Cincunri Sakia

Senin, 07 Februari 2022

Russia and France share 'security concerns' says Putin during meeting with Macron in Moscow - Sky News

Russia and France have common security concerns in Europe, Vladimir Putin told Emmanuel Macron at the start of their meeting in the Kremlin on Monday.

The French president met with his Russian counterpart in an attempt to calm tensions in the region.

At the meeting, President Macron said there needs to be a useful response for Ukraine. Putin, in turn, hailed France's role in shaping European security.

"I realise that we share concern about what's going on in Europe in the security sphere," Mr Putin said.

Mr Macron called for de-escalation as he sat down for the talks, adding: "Dialogue is necessary because that's the only thing that will help, in my view, to build a context of a security and stability on the European continent."

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, described the visit as "very important," but sought to temper expectations, saying "the situation is too complex to expect a decisive breakthrough after just one meeting".

Mr Macron, who heads to Ukraine on Tuesday, spoke with US President Joe Biden on Sunday about the "ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts," according to the White House.

'Real and profound consequences' warns US

Speaking on Monday, US secretary of state Antony Blinken warned: "There will be real and profound consequences should Russia choose to continue aggression.

"We developed a high impact quick action response that would inflict massive costs on the Russian economy and financial system."

Actions, he said, would include sanctions and export controls that would "deny Russia the technology it needs in key sectors".

He said the US was working with Europe to also protect the energy supply, adding: "When energy supplies fail, economies falter".

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Washington to meet US President Joe Biden as talks take place on both sides of the Atlantic to try to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

A delegation of senior US officials are heading to Europe this week, to discuss coordination of potential sanctions in the event of a Russian attack. Treasury, State, and Commerce department officials will travel to the UK, France, and Belgium to meet with counterparts as the US prepares punitive actions if Russia crosses into Ukraine.

'Russia does not want Ukraine'

"The geopolitical objective of Russia today is clearly not Ukraine, but to clarify the rules of cohabitation with NATO and the EU," Mr Macron said in an interview with French newspaper Journal du Dimanche on Sunday, ahead of his meeting in Moscow.

He added: "The security and sovereignty of Ukraine or any other European state cannot be a subject for compromise, while it is also legitimate for Russia to pose the question of its own security."

But, speaking to reporters in France, the French leader admitted: "I'm very worried by the situation on the ground."

Mr Macron's visit comes less than three months before France's presidential election - and he has yet to announce whether he will run.

According to sources close to Mr Macron, the aim of his visit is to buy time and freeze the situation for several months, at least until a "Super April" of elections in Europe - in Hungary, Slovenia and, crucially for the French leader, in France.

Read: West and Russia wage information war over Ukraine

'Heading to Putin's lair'

Over the past week, Mr Macron has made a frenetic series of phone calls with Western allies, as well as to Mr Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On Sunday, a French presidency source said Mr Macron had spoken with Mr Biden on a 40-minute-long call ahead of his trip to Moscow in a "coordination logic".

The conversation is said to have allowed the two leaders to "share information about contacts made during the weekend" for good coordination ahead of the trip, the source said.

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"We're heading to Putin's lair, in many ways it's a throw of the dice," one source close to Mr Macron reportedly told Reuters news agency.

Russia has placed more than 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine, but Mr Putin has denied he is planning an attack.

It has demanded NATO and US security guarantees, including that NATO never admits Ukraine as a member.

Meanwhile, the UK Labour Party called on the government to halt a plan to cut the British Army by another 10,000 troops, given the ongoing crisis.

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2022-02-07 17:06:07Z
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Freedom Convoy: Ottawa declares emergency over trucker Covid rules protests - BBC News

Police officers keep a watchful eye on protesters in Ottawa, 6 February

The mayor of Canada's capital Ottawa has declared a state of emergency in response to more than a week of truckers' protests against Covid restrictions.

Jim Watson said the city was "completely out of control", with demonstrators outnumbering police.

