World

WASHINGTON — Democrats unveiled two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump on Tuesday in a momentous step asserting that the US president abused his office and deserves to be removed.

If the charges — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — are approved by the full House of Representatives in a vote expected next week, it would make Trump the third US leader ever impeached and placed on trial in the Senate.

An angry Trump dismissed the charges as "ridiculous" but Democrats insisted presidents are not untouchable.

"We must be clear: No one, not even the president, is above the law," said House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler.

"When he betrays that [public] trust and puts himself before country, he endangers the constitution, he endangers our democracy and he endangers our national security."

Trump is alleged to have wielded the power of the presidency for personal and political gain by pressuring Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 US election.

The Democrats submitted their articles of impeachment in a formal House resolution, which is expected to be voted out of the Judiciary Committee this week before heading to a full House vote.

In forceful language the articles laid out the Democrats' case that Trump committed "high crimes and misdemeanors", warning that he would "remain a threat to the Constitution" if allowed to remain in office. 

Trump, who has long assailed the Democrats for pursuing impeachment, maintained his fighting posture by blasting the "ridiculous" process and renewing his familiar claim that he is the victim of a witch hunt.

The White House, meanwhile, called the impeachment effort a “pathetic attempt” to overturn the 2016 election result.

“The president will address these false charges in the Senate and expects to be fully exonerated, because he did nothing wrong,” White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said.

Trump’s accusers say he conditioned vital military aid and a much-sought White House meeting on Kiev announcing it would investigate former vice president Joe Biden, the Democratic frontrunner to challenge Trump in 2020.

Trump also pressed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to probe a debunked Kremlin conspiracy theory that it was Kiev, and not Moscow, that interfered in the 2016 US election.

The charges also focus on Trump’s efforts to block Congress from fully investigating his actions — which Democrats see as a violation of its constitutional right to conduct oversight of the executive branch.

Trump has refused to cooperate with any aspect of the inquiry and ordered his entire administration to do the same. 

As a result, key figures in the Ukraine saga, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, have not testified before lawmakers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking at a forum in Washington, described the move as sad but necessary.

“If we allow one president — any president, no matter who she or he may be — to go down this path we are saying goodbye to the republic and hello to a president king,” she said.

‘Overwhelming, uncontested’ evidence 

The Democratic impeachment move marks a solemn and deeply serious moment for the nation, which has been sharply divided over whether to advance removal proceedings against the sitting president.

House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff oversaw weeks of public hearings in which witnesses including Trump administration officials and US diplomats testified about the pressure on Ukraine.

“The evidence of the president’s misconduct is overwhelming and uncontested,” Schiff said, adding that Trump’s misconduct “goes to the heart” of whether Americans can conduct a free, fair 2020 election.

Boosting the already extraordinary Washington drama, Democrats and Republicans came together shortly after the impeachment announcement to agree on a modified north American trade pact that includes improved labour standards, clearing the path towards final ratification.

The long-sought deal could provide Democrats in swing districts with cover as they return home for the holidays able to claim a bipartisan victory on economic policy, potentially defusing resentment over impeachment.

Congressional Republicans have largely remained loyal to the president, and were quick to describe the impeachment articles as sour grapes by Democrats for losing in 2016. 

“Democrats still can’t get over the fact that Trump won the election and they lost,” top House Republican Kevin McCarthy told reporters.

Should Trump be impeached, as expected, he faces a weeks-long January trial in the US Senate, where Republicans hold a majority.

Removal from office is unlikely, given that conviction requires a two-thirds vote in the 100-member chamber, and no Republicans have yet signaled they would side with Democrats against the president.

PARIS — French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe warned ruling party lawmakers on Tuesday to brace for a long battle over the government’s pension reforms, as tens of thousands took to the streets to back a transport strike that has caused six days of travel misery.

The industrial action, which has paralysed public transport in Paris and severely disrupted national rail services, is the biggest show of union force since President Emmanuel Macron came to power in 2017 vowing to cut public spending and make the economy more competitive.

On Tuesday, tens of thousands of people took part in new demonstrations around the country over the government’s proposal to merge the country’s 42 separate pension schemes into a single points-based system.

But there were far fewer participants than on the first day of the strike on December 5, when more than 800,000 people took to the streets.

