deal with Trump, Kyiv’s national security chief Rustem Umerov said earlier on Tuesday, though there was no immediate confirmation of such a trip from the U.S. side.

  • Israel assassinated Hezbollah’s top military chief

    Israel assassinated Hezbollah’s top military chief

    • Jewish state threatens return to war with  Lebanon

    Israel assassinated Hezbollah’s highest-ranking military commander on Sunday, marking the most significant escalation between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group since the ceasefire between both sides first took effect a year ago.

    Following an airstrike on a residential apartment in the Haret Hreik neighborhood in Beirut’s southern Dahiya district, the Israeli army announced that it had killed Hassan Ali Tabtabai, describing him as “Hezbollah’s chief of staff.” Hezbollah later confirmed that Tabtabai had been killed and that he was one of its senior military commanders.

    Following the signing of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in November of last year, Israel has engaged in a series of escalating airstrikes against what it claims are Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, which have also claimed the lives of Lebanese civilians and members of the Lebanese army and security forces.

    The most recent escalation comes amid a fast-approaching “deadline” that the U.S. has set for the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. Due to pressures from the U.S., coupled with continuous demands by Lebanese parties not to provoke a new confrontation with Israel, Hezbollah has not responded to any of Israel’s numerous violations.

    Before the November 2024 ceasefire, Israel had killed over 4,000 Lebanese citizens amid cross-border exchanges of attacks between Israel and Hezbollah. The Lebanese group had launched what it called a “support front” meant to dissuade Israel from continuing its genocidal war on Gaza. Israel then launched a wave of massive strikes on Lebanese cities in September 2024, which was preceded by the remote detonation of hundreds of pagers in Lebanon.

    But whereas that round of escalation led to the November ceasefire, the current hostilities a year later might yield different results. Deputy chief of Hezbollah’s political council, Mahmoud Qamati, told the media in front of the targeted apartment in Beirut on Sunday that “all possibilities are on the table” in answering a question regarding whether the group would respond to the Israeli strike.

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    The Israeli army also announced that it was making preparations for a wider confrontation with Hezbollah, including the strengthening of air defenses near the border with southern Lebanon.

    The assassination of Tabtabai comes after weeks of tensions concerning Hezbollah’s alleged attempt to rebuild, of which Israel has accused the group.

    Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Naim Qassem, stated earlier in November that the party had adhered to the ceasefire and withdrawn its forces from the south of the Litani River, emphasizing that the question of disarmament remained an internal Lebanese issue that should not be dictated by outside powers. Qassem warned that even if Hezbollah has not responded to Israel’s provocations in the interest of maintaining the ceasefire, “everything has a limit.”

    In the wake of Tabtabai’s assassination, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that “Israel will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its capabilities.”

    Israel has been insisting on the disarmament of Hezbollah, which it considers a part of Lebanon’s obligations under the ceasefire agreement. Although the Lebanese army has taken control of most positions held by Hezbollah in the south of the country, Israel has been demanding, through U.S. mediators, that the Lebanese army raid southern Lebanese villages, homes, and private property.

    Meanwhile, Israel maintains five military positions in south Lebanon, from which Lebanon officially demands Israel to withdraw as part of the deal.

    In June, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack proposed a “route-map” to defuse the situation and avoid the implosion of the fragile ceasefire, based on a so-called “step-for-step” strategy in which Israel would withdraw from one of the five positions in occupies in southern Lebanon in exchange for every phase in Hezbollah’s disarmament.

    Hezbollah rejected the proposal, maintaining the position that disarmament was a purely internal Lebanese matter which could only be discussed within the framework of a larger national defence strategy.

  • Nigeria, Barbados seal local production, regional health security MoU 

    Nigeria, Barbados seal local production, regional health security MoU 

    The federal government has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria’s Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) and Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc. (BPI). 

    The ceremony, held in Abuja on Tuesday, marks a major step in deepening health cooperation between both nations, with ministerial endorsement underscoring its importance.

