BLOGONITY

GABORONE, BOTSWANA — Botswana has been added as a second center, in addition to Belgium, to verify the origin of rough diamonds meant for export to the Group of Seven leading industrialized countries, the nation’s presidency announced Thursday. African producers had complained that making Belgium the sole verification center led to disruptions in the global diamond supply chain, as the G7 moved to stop the flow of gems mined in Russia. A statement by the office of the president said Botswana was granted permission to set up a verification center following “intensive” discussions with the G7 Diamond Technical Team. The announcement comes as President Duma Boko and Minister of Minerals Bogolo Kenewendo returned Thursday from a diamond conference in Brussels. Kenewendo told state television it is logical to grant Botswana, the world’s second-largest producer of diamonds, the right to certify rough stones. She said that Botswana has a track record in verification and certification, together with other countries under the Kimberley Process. The Kimberley Process is a trade regime that certifies rough diamond exports entering the global market, but it has been criticized for failing to do enough to keep out diamonds from conflict zones. Diamond-producing countries such as Angola and Namibia should be recognized verifiers because they have prepared through the Kimberley Process, Kenewendo said. To sanction Russian diamonds, the G7, at the start of the year, proposed that all stones destined for export to their member countries be routed through Antwerp, Belgium, to verify their origin. African producers, led by Botswana, protested, saying the move caused disruptions to the global supply chain due to delays and added costs. Belgian-based diamond industry researcher Hans Merket said the addition of Botswana as a verification center will allow more flexibility. “Botswana appears to be something of a test case with the G7 Diamond Technical Team already explicitly referencing Namibia and Angola as potential future certification nodes,” Merket said. “By diversifying the certification points, this approach could establish a more balanced and inclusive framework for the G7 certification scheme aligning more closely with the global dynamics of the global supply chain,” he said. “Moreover, it can also help pave the way for stricter controls and higher ethical standards in the diamond sector, particularly as the Kimberley Process certification scheme faces increasing criticism for its declining credibility and leniency,” Merket said. Jaff Bamenjo, coordinator of the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition, said more African … “Botswana joins Belgium as center for diamond certification” →

stockholm — One of two Baltic subsea cables that were damaged earlier this month in a suspected sabotage is back online, a spokesman for operator company Arelion said. The cable connecting Sweden and Lithuania was repaired as of Thursday and traffic had resumed at full capacity, spokesman Martin Sjogren said. Two subsea cables, the other linking Finland and Germany, were damaged in less than 24 hours on November 17-18, prompting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to say he assumed it was sabotage. Undersea cables transmit nearly all the world’s internet data traffic and are considered critical infrastructure because they are the communication backbone between countries. Investigators have zeroed in on Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the country sent a formal request to China seeking cooperation to help clarify what happened when the undersea cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea. “We are cooperating with Swedish police in their investigation of our damaged cable,” Sjogren said. “It’s very difficult to secure the entire subsea infrastructure but the international cooperation between authorities, military and companies is working very well,” he said. Arelion, once part of telecom company Telia, owns 75,000 kilometers of fiber network. Finland’s Cinia, which owns the other cable, has also started repair work and estimated completion by the end of this month. …

British and American authorities are investigating why several drones were flying over four U.S. air bases in England in recent days. As Henry Ridgwell reports, Britain has deployed dozens of troops around the bases amid concerns such drones could be used to disrupt operations or carry out acts of deception and sabotage. …

