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Chad president welcomes ‘complete’ departure of French forces

(From L to R) Chadian Foreign Minister Abderraman Koulamallah, Chadian Prime Minister Allamaye Halina, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby, First Vice-President of the National Transition Council Ali Kolotou Tchaimi and Chief of Staff General of the Chadian Armed Forces (CEMGA ) Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud sit as they attend the ceremony marking the end of France’s presence in Chad and the Sahel at the Adji Kossei Air Base in N'Djamena on January 31, 2025. (AFP)

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Updated 31 January 2025

AFP

January 31, 2025 23:15

Chad president welcomes ‘complete’ departure of French forces

Soldiers and fighter aircraft from France have been stationed in Chad almost continuously since the country’s independence in 1960, helping to train the Chadian military

Updated 31 January 2025

AFP

January 31, 2025 23:15

N’DJAMENA: President Mahamat Idriss Deby on Friday welcomed the “definitive and complete departure” of French forces from Chad, which marks the end of France’s last foothold in the wider terrorist-hit Sahel region.
After a closed-door military ceremony a day earlier, Deby addressed Chadian forces and diplomats at an event in the capital, N’Djamena.
The handover of the Kossei base, the French army’s last such facility in the central African country, follows Chad’s surprise breaking off military cooperation with its former colonial ruler in late November.
“We are not breaking off our relationship with France, but we are ending the military dimension of this cooperation,” Deby said at the base where only the Chadian flag was flying.
Chad must build an “even stronger, better-equipped army” and “forge new alliances based on mutual respect and without losing sight of the demands of independence and sovereignty,” he added.
Soldiers and fighter aircraft from France have been stationed in Chad almost continuously since the country’s independence in 1960, helping to train the Chadian military.
The country had been a key link in France’s military presence in Africa.

Topics: chad

Eight dead in India avalanche as rescue operation ends

Updated 15 sec ago

AFP

March 02, 2025 20:32

Eight dead in India avalanche as rescue operation ends

More than 50 workers were submerged under snow and debris after the avalanche hit a construction camp on Friday
The workers were living in steel containers considered stronger than tents, capable of withstanding harsh weather

Updated 15 sec ago

AFP

March 02, 2025 20:32

DEHRADUN: Rescuers recovered the eighth and final body from the site of an avalanche in a remote area of northern India, the army said Sunday, marking the end of a marathon operation in sub-zero temperatures.
More than 50 workers were submerged under snow and debris after the avalanche hit a construction camp on Friday near Mana village on the border with Tibet in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.
Authorities had revised down the number of workers on site at the time of the avalanche from 55 to 54 after one worker, previously believed to be buried, was found to have safely made his way home before the avalanche hit.
The army used drone-based detection system to assist in its search operations.
Multiple drones and a rescue dog were also employed.
Construction worker Anil, who only gave his first name, recalled his rescue hours after being buried by the avalanche.
“It was if God’s angels had come to save us,” Anil, who is in his late 20s, told AFP on Sunday by phone from his hospital bed.
“The way we were engulfed in snow, we had no hope of surviving.”
Being alive now felt “like a dream,” he said.
Working on a project by the Border Roads Organization, the workers were living on site in steel containers considered stronger than tents and capable of withstanding harsh weather.
Anil said many workers were fast asleep and a few others were in makeshift toilets when the avalanche struck around 6:00 am Friday.
As the ground beneath them shook, the container in which Anil and his colleagues were in began to slide down.
“At first we did not understand what was happening but when we looked out of the window of the containers, we saw piles of snow all around,” he said.
“The roof of the containers was also slowly bending inwards.”
Everyone started screaming for help and a few men were lucky to get out of their containers.
“But not all of them made it out and they remained trapped,” he said.
His colleague Vipan Kumar thought “this was the end” when he found himself unable to move as he struggled for air under the thick layer of snow.
“I heard a loud roar, like thunder ... before I could react, everything went dark,” he told the Times of India newspaper.
At an altitude of more than 3,200 meters (10,500 feet), minimum temperatures in the area were down to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit).
Dhan Singh Bisht said his son and nephew were alive only because of the prompt action by the relief teams.
“I am grateful to them,” an overwhelmed Bisht told AFP by phone on Saturday.
Avalanches and landslides are common in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, especially during the winter season.
Scientists say climate change is making weather events more severe, while the increased pace of development in the fragile Himalayan regions has also heightened fears about the fallout from deforestation and construction.
In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand after a huge glacier chunk fell into a river, triggering flash floods.
And devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 killed 6,000 people and led to calls for a review of development projects in the state.