    The MoU is expected to accelerate local pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria and strengthen regional market access across CARICOM–LATAM, ECOWAS and the AfCFTA. 

    It provides a shared framework for the two countries to drive industrial growth, improve drug availability, and enhance regulatory collaboration. The agreement also initiates discussions toward a regulatory reliance arrangement between NAFDAC and Barbados’ emerging Medical Products Regulatory Authority.

    At its core, the MoU aims to establish joint activities that advance local production, strengthen policy reforms, and create financing channels that mirror PVAC’s successful deal-making model. 

    The coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, while signing the MoU reaffirmed the federal government’s full support for the partnership, noting that it aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s drive to industrialize the health sector, reduce dependence on imports, and strengthen national and regional health security. 

    Emphasizing the pertinence of the agreement, he said, “This visit is beyond symbolism. It’s very substantive. It represents both our collective commitments, Barbados and Nigeria, to address a key gap that has emerged over the last few years in terms of our own national health securities. Not only Nigeria, but I will say shared across the sub-region, but also the continent”. 

    He said the delegation’s visit, made possible through AMA’s facilitation, was a significant milestone and assured that Nigeria is fully committed to supporting the implementation of the partnership with AMA going forward.

    “I want to also confirm, when we met in September, Her Excellency Prime Minister Miamoteli really affirmed and conveyed that political will, which from our side also was reciprocated in terms of President Mbola Eme Tsunugu’s intent to ensure that we move steadily hand in hand with you. And the fact that you are here essentially takes us further since that meeting in September,” Pate stressed.

    He emphasised that Nigeria’s growing pharmaceutical market, improved regulatory environment, and expanding primary healthcare utilization create the right conditions for impactful collaboration with global partners like Barbados.

    Dr. Jerome Walcott, the Senior Minister of Health and Wellness, Barbados, described the partnership as a milestone for regional health security, saying, “As a strategic partner, one whose scale, capability and vision aligns with our own pursuit of health sovereignty and industrial transformation. 

    “This is not just an agreement between two institutions, it is a commitment between two governments and two regions to shape our own health futures. 

    “Both our heads of government, Prime Minister Mia Ammar Motley and the Honorable President, Amit Tenugbo, have spoken powerfully about the need for Global South to stand on its own feet to manufacture the medicines our people need and to reduce our dependency on external supply chains. Today’s MOU brings that vision to life.”

    The Barbados delegation will also engage with AMA Medical Manufacturer and visit existing biomedical facilities, setting the stage for a Barbados-based production hub and future bilateral trade in medical and diagnostic products.

    Speaking further about the MoU, PVAC National Coordinator, Dr Mukhtar, said, “This is basically a framework for collaboration between us, touching on a number of areas including technical capacity building and human capital development. 

    “We are already talking and seeing how we can bring together the Empower Academy that we established to see how that can work, but also issues around regulations. 

    “But it is in the process of establishing a national regulatory agency and in that regard they already in discussions with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), they’re going to hopefully sign another MOU with the agency.”

  • An open letter to Nigerians on Donald Trump’s love for Nigerian Christians

    An open letter to Nigerians on Donald Trump’s love for Nigerian Christians

    “I think Nigeria is a disgrace. The whole thing is a disgrace. They are killing people by the thousands. It is a genocide and I am really angry about it. And we pay, you know, we give a lot of subsidy to Nigeria. We are going to end up stopping. The government has done nothing. They are very ineffective. They are killing Christians at will. You know, until I got involved in it two weeks ago, nobody even talked about it”- President Donald Trump, 21st November 2025.

    Dear Fellow Nigerians,

    Is it not strange to you that each time this blonde-haired, blue-eyed white supremacist and war-monger opens its mouth, more attacks, killings and abductions take place in Nigeria?

    Has it not occurred to you that he is actually fuelling the insurgency with his words and constant denigrating of our people, Armed Forces and Government?

    Is this not an attempt to create a clear justification for that they really wish to do to us: namely invade and bomb us to kingdom come and then divide our country.

