World

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump confirmed that his inauguration as US president on Monday will move indoors due to expected freezing weather, undercutting the Republican's hopes for a grandiose spectacle to kick off his second term.

"There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country," Trump wrote on his Truth Social feed on Friday. "Therefore, I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda."

The change of plan means Trump will not stand on the Capitol steps overlooking the National Mall, which traditionally hosts a large crowd to welcome new presidents. The Rotunda, an ornate, round hall under the dome of Congress, can typically only hold a few hundred people.

Washington is forecast to be well below freezing on Monday, with gusty winds adding to the cold.

Preparations have already been made in Washington for a huge influx of visitors, including thousands of chairs neatly lined up on the Mall, but most will now have to watch on television.

It's the first time the emergency measure has been taken since the 1985 inauguration of Ronald Reagan, also due to dangerously cold weather.

In his post, Trump said that "various Dignitaries and Guests" will attend the events inside the Capitol, including prayers, the inaugural address and the singing of the anthem.

The Republican, who has built a political brand around his large rallies, said supporters could watch the event on a live feed in Washington's Capital One sports arena, and that he would go there after.

Trump, who at 78 will be the oldest person ever to assume the presidency, said the ceremonies in the Rotunda "will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience!"

"We will open Capital One Arena on Monday for LIVE viewing of this Historic event, and to host the Presidential Parade. I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my Swearing In."

Trump supporter Matthew Medill, visiting Washington from more balmy California, said some will be disappointed, but "we are expecting a lot of excitement and a lot of jubilation,  it doesn't matter what the weather is."

BERLIN — Germany's defence minister said he was open to sending German soldiers to Ukraine to help secure a demilitarised zone there if a ceasefire were agreed with Russia, in remarks published Saturday.

In an interview with the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, Boris Pistorius also said Germany should aim to spend around three per cent of GDP on defence.

US President-elect Donald Trump wants members of the NATO military alliance to devote five per cent of their national output on defence, a demand that has already been rejected as too high by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Asked about a possible deployment of German troops to help secure a buffer zone between Russia and Ukraine if one were agreed, Pistorius said: "We're the largest NATO partner in Europe. We'll obviously have a role to play."

He said the issue would "be discussed in due time".

Trump, who takes office on Monday, said during his election campaign he could end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in fewer than 24 hours. His camp has since indicated that he needs more time.

Discussions could nevertheless start soon, notably with a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But Ukraine is not currently in a position of sufficient strength to start any peace negotiations with Russia, NATO secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday.

Pistorius said Russia was currently occupying "18 or 19 per cent of Ukrainian territory". But despite nearly three years of war, it had "not gained more" than that and had suffered "extensive losses in its own army" in the attempt.

The United States claimed recently that Moscow had lost nearly 1,500 men a day in November. 

Asked about the contribution Germany should make towards NATO defence spending, Pistorius said: "We should be talking more about three per cent than two."

Germany currently devotes around two per cent of its GDP to defence. 

On January 9, Chancellor Olaf Scholz rebuffed Trump's demand for NATO members to raise defence spending to five per cent of GDP. 

For Germany, that would mean finding an additional 150 billion euros every year, he said.

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES — Sheriff's deputies on horseback fanned out through charred brush on Friday, hunting for the remains of people who perished when huge wildfires raced through Los Angeles.

At least 27 people are known to have died in the two massive blazes, with dozens still missing.

Ten days after flames erupted, frustration was growing among the tens of thousands who remain in limbo, unable to return even to homes that were spared by the flames, because of unseen dangers like toxic pollution or the risk of landslides.

Nina Madok, who lost her home in the Palisades Fire, told AFP an information meeting for evacuees had been "worthless."

"We need local leaders from the Palisades to answer our questions now."

An emotional Los Angeles Assistant Fire Chief Joe Everett told those present: "It's extremely, extremely hard for me to look you in the eye knowing that, quite honestly, I feel like I failed you in some respect." 

Officials said Thursday it would be at least a week until anyone could go home.

Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass, under pressure over her handling of the disaster, announced the appointment of a chief recovery officer.