TBILISI, GEORGIA — Georgia’s ruling party said on Thursday that the country would suspend talks on European Union accession until 2028, while also refusing budgetary grants from Brussels, effectively halting its application to join the bloc, a long-standing national goal. In response, thousands of pro-EU protesters blocked streets in the capital, while the country’s figurehead president accused the government of declaring war on its own people with the move. The Georgian Dream governing bloc accused the EU of “a cascade of insults,” saying in a statement it was using the prospect of accession talks to blackmail the country and to “organize a revolution in the country.” As a result, it said, “We have decided not to put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028. Also, we refuse any budgetary grant from the European Union until the end of 2028.” The South Caucasus country of 3.7 million has the aim of EU accession written into its constitution and has traditionally been among the most pro-Western of the Soviet Union’s successor states. Georgia’s relations with Brussels have deteriorated sharply in recent months amid EU allegations of authoritarianism and pro-Russian tendencies. The EU had already said that Georgia’s application is frozen. Georgian Dream says that it is not pro-Russian and that it is committed to democracy and integration with the West. It says it wants to join the EU eventually but has repeatedly engaged in diplomatic feuds with Brussels in recent years while deepening ties with neighboring Russia. There was no immediate formal comment from the EU on Georgian Dream’s statement. But an EU official said the impact of Thursday’s move was huge, adding that the government was doing what the EU had feared and had hoped it would not. Opinion polls show that around 80% of Georgians support EU membership, and the bloc’s flag flies alongside the national flag outside virtually all government buildings in the country. Georgia’s pro-Western opposition reacted to Georgian Dream’s announcement with fury, while several thousand protesters massed outside parliament and the ruling party’s headquarters, blocking roads. Local media reported that protests erupted in several provincial cities. Giorgi Vashadze, a prominent opposition leader, wrote on Facebook: “the self-proclaimed, illegitimate government has already legally signed the betrayal of Georgia and the Georgian people.” President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU critic of Georgian Dream whose powers are mostly ceremonial, said the ruling … “Protests erupt in Georgia after government halts EU application until 2028” →

Russian drones and missiles pounded Ukrainian energy infrastructure Thursday, cutting off power to more than 1 million people across the country, Ukrainian authorities said. “As of now, 523,000 subscribers in the Lviv region are without electricity,” regional head Maksym Kozytsky said on social media. The region, in the western part of the country, borders Poland. Directly north of the Lviv region, 215,000 customers lost power in the region of Volyn, and in the neighboring Rivne region, governor Oleksandr Koval said 280,000 consumers were without power. “Energy infrastructure is once again targeted by the enemy’s massive strike,” Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko wrote on Facebook. Ukrenergo, the national electrical grid operator, introduced emergency power cuts amid the attack, Galushchenko said. Officials told Reuters that several nuclear power units were disconnected from the network during the attacks. Private power company DTEK said the power cuts impacted Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. Some regional officials said water service also was affected by the airstrikes. The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andrii Yermak, said in a Telegram post that Russia had stockpiled missiles to strike Ukrainian infrastructure and wage war against civilians during the cold season, The Associated Press reported. Information from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters was used in the report.  …

Tehran, Iran — Iran is set to meet on Friday with France, Germany and the United Kingdom for talks on its nuclear program after the three governments joined with the United States to have Tehran censured by the U.N. atomic watchdog. Last week’s chiding prompted a defiant response from Tehran, but its officials have since signaled willingness to engage with other parties ahead of the return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, whose last administration pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against the Islamic republic. Iranian diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi, who serves as the political deputy to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, is scheduled to represent Iran in the talks on Friday. He will meet beforehand with Enrique Mora, deputy secretary general of the EU’s foreign affairs arm, according to the IRNA state news agency. Last week, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution condemning Iran for its lack of cooperation on nuclear issues. The resolution was brought by France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, and was actively opposed by Tehran. In response, Iran announced the launch of “new advanced centrifuges” designed to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium. Tehran’s willingness to sit down with the three European countries so soon after the censure comes just weeks before Trump is set to return to the White House in January. During his first term, Trump focused on imposing heavy sanctions on Iran following the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal three years after it was established. That agreement between Tehran and major powers aimed to give Iran relief from crippling Western sanctions in exchange for limiting its nuclear program to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. In retaliation for the U.S. withdrawal, Tehran has reduced its compliance with the deal, raising its uranium enrichment levels to 60% — close to the 90% required for a nuclear bomb. Tehran has consistently denied any intentions of pursuing nuclear weapons. For Tehran, the goal of the talks on Friday is to avoid a “double disaster” scenario, in which it would face renewed pressures from both Trump and European nations, according to political analyst Mostafa Shirmohammadi. He noted that Iran’s support among European nations had been eroded by allegations it offered military assistance for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Iran has denied these accusations and hopes to mend relations with Europe, while also … “Iran to hold nuclear talks with 3 European powers” →

