The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • 59 dead, 150 injured in North Macedonia night club fire

    59 dead, 150 injured in North Macedonia night club fire

    A massive fire tore through a nightclub in North Macedonia ’s eastern town of Kocani early yesterday, killing 59 people and injuring 155, authorities said.

    The blaze broke out around 2:30 a.m. local time during a concert by a local pop group at Club Pulse, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told reporters. Officials said 39 of the dead had so far been identified, adding that 18 of those injured were in critical condition.

    Toshkovski said following an initial assessment that pyrotechnics likely caused the roof to catch fire. Videos showed sparkling pyrotechnics on the stage hitting the ceiling followed by scenes of chaos inside the club, with young people running through the smoke as the musicians urged people to escape as quickly as possible.

    Throughout yesterday, relatives gathered in front of hospitals and city offices in Kocani, some 115 kilometers (72 miles) east of the capital, Skopje, begging authorities for more information. Local resident Dragi Stojanov was informed that his 21-year-old son Tomce had died in the fire.

    “He was my only child. I don’t need my life anymore… 150 families have been devastated,” he said. “Children burnt beyond recognition. There are corpses, just corpses inside (the club).” Condolences poured in from leaders around Europe as well as from the office of Pope Francis who has been in hospital for the last month, where he is fighting double pneumonia. Health Minister Arben Taravari said he had received offers of assistance from neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also sent messages of support. “I wish those who were injured a speedy recovery. Ukraine mourns alongside our (North) Macedonian friends on this sad day,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X. In Skopje, health officials said the injured have been taken to hospitals around the country, many being treated for severe burns and smoke inhalation. The effort was being assisted by multiple volunteer organizations.

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    “All our capabilities have been put to use, in a maximum effort to save as many lives as possible of the young people involved in this tragedy,” Taravari told reporters, at times looking visibly shaken.

    The fire is the worst tragedy in recent memory to befall the landlocked nation, whose population is less than 2 million, and the latest in a slew of deadly nightclub fires around the world.

    President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova visited burn victims at a hospital in Skopje and spoke to parents waiting outside the building.

    “It’s terrible … hard to believe how this happened,” she said, her voice halting with emotion. “We must give these young people courage to continue.”

    The club was in an old building that was previously a carpet warehouse and has been running for several years, according to local media MKD.

    The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris. Police cordoned off the site and sent in evidence gathering teams in an operation also involving state prosecutors.

  • China hits back at ‘arrogant’ G7 slights

    China hits back at ‘arrogant’ G7 slights

    China has labelled comments by top diplomats of the Group of 7 industrialised nations as being “filled with arrogance, prejudice and malicious intentions.”

    The comments by the Chinese on Saturday were in response to a G7 statement a day earlier that accused China of “illicit, provocative, coercive and dangerous actions that seek unilaterally to alter the status quo in such a way as to risk undermining the stability of regions, including through land reclamations, and building of outposts, as well as their use for military purposes.”

    In the response, issued through its embassy in Canada, where the two-day G7 meeting was held in La Malbaie, Quebec, China said that the statement “repeated the same old rhetoric, ignored facts and China’s solemn position, grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs and blatantly smeared China.”

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    “The statements are filled with arrogance, prejudice and malicious intentions to suppress and attack China. China strongly deplores and opposes this and has lodged solemn representations with the Canadian side,” the statement said.

    The G7 statement also dropped past reassurances, recently stated in November, that there is “no change in the basic position of the G7 members on Taiwan, including stated one-China policies,” as well as that the G7 is “not decoupling or turning inwards” and recognising the importance of China in global trade.

    The one China policy, which recognises Beijing as the official government of China and ensures that ties with Taipei remain unofficial, has been the bedrock of Western dealings with China and Taiwan for decades.

    The statement said the ministers “encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues and reiterated their opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.”

  • US expels South African ambassador, says he hates trump

    US expels South African ambassador, says he hates trump

    The South African Ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool has been expelled from the U.S.

    U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio described Rasool in a post on X l as “race baiting politician”.

    The U.S. Secretary of State also accused the South African ambassador of hating America and hating Donald Trump.

    Rasool has been at loggerhead with the Trump’s administration since

    January when President Trump assumed office.