Steve Soboroff, a former police commissioner, said he was devising an action plan for the path forward.

"There is an A to Z for each one of us, and A is today," he told a press conference. "We're going to get there step by step."

But with dangerous rubble strewn over a large swath and the final death toll still unknown, the area remained in emergency mode.

Urban search teams using cadaver dogs continued their painstaking trawl through Altadena, where whole blocks of homes were incinerated.

In the countryside above Malibu, Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies on horseback were also looking for the dead.

Although they reportedly have no specific information that there was anyone in the wild area, it all has to be searched before it can be reopened to the public.

 Acclaim for firefighters 

Thousands of firefighters continued their efforts to snuff out hotspots over the 40,000 acres that have been burned, an area almost as big as the US capital Washington.

All over Los Angeles, signs have appeared thanking first responders, including one outside the studio where Jimmy Kimmel records his late-night chat show.

Entertainment website TMZ posted a video of diners in Calabasas clapping as uniformed firefighters finished a meal, which the site reported had been paid for by other customers and the restaurant.

The acclaim for first responders stood in contrast to the political bickering, which has seen Republicans across the country line up behind President-elect Donald Trump as he bashes California's Democratic leadership.

Trump has previously threatened to withhold federal aid to the state unless Governor Gavin Newsom bends to his policy demands, and some congressional allies have sought to link cash to the incoming administration's priorities.

Actor Eric Braeden, a mainstay of US daytime soap opera "The Young and the Restless," on Thursday lashed out at the politicization of the issue.

"We contribute more taxes than any other state in America," said the German-born actor, whose Pacific Palisades home was razed in the fires.

"The rest of the country: don't point your finger at California."

US tennis great Pam Shriver appealed Friday for the return of trophies stolen with her car after she evacuated her luxury home.

"Let's do the right thing," she told broadcaster KTLA. "This is not the time to give people even more stress and more worry."

Dozens of people have been arrested in the wake of the disaster, with several charged for looting.

MOSCOW — Russia on Thursday said it hoped a ceasefire in Gaza would lead to "long-term stabilisation" and creates the conditions for a "comprehensive political settlement" between Israel and the Palestinians.

Key mediator Qatar said Wednesday that Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza starting on Sunday, along with a hostage and prisoner exchange after more than 15 months of war.

The Kremlin on Thursday said it "welcomed" the deal, though expressed a degree of caution after Israeli accusations that Hamas was backtracking on the fragile agreement.

"Any settlement that leads to a ceasefire, an end to the suffering of the people of Gaza and increases Israel's security can only be welcomed," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"But let's wait for the finalisation of the process," he added.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters earlier on Thursday the deal was an "important practical step towards the long-term stabilisation in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation".

She also said she hoped that it could be the basis for "the establishment of a process of comprehensive political settlement of the Palestinian problem".

TERNATE, INDONESIA — Thousands of people declined on Thursday a government-led evacuation in eastern Indonesia where a volcano has been spewing smoke and ash, arguing that they are accustomed to the eruptions.

Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, erupted on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke up to four kilometres into the sky.

The volcano's alert status was immediately raised to the highest level by Indonesia's Geological Agency, prompting local authorities to call for the evacuation of 3,000 people living in six villages.

"So far, only one village has been evacuated, while people in the remaining five villages have refused to evacuate," said a spokesman for the local disaster management agency, Irfan Idrus.

He added that the residents who chose to stay argued they were used to Mount Ibu's eruptions.

As of Thursday morning, 517 residents from the village closest to the volcano had been evacuated.

According to an AFP reporter, residents went about their daily activities in their respective villages as trucks waited to move them to safe areas.

"We are already accustomed to the eruptions of Mount Ibu, and so far, there has been no impact on our village. That is why we do not want to be evacuated," said 43-year-old resident of Todoke village, Milka Sehe.

Meanwhile, Rista Tuyu in Tuguis village said she hoped the volcano would calm down soon so the community could continue with their lives.

"Of course, there is some fear and concern, but we are already used to the eruptions here," the 32-year-old said.

"In a week, eruptions could happen three to four times, but the biggest ones occurred this week," she said.

