BELGRADE: Nationalists in Macedonia are “playing with fire” in refusing to relinquish power and the European Union should consider halting its accession process in order to break a dangerous deadlock, said the former envoy who helped avert civil war in the Balkan country.
A long-running political crisis in the former Yugoslav republic turned violent on Thursday when supporters of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, some in balaclavas, stormed parliament after a new majority in the assembly elected an ethnic Albanian as speaker, a first step toward replacing the nationalist-led government.
The events, in which one ethnic Albanian MP was brutally beaten and several other deputies left bloodied, raised fears that the political crisis was spiralling out of control and may plunge the country back into ethnic conflict 16 years after Western diplomacy averted full-blown civil war.
The nationalists of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski are blocking the formation of a new government led by the opposition Social Democrats, accusing them of doing a deal with the country’s ethnic Albanian minority that risked tearing the country apart by allowing wider official use of the Albanian language.
Pieter Feith, who as NATO’s Balkans troubleshooter at the turn of the century helped negotiate a peace deal to end months of clashes between Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas in 2001, warned of further escalation.
The nationalists, he said, “are playing with fire. The next step I could imagine, but God forbid, if arms are going to be handed out and circulated as they were in 2001, you are quickly on the abyss of civil war,” Feith told Reuters in a telephone interview late on Friday.
Feith also served as an EU envoy in the region and is currently a senior diplomatic adviser at the European Institute of Peace, which supports EU mediation and conflict-resolution efforts.
The Dutch diplomat suggested the EU, which has lost diplomatic leverage across the Balkans due to an increasingly apparent reluctance to expand further into the region, was considering sanctions.
“There is also perhaps room for sanctions, some form of travel ban or financial measures directed specifically against the leadership of VMRO,” Feith said.
Asked if he was advocating sanctions or if they were being considered by the EU, Feith replied: “I think the latter.”
'Draw a line'
A spokeswoman for the EU could not immediately be reached for comment, but German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel also hinted at possible punishment, telling reporters in Malta: “We are sending clear signals ... but of course there a lot of other measures which we hope don’t have to be launched.”
The EU’s leverage in Macedonia and across the Balkans has been diminished by the bloc’s waning enthusiasm for enlargement, the promise of which had helped stabilize and reform the region after the bloody breakup of socialist Yugoslavia.
Feith said Gruevski’s nationalists were “simply not listening.”
“Are we going to continue this charade or are we going to draw a line and say that the accession process has ended or is about to end? That’s the question that I think needs to be faced,” he said.
Social Democrat leader Zoran Zaev, who heads the new parliamentary majority and was hurt during Thursday’s violence, said on Friday he expected the new speaker, former guerrilla Talat Xhaferi, to assume his duties and notify the president of the new majority.
President Gjorge Ivanov, an ally of Gruevski, has so far refused to give Zaev the mandate to form a government.
The VMRO narrowly won a snap election in December, held under a deal to end two years of political crisis triggered by a wiretap scandal that appeared to expose widespread abuse of office.
But Gruevski, who was accused by critics of becoming increasingly autocratic during a decade in power, failed to revive a coalition deal with the largest ethnic Albanian party, which threw its support behind Zaev instead. (Additional reporting by Gabriela Baczynska in Valletta)
Macedonia ‘playing with fire,’ former peace envoy warns
Macedonia ‘playing with fire,’ former peace envoy warns
India’s successful test of hypersonic missile puts it among elite group
- Missile is designed to carry payloads for ranges exceeding 1,500 km for armed forces
- India is striving to develop long-range missiles along with China, Russia and United States
NEW DELHI: India has successfully tested a domestically developed long-range hypersonic missile, it said on Sunday, attaining a key milestone in military development that puts it in a small group of nations possessing the advanced technology.
The global push for hypersonic weapons figures in the efforts of some countries, such as India, which is striving to develop advanced long-range missiles, along with China, Russia and the United States.
The Indian missile, developed by the state-run Defense Research and Development Organization and industry partners, is designed to carry payloads for ranges exceeding 1,500 km (930 miles) for the armed forces, the government said in a statement.
“The flight data ... confirmed the successful terminal maneuvers and impact with high degree of accuracy,” it added.
The test-firing took place from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam island off the eastern coast of Odisha state on Saturday, it said.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called the test a “historic achievement” in a post on X, adding that it placed India among a select group of nations possessing such critical and advanced technologies.
Russia targets Ukraine’s power grid in ‘massive’ missile strike, officials say
- Ukrainians have been bracing for a major attack on the hobbled power system for weeks
- A crippling damage to the grid that would cause long blackouts and build psychological pressure
KYIV: Blasts rang out across Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and other cities early on Sunday, as Russia staged its biggest missile attack since August and targeted power facilities with the winter setting in, officials said.
Ukrainians have been bracing for a major attack on the hobbled power system for weeks, fearing crippling damage to the grid that would cause long blackouts and build psychological pressure at a critical moment in the war Russia launched in February 2022.
“Another massive attack on the power system is under way. The enemy is attacking electricity generation and transmission facilities throughout Ukraine,” Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko wrote on Facebook.