    The row started after Rasool said in an online seminar hosted by a South African think tank that the MAGA movement was partially in response to worries about demographic change and a future when white Americans would no longer be the majority.

    “So in terms of that — the supremacist assault on incumbency, we see it in the domestic politics of the USA, the MAGA movement — the Make America Great Again movement — as a response not simply to a supremacist instinct, but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the USA in which the voting electorate in the USA is projected to become 48% white, and that the possibility of a majority of minorities is looming on the horizon,” said Rasool.

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    Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for the South African president, described the ambassador’s expulsion “regrettable.”

    “We urge all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter,” he said. “South Africa remains committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with the United States of America.”

    The recent row may not be unconnected with the earlier false accusation by  Trump that the South African government was confiscating land from white farmers and invited white Afrikaners to resettle in the US as refugees.

    South Africa’s government said it was, quote, “ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the US for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged.”

    Trump had earlier cut all financial aid to South Africa, citing the alleged persecution of the Afrikaners as well as South Africa’s genocide case against US ally Israel at the Hague.

    Rubio snubbed South Africa last month too, by failing to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting. South Africa is the current G20 president but Rubio said he was skipping the event because the summit had DEI and climate change on the agenda.

    US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also opted out of the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in Cape Town after the US objected to the themes of “solidarity, equality and sustainability.”

    South African-born Trump adviser Elon Musk has also attacked South Africa for what he says are its “racist ownership” laws, that prevent him from taking his Starlink satellite service to the country unless he meets affirmative action requirements.

    Ambassador Rasool was South Africa’s envoy to the US once before, from 2010 to 2015.

    When he was a child, Rasool’s family was forcibly removed from their home during apartheid when the government declared their suburb a “whites only area.” He went on to become active in South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement.

    In his speech on the webinar that caused Rubio’s outrage on Friday, the ambassador said South Africa needed to be cautious and diplomatic in dealing with Trump’s administration.

  • CDS: we’re ready to secure ECOWAS region

    CDS: we’re ready to secure ECOWAS region

    •Group expresses fear of more military takeovers

    The Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to regional security, pledging to ensure the sub-region’s safety and stability.

    This came on the heels of the activation of ECOWAS’ 5,000-strong Standby Force, a significant move aimed at bolstering regional defence capabilities against adversaries.

    Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 43rd Ordinary Meeting of ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff, Chairman of the committee and Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, stated that the three-day meeting aimed to enhance regional security and cooperation within the ECOWAS community.

    The gathering also sought to unify efforts in addressing the region’s security challenges.

    Gen. Musa said the ECOWAS Defence chiefs had identified critical vulnerabilities to regional security and demonstrated their firm resolve towards addressing these threats.

    He said: “As expected, there were areas of concern between members but more importantly there was firm resolve on the need for collective action.

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    “Within the past days, we have deliberated over critical security concerns in the West African Sub Region. Some of these areas include the review of pledges for ECOWAS Standby Force, consideration of pledges for ECOWAS Counter-terrorist Brigade and the rotation of Staff Officers of Peace Support Operation Divisions and ECOWAS Standby Force.

    “Others were the presentation on the outcome of the Governmental Experts Meeting on the ECOWAS Logistics Concept and Standing Operating Procedures for ECOWAS Logistics Depot in Lungi.”

    The CDS said the meeting provided an opportunity to review the report of the last ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Naval Staff Meeting, and a presentation on Standardization of the Table of Equipment for ECOWAS Standby Force.

    “Our deliberations have been fruitful, productive and would definitely lead to concrete actions that will further strengthen our collective efforts towards achieving a more secure and prosperous Community,” he said.

  • Judge orders Trump to rehire fired federal workers immediately

    Judge orders Trump to rehire fired federal workers immediately

    A federal judge has ordered federal agencies to rehire tens of thousands of probationary employees who were fired amid President Donald Trump’s turbulent effort to drastically shrink the federal bureaucracy.

    U.S. District Judge William Alsup described the mass firings as a “sham” strategy by the government’s central human resources office to sidestep legal requirements for reducing the federal workforce.

