PARIS: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday as their governments worked to de-escalate tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
The leaders held a joint news conference during Scholz’s first trip abroad following his coalition government’s swearing-in on Wednesday. They said they would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Brussels.
“We all view the situation on the Ukrainian border with concern,” Scholz said. “We’re clear that the inviolability of borders in Europe is one of the principles that all in Europe must accept for our common security … This rule goes for everyone.”
Scholz plans to go from France to Brussels to meet with EU and NATO officials. Macron said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to talk next week.
“Our first goal is to avoid any useless tension,” Macron said. “Our will ... Europeans and Americans, is to show that we are very vigilant about the situation, but that there must be no escalation, in any way.”
US President Joe Biden this week moved to take a more direct role in diplomacy between Ukraine and Russia. In recent years, France and Germany have played mediator roles in the conflict.
Biden has pressed Putin to pull back a massive Russian troop buildup near Ukraine’s border that has created growing concern in Washington and European capitals, as well as in Ukraine itself.
Macron spoke with Zelenskyy over the phone on Friday, and said France and Germany are determined to preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to a statement from the French presidency.
Macron and Scholz discussed other bilateral and European issues Friday, including the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Macron has made boosting growth and jobs a priority of France’s upcoming six-month EU presidency, which starts in January.
Scholz, who was previously Germany’s finance minister, noted that he and Macron both have tried to show “what is possible in Europe when we work together.” Europe’s 750 billion-euro ($846 billion) pandemic recovery fund “is an emphatic symbol of the possibilities connected with this,” he said.
“And so I am very confident that we can solve the tasks that lie ahead of us — this is about continuing to make possible and maintain the growth that we set on track with the recovery fund, and at the same time providing for solid finances,” Scholz said.
Scholz, a 63-year-old center-left politician, became Germany’s ninth post-World War II chancellor this week, opening a new era for the EU’s most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure.
His government is composed of a coalition of his center-left Social Democrats, the environmentalist Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats.
Scholz meets with Macron in 1st trip as German chancellor
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Scholz meets with Macron in 1st trip as German chancellor
- The leaders held a joint news conference during Scholz's first trip abroad
- Scholz plans to go from France to Brussels to meet with EU and NATO officials
India’s capital shuts schools because of smog
NEW DELHI: India’s capital New Delhi switched schools to online classes Monday until further notice because of worsening toxic smog, the latest bid to ease the sprawling megacity’s health crisis.
Levels of PM2.5 pollutants — dangerous cancer-causing microparticles that enter the bloodstream through the lungs — were recorded at 57 times above the World Health Organization’s recommended daily maximum on Sunday evening.
They stood around 39 times above warning limits at dawn on Monday, with a dense grey and acrid smog smothering the city.
The city is blanketed in acrid smog each year, primarily blamed on stubble burning by farmers in neighboring regions to clear their fields for plowing, as well as factories and traffic fumes.
The restrictions were put in place by city authorities “in an effort to prevent further deterioration” of the air quality.
Authorities hope by keeping children at home, traffic will be significantly reduced.
“Physical classes shall be discontinued for all students, apart from Class 10 and 12,” Chief Minister Atishi, who uses one name, said in a statement late Sunday.
Primary schools were already ordered to cease in-person classes on Thursday, with a raft of further restrictions imposed on Monday, including limiting diesel-powered trucks and construction.
The government urged children and the elderly, as well as those with lung or heart issues “to stay indoors as much as possible.”
Many in the city cannot afford air filters, nor do they have homes they can effectively seal from the misery of foul-smelling air blamed for thousands of premature deaths.
The orders came into force on Monday morning.
New Delhi and the surrounding metropolitan area, home to more than 30 million people, consistently tops world rankings for air pollution in winter.
Cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds worsen the situation by trapping deadly pollutants each winter, stretching from mid-October until at least January.
India’s Supreme Court last month ruled that clean air was a fundamental human right, ordering both the central government and state-level authorities to take action.
Philippines, United States to sign military intelligence-sharing deal
- Visiting US Defense Secretary LLoyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, will sign the agreement
- The two countries have a mutual defense treaty dating back to 1951
MANILA: The Philippines and the United States will sign on Monday a military intelligence-sharing deal, Manila’s defense ministry said, in a further deepening of security ties between the two defense treaty allies.
Visiting US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, will sign the agreement, it said.
Called the General Security of Military Information Agreement or GSOMIA, the pact allows both countries to share military information securely.
Security engagements between the United States and the Philippines have deepened under President Joe Biden and Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with both leaders keen to counter what they see as China’s aggressive policies in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.
The two countries have a mutual defense treaty dating back to 1951, which could be invoked if either side came under attack, including in the South China Sea.
