Ukraine crisis: tense talks between US and Russia open in Geneva
Secretary of state Antony Blinken says week of talks is moment of truth for Vladimir Putin
Formal talks are under way between US and Russian officials in Geneva over the fate of Ukraine, amid low expectations and high tensions driven by fears that the Kremlin will order an invasion.
The Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, and his delegation arrived under Swiss police escort at the US diplomatic mission in Geneva for face-to-face talks with Wendy Sherman, the US deputy secretary of state, and her team. The talks adjourned for lunch and then began an afternoon session.
The two senior diplomats made only brief eye contact when they posed for photographs beforehand. “The talks promise to be long and substantial,” the Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva tweeted, with a picture of the two lead negotiators standing in front of their national flags. Sherman said “the US will listen to Russia’s concerns and share our own” in an earlier tweet from Geneva.
Climate crisis: last seven years the hottest on record, 2021 data shows
The last seven years were the world’s hottest on record, with the first analysis of global temperature in 2021 showing it was 1.2C above pre-industrial levels.
The assessment of the year, by the European climate agency Copernicus, also found carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached record levels and that the potent greenhouse gas methane surged “very substantially”, also to a new record.
The rise in greenhouse gas concentration means more heat is being trapped than ever before but 2021 ranked as the fifth hottest year on record. This is because a natural and cyclic climate phenomenon called La Niña exerted a cooling influence by bringing cold Pacific waters to the surface.
Beijing accuses US of inciting Lithuania over Taiwan
Beijing has accused Washington of inciting Lithuania to “contain China” in a feud over the status of self-ruled Taiwan after U.S. officials expressed support for the European Union-member country in the face of Chinese economic pressure
Beijing on Monday accused Washington of inciting Lithuania to “contain China in a feud over the status of self-ruled Taiwan after U.S. officials expressed support for the European Union-member country in the face of Chinese economic pressure.
Lithuania is the latest flashpoint in China's campaign to pressure companies and foreign governments to adopt its positions on Taiwan, Tibet and other sensitive issues.
“The United States has instigated the Lithuanian authorities to undermine the ‘one-China principle’,” said a foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin. “It has supported, aided and abetted them in going further down the wrong path to achieve its political calculations to contain China.”
Germany's coal phaseout: The last farmer standing
Lützerath, in western Germany, is set to disappear for the sake of brown coal mining. All 90 residents have been relocated. Only one, Eckhardt Heukamp, vows to stay.
Heukamp's farm stands in sight of the excavators of Garzweiler's opencast mine. But the fourth-generation farmer doesn't want to sell up. "I want to live here — this is my home," the 57-year-old said.
Sixteen years ago, RWE began tearing down farms and houses in Lützerath to mine brown coal. Residents in the small, western German village received compensation and most of those affected have found a new home a few kilometers west. At the end of 2020, there were 14 residents left. Heukamp is the last person standing in what's now a ghost town. He's doing everything possible to oppose resettlement. A Higher Administrative Court in Münster will rule on his lawsuit against expropriation in a matter of weeks.
Qatari activist resurfaces on social media after speculation about her safety
A Qatari women's activist who had said she faced threats from her family and sought asylum in Britain has resurfaced on social media, four months after she disappeared from public view.
Noof al-Maadeed, who is in her early 20s, posted videos from an unknown location and on a new Twitter account, giving assurances she was safe and well.
"Noof is here. Noof is alive. Noof isn't dead," she said in one video, smiling and wearing a black hijab.
"I'm fine, I'm healthy and I'm safe. This video is to reassure everyone who showed their support," she added in another post, without explaining her absence.
The hashtag #WhereIsNoof started circulating after Maadeed stopped posting in October, following her return to Qatar after abandoning a bid for asylum in Britain.
'Squid Game' star O Yeong-su wins best supporting actor at Golden Globes
Updated 1049 GMT (1849 HKT) January 10, 2022
"Squid Game" star O Yeong-su has made history after becoming the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe.
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