    Alsup, a San Francisco-based appointee of President Bill Clinton, ordered the Defence, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs departments to “immediately” offer all fired probationary employees their jobs back. The Office of Personnel Management, the judge said, had made an “unlawful” decision to terminate them.

    And even if it is upheld on appeal, it does not guarantee that all the workers will be able to get their jobs back permanently. Alsup made it clear that agencies still have the authority to implement “reductions in force,” as long as they follow the proper procedures for doing so. Federal agencies are currently finalising “reduction in force” plans.

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    Alsup issued his ruling in a lawsuit brought by federal employee unions. He lashed out at the Justice Department over its handling of the case, saying he believes that Trump administration lawyers were hiding the facts about who directed the mass firings.

     “You will not bring the people in here to be cross-examined. You’re afraid to do so because you know cross examination would reveal the truth,” the judge said to a DOJ attorney during a hearing  yesterday. “I tend to doubt that you’re telling me the truth. … I’m tired of seeing you stonewall on trying to get at the truth.”

    Alsup also said the administration attempted to circumvent federal laws on reducing the workforce by attributing the firings to “performance” when that was not in fact the case. The judge called the move “a gimmick.”

     “It is sad, a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie,” Alsup said.

  • Pope Francis marks 12th anniversary in hospital

    Pope Francis marks 12th anniversary in hospital

    Pope Francis has marked the anniversary of his election as the head of the Catholic Church in hospital, a statement from the Vatican said yesterday morning.

    Yesterday marks 12 years since Francis was elected as the successor to the German pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Ratzinger.

    The pope started his day after a quiet night in the hospital, the Vatican said.

    Following the unexpected resignation of Benedict XVI in 2013, then-Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the new pope on March 13, 2013.

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    He is the fifth ballot of the conclave, of the secret gathering of cardinals that chooses the pontiff.

    The anniversary of the election is a public holiday in the Vatican, but there are no special events planned.

    The 88-year-old Francis has been undergoing treatment for the past month at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

    He is suffering from double pneumonia.

    Francis is on the path to slight improvement, though this is progressing slowly, the attending doctors have said.

  • Ukraine seeks EU’s inclusion in U.S. minerals deal

    Ukraine seeks EU’s inclusion in U.S. minerals deal

    Kiev wanted to involve the European Union (EU) in negotiations on minerals deal with the United States due to the bloc’s financial support for Ukraine’s state budget, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said yesterday.

    The agreement on Ukraine’s natural resources, including rare earth metals, outlines provisions for joint ownership and decision-making regarding the use of the recovery fund.

    Stefanishyna emphasised that future negotiations cannot proceed without the EU and other partners who have provided significant financial support to Ukraine’s state budget and with whom Ukraine has legal commitments under EU accession talks.

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    “We cannot plan future negotiations without the participation of the EU and other partners,” Stefanishyna was quoted as saying by Ukrainian news outlet Рravo.ua.

    “Therefore, the number of participants in the negotiations will expand, and this is the key task for the Ukrainian delegation.”

    The official added that the agreement on natural resources with the U.S. was not an international treaty, unlike the agreement on the creation of the recovery fund.

    Signing the agreement did not impose immediate legal or financial obligations on Ukraine.

    Stefanishyna also noted that the U.S. government reserves the right to protect facilities that generate revenues for the fund.

  • EU, Canada retaliate against Trump’s tariffs as trade war escalates

    EU, Canada retaliate against Trump’s tariffs as trade war escalates

    The European Union (EU) and Canada yesterday hit back at President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs with their own levies, announcing tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of products, including bourbon and motorcycles, while warning of further retaliation.

    The 27-nation bloc said its two-stage response would target roughly $28 billion in U.S. exports, while Canada announced 25 percent retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20.7 billion ($29.8 billion Canadian dollars) worth of American goods.

    The announcement of the European measures came at the same time Trump’s tariffs took effect yesterday. Canada’s announcement to start retaliatory tariffs came several hours later yesterday morning.

    The U.S. decision raising tariffs on steel and aluminum to 25 percent for global imports is the latest salvo in Trump’s ongoing campaign to reshape America’s trading relationship with the rest of the world. European leaders have for months planned to swiftly retaliate, even as they have emphasised that a trade war would hurt both sides and tried to negotiate an off-ramp with the Trump administration.

