ZELENSKY OPEN TO TALKS WITH RUSSIA, BUT ON KYIV’S TERMS

Kyiv : Ukraine denied on Tuesday that it was under Western pressure to negotiate with Russia, doubling down on its insistence that talks could take place only if Russia relinquishes all occupied territory.

The remarks came days after a high profile Washington Post report that the US had encouraged Kyiv to signal willingness for talks. In an overnight address, President Volodymyr Zelensky recited what he called Ukraine’s “completely understandable conditions” for peace talks. “Once again — restoration of territorial integrity, respect for the UN Charter, compensation for all damage caused by the war, punishment of every war criminal and guarantees that this will not happen again. ” Ukraine had repeatedly proposed such talks, but “we always received insane Russian responses with new terrorist attacks, shelling or blackmail”, he said.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscow’s position that it is open to talks but that Kyiv was refusing them. Moscow has repeatedly said it will not negotiate over territory it claims to have annexed from Ukraine. Zelensky’s senior adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said it was absurd to suggest that Western nations would push Kyiv to negotiate on Moscow’s terms, as they were the ones supplying Ukraine with the arms to drive Russian forces off its land.

“Ukraine receives from its partners weapons. We are pushing the Russian army out of territory. . . Forcing us to the negotiation process. . . is nonsense,” he said. He said there was “no coercion” in Ukraine’s relationship with the US , and suggestions the West was pushing Ukraine to negotiate were part of Russia’s “information programme”, though he did not directly rebut the Washington Post report.

TRUDEAU ACCUSES CHINA OF 'AGGRESSIVE' ELECTION INTERFERENCE

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused China of attempting to interfere in the country's elections.

Mr Trudeau accused Beijing of playing "aggressive games" with democracies and of targeting Canadian institutions.

It comes as local media report that Canadian intelligence identified a "clandestine network" of Beijing-backed candidates at recent elections.

At least 11 candidates were supported by China in the 2019 federal elections, officials reportedly told Mr Trudeau.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said it has "no interest" in Canada's internal affairs.

Citing unnamed intelligence officials, local broadcaster Global News reported that Beijing had directed funds to the candidates and that Chinese operatives had acted as campaign advisers to many candidates.

In one case, funding of C$250,000 (£160,000) was directed through the office of an Ontario-based provincial MP.

The attempted interference is believed to have targeted both major political parties - Mr Trudeau's Liberal party and the opposition Conservative party. However, it is unclear whether the operation was successful.

"We have taken significant measures to strengthen the integrity of our elections processes and our systems, and will continue to invest in the fight against election interference, against foreign interference of our democracies and institutions," Mr Trudeau told reporters on Monday.

"Unfortunately, we're seeing countries, state actors from around the world, whether it's China or others, are continuing to play aggressive games with our institutions, with our democracies," he added.

SIX DEAD AFTER 6.6-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE JOLTS WEST NEPAL

At least six people have died and scores injured when two back-to-back earthquakes hit western Nepal in Doti district, National Earthquake Monitoring Center said.

According to Kantipur, locals in Doti district have pulled out the dead bodies of three people when a strong earthquake hit the district on Wednesday at 2:12 a.m.

Earthquake measuring 6.6-magnitude occurred in western Nepal whose centre was Doti district, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring Center. Another quake measuring 4.1 magnitude also occurred in the same district at 9:56 p.m on Tuesday.

Dozens of houses were damaged due to the earthquake but detailed reports are still awaited since the quake struck at 2:12 p.m. and teams of security agencies have already reached search and rescue efforts.

Locals have said that a landslide occurred in several places due to the earthquake.

‘PAK JOURNO MURDER IN KENYA NOT CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY’

Islamabad : Pakistan’s interior minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said the initial probe showed that journalist Arshad Sharif was “murdered” in Kenya and it was not a case of mistaken identity as claimed by the local police. Sharif, 49, a former reporter and TV anchor with ARY TV, and known for his proximity to former PM Imran Khan, had fled to Kenya after he was booked on charges of sedition and peddling an “anti-state” narrative by Pakistan’s security agencies earlier thisyear. He was shot dead at a police checkpoint at an hour’s distance from Nairobi on October 23. The Kenyan police later said it was a case of “mistaken identity” during a search for a similar car involved in a child abductioncase. The minister said the government has written to the chief justice of the SC to form an independent commission to investigate the killing.

