Romania detains suspects in Russia-linked treason case, 101-year-old retired general’s house raided

BRUSSELS: Poland and Baltic nations welcomed Thursday a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to launch talks about using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect the continent from Russian threats, a move Moscow quickly dismissed as “extremely confrontational.”
The comments came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined European Union leaders in Brussels for an emergency summit on defense and security.
On Wednesday, Macron said he has decided to open a “strategic debate” on using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect European allies amid concerns over potential US disengagement. The French president described Moscow a “threat to France and Europe,” in a televised address to the nation.
France is the only nuclear power in the European Union.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday Macron’s speech was “extremely confrontational.”
“One can conclude that France thinks more about war, about continuing the war,” he said during a regular call with journalists.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Peskov, saying during a news conference in Moscow that Macron’s comments were a “threat” against Russia.
In Brussels, several eastern European nations welcomed Macron’s move.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said “we must seriously consider this proposal.”
He noted that “as always, the details matter, but France’s willingness in this regard is very significant.”
Baltic nations also showed interest in Macron’s offering as they push for more defense spending by EU countries to avoid any future aggression by neighboring Russia.
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda praised a “very interesting idea.”
“We have high expectations because a nuclear umbrella would serve as really very serious deterrence toward Russia,” Nausėda said.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa called the French proposal “an opportunity to discuss,” stressing that more time was needed to have talks with other European allies and at the domestic level.
The Federation of American Scientists, or FAS, says France maintains the world’s fourth largest nuclear arsenal, with an estimated 290 nuclear warheads.
The United Kingdom, which is no longer an EU member but is working on restoring closer ties with the 27-nation bloc, also has nuclear weapons.
“In terms of extending our nuclear deterrent or using it to protect other European nations –- we already do,” said Tom Wells, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “The UK already commits its nuclear forces to NATO, helping to safeguard European Euro-Atlantic security.”
During the Cold War, the US nuclear umbrella was aimed at ensuring that allies, especially NATO members, would be protected by American nuclear forces in case of a threat. That’s one of the reasons why many nations in Europe and across the world haven’t pursued their own nuclear arsenals.
Last month, Germany’s election winner and likely future chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a discussion on “nuclear sharing” with France. Germany is among the European countries that host US nuclear weapons under NATO’s nuclear sharing policy,
Macron said Wednesday any decision to use France’s nuclear weapons would remain only in the hands of the French president.

NEW DELHI: Rohingya refugees in India are preparing to enroll their children in public schools following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for their access to education after years of denial by Indian authorities.

An estimated 40,000 Rohingya live in India and 20,000 are registered with the UN refugee agency. Most fled Myanmar in 2017 when its military launched a brutal crackdown, widely regarded as ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine State.

The majority live in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and many have faced challenges in accessing basic services due to the lack of ID cards issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India — documents they are not entitled to, as India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.

Last week, however, India’s Supreme Court ruled that Rohingya can access government schools and hospitals, even without Indian documents. The court said that children holding UNHCR cards can approach government schools for admission, and if denied, can directly seek redressal in the high court.

“Ever since we arrived in India, we have been denied education. This would be the first step toward our progress ... this will give dignity (back) to Rohingya refugees,” said Mohammad Emanul, who fled to India from Myanmar in 2018 and has been living in a refugee camp in Haryana.

In his camp alone, students and their families are already preparing for school enrollment when the new admission session starts in April.

“Where I live, more than 100 students have dropped out of schools, and they will take the admission in the new session if the schools allow them to enter. They will be again continuing their education,” Emanul told Arab News.

“In our refugee journey across the world, we feel blind. Even though we have eyes, we cannot see. We also feel dumb because sometimes our words are not heard by others as we are uneducated. So, we believe that in this world we are nothing without education. Education is the only solution for all these barriers.”

Sadiq Khan, another refugee who also lives in Haryana, hopes his daughter will be able to return to the classroom after being denied school since the eighth grade.

“I hope the Supreme Court’s decision will help us and she will be able to enroll in a public school. I will reach out to the school for admission,” he said. “The court’s decision opens a wonderful opportunity for us refugees, who don’t have any opportunities.”

But while the top court’s order is in place, no circular has been sent to schools. If denied their right to education again, Rohingya students will have to brace for a legal battle.

“It is a step in the right direction that the Supreme Court has permitted Rohingya children to study in public schools, but they should have gone a step further by ensuring it as a right. Right to education should be there for every child no matter what their ethnicity, background or religion,” said Priyali Suri, director of Azadi Project, an NGO that works for refugees.

“By putting the onus on the children to seek admission and approach high courts if denied admission, it has fallen short. Children should have the right to education, period. They should not be running pillar to post to have to access education.”