On Wednesday, Philippe is to unveil the details of the pensions overhaul in an eagerly awaited speech.

But on Tuesday he downplayed the prospect of a speedy breakthrough in the dispute, saying there would be “no magic announcements” that would bring the protests to a sudden halt.

“It’s not because I’m giving a speech that the demonstrations will stop. The speech will even raise new questions, and that’s how it should be,” he told MPs from Macron’s centrist Republic on the Move  Party.

Those opposing the reform accuse former investment banker Macron of trying to roll back France’s costly but highly cherished welfare state.

The official retirement age in France is 62, one of the lowest among developed countries. 

The government has argued that reforming the debt-laden system — including getting the French to work longer — is necessary to ensuring its sustainability.

Concessions?

On Tuesday, Philippe tried to reassure train drivers, electricity workers, ballet dancers and other workers who retire earlier or with more generous pensions than the average worker, that the changes would be gradual.

“We will not call into question those who are benefitting from them [special schemes],” he said, hinting that the changes, which would require the French to work longer, will only affect younger generations.

France’s famously militant unions have so far sounded an uncompromising note, however, insisting that they will not call off the strike unless the reform is scrapped outright.

The strike has revived memories of three-week-long strikes over pension reforms that crippled France in 1995, forcing the centre-right government of the day to reverse course.

Teachers joined the industrial action on Tuesday for the second time in a week, but with only 12 per cent of primary teachers and 19 per cent of secondary teachers walking out far fewer schools were closed than on December 5.

Julien Sergere, a 38-year-old teacher who marched in Paris told AFP he was worried that a proposal to bring the way pensions are calculated in the public sector in line with those in the private sector would leave teachers poorer.

“Our wages our low and until now the advantage we had was that our pensions were calculated on the basis of the last six months of our career, which compensated a bit. But today, they’re talking about [basing calculations on] the last 25 years, which could make our pensions fall by between 500 and 900 euros [$550-1,100] a month on average,” he said.

Hospital workers, firefighters, students and “yellow vest” anti-government protesters also took part in Tuesday’s rallies, reflecting the wide degree of dissatisfaction with Macron’s policies half-way through his mandate.

Striking workers blocked seven petrol refineries but the government said there had been no impact on petrol supplies.

Meanwhile, public transport in the capital remained at a near standstill, with only two of 16 metro lines running as normal, nine completely closed and suburban trains also heavily disrupted.

WHAKATANE, New Zealand — Tales of heroism, devastation and horrifying injuries emerged on Tuesday after New Zealand's smouldering White Island volcano exploded, killing an estimated 14 people and turning what should have been an intrepid day trip into a nightmare.

The number of confirmed fatalities rose to six on Tuesday night after an injured person died in an Auckland hospital, police said.

Eight more people were presumed dead after Monday's eruption, while dozens of others injured were being treated in hospital burns units across the country.

Among the 47 people caught on the island during the sudden blast were tourists from Australia, the United States, Britain, China, Germany and Malaysia, as well as local tour guides.

As relatives of the missing faced an agonising wait to discover the fate of their loved ones, police said conditions remained too dangerous for recovery teams to set foot on the volcano.

Amid questions about how tourists were allowed on the island, police said they were opening an investigation into the circumstances of the deaths and injuries — but they backtracked on suggestions it could lead to criminal charges.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern praised the crews of four rescue helicopters for landing on the island soon after the eruption.

"Those pilots made an incredibly brave decision under extraordinarily dangerous circumstances in an attempt to get people out," she told reporters.

Intensive care paramedic Russell Clark was among those dispatched by helicopter to the volcano, which sits semi-submerged 50 kilometres  out to sea.

He was confronted by an "overwhelming" and "shocking" scene of devastation.

"We didn't find any survivors," he told TVNZ, recalling a dust-covered helicopter grounded with its rotor blades damaged.

"It was like... I've seen the 'Chernobyl' mini-series and it was just everything was just blanketed in ash.”

"I can only imagine what it was like for the people there at the time — they had nowhere to go and an absolutely terrible experience for them."

New Zealander Geoff Hopkins' tour boat was leaving the island when a huge plume burst from the volcano — at what scientists said was supersonic speed — followed by a "menacing" cloud of grey ash.

