Politics
Russia ready to push war to Europe, warns Zelensky
COPENHAGEN: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned European leaders that Russia is preparing to step up the war.
Speaking at a summit of European leaders from just under 50 countries in Copenhagen on Thursday, he pointed to recent drone flights over Denmark and other countries as a sign that Moscow is looking to escalate the conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders.
He urged Europe to take the threat seriously and said Ukraine is ready to share its battlefield experience to help partners defend themselves.
The warning came at a summit of European leaders from just under 50 countries, who converged on a conference centre in Copenhagen under tight security after mystery drone flights rattled Denmark last month.
The drone sightings in Denmark and high-profile aerial incursions by Moscow in Estonia and Poland have heightened fears that Russia’s assault on Ukraine could spill over Europe’s borders.
“The recent drone incidents across Europe are a clear sign that Russia still feels bold enough to escalate this war,” Zelensky said.
“It was never just about Ukraine, Russia has always aimed to break the West and Europe.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin waived the accusations, but said Russia was “closely monitoring the rising militarisation of Europe”, adding that Moscow’s response will be timely and “significant”.
Putin accused Europe of stoking “hysteria” to excuse rising military spending, and said Russia did not pose a threat.
“Just calm down,” he said.
European leaders are keen to work with Ukraine’s war-tested expertise as they seek to bolster their own defences, and are discussing plans for a “drone wall” to counter the menace from Moscow.
“If the Russians dare to launch drones against Poland, or violate the airspace of northern European countries, it means this can happen anywhere,” Zelensky said.
“We are ready to share this experience with our partners.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said Western countries should be willing to take a tougher line when confronted by Russian drones, to sow doubt in the Kremlin.
“It’s very important to have a clear message. Drones which would violate our territories are just taking a big risk. They can be destroyed, full stop,” Macron said.
Romanian Prime Minister Nicosur Dan, whose country has seen Russian drones crossing over from Ukraine, warned that his forces would shoot down the next one to violate their airspace.
‘Kill’ Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’
As Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine drags on through a fourth year, Europe is scrambling to keep up pressure on Moscow and secure funding for Kyiv.
Macron said it was key to step up efforts to counter the so-called shadow fleet of ageing oil tankers to “kill” the business model Russia uses to circumvent restrictions on exporting its oil.
“It is extremely important to increase the pressure on this shadow fleet, because it will clearly reduce the capacity to finance this war effort,” said Macron — pointing at France’s move this week to hold a blacklisted tanker linked to Russia.
In a bid to ensure Ukraine has the financing it needs, the European Union is exploring a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to fund a new 140-billion-euro ($165-billion) loan.
Proponents say the move is needed to help Ukraine plug budget shortfalls — and that Russia, not European taxpayers, should ultimately foot the bill.
But Belgium, where the vast majority of frozen assets are held, has deep reservations over the plan, which some leaders fear could spook other investors or draw Russian retaliation.
“We’re going to move to uncharted waters. This is very, very risky,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said.
He insisted he wanted clear commitments from all EU leaders that they would share the potential liability with Belgium to shield it from any Russian retribution.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday it was clear that risk should not fall only on Belgium’s shoulders and that she would “intensify” talks on the proposal.
WASHINGTON: The White House has said that President Donald Trump is in good health, even as people continue to question how his age may affect his performance as the country’s most powerful man.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that a recent MRI conducted on President Trump was preventative in nature and revealed that he was in good cardiovascular health.
Speaking to reporters at a press briefing at the White House, Leavitt said men of Trump’s age benefited from such screenings.
‘President Trump’s cardiovascular imaging was perfectly normal, no evidence of arterial narrowing, impairing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels,’ Leavitt said of the 79-year-old president.
‘The heart chambers are normal in size. The vessel walls appear smooth and healthy, and there are no signs of inflammation or clotting. Overall, his cardiovascular system shows excellent health. His abdominal imaging is also perfectly normal,’ Leavitt said.
Trump underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan during a recent medical evaluation, but did not disclose the purpose of the procedure, which is not typical for standard check-ups. The lack of details raised questions about whether full information regarding the president’s health is being released in a timely fashion by the White House.
Trump is sensitive about his age and well-being. He personally attacked a female New York Times reporter on social media last week over a story she co-wrote examining the ways that Trump’s age may be affecting his energy levels.
Politics
Tajikistan says five Chinese nationals killed in cross-border attacks from Afghanistan in past week
- China advises companies, personnel to evacuate border area.
- Embassy says Chinese citizens targeted in armed attack on Sunday.
- Another border attack on Friday killed three citizens: embassy.
Five Chinese nationals have been killed and five more injured in Tajikistan in attacks launched from neighbouring Afghanistan over the past week, Tajik authorities and China’s embassy in the Central Asian country said on Monday.
China’s embassy in Dushanbe, the capital, advised Chinese companies and personnel to urgently evacuate the border area.
It said that Chinese citizens had been targeted in an armed attack close to the Afghan border on Sunday. On Friday, it said that another border attack — which Tajik authorities said had involved drones dropping grenades — had killed three Chinese citizens.
Tajikistan, a mountainous former Soviet republic of around 11 million people with a secular government, has tense relations with the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan. It has previously warned of drug smugglers and illicit gold miners working along the remote frontier.
China, which also has a remote, mountainous border with Tajikistan, is a major investor in the country.
There was no immediate response on Monday from the authorities in Afghanistan to the Tajik statement.
But Afghanistan’s foreign ministry last week blamed an unnamed group, which it said was out to create instability, and said it would cooperate with Tajik authorities.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s press service said on Monday that Rahmon had met with the heads of his security agencies to discuss how to strengthen border security.
It said that Rahmon “strongly condemned the illegal and provocative actions of Afghan citizens and ordered that effective measures be taken to resolve the problem and prevent a recurrence of such incidents.”
Tajikistan endured a brutal civil war in the 1990s after independence from Moscow, during which Rahmon initially rose to power. The country is closely aligned with Russia, which maintains a military base there.
Millions of Tajiks, a Persian-speaking nation, live across the border in Afghanistan, with Tajikistan historically having backed Afghan Tajiks opposed to the Taliban.
A man in India’s south brutally killed his estranged wife at a women’s hostel and took a selfie with her dead body, according to NDTV.
The victim, identified as Sripriya, employed at a private firm in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, had separated from her husband, Balamurugam, who was from Tirunelveli.
Police said the suspect arrived at the hostel on Sunday afternoon, concealing a sickle in his clothes, and was seeking to meet her.
They had an argument soon after the couple met, and the feud turned into a violent attack by Balamurugan, who drew the sickle and hacked the woman to death.
Furthermore, the police said he then took a selfie with her body and shared it on his WhatsApp status, accusing her of “betrayal”.
The incident spread panic and chaos in the hostel.
Following the brutal murder, the suspect did not escape from the spot but waited until the police arrived, and he was arrested at the crime scene. The murder weapon was recovered.
The initial investigation suggested that he suspected his wife of being in a relationship with another man.
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