KYIV: Germany’s chief diplomat on Tuesday described US President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a truce in the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine as deadlocked, while China’s foreign minister said that it was encouraging that the talks between Washington and Moscow on finding a settlement are continuing.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, arriving in Kyiv for an unannounced visit, said that “due to the deadlock” between the US and Russia on forging a ceasefire deal, European allies’ continued support for Ukraine in the war is “absolutely crucial.”
Trump on Sunday scolded Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, expressing frustration at the continued fighting in a war that he had pledged to swiftly stop.
Trump insisted progress was being made in the negotiations, but said that he would consider imposing further sanctions to put pressure on Moscow and accused Zelensky of trying to back out of a deal with the US on access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Tuesday that the latest version of the mineral deal remained under discussion and that Ukraine had conducted its first round of consultations on that version.
Putin has effectively refused a US proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting, despite Trump’s prodding. Also, a partial ceasefire in the Black Sea that could allow safer shipments has fallen foul of conditions imposed by Kremlin negotiators.
“We consider the models and solutions proposed by the Americans quite seriously, but we can’t just accept all of them as they are,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
Moscow is holding out on a deal to ease shipping in the Black Sea in order to “stall efforts toward a general ceasefire and extract additional concessions from the West,” according to an assessment Monday by the Institute for the Washington-based Study of War think tank.
Trump has signaled that he could consider new oil sanctions on Russia — a development Ukraine would view favorably.
“I believe we have reached the point where stronger sanctions are needed, because I believe the Russians are breaking the promises they made to America,” Zelensky said during a joint press conference with Baerbock in Kyiv on Tuesday.
“For us, decisive action is crucial. Words are not enough,” Zelensky added. “We are the ones who suffer.”
Putin previously has ruled out a temporary break in hostilities, saying that it would only benefit Ukraine and its Western allies by letting them replenish their arsenals. He has insisted that Moscow wants a comprehensive agreement that would ensure a lasting settlement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Tuesday that a breakthrough in negotiations isn’t imminent.
“The issues that we are discussing in connection with the Ukrainian settlement are quite complex and they require a lot of additional efforts,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
New drone attacks on energy facilities
Meanwhile, deadly attacks by both Russia and Ukraine have continued, and they are gearing up for spring campaigns in their war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.
Overnight, Russia fired no Shahed drones at Ukraine for the first time in more than five months, according to authorities.
But Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation branch of Ukraine’s Security Council, detected no change in Russian strategy.
“For now, this means nothing,” he said on Telegram.
Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of launching new drone attacks on energy facilities in Russia’s Belgorod region and in the Russia-controlled part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. Zelensky accused Russia of failing to uphold its commitment to a ceasefire targeting the energy infrastructure.
“I’ve asked our side to pass information through various institutions about Russia’s breaches of the agreement not to strike energy facilities,” he said, adding that the reports have been sent almost daily. “We’re sharing this information with the United States, and we see that America is beginning to understand it.”
Ukraine’s European backers say they will keep supporting Kyiv’s efforts to defeat Russia’s invasion. Zelensky said a closed-door meeting with military officials from several partner countries will take place Friday to further discuss the possible deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine as a part of future security guarantees.
“It will be the first in-depth meeting... based on proposals prepared by the Ukrainian side,” he said.
‘A fair, long-term, binding peace’
Putin is getting military help from North Korea and Iran.
China, too, has given diplomatic support to Russia and has provided economic help through trade in energy and consumer goods.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a visit to Moscow, was quoted as saying Tuesday that “certain results have been achieved” in Washington’s attempt to stop the war as US-Russia relations have improved under Trump.
Beijing supports the goal of “a fair, long-term, binding peace agreement acceptable to all parties involved,” he said in an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
At the start of his meeting with Putin, Wang said they would discuss future relations. “The China-Russia relationship will not stand still, but will only become more and more extensive,” he said.
Germany sees Ukraine truce efforts as deadlocked, while China says the talks are encouraging
https://arab.news/rmx8x
Germany sees Ukraine truce efforts as deadlocked, while China says the talks are encouraging
- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said European allies’ continued support for Ukraine in the war is “absolutely crucial”
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Tuesday that the latest version of the mineral deal remained under discussion
New Zealand lawmakers reject bill to redefine country’s founding Waitangi Treaty
The Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi bill was rejected by Parliament in a 112 to 11 vote in Wellington, halting its progress to a third and final vote. Cheers and applause erupted before lawmakers and the public sang a waiata — a traditional Māori song — after the result was announced.
The sweeping reinterpretation of the 1840 treaty signed by British representatives and 500 Māori chiefs during New Zealand’s colonization was never expected to become law. But the measures provoked a fraught debate about Indigenous rights and last November prompted the biggest race relations protest in the country’s history.