He said the protests posed a threat to residents' safety. There have also been reports of racial attacks.

Ottawa's centre has been paralysed, with vehicles and tents blocking roads.

The "Freedom Convoy" was sparked by the introduction last month of a new rule that all truckers must be vaccinated to cross the US-Canada border, but the protests have morphed into broader challenges to Covid health restrictions.

The protesters have since gathered in downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill, and their demands have grown to include ending all such mandates nationwide and opposing the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Speaking to Canadian radio station CFRA, Mr Watson said the protesters were behaving increasingly "insensitively" by continuously "blaring horns and sirens, [setting off] fireworks and turning it into a party".

"Clearly, we are outnumbered and we are losing this battle," he said, adding: "This has to be reversed - we have to get our city back."

The mayor did not give specific details about what measures he might impose, but police said on Sunday that they would step up enforcement, including possible arrests of those seeking to aid the protesters by bringing them supplies like fuel, toilet paper and food.

A state of emergency will give the city additional powers, including access to equipment required by frontline workers and emergency services.

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Many Ottawa residents have objected to the demonstrations.

Complaints range from idling trucks that impede traffic and makeshift wooden structures in city parks to lost income and fears of harassment and even violence.

Police have said they are concerned about how the convoy has attracted far-right and extremist elements, and on Sunday confirmed they were dealing with more than 60 criminal investigations, with alleged offences including "mischief, thefts, hate crimes and property damage".

"There have been racist signs, there have been a lot of reports of people being assaulted and harassed if they wear a mask," Stephanie Carvon, Ottawa resident and former national security analyst for the Canadian government told the BBC.

She added that some organisers of the protest hold extremist views but have "successfully framed their actions in the name of the pandemic and ending the mandates, so they've earned the sympathy of a lot of Canadians who may not necessarily realise where this has come from".

One demonstrator who drove for hours to join the protest in Ottawa, Kimberly Ball, told the AFP news agency that the protest was "about our freedom".

"A couple of people we know, friends, lost their jobs because of these mandates," she said, adding that she had concerns about the safety and effectiveness of Covid vaccines.

Covid-19 vaccines have cut the risk of severe illness in those infected with the virus and serious side effects are extremely rare. Canadians are broadly supportive of vaccine mandates - nearly 83% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated.

A recent opinion poll by Abacus Data suggested 68% of Canadians felt they had "very little in common" with the protesters, while 32% said they "had a lot in common" with the truckers.

Prepared for the long haul

Truckers line up their vehicles as they prepare to honk their horns in Ottawa, Canada, 5 February 2022

Analysis by Jessica Murphy, BBC News

Canada's national capital and parliament are no stranger to large protests and events.

But the city's police chief has repeatedly said there is no precedent for the Freedom Convoy - in terms of the demonstration's level of organisation, funding and commitment.

With no clear end in sight, police have faced frustration from many residents asking why they've not done more to bring an end to a protest that has disrupted their daily lives.

The protesters are even facing a possible lawsuit over honking from trucks that goes on for hours a day - though the organisers have said they would try and limit that noise to daytime hours only.

Declaring a state of emergency is the latest step in recent days by city officials ramping up pressure - but it's still not clear when the impasse will end.

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2022-02-07 07:08:15Z
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Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai denies alleging sexual assault in first interview with foreign media - Daily Mail

'I never said anyone sexually assaulted me': 'Missing' Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai insists her social media post was an 'enormous misunderstanding' as she FINALLY speaks to the foreign media in stage-managed interview

Peng Shuai claimed in a now-deleted Webo post that she was 'forced into sex'
She went missing in wake of claims against the former Chinese vice-president
Now, in her first interview with independent media since the claims, Shuai says it is an 'enormous misunderstanding' and she wasn't sexually assaulted
L'Equipe interview has raised eyebrows and may only cause more concern

By Riath Al-Samarrai for MailOnline

Published: 06:31 GMT, 7 February 2022 | Updated: 08:36 GMT, 7 February 2022

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has denied her own claims of sexual assault and said she never disappeared from public view in a heavily stage-managed interview with foreign media that will only raise further concerns about her safety.