Irfan, the disaster management official, said: "We will continue to coordinate with the local officials and community leaders to ensure that the residents of the five villages are evacuated, as they are within the restricted zone".

Mount Ibu, which has shown a significant increase in volcanic activity since last June, continued to erupt multiple times on Thursday, as its peak was covered with thick smoke rising as high as 400 meters above its summit.

In the first weeks of January alone, the volcano, one of Indonesia's most active, erupted at least nine times.

Residents living near Mount Ibu and tourists have been advised to avoid a five to six-kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano's peak and to wear face masks in case of falling ash.

As of 2022, around 700,000 people were living on Halmahera Island, according to official data.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity as it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Last November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-metre twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores erupted more than a dozen times in one week, killing nine people in its initial explosion.

Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times last year, forcing thousands from nearby islands to evacuate.

NICOSIA — Cyprus on Thursday heralded a move by United States President Joe Biden allowing the strategic Mediterranean country access to military equipment.

Traditionally aligned with Russia, European Union member Cyprus has solidified a more pro-American stance since the election of President Nikos Christodoulides in 2023.

In a memorandum issued by the White House on Wednesday, Biden said "the furnishing of defence articles and defence services to the Republic of Cyprus will strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace."

Biden's decision makes Cyprus eligible "to receive defence equipment, supplies, and services" through programmes including Foreign Military Sales and the Excess Defense Articles divestment initiative, Washington's embassy to Nicosia said on its website.

A statement from the Cyprus Presidency on Thursday called the move a "historic milestone in the bilateral relations between Cyprus and the United States" that would "yield tangible benefits at diplomatic and defence levels".

It is also "clear acknowledgement" from Washington that Cyprus is a "key pillar of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean", the Presidency said.

On X, United States Ambassador Julie Davis Fisher said: "President Biden's determination of the ROC's eligibility for government-to-government defence sales marks an important step in deepening the relationship, enhancing security cooperation & promoting stability in the East Med."

In 2022 Washington fully lifted a decades-old arms embargo, conditional on Nicosia continuing to block Russian warships from its ports.

The United States imposed the arms embargo on the whole of Cyprus in 1987 in the hope it could encourage its reunification.

Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the new defence cooperation was the result of Cyprus proving itself a valuable partner during the Middle East crisis.

The two countries cooperated in an initiative to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, as well as on the evacuation of US nationals from the region, he said.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when NATO-member Turkey invaded the north in response to a Greek-backed coup. More than 30,000 Turkish troops remain stationed on the island.

Last year, Christodoulides was the first Cypriot president to visit the White House since 1996, and the two sides entered a Strategic Dialogue aimed at enhancing security and other areas.

Kyiv — Russia launched dozens of missiles and drones at the Ukrainian energy sector, Kyiv said Wednesday, ramping up a months-long bombing campaign at a precarious moment of the war for Ukraine.

The barrage came just one day after Kyiv said it had carried out its largest ever aerial attack on Russian army factories and energy hubs hundreds of kilometres from the front line.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow had fired more than 40 missiles and over 70 attack drones in an overnight barrage against sites including gas infrastructure.

"Another massive Russian attack. It is the middle of winter, and the target for the Russians remains the same: our energy sector," the Ukrainian leader said.

Ukrainian air defence systems shot down at least 30 of the Russian missiles, which included ballistic missiles, Zelensky said.

The statement came ahead of a meeting in Warsaw between Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Ukrainian authorities in the west of the country said Wednesday that critical infrastructure facilities had been targeted in a "massive" Russian missile attack after air alerts sounded nationwide.

"Critical infrastructure facilities were targeted in Prykarpattia," the regional governor of the western Ivano-Frankivsk region wrote on social media.

"Air defence forces were working in the region," the official, Svitlana Onyshchuk, said, adding there were no casualties and that the situation was "under control."

 Emergency blackouts 

Authorities in the western Lviv region, which borders EU and NATO member Poland, said two critical infrastructure facilities had been hit in the Drogobych and Stryi districts, without elaborating.

"Fortunately, there were no casualties, but there was damage," governor Maksym Kozytsky wrote on social media.