Topics: India avalanche

Trump aide Waltz says US needs Ukrainian leader who wants peace

US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky listen to Vice President JD Vance at White House.

Updated 02 March 2025

Reuters

March 02, 2025 15:18

Trump aide Waltz says US needs Ukrainian leader who wants peace

On ABC’s This Week program, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he has not spoken with Zelensky since Friday
“We’ll be ready to reengage when they’re ready to make peace,” Rubio said on the show

Updated 02 March 2025

Reuters

March 02, 2025 15:18

WASHINGTON: A top adviser to President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States needs a Ukrainian leader who is willing to secure a lasting peace with Russia but that it is not clear Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is prepared to do so.
Days after a contentious Oval Office exchange between Trump, Zelensky and Vice President JD Vance, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said Washington wants to secure a permanent peace between Moscow and Kyiv that involves territorial concessions in exchange for European-led security guarantees.
Asked whether Trump wants Zelensky to resign, Waltz told CNN’s “State of the Union” program: “We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians and end this war.”
“If it becomes apparent that President Zelensky’s either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in his country, then I think we have a real issue on our hands,” Waltz added.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson also suggested that a different leader might be necessary in Ukraine if Zelensky does not comply with US demands.
“Something has to change. Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that,” the top congressional Republican told NBC’s Meet the Press program.
The extraordinary Oval Office exchange on Friday put tensions between Zelensky and Trump on public display. As a result, an agreement between Ukraine and the United States to jointly develop Ukraine’s natural resources was left unsigned and in limbo.
“It wasn’t clear to us that President Zelensky was ready to negotiate and in good faith toward an end of this war,” Waltz said.
On ABC’s This Week program, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he has not spoken with Zelensky since Friday.
Rubio also said he has not spoken to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha since Trump and Zelensky clashed at the White House and failed to sign an expected minerals deal.
“We’ll be ready to reengage when they’re ready to make peace,” Rubio said on the show.
US Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, said on “This Week” that she was “appalled” by the clash in the Oval Office and that she met with Zelensky before he went to the White House on Friday and he had been excited to sign an expected minerals deal.
“There is still an opening here” for a peace deal, she said.

Topics: Russia-Ukraine Conflict US White House national security adviser Mike Waltz

Pope spent ‘calm night’ in hospital: Vatican

A nun holds a newspaper with an image of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square, as Pope Francis continues hospitalization.

Updated 02 March 2025

AFP

March 02, 2025 12:40

Pope spent ‘calm night’ in hospital: Vatican

Sunday saw the Argentine, born Jorge Bergoglio, forced to miss giving in person the traditional Angelus prayer for a third straight Sunday
Instead, the Vatican released a written text at noon in which the pontiff thanked believers for their support and prayers