    This is the same way they demonised the Government of Sudan before unleashing the Janjaweed militia known as the RSF on them and creating carnage in Darfur.

    This is what they did to Congo DRC too before the butchery started.

    Is it not strange to you that the man that says he wants to deliver and protect Christians in Nigeria welcomed with open arms the greatest butcher of Christians on the planet by the name of Ahmed Al Sharaa, the President of Syria, only the other day and even gave him and his wife a bottle of “sweet” perfume in the full glare of the media?

    Apparently he loves the Christians of Nigeria but hates the Christians of Syria. He also hates the Christians of Gaza! What an interesting paradox and contradiction this is and only a dim-witted village idiot will be fooled by it.

    Claiming that the King of Mara Lago cares about Nigerian Christians is like claiming that the proverbial wolf cares about Little Red Riding Hood or that Count Dracula cares about beautiful women. Believe such nonsense at your own peril.The Orange Man’s motivation for expressing concern about the plight of Christians at the hands of the terrorists in Nigeria is gain and not love, and as for the plight of the Muslims, he couldn’t care less.

    The script is clear: stoke, provoke and fund chaos, discredit and weaken the sitting Government, incite the people, engender regime change and spark off a civil war which will enable you to pick up the spoils and plunder the nation dry.

    Their evil eye is now on Nigeria. They say we have done nothing to stop the killing but they won’t tell you what they have done to support, enhance and encourage it for the last fifteen years?
    They won’t tell you why they do not sell us the arms we need to fight the war or share the necessary intelligence with us.

    They won’t tell you why they refused to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation until 2015.
    They won’t tell you why they imposed an arms embargo on Nigeria.

    They won’t tell you why they have refused to offer even the smallest assistance to our Armed Forces in this war over the last few years and up till now.

    They won’t tell you that they created Al Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, the Taliban, Al Shabab, Al Nusra, Ansaru and Lakurawa right from the outset whilst pretending to fight them.

    They won’t tell you the carnage they unleashed on Libya, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Congo, Sudan, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia, Gaza, Yemen, Palestine, Ukraine, Central African Republic, Venezuela, Mali, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and elsewhere through their sponsored militias and opposition fighters.

    They won’t tell you why they have now focused on Nigeria and why they are attempting to do same to South Africa.

    Nigeria’s case is even more pitiful and we are clearly being set up for the kill.
    Every time we make progress economically those that do not wish us well from outside our shores undermine the efforts of our Government and they do so in collaboration with members of the opposition.

    It happened with OBJ, UMYA, GEJ and now it is happening with BAT.

    For the last 60 years Nigeria has been the victim and target of a vicious, well- planned and well-orchestrated international conspiracy and the ugly events of the last ten years and particularly the last one week prove that.

    Every time we take ten steps forward they band together with their local co-conspirators and treacherous assets and take us twenty steps back because their greatest nightmare is a strong, independent, united, flourishing Nigeria that brings pride and dignity to Africa and the black race.

    Any Nigerian that takes pleasure in what is unfolding in our country today and the security challenges we are facing is either a sadist, a masochist or simply naive and unpatriotic.

    This is not about Tinubu but about our country. The terrorists are being funded and supported by a dark, sinister and relentless foreign force that seeks to tear us apart, destroy us, humiliate us, rob us, occupy our land, steal our resources, pillage our rare earth minerals, erase our identity, distort our heritage, re-define our history and control the entire globe.

    They are doing the same thing in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Asia, South East Asia and much of the world.

    Those that applaud that evil force and encourage it to enter our shores and bomb us in the name of trying to help us fight the terrorists that they themselves are funding do not understand world politics and have no knowledge of history.

    There is not one country that the Americans have entered with bombs and violence and left better than the way they found it.
    Outside of that once we lose our sovereignty we will never get it back.

    Once we rely on another country to fight our battles for us we are no longer a nation but a vassal state of cowardly field hands and slaves.