Peng, 36, claimed in a social media post last year that she had been forced into sex by Zhang Gaoli - China's former vice-premier - sparking an internet crackdown by Beijing censors that also saw her vanish from public view for weeks.

But Peng, sitting down for her first interview outside Chinese state media on Sunday, told French magazine L'Equip that she 'never said' she had been sexually assaulted and that she 'never disappeared'.

Accompanied during the interview by a Chinese Olympic committee official who translated all her comments from Chinese, Peng insisted that her social media post was the subject of an 'enormous misunderstanding' by the public.

Peng Shuai was the subject of international concern when she disappeared back in November

Peng (left and right) vanished for several weeks before 'reappearing' in social media posts uploaded by Chinese officials or sports authorities

'Sexual assault? I never said that anyone made me submit to a sexual assault,' she told the magazine.

'This post resulted in an enormous misunderstanding from the outside world. My wish is that the meaning of this post no longer be skewed.'

L'Equipe was able to meet with Peng Shuai at the Chinese Olympic Committee hotel in Beijing on Sunday, two days after the Winter Olympics officially got underway.

As a condition of the interview, the magazine said that all questions had to be submitted to Chinese officials in advance.

They were told that Peng, who can speak English, would answer only in Chinese and that an official would be present throughout the interview to translate.

However, L'Equipe was able to supply its own translator to double-check the accuracy of the official's remarks.

The interview was scheduled to last half an hour but ran to almost an hour, and the magazine said its reporters were allowed to ask some questions that were not agreed in advance.

However, to key questions Peng gave nearly identical answers to those printed in Chinese state media and - despite refuting her own social media post - gave no alternative explanation for what her words meant or why she wrote them.

L'Equipe agreed to publish her answers, verbatim, in a question and answer format.

She said: 'First of all, I would like to thank all the ATP and WTA players, all the athletes and all the personalities in large numbers who cared about me.

'But I didn't think there would be such concern and I would like to know: why such concern?'

'I never said anyone sexually assaulted me in any way.

'I never disappeared, everyone could see me. It's just that a lot of people, like my friends, including from the IOC, messaged me, and it was quite impossible to reply to so many messages.

Peng accused Zhang Gaoli - the country's former vice-premier - of sexual assault in November

At the Australian Open, fans wore 'where is Peng Shuai' t-shirts in support of the tennis star

'But with my close friends, I always remained in close contact. I discussed with them, answered their emails, I also discussed with the WTA.

'But, at the end of the year, their website's communication computer was changed and many players had difficulty logging in at that time.

'But we always kept in touch with colleagues. That's why I don't know why the information that I had disappeared, spread.

'This post has given rise to a huge misunderstanding from the outside world. I hope that we no longer distort the meaning of this post. And I also hope that we don't add more hype on this.'

Peng claims she was partially unaware of the international storm that followed the sudden deleting of her social media post.

In the subsequent weeks, Steve Simon, the president of the WTA, which governs women's tennis, announced a suspension of their tournaments in China.

Peng said: 'I don't think I was aware of it all (global interest) because I don't watch the news from foreign media much,' she added.

'I can't read in English but I heard about it. I never thought there'd be such worry, though, and I'd like to know why was that the case?'

Peng added: 'I didn't choose anything. Like everyone, like you, I saw the statement on the official WTA website.

The Chinese star had been seen and heard only via a few stage-managed public appearances

'It was very unusual for me, why would I need psychological assistance or that sort of thing? I didn't know how I should figure it out. But if the WTA psychologists couldn't reach me and thought that I had disappeared, I think that's a bit exaggerated.

'So after reading this statement, I responded to WTA president Steve Simon myself.