But its defeat did not spell the end for scrutiny of Māori rights in New Zealand law.
What is the Treaty of Waitangi?
The Treaty guides the relationship between the government and Māori, with its meaning established through decades of legislation and court rulings. It promised tribes broad rights to retain their lands and protect their interests in return for ceding governance to the British.
But two versions of the document were signed – one in English and one in Māori — and while both promised Māori the rights and privileges of British citizens, the documents differed on what authority the chiefs were ceding. Crown breaches of both created steep disenfranchisement for Māori, who still face stark inequities.
Since an Indigenous protest movement surged in the 1970s, Treaty considerations have been a growing part of New Zealand law. Redress efforts have bolstered a dwindling Māori language and culture — now experiencing a resurgence — and resulted in billion-dollar settlements for stolen Māori land.
What did the Treaty Principles Bill say?
The bill sought to end the 185-year conversation about the Treaty’s meaning by enacting in law particular definitions for each clause and specifying that any rights should apply to all New Zealanders. Its author — libertarian lawmaker David Seymour, who is Māori – has decried what he said were special rights and privileges on the basis of race.
In his speech to lawmakers Thursday, Seymour said New Zealanders should all have “the same rights and duties.”
He urged lawmakers outside his party to break ranks and endorse the bill. None did.
What did opponents say?
Parliamentary opposition leader Chris Hipkins lambasted the bill as “a stain on this country” and accused its supporters of spreading “the myth of Māori special privilege.” He cited the disadvantage of Māori on almost every metric — including higher rates of poverty and ill-health and lower life expectancy.
The Treaty of Waitangi “is not about racial privilege or racial superiority,” said opposition lawmaker Willie Jackson. “It is and always has been about legal rights Māori have in their contract with the Crown.”
Parliament received 300,000 written submissions from members of the public — more than a proposed law had ever received before — 90 percent of them opposed to the measures.
“This bill has been absolutely annihilated,” said Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, an opposition lawmaker from Te Pāti Māori, the Māori political party.
Maipi-Clarke faces disciplinary proceedings at Parliament for her protest of the bill’s first vote last November, when she tore up a copy of the measures while performing a haka — a Māori chant of challenge — as she and colleagues walked toward Seymour. The lawmakers refused to attend a hearing on their conduct this month, because they said Parliament does not respect tikanga — Māori cultural protocols.
Why did the measures get so far?
Despite its unpopularity, the proposed law passed its first vote due to a quirk of New Zealand’s political system that allows tiny parties to negotiate outsized influence for their agendas.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon agreed his lawmakers would endorse the bill at its first reading to fulfil a political deal with Seymour that handed Luxon power. Without enough seats to govern after the 2023 election, Luxon negotiated support from two minor parties, including Seymour’s, in return for political concessions.
They included Luxon’s early support for the Treaty Principles bill, although the New Zealand leader always said he would later oppose it. Luxon’s opponents on Thursday derided his political dealings.
What happens next?
The Treaty Principles Bill was not the only measure Luxon agreed to that will scrutinize the Treaty’s influence on New Zealand law and policy. Another of Seymour’s initiatives, already enacted, directed public agencies to stop targeting policies to specifically redress Māori inequities.
Luxon also agreed to consider and either replace or repeal mentions of the Treaty of Waitangi throughout most New Zealand laws.
Pentagon chief says US could ‘revive’ Panama bases
- A longer-term rotational force — such as the one the United States maintains in Darwin, Australia — is politically toxic for Panama’s center-right leader Jose Raul Mulino
PANAMA CITY: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth floated the idea on Wednesday of US troops returning to Panama to “secure” its strategically vital canal, a suggestion quickly shot down by the Central American country’s government.
Hegseth suggested during a visit to Panama that “by invitation” the United States could “revive” military bases or naval air stations and rotate deployments of US troops to an isthmus the United States invaded 35 years ago.
He also said his country was seeking free passage through the canal for its Navy ships — which US President Donald Trump had said were “severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form.”
Trump, since coming to power in January, has repeatedly claimed that China has too much influence over the canal, which handles about 40 percent of US container traffic and five percent of world trade.
His administration has vowed to “take back” control of the strategic waterway that the United States funded, built and controlled until 1999.
Hegseth suggested on Wednesday the slew of former US military bases that dot Panama could be used again to host US troops.
He said a deal signed with Panama this week was an “opportunity to revive, whether it’s the military base, naval air station, locations where US troops can work with Panamanian troops to enhance capabilities and cooperate in a rotational way.”
Hegseth cited the possibility of “joint exercises” but the mention of a “rotational” force is likely to raise the hackles of Panamanians, for whom sole ownership of the canal is a source of intense national pride.