Updated 02 March 2025

AFP

March 02, 2025 12:40

ROME: Pope Francis, who has been in hospital for more than two weeks with double pneumonia, spent a “calm night,” the Vatican said on Sunday, after reporting he was in a stable condition.
“The pope is still resting,” the Holy See said in its latest health update on the 88-year-old head of the Catholic Church.
On Saturday evening, it had said the pope’s condition was “stable,” adding that he was still receiving oxygen, had no fever, had been eating, was alert and praying.
Sunday saw the Argentine, born Jorge Bergoglio, forced to miss giving in person the traditional Angelus prayer for a third straight Sunday.
Instead, the Vatican released a written text at noon in which the pontiff thanked believers for their support and prayers.
“I would like to thank you for the prayers, which rise up to the Lord from the hearts of so many faithful from many parts of the world. I feel all your affection and closeness and, at this particular time, I feel as if I am ‘carried’ and supported by all God’s people. Thank you all,” he wrote.
The pope concluded by calling for peace in addressing conflicts around the globe.
“I pray above all for peace. From here, war appears even more absurd. Let us pray for tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and Kivu,” Francis wrote.
The pope’s haemodynamic parameters — those relating to the flow of blood — were also stable, and he did not have the high white-blood-cell count that often indicates an infection, the Vatican said, adding that the overall prognosis remained “reserved.”
Francis, leader of the world’s almost 1.4 billion Catholics, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14 with bronchitis that soon developed into pneumonia in both lungs.
Last weekend, the Vatican reported he was in a “critical” condition, suffering a major respiratory attack and requiring blood transfusions, prompting widespread concern.
After a series of incremental improvements, there was more alarming news on Friday when the Vatican said Francis “presented an isolated crisis of bronchospasm which led to an episode of vomiting with inhalation and a sudden worsening of the respiratory picture.”
“It will take doctors 24 to 48 hours to evaluate the impact” of Friday’s breathing crisis, a Vatican source said.
Andrea Ungar, professor of geriatrics at the University of Florence, told AFP on Saturday that it appeared vomit had entered the pope’s lungs, which “aggravated the pneumonia.”
Such an issue normally required a strengthening of antibiotics, ventilation and respiratory exercises, he said.
He added the pontiff would likely stay in hospital for some time — “at least 10 days” in the most optimistic scenario.
Catholics and other well-wishers around the world have been praying for the liberal reformer who has led the Church for almost 12 years.
Pilgrims have flocked to the Gemelli hospital, many leaving handwritten messages, including posters illustrated by children, and balloons bearing his image.
Francis has continued to work from the special papal suite on the hospital’s 10th floor, amid speculation about his ability to continue to lead the Church.
He has not been seen in public since the morning of his hospital admission, which is the fourth since 2021 and the longest of his papacy.
The Jesuit, who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, has suffered increasing health problems in recent years.
In 2021, he underwent colon surgery. Two years later, he had a hernia operation. He is also prone to bronchitis and suffers from hip and knee pain which has made him reliant on a wheelchair.
Francis has always left open the option of resigning if his health declined, following the example set by his predecessor, German theologian Benedict XVI, who quit in 2013.
Before his hospitalization, Francis had repeatedly said it was not yet the time — and may never be.
Yet medical experts have warned that Francis’s age and health means a sustained recovery will take time.
Francis maintains a packed schedule, particularly with the Church celebrating a Jubilee holy year this year, an event predicted to draw tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome and the Vatican.

Topics: Pope Francis

Jakarta NGO sends off new batch of medics to volunteer at Gaza hospital

Updated 02 March 2025

Sheany Yasuko Lai

March 02, 2025 13:16

Jakarta NGO sends off new batch of medics to volunteer at Gaza hospital

New group of medics include nurse, midwife, anesthesiologist and general practitioners
MER-C has sent 45 volunteers as part of emergency medical teams since last March

Updated 02 March 2025

Sheany Yasuko Lai

March 02, 2025 13:16

JAKARTA: A new group of Indonesian medics is on their way to Gaza to volunteer at the Indonesia Hospital, the Jakarta-based nongovernmental organization that assembled the team said on Sunday, as uncertainties loom over the second phase of the ceasefire.

The Indonesian NGO Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, or MER-C, has been organizing teams of doctors and nurses since last March, as part of emergency deployments led by the World Health Organization.

The latest batch, comprising two general practitioners, a nurse, an anesthesiologist and a midwife, departed Jakarta on Saturday and is expected to enter Gaza in the next couple of days.

“They will be stationed at the Indonesia Hospital, as the facility has resumed operations,” Sarbini Abdul Murad, chairman of MER-C’s board of trustees in Jakarta, told Arab News on Sunday.

“Gaza is in need of different kinds of doctors, as the number of victims and the availability of local doctors are disproportionate.”

MER-C has so far sent 45 volunteers to Gaza as part of its emergency medical teams, which previously comprised other specialists, including internists and surgeons.

The Indonesia Hospital — a facility that was funded and opened by MER-C in late 2015 — was one of the first sites hit when Israel began its assault on Gaza in October 2023.

Since the first phase of the ceasefire began on Jan. 19, the hospital has also been gradually resuming essential services, from surgeries to emergency and inpatient services, as it worked to reach at least 50 percent of full capacity by July.

For nurse Ade Andrian, a member of MER-C’s latest emergency medical team, the opportunity to volunteer in Gaza was a long time coming, having first registered in 2023, a couple of months after Israel began its latest assault on the enclave.

“Praise be to God that today I have been given the chance to join the EMT to be a part of the humanitarian mission for the people of Gaza,” Andrian said.

