Authorities in Niamey have decided to revoke the agreement with the US which allowed American military personnel and Pentagon’s civilian contractors to operate in the West African state, a spokesman for the post-coup government announced on national television. “The National Council for the Protection of the Fatherland officially denounced… the military cooperation …
Read More »Macron scraps Ukraine visit due to ‘security issues’ – media
French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed his planned visit to Ukraine due to security concerns, the French magazine Challenges reported on Sunday. According to the report, the trip was scheduled for February 13-14. Macron was expected to visit Odessa – Ukraine’s top Black Sea port – and later arrive in …
Read More »Turkey scraps NATO drills in Black Sea
NATO military drills planned for the Black Sea have been postponed or canceled outright, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said, citing a decades-old convention which gives Ankara veto power over naval deployments in the region. Speaking to Anadolu in an interview on Tuesday, the foreign minister explained Turkey’s reluctance …
Read More »India scraps Russian helicopter plans – media
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has canceled a plan to purchase 48 Mi-17V5 military transport helicopters, local media reported Saturday, citing government sources. Instead, the military, and other agencies that had planned to use the aircraft, decided to procure unspecified medium-lift choppers domestically. The decision to scrap the procurement plans is not …
Read More »Russia scraps peace-treaty talks with Japan
Russia has ended an arrangement dating back to 1991 that allowed Japanese citizens to visit the Kuril Islands without a visa, and has broken off talks with Japan on formally ending the Second World War, citing Tokyo’s “openly unfriendly” conduct in sanctioning Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine. Due to …
Read More »Belgium scraps plan to ditch nuclear power
Belgium has changed its mind about nuclear energy, opting to keep its two reactors going another 10 years rather than make a shift in the direction of natural gas. The plants were originally supposed to be phased out by 2025 under a plan proposed nearly two decades ago. “Everyone knows …
Read More »Calls to boycott Starbucks brew as it scraps vaccine mandate
The world-famous coffee giant Starbucks has come under fire for scrapping the Covid-19 vaccine mandate, with calls to ‘boycott Starbucks’ flooding social media. Both customers and Starbucks baristas say they refuse to support a place, no matter how iconic, which does not require employee vaccinations. “Who wants unvaccinated people handling …
Read More »UK’s Johnson scraps ‘Plan B’ Covid measures amid Omicron spread
Speaking on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the end of Covid-19 measures as the latest data suggested the wave of infections driven by the Omicron variant was past its peak. The scrapping of the ‘Plan B’ restrictions means that Covid-19 passes will no longer be required in England …
Read More »UK govt scraps Covid vaccine deal with French company Valneva over ‘breach’
In a statement issued on Monday, Valneva revealed it had been hit with the termination notice, remarking that the UK government “has alleged that the Company is in breach of its obligations under the Supply Agreement”. The biotech firm, however, “strenuously denies this”, without elaborating on the details of the …
Read More »Minnesota theater scraps ‘Cinderella’ production after ‘too white’ cast fails to meet ‘diversity, equity & inclusion’ criteria
Chanhassen Dinner Theaters, located in a suburb of Minneapolis, said the play was called off in a statement earlier this week, noting that the mostly white cast was not in line with the venue’s “ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.” Instead, it said it would produce ‘The Music Man’ …
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