Air defenses could be heard engaging drones over the capital in the night, and a series of powerful blasts rang out across the city center as the missile attack was under way in the morning.
The scale of the damage was not immediately clear. Officials cut power supply to numerous city districts, including in Kyiv, the surrounding region and Dnipropetrovsk region, in what they said was a precaution to prevent a surge in case of damage.
Authorities in the Volyn region in northwestern Ukraine said energy infrastructure had sustained damage but did not elaborate. Officials often withhold information on the state of the power system because of the war.
In Mykolaiv in the south, two people were killed in the overnight drone attack, the regional governor said. Blasts shook the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia and the Black Sea port of Odesa, Reuters witnesses said. More blasts were reported in the regions of Kryvyi Rih in the south and Rivne in the west.
“Russia launched one of the largest air attacks: drones and missiles against peaceful cities, sleeping civilians, critical infrastructure,” said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
He described the strike as Moscow’s “true response” to leaders who had interacted with President Vladimir Putin, an apparent swipe at German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who placed a phone call to the Russian leader on Friday for the first time since late 2022.
NATO member Poland, which borders Ukraine to the west, said it had scrambled its air force within its airspace as a security precaution due to the Russian attack, which it said used cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones.
Poland “activated all available forces and resources at his disposal, the on-duty fighter pairs were scrambled, and the ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness,” the operational command of its armed forces posted on X.
Ukraine’s air force urged residents to take cover, providing regular updates on the progress of Russian cruise, ballistic and hypersonic missiles it said were hurtling through Ukrainian air space.
In Kyiv, the roof of a residential building caught fire due to falling debris and at least two people were hurt, city officials said on the Telegram messaging app.
“Emergency services were dispatched to the scene,” Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Russia last conducted a major missile strike on Kyiv on Aug. 26, when officials said it fired a salvo of more than 200 drones and missiles across the country in an attack that attack killed seven people.
Trump and team get warm welcome at UFC fight night
- US President-elect enters arena shortly before the start of the main card accompanied by UFC chief executive Dana White
- Trump frequently attends UFC events and attended three fights during his campaign for the White House
NEW YORK: US President-elect Donald Trump was greeted by chanting fans as he attended the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight bout at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Trump entered the arena shortly before the start of the main card accompanied by UFC chief executive Dana White, who was a prominent backer during his election campaign.
Several political allies of Trump were also in attendance for the mixed-martial arts fights, including entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been asked by Trump to lead efforts to cut government inefficiency.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump has nominated to be health secretary, was also at the fight and a photo posted on X showed the pair flying to the event together on Trump’s private plane.
The night had the feel of a post-election night out for the Republicans.
Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman tapped for the role of director of national intelligence, was also in the crowd along with Trump’s sons Eric and Don Jr and musician Kid Rock — a regular at Trump rallies.
After waving to the chanting crowd, Trump warmly greeted UFC broadcast analyst Joe Rogan, the popular podcast host who also endorsed Trump after he appeared as a guest on his show.
The venue’s “jumbotron” giant screen above the cage where fighters did battle then showed a video featuring highlights of the election campaign with soundbites from Trump.
The film ended with the numbers 45 and 47 on the screen, representing the Republican’s previous and upcoming presidency.
Fans chanted “USA, USA,” a refrain frequently heard at Trump rallies, including one he held at Madison Square Garden last month.
Trump watched the fights alongside Musk from front row seats next to the caged octagon.
After Jon Jones defended his heavyweight title with a third-round technical knockout against fellow American Stipe Miocic in the main event, the fighter celebrated with Trump’s trademark ‘YMCA’ dance.
“I want to say a big thank you to President Donald Trump for being here tonight,” said Jones, receiving a huge roar of approval from the crowd.
After leading the crowd in another round of “USA, USA” chant, Jones then passed his heavyweight championship belt to Trump and spent some time in conversation with the President-elect.
Trump frequently attends UFC events and attended three fights during his campaign for the White House.
His ties to the fight world run deep. He featured retired WrestleMania star Hulk Hogan at the Republican convention in August and hosted UFC bouts at his casinos in the early days, when the series struggled to gain traction and well before it became today’s multi-billion success.
Indigenous peoples, impacted by climate change, raise alarm about the planet at COP29
- 12 Indigenous people attending this year’s negotiations say one thing about how climate change is impacting their community
BAKU: They share stories of rising seas, burning trees, contaminated water and disease. But they also come ready to discuss solutions, sharing work their communities are doing to help confront a major threat to life on Earth: climate change.
For the many Indigenous peoples who attend the annual UN climate talks, this year being held in Azerbaijan, it’s a chance to make their voices heard. Their communities are often hard hit by weather extremes that are made worse by climate change. At the same time, traditional practices make many such communities vital in efforts to combat global warming. After all, for thousands of years Indigenous peoples around the world have successfully cared for lands, finding a balance with nature.