The Philippines has expressed confidence the alliance will remain strong under incoming US president Donald Trump.
Woman-owned cafe in Indonesia’s Sharia stronghold shakes stigma
- While the province has long been known as the site of the world’s deadliest tsunami and a decades-long separatist insurgency, Aceh’s draw for visitors is often the coffee
Banda Aceh: In what claims to be the only woman-run cafe in the capital of Indonesia’s most conservative province, owner Qurrata Ayuni says she and her baristas provide an alternative to rowdy, smoke-filled male haunts.
The 28-year-old opened Morning Mama last year to create a space that caters to women in Banda Aceh, known as the city of 1,001 coffee shops.
“I thought why not open a place that is comfortable for women?” she said.
While the province has long been known as the site of the world’s deadliest tsunami and a decades-long separatist insurgency, Aceh’s draw for visitors is often the coffee.
The traditional “sanger” latte, mixed with condensed milk, is a popular staple.
Aceh’s strong connection to coffee started hundreds of years ago with Dutch colonial rulers. Now, its farmers cultivate world-renowned beans in lush highlands.
Aceh still catches attention for its ultraconservative values, including by-laws that require Muslim women to wear hijabs.
While women are not banned from working in the only region in Muslim-majority Indonesia to impose Islamic law, running a coffee shop is seen as a man’s job.
“It’s extremely difficult for women in Aceh to pursue education or a career, facing not only legal restrictions but also social bullying,” said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch.
Despite widespread criticism, public whipping remains a common punishment for a range of offenses in the province, including gambling, alcohol consumption and relations outside marriage.
Independent career paths are mostly viewed as out of reach for Aceh’s young women, but Qurrata was undeterred.
’Time for change’
Qurrata, who owns her cafe without a business partner, saw a demand for a space for women to work or meet friends.
She and her team of baristas pour fresh coffee to mostly hijab-wearing customers, with children’s books and menstruation pads on sale nearby.
“There’s no cigarette smoke, it’s not noisy, it’s really cosy,” she said, adding that some men also have coffees at her shop.
“It’s a statement that women can own businesses, make decisions and lead,” she said.
“Now is the time for change.”
The entrepreneur says women are stepping up, pointing to at least 1,000 applying for a barista job.
“I want to offer them the chance to change the course of their lives,” she said.
Caca, a 23-year-old barista, said it was a “really cool job” rare in Aceh.
The cafe’s regulars hail Morning Mama as a spot where women can be themselves.
“I feel more connection if I ask something with a woman barista,” said 21-year-old student Meulu Alina. “I don’t feel any nervousness. It’s more like talking with your sister.”
Helping others
Before starting her business, Qurrata overcame the loss of her parents at the age of eight in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed more than 200,000 people.
Her village near Banda Aceh was completely destroyed, but she survived and was raised by her aunt and uncle.
Qurrata said she wants to channel her grief into helping other women.
“It’s a platform to help others find their own resilience, much like I did,” she said.
Photography jobs allowed her to build savings and confidence, taking a leap into business after her uncle encouraged her and helped financially.
Other women were still “afraid to start,” she said, for fear men will say bad things.
“People here tend to believe that women should stay at home,” she said.
But “the older generation understands that times have changed.”
Owner of Aceh’s popular Solong coffee shop, Hajji Nawawi, said he would not employ women but locals had accepted them making coffee elsewhere, calling it “normal” as values “from outside” Aceh had entered the province.
Qurrata employs five women alongside two men.
Revenue fluctuates, but Qurrata says her ultimate aim is to inspire other women.
“Women are capable of so much more than we’re often given credit for. We can be leaders, creators, and innovators,” she said.
“So don’t just sit back. Don’t be afraid.”
Indigenous Australian lawmaker who heckled King Charles censured
- Independent senator Lidia Thorpe’s censure carries no practical punishment but passed the Senate Monday with 46 votes in favor and 12 against
SYDNEY: An Indigenous lawmaker was censured by Australia’s parliament Monday for heckling King Charles about the legacy of European settlement during his October visit to Canberra.
The censure carries no practical punishment but passed the Senate Monday with 46 votes in favor and 12 against.
During the king’s visit to parliament, independent senator Lidia Thorpe screamed: “This is not your land, you are not my king,” decrying what she said was a “genocide” of Indigenous Australians by European settlers.
She also turned her back on the king as dignitaries stood for the national anthem.
The censure motion condemned Thorpe’s actions as “disruptive and disrespectful.”
It also said the Senate no longer regarded it “appropriate” for Thorpe to be a member of any delegation “during the life of this parliament.”
A censure motion is a symbolic gesture when parliamentarians are dissatisfied with the behavior of one of their own.