    The solution to the problem is to support and encourage our Government and Armed Forces to face the challenge squarely and win this war.

    Whatever it takes it is their obligation and duty to do this and with our support and understanding they surely will.

    There is room for criticism and even anger but there is no room for disloyalty to the national cause, betrayal and collaboration with those that want to bring our country to her knees.

    Things are tough and the enemy appears to be gaining ground but we must keep faith with God and have confidence that our President can and will turn things around.

    This is a time to pray for Nigeria and to pray for our leaders and Armed Forces and not to gloat or cheer on those who mock, despise, undermine and insult us and that subvert our efforts. This is a time to show those that have described us as being “a disgrace” that we are more than able to handle our own affairs and solve our problems despite their obvious malice and acts of sabotage.

    This is a time to have faith in our country and our people and remember God’s promise and word that Nigeria shall be great again.
    This is a time to line up behind our President and let him know that despite all that is happening we still have confidence in him and that he is not alone.

    (Chief Femi Fani-Kayode is the Sadaukin Shinkafi, the Wakilin Doka Potiskum, the Otunba Joga Orile, the Aare Ajagunle Otun Ekiti, a former Minister of Culture and Tourism, a former Minister of Aviation, a former Special Advisor to President Olusegun Obasanjo and a lawyer)

  • France launches ‘bilingual and competitive’ project to boost employability

    France launches ‘bilingual and competitive’ project to boost employability

    The Embassy of France in Nigeria has unveiled the FEF “Bilingual and Competitive” Project, a two-year initiative designed to enhance the employability, global mobility, and professional readiness of Nigerian graduates through advanced French language education.

    Launched in Abuja on November 20, 2025, the project is funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs through the French Embassy Fund (FEF).

    According to the Embassy, the programme was conceived after a nationwide survey involving universities, students, educators, and private-sector stakeholders, which confirmed the strategic relevance of French proficiency for the Nigerian labour market.

    Officials noted that the initiative will combine high-level language training with career-focused academic programmes.

    A central component is the development of a Master’s programme in French for Specific Purposes, designed to integrate French language learning with key professional sectors such as business, diplomacy, healthcare, science, and technology.

    This, they said, will equip Nigerian graduates with skills that directly enhance their competitiveness in both local and global job markets.

    The project will also see the establishment of French Resource and Employability Centres in selected universities across the country.

    These centres will offer access to digital learning tools, modern teaching materials, workshops, and structured teacher-training programmes aimed at improving both teaching quality and student proficiency.

    Speaking on the significance of the initiative, an embassy representative stated: “Our goal is to empower Nigerian youth with bilingual skills that open doors. French is not just a language—it is an economic asset that expands career opportunities across borders.”

    Advocacy for bilingualism will form a key pillar of the project, with efforts focused on promoting French as a catalyst for innovation, job creation, and stronger academic–industry partnerships.

    The GAF (Groupe des Ambassadeurs Francophones), comprising 33 francophone embassies in Nigeria, expressed unified support for the programme through its president, the Ambassador of Tunisia.

    The group described the initiative as a major step toward deepening cooperation between Nigeria and the global Francophone community while supporting young Nigerians in unlocking new opportunities.

    The first cohort of beneficiary institutions has also been announced. Twelve universities under the “Gold Level” category—including the University of Abuja, Rivers State University, Kaduna State University, the University of Ilorin, Lagos State University, and Obafemi Awolowo University—will receive full-scale support to develop French Resource Centres.

    Meanwhile, nine “Silver Level” universities such as the University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, University of Port Harcourt, and University of Calabar will receive targeted assistance to strengthen their French departments and student clubs.

    According to the Embassy, the expected outcomes of the project include improved teaching methodologies, increased acquisition of internationally recognised French certifications, wider adoption of French in academic and professional contexts, and ultimately, a contribution to reducing youth unemployment and brain drain.

    The launch reinforces France’s long-standing commitment to supporting education, innovation, and youth empowerment in Nigeria, aiming to nurture a bilingual generation equipped to compete and thrive in an increasingly interconnected world.