'Several copies were sent, and these emails I wrote myself. This is my personal statement. The same evening, I also sent it by WeChat to my colleagues in the players' department in order to personally confirm that I was the author of the messages sent from my work email.'

Peng, already a household name in China having become the first Chinese player to be ranked No.1 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association, shot to global prominence with her now-notorious post on November 2.

Writing on Chinese social media site Weibo, Peng revealed that she and Zhang - who is married - had been involved in an on-off affair dating back to 2011 when the pair met in the port city of Tianjin.

The post details how Peng slept with Zhang once that year, and possibly a second time before he was promoted to the upper echelons of China's Communist Part and cut all ties with her.

But he allegedly rekindled the affair in 2018 after his retirement from politics, by inviting Peng for dinner with his wife after which he pressured her into sex.

Peng recalls 'crying' and refusing Zhang's advances, before eventually relenting.

That kicked off a three-year affair, Peng alleged, which she described as 'unpleasant'.

In the post, she admitted to having 'no evidence' that the affair ever took place because Zhang insisted on keeping it a total secret.

It is not clear why she chose to reveal the affair, though her post concluded: 'You’ve said you are not afraid.

'But even as an egg hurled at a rock, a moth to a flame for self-destruction, I will speak the truth with you.'

Peng made the allegations in a lengthy social media post on Weibo which was quickly deleted before her account was heavily censored

Naomi Osaka used the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai as she expressed her 'shock' on Twitter

Andy Murray then joined the search as the world reacted to the news of her disappearance

The post was taken down within 20 minutes of being uploaded to Weibo, which is heavily monitored by the Chinese state.

Peng then disappeared from public view, and was not seen or heard from for several weeks afterwards.

For a time, the only statement issued was an email purporting to be from her to tennis officials denying that she was in any danger.

However, the 'email' actually appeared to be a screenshot of a word processor document and contained errors heavily suggesting it was not genuine.

In late November, Peng 'reappeared' in social media posts that appeared to show her going about her life in Beijing.

But fears for her safety remained because all the images and video were uploaded by officials with strong links to the Communist party or to sports authorities.

She then spoke out for the first time to deny any allegations of sexual assault - remarks relayed to the world by state-controlled media.

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2022-02-07 06:31:13Z
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Minggu, 06 Februari 2022

Freedom Convoy: Ottawa declares emergency over trucker Covid rules protests - BBC News

Protesters against vaccine mandates implemented by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 5 February 2022

The mayor of Canada's capital Ottawa has declared a state of emergency in response to more than a week of truckers' protests against Covid restrictions.

Jim Watson said the city was "completely out of control", with demonstrators outnumbering police.

He said the protests posed a threat to the safety and security of residents.

The truckers have paralysed the centre of Ottawa with vehicles and tents blocking roads.

The "Freedom Convoy" began as a movement against a government requirement that the truckers be vaccinated against Covid.

"Clearly, we are outnumbered and we are losing this battle," he said, adding: "This has to be reversed - we have to get our city back."

A state of emergency will give the city additional powers, including access to equipment required by frontline workers and emergency services.

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A statement from the city authorities said the state of emergency "reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government".

Many Ottawa residents have objected to the demonstrations.

Complaints range from idling trucks that impede traffic and makeshift wooden structures in city parks to lost income and fears of harassment and even violence.

Police have said they are concerned about how the convoy has attracted extremist rhetoric.

One demonstrator who drove for hours to join the protest in Ottawa, Kimberly Ball, told AFP news agency that the protest was "about our freedom".

"A couple of people we know, friends, lost their jobs because of these mandates," she said, adding that she had concerns about the safety and effectiveness of Covid vaccines.

Prepared for the long haul

Analysis by Jessica Murphy, BBC News

Canada's national capital and parliament are no stranger to large protests and events.

But the city's police chief has repeatedly said there is no precedent for the Freedom Convoy - in terms of the demonstration's level of organisation, funding and commitment.

