Dubbed the “train of hope,” the Phelophepa has brought health care to millions of South Africans. But it’s facing an unprecedented spree of theft and vandalism on the country’s railways.
Der Spiegel has claimed Frank-Walter Steinmeier demanded an explanation from Volodymyr Zelensky after his visit had been axed
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier pressed his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, for an explanation as to why his visit in mid-April had been canceled by Kiev at the last minute, Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine has claimed.
In its report on Friday, the media outlet alleged that the two leaders spoke by phone on May 5 for 45 minutes.
At the start of the conversation, Zelensky reportedly expressed his regret over the way Steinmeier had been snubbed by Ukrainian officials, and spoke of a big misunderstanding. The Ukrainian head of state then thanked Berlin for all the aid it had provided Kiev with, and said that he would be glad to welcome his German counterpart in the Ukrainian capital, for instance for the celebrations that same week marking the end of WW2, the article claims.
Steinmeier is said to have turned down the invitation on such short notice, with Zelensky allegedly replying that another date later on could be arranged
However, according to Der Spiegel, the German president would not be placated by the offer, insisting that before agreeing any future events, the past grievances should be put to rest first.
Steinmeier reportedly charged that the cancellation of his invitation had been a “historic affront” to a head of state, unheard-of in peacetime. Such an unacceptable breach of diplomatic protocol warranted an explanation on the part of Ukraine, the German president allegedly said.
As the article suggests, when Zelensky tried to plead ignorance of the affair in mid-April, Steinmeier, who had all the diplomatic exchange in writing on the desk, replied harshly: “Please spare yourself and myself the need to read it all now.”
After one more attempt by the Ukrainian president to appease his colleague, the German president reportedly pressed Zelensky once more, to which his counterpart in Kiev responded with an “evasive, but probably appropriately bruised reaction.” It was only then that Steinmeier relented.
According to Der Spiegel, many staffers at President Steinmeier’s office are still astonished by the sheer harshness the usually-cautious president had displayed during that phone call. Some officials are reportedly also “a bit proud” that their boss did not simply swallow the insult.
When the outlet reached out for official comment, Steinmeier’s office merely said that it does not share contents of confidential conversations.
A statement issued by German officials following that phone call in May indicated that the talks had been “very important” for both leaders. According to it, Steinmeier expressed solidarity with Ukraine and was invited to Kiev.
The German president had been intending to pay a visit to the Ukrainian capital on April 13, along with his Polish counterpart and the presidents of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.
However, the day before his trip, Ukrainian officials made it clear that Steinmeier was “not wanted” in the Ukrainian capital. The German head of state had previously been repeatedly criticized by the Ukrainian authorities over his ties to Russia.
According to German media, his name is still associated in Kiev with the 2016 attempt to implement the Minsk agreements in Donbass, known as the “Steinmeier formula.” He also supported the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline linking Germany and Russia, which was canceled by Berlin soon after Russia attacked its neighbor.
The abrupt cancellation by Kiev of the president’s invitation left German officials puzzled and “irritated,” as chancellor Olaf Scholz later said.
Relations between Berlin and Kiev appeared to remain somewhat tense for a few weeks afterwards, with undiplomatic language and recriminations flying.
Over the last 10 years, the number of people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes and become displaced in their own countries, has more than doubled. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the increase in internally displaced persons (IDPs) has been particularly stark, as Resident Coordinator Bruno Lemarquis, the senior UN official there, explains.
Nairobi, Jul 08 (IPS) – Fifty thousand wild species meet the needs of billions of people worldwide, providing food, cosmetics, shelter, clothing, medicine and inspiration. But now, a million species of plants and animals face extinction with far-reaching consequences, including endangering economies, food security and livelihoods.Read the full story, “Wild Species Central to Human Survival, New IPBES Report Offers Options for their Sustainable Useâ€, on globalissues.org →find more fun & mates at SoShow now !
As summer travel surges, so does COVID. Experts share advice on how to prepare ahead of time in case you are infected on a vacation or visit — and what to do if you get that dreaded positive test.
US Border Patrol agents did not whip Haitian migrants, but will be suspended for “offensive language”
US Customs and Border Patrol will punish several agents who sought to block migrants from illegally crossing from Mexico last fall, for “unprofessional or dangerous behavior” and “denigrating and offensive language,” the agency said on Friday. However, the nine-month probe cleared the agents of accusations – leveled by activists and politicians, including President Joe Biden himself – that they “whipped” the Haitian migrants with the reins of their horses, which was compared to the evils of slavery.
The Department of Homeland Security “found no evidence Border Patrol agents involved in this incident struck anyone with their reins, intentionally or otherwise,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said at a press conference, referring to the 500-page report compiled by the DHS Office of Professional Responsibility.
However, the agents involved will still be disciplined, because several of them “engaged in unprofessional or dangerous behavior, including one instance in which an agent used denigrating and offensive language,” Magnus said. Another agent was accused of maneuvering his horse around a child in an “unsafe manner.”
Magnus did not say what punishment awaited the agents, who had been reassigned to desk duty since last fall. CBP had also discontinued horse patrols after the incident. According to Fox News, citing multiple sources within the federal government, the agency has proposed suspensions without pay for up to 14 days.
Magnus blamed the local Border Patrol commander for accepting a request for aid from the Texas State Police “that directly conflicted with Border Patrol operational objectives,” dispatching the horse patrol to Del Rio on September 19, 2021.
More than 15,000 migrants, overwhelmingly of Haitian origin, had crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico over the preceding week, and were camped under a highway overpass. When Fox News showed drone images of the sprawling migrant camp, the federal government responded by imposing a no-fly zone.
The river was shallow enough at the time that the Haitians waded back and forth across the border. AFP photographer Paul Ratje captured a moment when the mounted patrol tried to stop a group of them. Within hours, a Democrat activist claimed that the photos showed the agents “whipping” the migrants.
The Border Patrol and even Ratje himself repeatedly said this was not true, which did not stop Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-California) from claiming the incident was “worse than what we witnessed in slavery,” or Biden himself to demand punishment for “outrageous” actions.
“I promise you, those people will pay. There will be an investigation underway now and there will be consequences,” the president told reporters several days later.
The CBP quickly discontinued the horse patrols and transferred the agents involved in the Del Rio incident to office duty. An investigation that was supposed to take weeks ended up dragging on for months. The DHS Office of the Inspector General found nothing to warrant criminal charges, so the matter was handed down to the OPR to look for administrative infractions. Investigators spoke with the agents, as well as attorneys for 11 migrants involved in the incidents – but not the immigrants themselves.
The OPR report is “nothing more than a desperate attempt by the Biden administration to justify their initial knee-jerk rush to judgment that these Border Patrol agents were guilty of criminal conduct,” John Katko (R-New York), the ranking member on the Homeland Security Committee, said on Friday.
“Let’s be clear: negative media attention, much of which was brought on by statements coming from those within the Biden administration itself, is not justification for vilifying these agents who have committed their lives in service to this nation’s homeland security,” Katko added.
Earlier this week, a county in Texas said that almost four million migrants had crossed into the US illegally since Biden took office in January 2021, declaring it an “invasion.”
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