  • EU unveils initiative to equip women with digital skills

    EU unveils initiative to equip women with digital skills

    The European Union has launched the Women Venture Studio Digital Innovation Hub aimed at boosting economic inclusion by equipping women with the digital skills, networks, and market access needed to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven economy.

    Positioned to transform the entrepreneurial landscape of northern Nigeria, the initiative is celebrated as a strategic milestone because it emphasizes digital capabilities, sustainable business models, and circular fashion.

    Speaking at the launch in Kano, Head of Green and Digital Economy at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Inga Stefanowicz, underscored the power of cross-sector collaboration in unlocking local potential.

    Stefanowicz noted that the initiative merges innovation with Kano’s long-standing creative traditions.

    She said, “The European Union is proud to be behind this initiative, but it is the local partners, like the Blue Sapphire Hub, the local women business association, academia, and many other women businesses and innovators, who are truly bringing this vision to life.

    “We are here to support, but it is you, the innovators, the entrepreneurs, and the communities, who will carry this work forward.”

    Stefanowicz noted Kano’s historical significance and its evolving role in technology-driven enterprise, saying, “Kano is a cultural melting pot, known for its creativity and now poised to become a centre for digital innovation.”

    She added, “The Women Venture Studio is an example of how we can bring together the richness of local heritage and the transformative power of technology to drive economic growth and women’s empowerment.”

    Also speaking, Deputy Governor of Kano State, Aminu Gwarzoi, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to expanding opportunities for women in technology.

    Gwarzoi said, “Empowering women is not just a policy for us. It is a catalyst for Kano State’s digital future. Our full support for the Women Venture Studio Digital Innovation Hub reflects our commitment to ensuring that women stand at the forefront of innovation, entrepreneurship, and lasting economic growth.”

    The deputy governor emphasized the state’s drive to enhance skills development across its 44 local government areas

    “We believe their ideas, resilience, and leadership will shape a more inclusive and technologically advanced Kano State. Initiatives like the Women Venture Studio and SheCode embody the future we are building, one where no woman is left behind,” the deputy governor added.

    Lead Partner, Women Venture Studio, Mariam Lawan Gwadabe, described the initiative as a product of persistence and belief in women’s economic potential.

    Gwadabe said, “Nothing truly worthwhile ever comes easily, and this is a lesson that has guided me throughout this journey. As we launch the Women Venture Studio today, it is a testament to years of dedication, collaboration, and the unwavering belief that we can create something transformative for women in northern Nigeria.”

    Gwadabe highlighted how the hub’s focus on circular fashion is rooted in Kano’s textile identity

    “Kano has long been known as the Manchester of textiles in West Africa. With the Women Venture Studio, our goal is to revive this legacy, using digital technologies and circular economy principles to empower women entrepreneurs in the fashion industry and create sustainable opportunities,” Gwadabe added.

    Also speaking at the event, Country Lead, Digital Transformation Centre Nigeria, Thuweba Diwali, described the hub as a targeted investment in inclusive growth.

    Diwali said, “With the establishment of the Women Venture Studio, we are proud to have taken another step towards a well-equipped supporting structure for MSMEs in Kano and the northwest region of Nigeria.”

    Represented by Daniel Ritter, he commended the partners for “never stopping driving and pushing to reach this moment today.”

    The Women Venture Studio marks a major addition to the EU’s broader agenda of supporting digital transformation and private sector development in Nigeria.

    Its long-term aim is to prove that targeted investment in women innovators can stimulate sustainable economic growth beginning in Kano and scaling across the country.

  • Shettima heads to Angola for AU-EU Summit

    Shettima heads to Angola for AU-EU Summit

    Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Johannesburg, South Africa, for Luanda, Angola, where he is expected to represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 7th African Union–European Union (AU-EU) Summit.

    His trip follows the conclusion of his engagements at the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, where he stood in for the President at high-level sessions on global economic reforms, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence governance.