The United States has long participated in military exercises in Panama.
However, a longer-term rotational force — such as the one the United States maintains in Darwin, Australia — is politically toxic for Panama’s center-right leader Jose Raul Mulino.
His government quickly slapped down the idea.
“Panama made clear, through President Mulino that we cannot accept military bases or defense sites,” said Panama security minister Frank Abrego in a joint public appearance with Hegseth.
Hegseth also said the United States was seeking an agreement under which its warships could pass through the canal “first, and free.”
Jose Ramon Icaza, Panama’s Minister for Canal Affairs, said “we will seek a mechanism by which warships and auxiliary ships can have a compensation system for services, that is, a way to make them cost-neutral” but not “free.”
The independent Panama Canal Authority (PCA) that manages the waterway said in a statement on Wednesday that it was seeking a “cost-neutral scheme” to “compensate services rendered in security matters for warship tolls.”
Under current treaties, the canal is open to all nations and all vessels must pay the same rates according to their capacity and cargo, regardless of their country of origin or destination.
The PCA said the United States recognized Panamanian sovereignty over the waterway, although Hegseth did not mention it in the news conference.
The Pentagon chief’s two-day visit has been peppered with comments about China and its influence in Latin America.
He said the United States was not looking for war with China but would counter Beijing’s “threats” to the region.
“We do not seek war with China. And war with China is certainly not inevitable. We do not seek it in any form,” Hegseth said.
“But together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere,” the former Fox News anchor said in a speech.
China hit back after Hegseth’s comments, saying US officials “maliciously attacked China... exposing the United States’ bullying nature.”
Trump has zeroed in on the role of a Hong Kong company that has operated ports at either end of the canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for decades.
Hegseth asserted that China-based companies are also capturing Latin American land and infrastructure in strategic sectors such as energy and telecommunications, and that China has too large a military presence in the hemisphere.
“Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain,” Hegseth said.
Under pressure from the White House, Panama has accused Hong Kong-backed Panama Ports Company of failing to meet its contractual obligations and pushed for the firm to pull out of the country.
The firm rejected on Wednesday an audit that said it had failed to pay $1.2 billion due under its concession.
The ports’ parent company CK Hutchison announced last month a deal to offload 43 ports in 23 countries — including its two on the Panama Canal — to a consortium led by US asset manager BlackRock for $19 billion in cash.
A furious Beijing has since announced an antitrust review of the deal.
The United States invaded Panama in 1989 to oust dictator Manuel Noriega, killing more than 500 Panamanians and razing parts of the capital.
Rebels in Indonesia’s Papua kill 17 people disguised as soldiers
- A low-level but increasingly deadly battle for independence has simmered between security forces and rebels
- Papua was controversially brought under Indonesian control in a vote overseen by the United Nations in 1969
JAKARTA: Rebels in Indonesia’s Papua region said on Thursday they have killed more than 17 people since the weekend, claiming that they were soldiers disguised as gold miners, and police said the insurgents were holding two hostages.
A low-level but increasingly deadly battle for independence has simmered between security forces and rebels in resource-rich Papua ever since it was controversially brought under Indonesian control in a vote overseen by the United Nations in 1969.
Sebby Sambom, a Papuan rebel spokesperson, said in a statement the rebels had killed more than 17 people since April 6, including five on Wednesday, and claimed they were military members disguised as gold miners.
“If the Indonesian government military wants to chase us, please come to Dekai town, we are in the town,” Sebby said, referring to a town in Yahukimo district, where the incident took place.
Frega Wenas, a spokesperson for the country’s defense ministry, told reporters that 11 illegal miners were ruthlessly killed in the area and denied they were military officers, adding this was the rebels’ propaganda.
Separately, police said in a statement on Thursday that 35 people in the area were evacuated to another district, while two residents were still being held hostage by the rebels.
Frega said the attack was one of the deadliest in recent years. In 2018, a separatist group killed 21 road construction workers in the highland area of Nduga.
Rebels in Papua have in recent years managed to acquire better weapons, taken in raids on army posts or sourced from the black market. They have also abducted foreigners, including a New Zealand pilot who was released last year after being held for 19 months.
Hope of finding survivors fades in aftermath of Dominican club roof collapse
- Roof of legendary nightclub Jet Set collapsed earlier this week, killing at least 184 people
- Doctors warned that some of the two dozen patients who remained hospitalized were still not in the clear
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic: Rescue crews in the Dominican Republic on Thursday dug through the remains of a legendary nightclub whose roof collapsed earlier this week, killing at least 184 people, but hope of finding survivors was slim.
Meanwhile, dozens of people in the capital of Santo Domingo still searched for their loved ones, growing frustrated upon getting no answers after visiting hospitals and the country’s forensic institute.