    With a deal still elusive, the EU executive branch, the European Commission, said that starting April 1, the bloc will reimpose tariffs dating to Trump’s first term. It will then place extra measures on more than $19 billion in products by mid-April after consulting with E.U. member states.

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     “We deeply regret this measure,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement Wednesday, as she and other European officials indicated that they were still ready to negotiate. “Jobs are at stake, prices up, nobody needs that.”

    Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government is following a “dollar for dollar” approach in response to Trump’s increased tariffs on steel and aluminum that could cost Canada significant U.S. sales.

    The Canadian tariffs, set to start at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, will hit steel products worth roughly $8.7 billion ($12.6 billion CAD), aluminum products worth $2.08 billion ($3 billion CAD) and $9.85 billion ($14.2 billion CAD) of additional imported U.S. goods.

    LeBlanc said the U.S. tariffs were “inserting disruption and disorder” for consumers in both countries and unfairly targeting Canada’s steel and aluminum industry.

  • Pakistani forces rescue 155 passengers from hijacked train

    Pakistani forces rescue 155 passengers from hijacked train

    Pakistani security forces have freed 155 passengers from a hijacked train as the operation to rescue the remaining hostages continues in the south-western province of Balochistan, officials said yesterday.

    The train, which was carrying around 450 passengers, including army personnel and their families, was targeted by more than 100 gunmen from the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on Tuesday afternoon.

    “A full-scale military operation is underway in which 27 terrorists have been killed,” security sources said.

    “Militants were using the passengers as shields and they have placed suicide bombers wearing explosive vests dangerously close to the hostages,” said a security official, who is not authorised to speak on record.

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    Pakistani elite commandos, backed by air power, have launched a massive operation after the train was hijacked in the remote Sibi district.

    Local media reported that at least 10 people, including the train driver, were killed in the gun battle.

    The total number of casualties among soldiers, passengers and militants remains unclear after several hours of clashes.

    The BLA, which has previously targeted trains and buses carrying security personnel, claimed responsibility for the attack.

    The group demanded a prisoner exchange and threatened to kill hostages if the operation continued.

    Violence in Balochistan has surged as China and Pakistan advance the second phase of a major infrastructure project linking Chinese cities to the Arabian Sea.

    The BLA and local political groups accuse both governments of exploiting the region’s resources through coercive policies.

  • Talks with Trump govt won’t remove sanctions on Iran, says Khamenei

    Talks with Trump govt won’t remove sanctions on Iran, says Khamenei

    • • U.S. sends letter to Tehran through UAE

    Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said yesterday that negotiations with the U.S. will not lead to the removal of sanctions, but will instead tighten them.

    His remarks came during an annual meeting with university students in Tehran.

    He noted that some within Iran continue to raise the issue of negotiations with the US, asking why Iran does Tehran not engage in talks. He said his response is that negotiations would not yield positive results for the country.

     “I want to say that if the goal of negotiation is to lift sanctions, negotiating with this US government will not lift sanctions, meaning it won’t remove the sanctions,” he stated. “It will tighten the knot of the sanctions, it will increase the pressure. Negotiating with this government will increase the pressure.”

    It came on the same day that Anwar Gargash, a senior Emirati diplomat and advisor to the president of the United Arab Emirates, arrived in Tehran to meet Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

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    Gargash brought with him a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump for Ayatollah Khamenei, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry,

    While the content of the letter remains speculative, sources suggest that Trump is seeking to resume negotiations with Iran in hopes of resurrecting the 2015 nuclear deal in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme.

    Trump unilaterally withdrew from the landmark accord in May 2018, after which Iran gradually increased its uranium enrichment from 3.57%, as stipulated in the deal, to 60% purity.

    Iran engaged in indirect negotiations with the Joe Biden administration, mediated by the EU, but the marathon talks failed to produce any breakthrough as tensions continued to simmer.

    In his remarks Wednesday, Khamenei said sanctions are not ineffective, but they are not the sole cause of Iran’s economic problems.

    He addressed American threats to Iran’s nuclear programme, saying that the U.S. claims it will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. He asserted, however, that if Iran had wanted to develop nuclear weapons, the US would not have been able to stop it.