    According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Mr. Stanley Nkwocha, the AU-EU Summit is scheduled to hold in the Angolan capital from today till tomorrow.

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    The meeting will bring together Heads of State and Government from both blocs, alongside young leaders, innovators and civil society organisations, to deliberate on shared challenges and opportunities.

    Key issues on the agenda include climate change, inclusive development, modern infrastructure, digital economy growth, the creative industries, manufacturing and agribusiness advancement.

    The summit is expected to produce actionable recommendations aimed at deepening AU-EU cooperation and accelerating sustainable development across both continents.

    Vice President Shettima is expected back in Nigeria at the end of the summit.

  • COP30 climate talks end in Brazil without roadmap to phase out fossil fuels

    COP30 climate talks end in Brazil without roadmap to phase out fossil fuels

    The United Nations climate talks in Brazil reached a subdued agreement at the weekend to deliver more money to countries hit hardest by climate change to help them adapt to extreme weather’s wrath. But the agreement doesn’t include an explicit detailed map to phase out fossil fuels or strengthen inadequate emissions cutting plans.

    The Brazilian hosts of the conference said they’d eventually come up with a road map to get away from fossil fuels working with hardline Colombia, but it won’t have the same force as something approved at the United Nations conference called COP30.

    The deal was approved Saturday after negotiators blew past a deadline to wrap up the previous day. The deal was crafted after more than 12 hours of late night and early morning meetings in COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago’s office.

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    Looking ahead, Do Lago said tough discussions started in Belem will continue under Brazil’s leadership until the next annual conference “even if they are not reflected in this text we just approved.” Do Lago has said a fossil fuel transition plan will be in a separate proposal issued later by his team that won’t carry the same weight as a deal accepted by nations at the conference.

    But critics complained about the deal struck Saturday.

    “It’s a weak outcome,” said former Philippine negotiator Jasper Inventor, now at Greenpeace International.

    It was called weak and inadequate by many, with Panama negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez railing against the deal.

    “A climate decision that cannot even say ‘fossil fuels’ is not neutrality, it is complicity. And what is happening here transcends incompetence,” Monterrey Gomez said. “Science has been deleted from COP30 because it offends the polluters.”

  • G20 summit ends with another diplomatic spat involving U.S.

    G20 summit ends with another diplomatic spat involving U.S.

    The Group of 20 summit in South Africa ended with another diplomatic spat involving the United States after the host country refused to hand over the rotating presidency of the bloc to what it described as a junior U.S. official

    The U.S. boycotted the two-day meeting of leaders from rich and emerging economies in Johannesburg over the Trump administration’s claims that South Africa is violently persecuting its Afrikaner white minority.

    The U.S. is due to take over as G20 president for 2026 — and says it will host its summit at President Donald Trump’s golf club in Doral, Florida. But South Africa insisted that a traditional handover ceremony at the end of this summit likely won’t happen because the U.S. only wanted to send a diplomatic official from its embassy, calling it an insult to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

    “The United States is a member of the G20 and if they want to be represented, they can still send anyone at the right level,” South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said. “It is the leaders’ summit. The right level is the head of state, a special envoy appointed by the president of that country, or it could also be a minister.”

    South Africa said the handover would happen later, possibly at its foreign ministry building.

    It was not clear if any U.S. officials would attend the closing day of the summit. The diplomatic rift between the U.S. and South Africa deepened this week when Ramaphosa said the U.S. had changed its mind and wanted to participate in the summit at the last minute. The White House denied that and said U.S. officials would only attend the formal handover.

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    White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Ramaphosa was “running his mouth a little bit against the United States and the president of the United States.”

    South Africa broke with tradition at the first G20 summit in Africa by issuing a leaders’ declaration on the opening day of the talks on Saturday. Declarations usually come at the end of the summit.

    That declaration came in the face of opposition from the U.S., which has been critical of a South African agenda for the group that largely focuses on climate change and global wealth inequality. Argentina said it also opposed the declaration after Argentinian President Javier Milei — a Trump ally — also skipped the summit.