CHISINAU, MOLDOVA — The termination of Russian gas supplies to Moldova’s breakaway region of Transdniestria after January 1, 2025, is a “very realistic” scenario, Energy Minister Victor Parlicov said on Wednesday after talks with Russia’s Gazprom.  Parliсov spoke with the head of Gazprom on Monday to discuss alternate routes to supply Transdniestria if transit through Ukraine stops.  The current gas-transit agreement between Ukraine and Russia ends on December 31 and Ukraine has said it will not extend it. The unrecognized, Russian-backed Transdniestria region depends heavily on Russian natural gas supplied via Ukraine.  Parliсov told a press conference in Chisinau that Gazprom was ready to supply gas to Transdniestria via the current route, but that it was up to Moldova and Ukraine to agree on transit.  “From discussions with my Ukrainian colleagues, I understand that if there is a decision to continue transit, it may be taken at the last moment,” Parlicov said.  Moldova receives about 2 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia through Ukraine and since 2022, Transdniestria and Chisinau have agreed that all Russian gas received by Moldova will go to the breakaway region.  Transdniestria has a large power plant fueled by Russian gas and Chisinau, in turn, buys electricity from the region at a relatively low fixed price.  Parlicov, speaking later on Moldovan TV8 television, said he felt during his talks in St. Petersburg that Russia was less forthright in its commitment to supporting Transdniestria, which it has backed since the collapse of Soviet rule in the 1990s.  “This is already not a taboo subject like it was before,” he said.  As an example, he said, Transdniestria’s steel mill, a key exporter, had been left virtually unable to operate after a Russian attack on a power substation in southern Ukraine.  He acknowledged that if gas supplies were cut to Transdniestria, the region would need financial help to survive and avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.  Possible alternative  Moldova has said that if Ukraine ends the transit of Russian gas, an alternative for Transdniestria could be gas supplied by the TurkStream pipeline to Turkey and then through Bulgaria and Romania.  However, Parlicov told the briefing that Gazprom in the talks had linked continued deliveries via alternate routes to its demands that Moldova pay a debt on past supplies, which according to Russian calculations stands at $709 million.  Moldova has said its debt is $8.6 million.  “We believe that it’s … “Moldova says end of Russian gas for Transdniestria ‘very realistic’ scenario” →

Geneva, Switzerland — A young South African activist living with HIV will take over Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron’s Instagram account on World AIDS Day, the United Nations said Thursday. Ibanomonde Ngema, a 21-year-old activist, will be given the reins to the South African-born actress’s global account @charlizeafrica, with some 7.6 million followers, on December 1, UNAIDS said in a statement. The takeover by Ngema, who was born with HIV and has dedicated her advocacy work to dispelling myths and reducing stigma around HIV, will aim to bring awareness to the first-hand experiences of young people living with HIV, it said. Theron, a so-called UN Messenger of Peace who has long advocated for tackling the systemic inequalities that drive HIV infections among young women and girls, insisted in the statement that “ending AIDS is within reach.” But, she warned, “only if we completely dismantle harmful patterns of stigma and discrimination through laws, policies, and practices that protect people living with HIV.” Theron won a best actress Oscar for her lead role in the 2004 film “Monster” and has more recently starred in pictures such as “Mad Max: Fury Road.” “I have always loved watching Charlize Theron on the big screen and have long been inspired by her using her influence to help people around the world, especially in our home country of South Africa,” Ngema said in the statement. The announcement came after UNAIDS this week released a new report that showed how rights violations exacerbate the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV. Last year, women and girls accounted for 62% of all new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa, UNAIDS said. …

Ukraine’s population has been shrinking for the past 30 years and officials say the decline has accelerated as a result of the full-scale war with Russia. Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. Camera: Vladyslav Smilianets …