There is no doubt that the protesters have dug in and made it clear that they are ready to stay for the long haul, and have been joined by thousands of supporters over the past two weekends.

With no clear end in sight, police have faced frustration from many residents asking why they've not done more to bring an end to a protest that has gridlocked the downtown core and disrupted their daily lives.

The protesters are even facing a possible lawsuit over honking from trucks that goes on for hours a day - though the organisers have said they would try and limit that noise to daytime hours only.

Declaring a state of emergency is the latest step in recent days by city officials ramping up pressure - but it's still not clear when the impasse will end.

Organisers of the Freedom Convoy have promised to protest peacefully and respect the law but also to "stay as long as it takes".

The movement was sparked by the introduction last month of a mandate for truckers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 when crossing the US-Canada border.

The protesters have since gathered in downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill, and their demands have grown from reversing the border vaccine mandate to ending all such mandates nationwide and opposition to the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A recent opinion poll by Abacus Data suggested 68% of Canadians felt they had "very little in common" with the protesters, while 32% said they "had a lot in common" with the truckers.

GoFundMe said on Friday it would withhold millions of dollars raised for the truckers, citing police reports of violence.

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2022-02-07 00:08:28Z
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Macron will recognise Putin’s ‘security’ concerns in talks on Ukraine - Financial Times

US President Joe Biden sought to co-ordinate “diplomatic and deterrence efforts” in the Ukraine crisis with Emmanuel Macron ahead of the French president’s visit to Moscow on Monday to meet Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin.

The White House on Sunday afternoon said Biden had spoken with Macron — the latest in series of talks between the US president and allies to defuse the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The leaders discussed ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders, and affirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the White House said of the call.

“They agreed their teams will remain in touch and continue consulting with our allies and partners, including Ukraine,” it added.

The flurry of diplomatic activity will continue on Monday as Biden is due to host Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor, at the White House, to further co-ordinate the western response.

In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, said the US was preparing for all scenarios, adding that a deeper Russian invasion could happen at any moment, including a “contingency where Russian forces drive on the Ukrainian capital”.

“[An attack] could take a number of different forms. It could happen as soon as tomorrow or it could take some weeks yet. [Putin] has put himself in a position with military deployments to be able to act aggressively against Ukraine at any time now,” Sullivan told ABC News.

But he stressed that a diplomatic solution remained on the table.

“We are ready if President Putin chooses to continue to engage in diplomacy and we are serious about that and we are ready to respond in a united, swift and severe way with our allies and partners should he choose to move forward with a military escalation,” he said.

Macron’s visit to Moscow could be pivotal. France’s president, who has spoken to Putin by phone three times in the past 10 days, has signalled he would recognise Russian security concerns without abandoning support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Macron on Sunday outlined what he called a “realistic” approach to the threat of war as more than 100,000 Russian troops mass on Ukraine’s borders.

“Russia’s geopolitical aim today is obviously not Ukraine but the clarification of the rules of how Moscow lives with Nato and the EU,” Macron said in an interview on Sunday with Le Journal du Dimanche.

He added: “The security and sovereignty of Ukraine and of any other European nation cannot be compromised in any way, just as it is legitimate for Russia to raise the issue of its own security concerns.”

Macron, who is also due to meet Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Kyiv on Tuesday, said his aim was to prevent a Russian military operation that other western leaders have warned is “imminent”.

“The intensity of the dialogue we have had with Russia and this visit to Moscow are designed to stop that happening,” he said. “Then we will discuss the terms of de-escalation. We have to be very realistic. We will not obtain unilateral gestures, but it’s essential to stop the situation deteriorating.”

Russia has denied it has any plans to invade Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov last week said Monday’s talks with Macron would focus on security guarantees that Moscow was seeking from the US, Nato and other western allies.