However, as the first stage of the ceasefire ended without agreement on continuing into a second phase and Israel moved to block entry of all humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the latest developments are sparking concerns.

“The blocking of humanitarian aid will not only impact the Indonesia Hospital but also all the other hospitals in Gaza and also the residents of the enclave,” MER-C’s Murad said.

“We hope that Israel will soon continue with the ceasefire deal according to what was agreed. If this is violated, then we fear another massive wave of civilian loss.”

Topics: Jakarta Gaza

Seven dead in India avalanche as survivors recall rescue

Updated 02 March 2025

AFP

March 02, 2025 09:42

Seven dead in India avalanche as survivors recall rescue

The death toll from an avalanche in northern India climbed to seven on Sunday as survivors recalled their dramatic rescue after hours buried under the snow and debris

Updated 02 March 2025

AFP

March 02, 2025 09:42

DEHRADUN:The death toll from an avalanche in northern India climbed to seven on Sunday as survivors recalled their dramatic rescue after hours buried under the snow and debris.
Rescuers recovered three bodies and were looking for the last remaining person still missing, the army said.
More than 50 workers were submerged under snow and debris after the avalanche hit a construction camp on Friday near Mana village on the border with Tibet in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.
Authorities revised down the number of workers on site at the time of the avalanche from 55 to 54 after one worker, previously believed to be buried, was found to have safely made his way home before the avalanche hit.
Relief teams managed to rescue 50 workers, but among them four later died of their injuries.
Construction worker Anil, who only gave his first name, recalled his rescue hours after being buried by the avalanche.
“It was if God’s angels had come to save us,” Anil, who is in his late 20s, told AFP on Sunday by phone from his hospital bed.
“The way we were engulfed in snow, we had no hope of surviving.”
Being alive now felt “like a dream,” he said.
The army said it had airlifted a drone-based detection system to assist in its search operations.
Multiple drones and a rescue dog were also being employed.

Working on a project by the Border Roads Organization, the workers were living on site in steel containers considered stronger than tents and capable of withstanding harsh weather.
Anil said many workers were fast asleep and a few others were in makeshift toilets when the avalanche struck around 6:00 am Friday.
As the ground beneath them shook, the container in which Anil and his colleagues were in began to slide down.
“At first we did not understand what was happening but when we looked out of the window of the containers, we saw piles of snow all around,” he said.
“The roof of the containers was also slowly bending inwards.”
Everyone started screaming for help and a few men were lucky to get out of their containers.
“But not all of them made it out and they remained trapped,” he said.

His colleague Vipin Kumar thought “this was the end” when he found himself unable to move as he struggled for air under the thick layer of snow.
“I heard a loud roar, like thunder ... before I could react, everything went dark,” he told the Times of India newspaper.
At an altitude of more than 3,200 meters (10,500 feet), minimum temperatures in the area were down to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit).
Dhan Singh Bisht said his son and nephew were alive only because of the prompt action by the relief teams.
“I am grateful to them,” an overwhelmed Bisht told AFP by phone on Saturday.
Avalanches and landslides are common in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, especially during the winter season.
Scientists say climate change is making weather events more severe, while the increased pace of development in the fragile Himalayan regions has also heightened fears about the fallout from deforestation and construction.
In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand after a huge glacier chunk fell into a river, triggering flash floods.
And devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 killed 6,000 people and led to calls for a review of development projects in the state.

Topics: India

Chad president welcomes ‘complete’ departure of French forces

Chad president welcomes ‘complete’ departure of French forces

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Eight dead in India avalanche as rescue operation ends

Eight dead in India avalanche as rescue operation ends

Trump aide Waltz says US needs Ukrainian leader who wants peace

Trump aide Waltz says US needs Ukrainian leader who wants peace

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Pope spent ‘calm night’ in hospital: Vatican

Pope spent ‘calm night’ in hospital: Vatican

Pope has coffee, rests after setback in recovery

Pope had coughing fit, inhaled vomit and now requires assisted ventilation, Vatican says

Jakarta NGO sends off new batch of medics to volunteer at Gaza hospital

Jakarta NGO sends off new batch of medics to volunteer at Gaza hospital

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Seven dead in India avalanche as survivors recall rescue

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Chad president welcomes ‘complete’ departure of French forces

Chad president welcomes ‘complete’ departure of French forces

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