The Ukrainian national grid operator meanwhile announced it was introducing emergency blackouts in seven regions including the eastern Donetsk region.

"Due to the massive attack, the transmission system operator is applying preventive restrictions," Energy Minister German Galushchenko said of the shutdowns.

Separately, the governor of the eastern Donetsk region said that critical infrastructure had also been hit in his region over the last 24 hours, but did not specify when the strikes had occurred.

The mayor of the southern city of Kherson meanwhile said that "part of our community is without electricity" as a result of the overnight barrage, without giving figures of those without power.

Ukrainian authorities had earlier issued air raid alerts for the entire country, warning of incoming cruise missiles.

The warning said that missiles were headed towards the central city of Kryvyi Rig, the northern Chernigiv region, central Poltava region, and southern Mykolaiv region.

A "group of cruise missiles" was also headed in the direction of the capital Kyiv, the air force said.

Moscow has pursued a months-long bombing campaign against Ukrainian energy infrastructure claiming the attacks are targeted against facilities that aid Kyiv's military.

The Russian military had accused Kyiv of using US- and British-supplied missiles for one of the strikes the previous day and promised it would "not go unanswered".

DAMASCUS — United Nations rights chief Volker Turk on Wednesday said transitional justice was "crucial" for Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, during the first-ever visit by someone in his post to the country.

"Transitional justice is crucial as Syria moves forward," the UN high commissioner for human rights said.

"Revenge and vengeance are never the answer."

The United Nations has said Assad's fall must be followed by accountability for him and others behind the crimes committed during his rule.

"The enforced disappearances, the torture, the use of chemical weapons, among other atrocity crimes, must be fully investigated," Turk said, alluding notably to accusations Assad used sarin gas against his own people.

"And then justice must be served, fairly and impartially," he said at a press conference in Damascus.

Since Islamist-led rebels seized Damascus last month, the new authorities have sought to reassure Syrians and the international community that they will respect the rights of minorities in rebuilding the country.

Turk said that, during his visit, he and the country's new leader Ahmed Sharaa had discussed "the opportunities and challenges awaiting this new Syria".

"He acknowledged and assured me of the importance of respect for human rights for all Syrians and all different components of Syrian society," Turk said.

He said Sharaa also backed "the pursuit of healing, trust building and social cohesion and the reform of institutions".

Turk also called for an easing of certain sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad's rule.

"I... call for an urgent reconsideration of... sanctions with a view to lifting them," he said, that they had had "a negative impact on the enjoyment of rights" of Syrian people.

Turk said he had visited Syria's notorious Saydnaya prison and met with a former detainee, "a former soldier suspected of being a defector".

"He told me of the cruel treatment he endured. I cannot even bear to share the stories of beatings and torture that he shared with me," he said.

BERLIN — The German cabinet has agreed plans to allow the army to shoot down suspicious drones after several sightings over military sites, the government said Wednesday, as tensions run high with Russia.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that "especially since [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine, we have seen that drones are being used more and more frequently, which poses an increasing challenge for the police and their current technology".

The ministry said that "security services have noted that reports of sightings of uncooperative drones over critical infrastructure and military properties in Germany are increasing". 

"Espionage or sabotage is regularly considered as a possible reason," it added in a statement.

Under current regulations, soldiers can assist the police in forcing an unmanned aerial vehicle [UAV] to change direction or land, threaten to shoot it down or fire warning shots. 

But under the new proposals, a drone could be shot down by the army if it is believed the device is being "used against the lives of people or against a critical facility, and the use of armed force is the only means of averting this present danger", the ministry said.

Unidentified drones have been spotted flying over several military bases and other sensitive sites in Germany in recent months, at a time when the country is on high alert for Russian espionage.

Police in the southern state of Bavaria this week said they were looking into several incidents in which drones had flown over military installations in Manching , Neuburg and der Donau.

The Manching site hosts a military aerodrome and is where the Eurofighter jet is developed by Airbus.

Several drones have also recently been spotted at an industrial zone near the North Sea and near the US airbase in Ramstein.

The changes must still be voted through in the lower and upper houses of parliament before becoming law.