Thorpe – sporting a gold chain with ‘Not My King’ around her neck – said she did not “give a damn” about the censure and would most likely use the document as “kindling” later in the week.
She told national broadcaster ABC she would “do it again” if the monarch returned.
“I will resist colonization in this country. I swear my allegiance to the real sovereigns of these lands: First Peoples are the real sovereigns,” she said.
Green Senator Mehreen Faruqi voted against Thorpe’s censure, saying the lawmaker was telling Australia’s history “the way she wants to.”
Thorpe is known for her attention-grabbing political stunts and fierce opposition to the monarchy.
When she was sworn into office in 2022, Thorpe raised her right fist as she begrudgingly swore to serve Queen Elizabeth II, who was then Australia’s head of state.
Australia was a British colony for more than 100 years, during which time thousands of Aboriginal Australians were killed and entire communities displaced.
The country gained de facto independence in 1901, but has never become a fully-fledged republic.
King Charles is the current head of state.
The issue of a republic reared its head during the king’s visit Down Under earlier this year, but the issue remains a political non-starter.
A recent poll showed about a third of Australians would like to ditch the monarchy, a third would keep it and a third are ambivalent.
In 1999, Australians narrowly voted against removing the queen, amid a row over whether her replacement would be chosen by members of parliament, not the public.
North Korean leader calls for expanding his nuclear forces in the face of alleged US threats
- Kim Jong Un condemns the US for updating its nuclear deterrence strategies with South Korea
- North Korean leader has prioritized his country’s ties to Russia in recent months, embracing the idea of a ‘new Cold War’
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un renewed his call for a “limitless” expansion of his military nuclear program to counter US-led threats in comments reported Monday that were his first direct criticism toward Washington since Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential election.
At a conference with army officials on Friday, Kim condemned the United States for updating its nuclear deterrence strategies with South Korea and solidifying three-way military cooperation involving Japan, which he portrayed as an “Asian NATO” that was escalating tensions and instability in the region.
Kim also criticized the United States over its support of Ukraine against a prolonged Russian invasion. He insisted that Washington and its Western allies were using Ukraine as their “shock troops” to wage a war against Moscow and expand the scope of US military influence, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
Kim has prioritized his country’s ties to Russia in recent months, embracing the idea of a “new Cold War” and displaying a united front in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s broader conflicts with the West.
He has used Russia’s war on Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate the development of his nuclear-armed military, which now has various nuclear-capable systems targeting South Korea and intercontinental ballistic missiles that can potentially reach the US mainland.
Kim has yet to directly acknowledge that he has been providing military equipment and troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine and the KCNA’s report didn’t mention whether Kim made any comments toward Trump, whose election win has yet to be reported in the North’s state media.
Kim met Trump three times in 2018 and 2019 in Trump’s first presidency, but their diplomacy quickly collapsed over disagreements in exchanging the release of US-led sanctions and North Korean steps to wind down its nuclear and missile program. North Korea has since suspended any meaningful talks with Washington and Seoul as Kim ramped up his testing activity and military demonstrations in the face of what he portrayed as “gangster-like US threats.” There’s concern in Seoul that Kim in exchange for his military support of Russia would receive Russian technology in return to further develop his arsenal.
Trump’s election win has touched off speculation about a resumption of a summit-driven diplomacy with Kim, which was described by critics as a “bromance.” But some experts say a quick return to 2018 is highly unlikely, as too much has changed about the regional security situation and broader geopolitics since then.
While the North Korean nuclear problem was relatively an independent issue during Trump’s first term, it is now connected with broader challenges created by Russia’s war on Ukraine and further complicated by weakened sanctions enforcement against Pyongyang, Hwang Ildo, a professor at South Korea’s National Diplomatic Academy, wrote in a study last week.
North Korea’s nuclear and missile program is now much more advanced, which would increase Kim’s perception of his bargaining powers. Kim’s efforts to boost North Korea’s presence in a united front against Washington could also gain strength if Trump spikes tariffs and rekindles a trade war with China, the North’s main ally and economic lifeline, Hwang said.
Amid the stalemate in larger nuclear negotiations with Washington, Kim has been dialing up pressure on South Korea, abandoning his country’s long-standing goal of inter-Korean reconciliation and verbally threatening to attack the South with nukes if provoked.
Kim has also engaged in psychological and electronic warfare against South Korea, such as flying thousands of balloons to drop trash in the South and disrupting GPS signals from border areas near the South’s biggest airport.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea again flew trash-laden balloons toward the South early Monday and issued a statement warning the North “not to test our military’s patience any further.” The North has launched about 7,000 balloons toward the South since May, causing property damage but so far no injuries. On at least two occasions, trash carried by North Korea’s balloons fell on Seoul’s presidential compound, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key sites.