BERLIN — Russia’s acts of sabotage against Western targets may eventually prompt NATO to consider invoking the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defense clause, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service said on Wednesday. Speaking at an event of the DGAP think tank in Berlin on Wednesday, Bundesnachrichtendienst chief Bruno Kahl said he expected Moscow to further step up its hybrid warfare. “The extensive use of hybrid measures by Russia increases the risk that NATO will eventually consider invoking its Article 5 mutual defense clause,” he noted. “At the same time, the increasing ramp up of the Russian military potential means a direct military confrontation with NATO becomes one possible option for the Kremlin.” Under Article 5, if a NATO member comes under attack, the other members of the alliance are obliged to help it respond. NATO and Western intelligence services have warned that Russia is behind a growing number of hostile activities across the Euro-Atlantic area, ranging from repeated cyberattacks to Moscow-linked arson — all of which Russia denies. Kahl said Russia’s military would likely be capable of attacking NATO by the end of the decade, adding that Moscow’s war on Ukraine meant that it had battle-proven troops under its command, raising the threat emanating from its conventional forces, while it also mastered modern drone warfare. According to the assessment of his experts, high-ranking officials in the Russian defense ministry doubt whether NATO’s Article 5 including U.S. protective measures for Europe would actually be invoked in case of an emergency, the intel chief said. “We don’t have any indication yet that Russia intends to go to war, but if such sentiments gain the upper hand in the government in Moscow, then the risk for a military confrontation will grow over the coming years.” Should Russia attack one or several NATO allies, it would not do so to grab massive swaths of land, Kahl said, but rather to test red lines set by the West with the aim of defeating Western unity and NATO as a defensive alliance. “In Russia’s view, this goal would be reached if Article 5 were to remain without effect in case of a Russian attack,” he said. “To meet this target, you don’t need to send tank armies westwards, it is enough to dispatch little green men to the Baltics to protect allegedly threatened Russian minorities or adjust borders on Svalbard.” …

LONDON — Romania’s top security agency said Thursday it is investigating possible foreign interference in Sunday’s first round of the nation’s presidential election. The far-right candidate, Calin Georgescu, topped all other candidates with almost 23% of the vote, despite polling in single digits before the election. Georgescu will compete in a December 8 runoff with center-right candidate Elena Lasconi, who finished second with 19% and hopes to pick up support from defeated centrist and leftist candidates. Romanians will also vote in parliamentary elections on December 1. The Supreme Defense Council, which is led by incumbent President Klaus Iohannis, is due to meet on Thursday to “analyze possible risks to national security generated by the actions of state and non-state cyber parties,” according to a statement released Wednesday by the president’s office. Additionally, the National Audiovisual Council of Romania, which regulates broadcasting and social media, has urged the European Commission to investigate the role TikTok may have played in Sunday’s vote amid what it called “suspicions of manipulation of public opinion,” according to Reuters. Protests Protesters have taken to the streets of Bucharest in the wake of Georgescu’s surprise victory. Uma, a student who did not want to give her family name, joined the protests in central Bucharest on Monday. “Calin Georgescu, an extremist, a far-right extremist who is a pro-Russian, wants to take Romania away from the NATO course,” she said. Georgescu has questioned NATO and European Union support for Kyiv in its war against Russian invaders. Romania hosts several thousand U.S. troops and shares a 613-kilometer border with Ukraine. The 62-year-old presidential candidate has praised fascist politicians in the 1930s as Romanian heroes. NATO membership, Russian engagement In a video streamed Tuesday on social media, Georgescu — standing alongside his wife, Cristela — sought to clarify his positions. “I do not want to leave NATO. I do not want to leave the European Union. What I want, however, is to take a stance, not to kneel over there, not to take everything. We should do everything in our national interest,” Georgescu said. “I have no connection to everything that says, ‘With Russia.’ I am Romanian, first and foremost. … I have no connection, and I am not, first and foremost, antisemitic.” Georgescu has urged Western engagement with Russia, echoing other right-wing European leaders such as Hungary’s Viktor Orban, said noted political analyst Radu Magdin, CEO of Smartlink Communications. “Mr. Georgescu … “Romania to investigate foreign interference after far-right vote surge” →

Protests by French and other European farmers are threatening a long-expected trade deal between the European Union and South American trading bloc Mercosur, comprising Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The EU hopes to clinch it next month — but individual EU countries would still need to ratify the agreement. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s return to power also factors into the equation — sparking a bigger debate about whether Europe’s economy should look inward or outward for answers. Lisa Bryant reports from Paris. …

The White House this week officially confirmed Ukraine’s use of U.S.-made ATACMS missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia. White House National Security Advisor John Kirby told reporters that Ukraine can use ATACMS to defend itself on “an immediate-need basis.” “We did change the guidance and gave them guidance that they can use them to strike these particular types of targets,” he said. VOA Russian spoke to experts about the timing and the reasons for the shift in U.S. policy. See the full story here. …

The European Parliament has put forward a motion for a resolution addressing the increasing and systemic repression against women in Iran. The proposal, introduced on Wednesday, highlights various instances of repression, violence, discrimination, injustice and human rights violations against women by the Islamic Republic in Iran. See the full story here. …