Foreign News
Macron, Scholz, other World Leaders Congratulate Trump

Congratulations for Donald Trump poured in early on Wednesday following his victory over challenger, Democrat’s Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential polls.
“Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine, with respect and ambition.
“For more peace and prosperity, French President“, Emmanuel Macron, wrote on social media platform X.
“Congratulations to Donald Trump on his election victory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on the platform X.
“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs,” he added.
“This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer.
I am hopeful that we will put it into action together,” Zelensky wrote.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also added his congratulations.
“For a long time, Germany and the U.S. have been working together successfully promoting prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic.
“We will continue to do so for the wellbeing of our citizens,” the chancellor wrote on X.
Earlier, Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone about the election outcome.
A German government spokesman said the two European leaders had agreed to coordinate closely with each other.
“We will work in this new context for a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe.
“In cooperation with the U.S. and defending our interests and values,’’ Macron wrote on X after the conversation.
The mood was ebullient out of Moscow, which has led a full-scale war against Ukraine for more than two and a half years, with no end in sight.
“Hallelujah, wrote Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, on her Telegram channel, noting that the election winner was the one who loved his own country.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who now sits on the Russian Security Council, said Trump has an important quality for Russia.
“As a businessman to the core, he cannot stand spending money on various minions and lackeys on idiotic allies, on stupid charity projects and on gluttonous international organisations.’’
He said it was a sad day for the scum in Kiev, in a post on Telegram.
Newly appointed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, whose alliance has a key role in the war on Ukraine, congratulated Trump on X.
“His leadership will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong,’’ Rutte added.
The conservative broadcaster Fox News had already declared Republican candidate Trump the overall winner against Democrat Kamala Harris, but other media networks and U.S. news agency AP had not done so.
Trump declared himself the winner in a speech to supporters in Florida.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz added his congratulations.
“For a long time, Germany and the U.S. have been working together successfully promoting prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic.
“We will continue to do so for the wellbeing of our citizens,” the chancellor wrote on X.
Earlier, Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone about the election outcome.
A German government spokesman said the two European leaders had agreed to coordinate closely with each other.
“We will work in this new context for a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe.
In cooperation with the U.S. and defending our interests and values,’’ Macron wrote on X after the conversation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she looked forward to working with the presumptive 47th president of the U.S. on a strong trans-Atlantic agenda that delivers for their people.
Von der Leyen said the European Union and the United States “are more than just allies,” bound by a “shared history, commitment to freedom and democracy, and common goals of security and opportunity for all.”
“Millions of jobs and billions in trade and investment on each side of the Atlantic depend on the dynamism and stability of our economic relationship,” she added.
Outgoing European Council President Charles Michel, meanwhile, said the EU looked forward to cooperating constructively with the US, while “defending the rules-based multilateral system.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK-US special relationship would “continue to prosper” following Donald Trump’s “historic election victory,” the PA news agency reported.
Congratulations also came from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said the strategic connections between their two countries would now become even stronger.
“Good luck with your work, president!” the far-right prime minister added.
“Congratulations, Mr President … You made it happen!” Poland’s conservative nationalist president, Andrzej Duda, posted on X.
Dutch right-wing populist politician Geert Wilders, a declared Trump supporter who won the election in the Netherlands almost a year ago, joined in the chorus.
“Congratulations America! Never stop, always keep fighting and win elections!” Wilders wrote on X before the official result was announced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was “history’s greatest comeback.”
“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his “friend” Donald Trump had won the presidential election after a “great struggle.”
China, meanwhile, was more cautious in its response. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the election was a domestic affair that Beijing would handle as usual once the results are officially announced. (dpa/NAN)
Foreign News
UN Emergency Aid Fund Releases $110m for Neglected Humanitarian Crises
The UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated 110 million dollars to neglected crises across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, amid deep cuts to global humanitarian funding,
UN’s top aid official Tom Fletcher in a statement, said more than 300 million people were in urgent need of assistance.
But funding has been falling annually, and this year’s levels are projected to drop to a record low.
“Brutal funding cuts don’t mean that humanitarian needs disappear; today’s emergency fund allocation channels resources swiftly to where they’re needed most,” he said.
One third of the CERF money will support Sudan and neighbouring Chad, which is home to many uprooted Sudanese.