    Other G20 nations, including China, Russia, France, Germany, the U.K., Japan and Canada, backed the declaration, which largely called for more global attention on issues that specifically affect poor countries, such as the need for financial help for their recovery efforts after climate-related disasters, finding ways to ease their debt levels and supporting their transition to green energy sources.

    South Africa championed the declaration as a victory for the summit and for international cooperation in the face of the Trump administration’s “America First” foreign policy. However, G20 declarations are general agreements by member countries that aren’t binding, and their long-term impact has been questioned.

    Also, while the declaration included many of South Africa’s priorities, some concrete proposals didn’t make the final document. There was no mention of a new international panel on wealth inequality, similar to the United Nations-appointed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, that South Africa and others had called for.

    Some questioned the G20’s effectiveness in solving the most prominent global crises, like the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in the Middle East.

    The 122-point G20 declaration made just one reference to Ukraine in a general call for an end to global conflicts and the summit appeared to have made no difference to the nearly four-year war, even as leaders or high-level delegations from all the major European nations, the European Union and Russia sat in the same room in Johannesburg.

    “Meeting for the first time on the African continent marks an important milestone,” French President Emmanuel Macron said, but added the bloc was “struggling to have a common standard on geopolitical crises.”

    Still, some activists said the Johannesburg summit was a significant symbolic moment for the G20, made up of 19 nations, the European Union and the African Union, because it dedicated more attention than ever to issues affecting poorer countries.

  • American senators slam Trump’s Russia-Ukraine peace plan

    American senators slam Trump’s Russia-Ukraine peace plan

    United States (U.S.) senators critical of President Donald Trump’s approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war said at the weekend that the peace plan he is pushing Kyiv to accept would only reward Moscow for its aggression and send a message to other leaders who have threatened their neighbours.

    The 28-point peace plan was crafted by the Trump administration and the Kremlin without Ukraine’s involvement.

    It acquiesces to many Russian demands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory. Trump says he wants Ukraine to accept the plan by late next week.

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    The senators’ opposition to the plan follows criticism from other U.S. lawmakers, including some Republicans, none of whom have the power to block it. The senators, who spoke at an international security conference in Canada, included a Democrat, an Independent and a Republican who does not plan to seek reelection next year.

    “It rewards aggression. This is pure and simple. There’s no ethical, legal, moral, political justification for Russia claiming eastern Ukraine,” Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said during a panel discussion at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada.

    King, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, compared the proposal to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s Munich Pact with Adolf Hitler in 1938, a historic failed act of appeasement.

    Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said Sen. Mitch McConnell, a former Republican Senate party leader, didn’t go far enough in his criticism of it. McConnell said in a statement Friday that “if Administration officials are more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace, then the President ought to find new advisers.”

    “We should not do anything that makes (Putin) feel like he has a win here. Honestly, I think what Mitch said was short of what should be said,” said Tillis. Tillis announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection shortly after he clashed with the Trump administration over its tax and spending package.

    Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called it an “outrage.”

    Putin welcomed the proposal late Friday, saying it “could form the basis of a final peace settlement” if the U.S. can get Ukraine and its European allies to agree.

    Zelenskyy, in an address, did not reject the plan outright, but insisted on fair treatment while pledging to “work calmly” with Washington and other partners in what he called “truly one of the most difficult moments in our history.”

    In its 17th year, about 300 people gather annually at the Halifax International Security Forum held at Halifax’s Westin hotel. The forum attracts military officials, U.S. senators, diplomats and scholars but this year the Trump administration suspended participation of U.S. defence officials in events by think tanks, including the Halifax International Security Forum.

    A large number of U.S. senators made the trip this year in part because of strained relations between Canada and the U.S. Trump has alienated America’s neighbor with his trade war and insistence that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. Many Canadians now refuse to travel to the U.S. and border states like Shaheen’s New Hampshire are seeing a dramatic drop in tourism.