French officials said Macron was communicating with Biden and other Nato allies and EU partners to ensure a united front over Ukraine, even though he was simultaneously pursuing his goal of a “new European security order” that would give the EU more responsibility for its own security.

Ahead of Macron’s talks with Putin, Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, spoke on Sunday with Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s foreign minister, about “joint efforts to strengthen Nato’s eastern flank and to ensure Russia understands the high costs it would incur if it were to invade Ukraine further”, according to the state department.

One senior official in Paris, asked whether Macron was too accommodating towards Putin, said: “He doesn’t do it on his own behalf or in a manner that is isolated or secret . . . He [Putin] is the one who has made the threats so it’s with him that we must look for de-escalation.”

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2022-02-06 22:15:16Z
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U.S. troops arrive in Poland to reinforce Eastern Europe allies - Reuters

WARSAW, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A plane carrying U.S. troops landed in Poland on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, as Washington reinforces its NATO allies in Eastern Europe amid a Russian military build-up on Ukraine's border.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania, as Washington moves to reassure jittery NATO allies.

The Pentagon said that around 1,700 service members, mainly from the 82nd Airborne Division, would deploy from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland. read more

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Sunday's arrival of the C17 aircraft followed a plane carrying the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army Major General Christopher Donahue, which landed on Saturday at Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, and a few planes with U.S. military equipment and an "advance group". read more

A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III carrying U.S. troops arrives at Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport, Poland February 6, 2022. REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki

It was not immediately clear how many troops arrived, but a C17 aircraft is "designed to airdrop 102 paratroopers and their equipment", according to the U.S. Air Force website.

"Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and obviously during this period of uncertainty we know that we are stronger together," Donahue said on Sunday.

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said minutes after the plane landed that this was the first group of American soldiers "from an elite unit".

"...More planes will be landing in the coming hours. The soldiers will operate in the southeastern part of our country," he added.

Russia has denied plans to invade Ukraine but has deployed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders and says it could take unspecified military measures if its demands are not met, including a promise by NATO never to admit Ukraine. read more

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Reporting by Anna Koper and Kuba Stezycki; Editing by Nick Macfie

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2022-02-06 20:00:00Z
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Pope Francis praises Morocco for 'beautiful' solidarity over boy trapped in well - Sky News

The Pope has said it was "beautiful" the way people came together to support efforts to save a boy trapped in a well in Morocco.

Five-year-old Rayan Awram was pulled from the well on Saturday after being trapped for four days, but the country's king revealed that he had died.

Speaking in St Peter's Square, Pope Francis praised the Moroccan people for "putting their all" into trying to save him.

"We're used to seeing, reading in the media, so many ugly things, ugly news, accidents, killings," the pontiff said.

"The people clung together, as a whole, to save Rayan, they worked together to save a child," he added.

"[The rescuers] tried their best, unfortunately they did not make it, but that [was] an example."

Rayan fell into the well in Ighran, in Chefchaouen province, on 1 February and the effort to save him made headlines around the world.

Search crews used five bulldozers to dig a vertical hole parallel to the one he was in, before moving horizontally to reach him from the 32m (105ft) well.

Initially, they had been able to provide him oxygen and water using a rope, but the narrow diameter of the hole caused problems. Efforts were paused on Friday over concerns that the ground surrounding the well could collapse.

On social media, thousands expressed sympathy, with the hashtag #SaveRayan trending on Twitter.

Two government officials said on Saturday that Rayan had died before rescuers reached him.

His plight was poignant for many in Italy due to a situation there in 1981 when a six-year-old boy fell into a well and died despite a three-day rescue bid.

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2022-02-06 16:40:09Z
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Senin, 07 Februari 2022

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Prepared for the long haul

'I never said anyone sexually assaulted me': 'Missing' Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai insists her social media post was an 'enormous misunderstanding' as she FINALLY speaks to the foreign media in stage-managed interview

Minggu, 06 Februari 2022

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Prepared for the long haul

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