The funds will also bolster aid response in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Honduras, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Venezuela, and Zambia.
Part of the allocation will go towards life-saving initiatives to protect vulnerable people from climate shocks too.
Speaking on the situation, UN Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) Executive Director, Catherine Russell said funding cuts to overseas aid levels in multiple countries were severely limiting the UN Children Fund’s ability to reach millions of children in dire need.
Russell highlighted cuts “by numerous donor countries follow two years of aid reductions at a time of unprecedented need. Millions of children are affected by conflict, need to be vaccinated against deadly diseases such as measles and polio, and must be educated and kept healthy.”
She added that needs are outpacing resources and despite introducing efficiencies and innovation to their work, UNICEF teams have stretched every contribution to its limit.
“But there is no way around it, these new cuts are creating a global funding crisis that will put the lives of millions of additional children at risk.”
Funded entirely by voluntary contributions, the UN children’s agency has helped save millions, making “historic progress”.
Since 2000, global under-fives mortality has dropped by 50 per cent: “UNICEF implores all donors to continue to fund critical aid programs for the world’s children. We cannot fail them now,” Russell underlined.
Offering one snapshot of how cuts and shortfalls in aid are impacting one of the world’s most vulnerable nations, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric highlighted conditions in Afghanistan.
“Our humanitarian colleagues warn that Afghanistan continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis defined by decades of conflict, entrenched poverty, climate-induced shocks and rising protection risks, especially for women and girls,” he told reporters at the regular daily briefing in New York.
More than half of the population – or 23 million people – need humanitarian assistance in the country, which has been run by the Taliban since they seized power from the democratically elected Government in August 2021.
Nearly 3.5 million children under five and more than a million pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to become acutely malnourished, while explosive hazards continue to pose a lethal threat following decades of brutal civil conflict.
An estimated 55 people are killed or injured by ordnance every month – most of them are children.
“Funding cuts are already significantly constraining the humanitarian community’s efforts to provide assistance to those most in need,” Dujarric said. (NAN)
Foreign News
Polish Presidential Candidate Says Zelensky Acting Inappropriately

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is said to be acting “unworthy’’ toward his allies, a presidential candidate from Poland’s largest opposition party Law and Justice, Karol Nawrocki, said on Monday.“I think that Zelensky is acting unworthy of his allies, Poland included,’’ Nawrocki told Radio Zet.
He claimed that Ukraine was left alone at the start of the conflict, meaning that he underestimated the tremendous efforts of Poles and the Polish president,” Nawrocki said. Zelensky’s statement was during his notorious meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.“This was also pointed out by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.This is not the way to build a country’s security,” he added.Nawrocki, whom polls put second after Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski in the May 18 election, also believes his country should cut any ties with Russia.“There are many economic issues to the Polish-Russian relations,’’ he said.He adding “if you ask me, maintaining diplomatic relations with Russia is disadvantageous for Poland.’’The meeting between Trump and Zelensky in Washington on Feb. 28 escalated into a verbal altercation, involving also US Vice President JD Vance.The U.S. officials accused Zelensky of disrespect and a lack of gratitude for U.S. support.Trump refused to go ahead with the signing of the landmark rare earths deal, and the Ukrainian delegation was asked to leave.A number of European leaders sided with Zelenskyy. (dpa/NAN)Foreign News
Macron to Meet Trump at the White House for Talks on Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron will be in Washington on Monday to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The meeting comes on the day of the third anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine and days after Trump falsely blamed Ukraine for starting the war.
It also comes after Trump held a 90 minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin – without Ukrainian or European participation.
Last week Macron called European heads of state and prime ministers to Paris for crisis talks and then spoke to Trump on the phone.
Among other things, the meeting dealt with the question of European peacekeeping forces to secure a possible ceasefire.
Trump is also expected to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington in the next few days.
According to media reports, Starmer could be keen to present the concept for a peacekeeping force.
On Saturday, Trump had a brief exchange with Polish President Andrzej Duda on the fringes of the CPAC conservative political conference just outside of Washington.
There had been concern that the United States would reduce its troop strength in Europe or even withdraw its soldiers altogether.
However, Duda said he was convinced that this would not happen following a visit on Feb. 14 by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine. (dpa/NAN)