Ethiopia and Tigray agree to armistice
After 10 days of peace talks in South Africa, the Ethiopian government and forces in the northern Tigray region have agreed to what they called a “permanent cessation of hostilities” during a brutal two-year civil war that displaced more than two million people and resulted in 500,000 deaths and widespread suffering.
The surprise agreement came a day before the two-year anniversary of the start of the war. On 3 November 2020, Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s prime minister and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, announced what he called “law and order” operations against Tigrayan political leaders who defied its power. The civil war has recently become tense when the Ethiopian army along with forces from Eritrea claimed territory in Tigray.
The agreement signed yesterday outlines a plan to give humanitarian access to Tigray, where electricity, banking and other vital services have been cut off for more than 16 months. The agreement also contains provisions for the reintegration of Tigray’s regional government into the central government.
Analysis: Abdi Latif Dahir, East Africa correspondent for The Times, said: “This hostile concession is an important step and provides much-needed respite for those devastated by the two-year civil war. “. “But that is not the end point, and both sides will have to do a lot of work and overcome mistrust to ensure that permanent peace is achieved.”
North Korea accused of shipping weapons to Russia
US accuses North Korea secretly transporting a “significant amount” of shells to Russia to support the war in Ukraine, a sign that Moscow is increasingly turning to the pariah states for military supplies as the conflict deepens. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, said it was not clear whether the shells would reach Russia.
“We will be monitoring to see if the shipments are received,” Kirby said. “Our information shows that they are trying to conceal the delivery method by passing them through to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa.” In September, North Korea said that it had never supplied weapons or ammunition to Russia and that it had no plans to do so.
The United States believes this weapon will not change the course of the war and that Ukraine will continue to be able to defend itself if North Korean weapons reach Russia. The US is also concerned that Iran could also ship drones and surface-to-surface missiles to Russia.
As Netanyahu nears victory, Israel on the right celebrates
Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister of Israel and likely future prime minister, took an almost insurmountable lead in Israel’s election, even as officials delayed the election until all votes are checked. His one-time far-right allies started to celebrate: The result puts their radical ideologies at the heart of Israel’s political system. Read Five takeaways from the election.
A coalition of two religious extremist parties, Zionist Power and Zionism, will form the third largest bloc in the next Israeli Parliament, bringing new power, influence and respect. Netanyahu’s party, Likud, once shunned the ideological precursor of Jewish Power. Today, he will most likely welcome party lawmakers into his government.
Both domestically and internationally, far-right integration into the Israeli government could strain relations and potentially trigger a crisis. In the occupied West Bank, the coalition wanted to hasten Jewish settlement and abolish any form of Palestinian autonomy. And in Israel, the bloc wants to overhaul the judicial system, give politicians better control over judicial appointments and weaken checks and balances over legislators.
Details: Zionist leader Bezalel Smotrich, who has described himself as “proud gay”, said Jewish property developers do not need to sell homes to Arabs and he advocated separate maternity wards for Arab and Jewish women. Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power, sought to grant legal immunity to Israeli soldiers shooting Palestinians.
LATEST NEWS
Around the world
The Biden administration is considering proposed resettlement of Native American communities threatened by global warming, a potential model for the rest of the country.
But how does the government decide where to get help first? “That’s the hardest question,” said Bryan Newland, assistant secretary for Indian affairs at the Home Office.
Related: The word “climate change” does not appear in elementary or middle school standards in many US states. Some teachers are still finding ways to talk about it.
SPORTS NEWS FROM ATHLETIC
Star arrangement for Tiger and Rory: Steph Curry, Shohei Ohtani and Serena Williams are among new investors in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new sports and technology effort, TMRW Sports. So what is attraction? More will come.
The NWSL title game has a prime time slot. The result is huge: Portland Thorns 2-0 win over Kansas City Current in championship game averaged a tournament record 915,000 viewers on CBS. Next? Chances are, a big payday in rights negotiations.
Premier League’s Most Improved Player: Miguel Almiron, a former MLS player, has saw his career changed by Eddie Howe at Newcastle United.
From The Times: Daniel Snyder, owner of Washington Commanders, hired bankers to explore sell NFL team amid increased pressure from politicians and fellow group owners.
ARTS AND IDEAS
3 portraits of the Smithsonian champion
New portraits of three famous women – tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams and filmmaker Ava DuVernay – will be on display at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington next week.
Every woman chooses to collaborate with a rising Black artist: DuVernay with Kenturah Davis; Serena Williams with Toyin Ojih Odutola; and Venus Williams with Robert Pruitt.
Venus Williams and Pruitt immediately bonded with his huge comic book collection on display. He used a photo she had taken herself to create a double portrait of her, above. “It was really exciting to work with another voice involved in this process,” he said, a first for him.
DuVernay describes that she was startled, in a good way, when she saw the results of Davis’ work. “I have never seen anything quite like mine — so big, so personal,” she said. “Having a soul moving between two counterattacks feels very exciting.”
Ojih Odutola sought to reflect a sense of cheerfulness in her portrait of Serena Williams. “I thought about her being a mother, a sister, a daughter and she was funny,” she said. The artist smiled a passionate smile, almost surrounded by brilliant green foliage encroaching from behind.