Doctors warned that some of the two dozen patients who remained hospitalized were still not in the clear, especially the eight who were in critical condition.
“If the trauma is too great, there’s not a lot of time” left to save patients in that condition, said Health Minister Dr. Víctor Atallah.
He and other doctors said that injuries include fractures in the skull, femur and pelvis caused by slabs of cement falling on those attending a merengue concert at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, where more than 200 were injured.
The government said Wednesday night that it was moving to a recovery phase focused on finding bodies, but Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations, said crews at the scene were still looking for victims and potential survivors although no one has been found alive since Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re not going to abandon anyone. Our work will continue,” he said.
The legendary club was packed with musicians, professional athletes and government officials when dust began falling from the ceiling and into people’s drinks early Tuesday. Minutes later, the roof collapsed.
Victims include merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who had been singing to the crowd before the roof fell; former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera; and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi whose brother is seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz.
Also killed was a retired United Nations official; saxophonist Luis Solis, who was playing onstage when the roof fell; New York-based fashion designer Martin Polanco; the son and daughter-in-law of the minister of public works; the brother of the vice minister of the Ministry of Youth; and three employees of Grupo Popular, a financial services company, including the president of AFP Popular Bank and his wife.
Randolfo Rijo Gomez, director of the country’s 911 system, said it received more than 100 calls, with several of those made by people buried under the rubble. He noted that police arrived at the scene in 90 seconds, followed minutes later by first response units. In less than half an hour, 25 soldiers, seven fire brigades and 77 ambulances were activated, he said.
Crews used dogs and thermal cameras to search for victims, rescuing 145 survivors from the rubble, authorities said.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse, or when the Jet Set building was last inspected.
The government said late Wednesday that once the recovery phase ends, it will launch a thorough investigation.
The club issued a statement saying it was cooperating with authorities. A spokesperson for the family that owns the club told said that she passed along questions about potential inspections.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works referred questions to the mayor’s office. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
South Korean opposition leader opens presidential bid following Yoon’s ouster
- Lee Jae-myung is widely seen as the frontrunner in the presidential by-election
- South Korean opposition leader narrowly lost the 2022 election to ousted president
SEOUL: South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, widely seen as the frontrunner in a presidential by-election triggered by the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol last week, officially announced a presidential bid on Thursday, vowing to heal a starkly divided nation through economic growth.
Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 election to Yoon, led the liberal Democratic Party’s campaign to oust the former president over his December declaration of martial law.
Lee recently stepped down as the party’s chairman to focus on campaigning for the June 3 election. He is considered the clear frontrunner in party’s primary. Kim Dong-yeon, the Democratic governor of Gyeonggi province and a longtime financial policymaker, also told reporters Wednesday that he intends to run for president.
Yoon’s downfall has left the conservative People Power Party in disarray, with roughly 10 politicians expected to seek the nomination, reflecting a split between Yoon loyalists, who still control the party’s leadership, and reformists calling for a fresh start.
In a video message, Lee said that Yoon’s martial law saga exposed the country’s deep divisions and social conflicts, and argued that the root cause was a widening rich-poor gap. He promised aggressive government spending to jolt economic growth and ease income polarization.
“We have more than we did in the past, but wealth is too concentrated in certain areas,” Lee said. “With economic growth rates declining worldwide, it has become difficult to maintain and develop an economy solely on the strength of the private sector. However, with government-led talent development and extensive investments in technological research and development, we can revive the economy.”
Lee said it was crucial to maintain a robust alliance with the United States and to pursue three-way cooperation with Japan, but he stressed that South Korea’s national interest should come first in “every decision.”
Lee, who has served as a lawmaker, provincial governor and city mayor, is adored by supporters for his outspoken style and has long positioned himself as an anti-elitist. His critics view him as a populist who stokes division and demonizes conservative opponents while failing to offer realistic funding plans to achieve his ambitious goals.
Kweon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party and a staunch Yoon loyalist, said that if Lee becomes president, he will “ruthlessly wield the sword of dogmatism and retribution” and further deepen the country’s divisions.
Lee also has his own set of legal troubles, facing five different trials for corruption and other criminal charges.
Earlier this month, the Constitutional Court upheld Yoon’s impeachment by the legislature and formally removed him from office over the martial law decree, triggering a presidential by-election within 60 days. The next president will serve a full 5-year term.
Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, who heads the party’s anti-Yoon faction, was expected to announce his presidential bid on Thursday. Among the conservatives’ presidential hopefuls, former Labor Minister Kim Moon Soo is considered to be the most pro-Yoon.
Kim, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo and senior PPP lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo – a former computer software entrepreneur and three-time presidential candidate – have declared their intentions to run for president. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is expected to enter the race later.