The Associated Press asked 12 Indigenous people attending this year’s negotiations to say one thing about how climate change is impacting their community, or how their community is helping to combat climate change. Here are their reflections:
Saina Ekaterina Savvinova, 53
Indigenous community: Yakut
Location: Yakutsk, Russia
“When I was a child, we had a lot of snow. We played in it. We made labyrinths with it. Now we don’t have much snow.”
Antumalen Ayelen Antillanca Urrutia, 26
Indigenous community: Mapuche Huilliche
Location: Huapi Island, Chile
“As a young Mapuche, I denounce the contamination of my home of Ranco Lake in southern Chile. I live on the third largest lake, on an island in the middle of it, and we do not have drinking water.”
Sydney Males, 27
Indigenous community: Kichwa Otavalo
Location: Otavalo, Ecuador
“We have a connection, like an energy, with the lakes, with the water in general. We have a connection with fire, we have a connection with the the air and other things that you in the Occident don’t have a connection with. So, we have solutions for climate change.”
Big Wind Carpenter, 31
Indigenous community: Northern Arapaho
Location: Wind River Reservation, United States
“We have been in a drought since I was born. We have been in extreme drought the last 30 years and completely surrounded by wildfires.”
Flora Vano, 39
Indigenous community: Melenasian
Location: Port Vila, Vanuatu
“Sea level rise is eating us up. It threatens our food security, contaminates our water source, infrastructure is destroyed and the increase in gender-based violence goes sky high.”
Puyr dos Santos Tembé, 47
Indigenous community: Tembé
Location: Belem, Brazil
“Think about the Amazon. You have trees and rivers, and then you see the rivers, which are the mode of transport for many people, drying up.”
Mingma Chhiri, 40
Indigenous community: Sherpa
Location: Khumbu Pasanglhamu Municipality District, Nepal
“As ethnic people in the area, we don’t destroy any natural beauty. We don’t cut trees. We plant them.”
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, 41
Indigenous community: Mbororo
Location: N’Djamena, Chad
“Right now we are experiencing the biggest floods we have ever had. Two million people have been displaced and thousands are dead.”
Ninawa Inu Pereira Nunes, 50
Indigenous community: Huni Kui
Location: Feijo, Brazil
“The main work we do is to raise awareness among people to stop deforestation. But we are also restoring degraded areas by planting trees. And we are working very hard to strengthen the spirituality of our people by restoring the sources of the rivers and repopulating the streams and rivers.
Marynne Rimbao, 42
Indigenous community: Tombekin
Location: Unda village, Papua New Guinea
“My place is located in one of the remotest places in Papua New Guinea, where there are mining activities. Especially when mining activities are involved, my area is being impacted by climate change when it comes to the environment — the land, the water, the resources, the food and forests — that sustains our livelihood.
Didja Tchari Djibrillah, 30
Indigenous community: Peul Mbororo
Location: Mayo-Kebbi East, Chad
“The community (of pastoralists) contributes to combatting the effects of climate change. When moving from one place to another, we leave cow dung that allows the soil to be fertilized and the ecosystem to regenerate.”
Jackson Michael, 40
Indigenous community: Iban
Location: Borneo, Malaysia
“Heavy rainfall is affecting wildlife. Now the government is making a lot of effort to protect and preserve wildlife.”
Japanese troops to train with Australia, US militaries in Darwin
- The deployment has special significance given Darwin was a major base for Allied forces in World War Two
SYDNEY: Japanese troops will begin regular deployments in northern Australia as part of military cooperation with Australia and the US, Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Sunday.
Around 2,000 US Marines are already hosted in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, for six months of the year amid growing concern among Washington and its allies about China’s growing military power in the Indo Pacific region.
“Today we are announcing that there will be regular deployments of Japan’s amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade to Australia,” Marles said at a televised press conference in Darwin, alongside US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani.
“Having a more forward leaning opportunity for greater training with Japan and the US together is a really fantastic opportunity for our defense,” Marles told Sky News on Sunday, according to a transcript.
The deployment has special significance given Darwin was a major base for Allied forces in World War Two and was heavily bombed by Japanese forces. The wartime air raids on the port city are sometimes described as Australia’s Pearl Harbor.
Austin said on Sunday he was confident the US will provide the capabilities set out in the AUKUS deal, which will see Australia buy US nuclear submarines and develop a new class of nuclear-powered submarines with the US and Britain.
The US Defense Department was focused “on a smooth and effective transition” to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, Austin said.
“I’m really proud of the things that this administration has accomplished over the last four years, in terms of what we’ve done in this region to strengthen alliances and to work with countries that share the vision of a free and open Indo Pacific,” Austin added.
Sunday’s trilateral meeting between Australia, the US and Japan in Darwin is the 14th meeting of its kind between the three allies.
At the last trilateral, held in Singapore in June, the nations expressed serious concern about security in the East China Sea and said they opposed “any destabilizing and coercive unilateral actions” there, a veiled reference to China.
China, building its military capacity in the Indo Pacific, in September carried out the rare launch of intercontinental ballistic missile that landed in the Pacific Ocean. The test launch was described as concerning by several Pacific nations including Australia.