DO NOT ‘GREENWASH’ CLIMATE PLEDGES: UN PANEL TO PVT ENTITIES

Sharm el-Sheikh : There has been a rapid increase in the number of businesses or non-state actors such as financial institutions, cities and regions pledging net-zero emission goals without credible action on the ground. Such practice of ‘greenwashing’ may now invite action as a high-level expert group (HLEG) of the UN on Tuesday recommended certain regulatory provisions to crack down on such weak pledges.

Released at annual climate talks (COP27) in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm elSheikh, the HLEG’s report,providing a crucial roadmap to bring integrity to net-zero commitments by non-state actors, will work as a guiding principle for national governments to prevent non-state entities’ dishonest climate accounting and other actions designed to circumvent the need for deep decarbonisation.

Under its provisions, nonstate actors will have to report publicly on their progress with verified information that can be compared with peers.

Putting down 10 specific red-lines that are intended to prevent greenwashing, the HLEG recommended that non-state actors “can no longer claim to be net-zero while continuing to build or invest in new fossil fuel supply”. Businesses also can’t buy cheap carbon offset credits “that often lack integrity instead of cutting their own emissions. ”

“Using bogus ‘net-zero’ pledges to cover up massive fossil fuel expansion is reprehensible. It is rank deception. This toxic cover-up could push our world over the climate cliff. The sham must end,” said UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.

Asking businesses to abide by the standards and update their guidelines “right away and not later than COP28 (next year’s climate conference)”, the UN chief said, “The message is clear to all those managing existing voluntary initiatives as well as CEOs, mayors, governors committing to net-zero”.

VOTERS IN ARKANSAS, THE DAKOTAS, MARYLAND, MISSOURI, DECIDE ON LEGALISING MARIJUANA

Voters in five states are deciding on Election Day whether to approve recreational marijuana, a move that could signal a major shift toward legalisation in even the most conservative parts of the country. The proposals are on the ballot in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota and follow moves by President Joe Biden toward decriminalising marijuana. Biden last month announced he was pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law. Advocates of the marijuana initiatives have said Biden’s announcement may give a boost to their efforts. Recreational marijuana is legal in 19 states, and polls have shown opposition to legalisation softening. All of the states with recreational marijuana on the ballot, except for Maryland, voted for Trump in the 2020 presidential election. The five states also currently have legal medical marijuana programs. That includes Arkansas, which in 2016 became the first Bible Belt state to approve medical marijuana.

AWARDING QATAR THE WORLD CUP A MISTAKE - BLATTER

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter says the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was a "mistake".

Blatter, 86, was president of world football's governing body when Qatar was awarded the tournament in 2010.

The Gulf state has been criticised for its stance on same-sex relationships, human rights record and treatment of migrant workers.

Blatter said he was "right" to have said at the time that the tournament "should not go" to Qatar for 2022.

The Swiss was speaking on upcoming BBC Radio 5 Live podcast series Power Play - The House of Sepp Blatter about the decision to award Qatar the World Cup.

In an interview with Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger, Blatter added Qatar is "too small of a country" to host the tournament and that "football and the World Cup are too big for it".

The Qatar World Cup, the first to be hosted in the Middle East in the tournament's 92-year-history and the first during the Northern Hemisphere winter, takes place from 20 November to 18 December.

Fifa's executive committee voted 14-8 for Qatar to host the tournament ahead of the United States 12 years ago, at the same time Russia was awarded the 2018 event.

Blatter says he voted for the United States and blames then-Uefa president Michel Platini for swinging the vote in Qatar's favour.

NORWAY PRINCESS QUITS ROYAL DUTIES FOR ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Norway's Princess Märtha Louise has relinquished her royal duties to focus on her alternative medicine business with her fiancé, a self-styled shaman.

The Princess will keep her title, but is surrendering official duties to "create a clearer dividing line" between her private and royal role.

Her fiancé, Durek Verrett, has promoted unfounded medical practices, including suggesting cancer is a choice.

The American also claims to have influenced Gwyneth Paltrow.

Princess Märtha Louise is "relinquishing her patronage role" as she and Mr Verrett seek to "distinguish more clearly between their activities and the Royal House of Norway", the palace said in a statement. It added that King Harald V had decided she would keep her title.

"She has performed her duties with warmth, care and deep commitment," the statement said.

Despite the announcement, King Harald described Mr Verrett as a "a great guy and very funny to be with".

"He has a lot of humour, and we laugh a lot, even in this difficult time. I think both we and he have gained a greater understanding of what this is about, and we've agreed to disagree," King Harald told Norwegian reporters.