Despite the danger, Hopkins said the boat moved closer to the shore after seeing survivors jump from the island into the sea to escape.

"I don't think there was anyone that came off who wasn't badly burnt," he told the New Zealand Herald, describing how victims screamed and went into shock as fellow tourists tried to tend to their blistered skin.

'Very hard day' 

Top New Zealand health official Pete Watson said 27 of the 34 survivors were being treated for burns to more than 71 per cent of their bodies.

"It's important not to underestimate the gravity of the injuries suffered," he said.

After an initial rush, concerns about further eruptions, poisonous gases and choking ash stalled efforts to recover bodies.

The risks were underscored Tuesday when a large-but-harmless 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck to the east of the disaster zone.

Ardern said New Zealanders were mourning alongside those from overseas whose nationals were caught up in the disaster.

"To those who have lost or are missing family and friends, we share in your unfathomable grief and in your sorrow," the prime minister said, just months after managing another national crisis during Christchurch's deadly twin mosque attacks.

Many of the victims are believed to be Australian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned his compatriots to brace for the worst.

He said there were fears that three of the five dead were Australian, and another eight citizens were unaccounted for.

"This is a very, very hard day for a lot of Australian families whose loved ones have been caught up in this terrible, terrible tragedy," he told reporters in Sydney.

The Malaysian government said one of its citizens had died and two British women were confirmed among those injured.

With the island off-limits, Adelaide man Brian Dallow was anxiously awaiting news about his son Gavin, daughter-in-law Lisa, and her daughter Zoe Hosking, 15.

"All we know at the moment is they were on the island and they're been confirmed as missing," he told AFP. "As far as we know they didn't get back on the ship."

The eruption at White Island — also known as Whakaari — occurred on Monday afternoon, spewing a thick plume of white ash 3.6 kilometres into the sky.

At the time, visitors included a group of more than 30 from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Ovation of the Seas, which left Sydney on a 12-day voyage last week.

The island in the picturesque Bay of Plenty attracts more than 17,000 visitors every year and is marketed as an experience for the adventurous traveller.

But the volcano's threat level had been raised in recent days, leading to questions about whether tour groups should have been allowed to visit.

PARIS — Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukranian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday held their first face-to-face talks at a summit in Paris which agreed some measures to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict but clinched no major breakthrough on ending the five-year war.

Host French President Emmanuel Macron, joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, hailed the progress after some eight hours of talks at the Elysee Palace on ending the conflict between pro-Moscow separatists and Ukrainian forces in the east of Ukraine.

Four-way talks at the Elysee Palace were followed by the first ever bilateral meeting between Putin and ex- Zelensky who won the presidency this year.

A joint statement by all four parties said they agreed to implement a full ceasefire and proceed with a new withdrawal of forces from conflict zones by March 2020.

Putin hailed the outcome as an “important step” towards a de-escalation in the east of Ukraine.

But Zelensky candidly admitted that despite the impressive symbolism of his first meeting with Putin and the first such four-way summit in three years, he had wanted more.

“Many questions were tackled and my counterparts have said it is a very good result for a first meeting. But I will be honest — it is very little, I wanted to resolve a larger number of problems,” he said after the talks in Paris.

‘Open wound’ 

Thousands have been killed and one million have fled their homes since pro-Russia militias in eastern Ukraine launched a bid for independence in 2014 — kicking off a conflict that deepened Russia’s estrangement from the West.

Separatists seized control of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions shortly after Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

The issue of Crimea, whose seizure gave Putin a popularity boost at home but led to international sanctions being imposed against Moscow, was not on the table at this summit.

The joint statement said the sides committed “to a full and comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire, strengthened by the implementation of all necessary ceasefire support measures, before the end of the year 2019”.

It added that three additional disengagement areas should be agreed in east Ukraine, “with the aim of disengaging forces and equipment by the end of March 2020”.

Zelensky said a new exchange of prisoners would take place between Ukraine and pro-Moscow separatists by the end of this year.

But in a sign that more advances were needed, Macron said a new summit would be held in four months to take stock of progress on ending the conflict.

“The process is moving in the right direction,” said Putin, adding that “Russia would do all that it can so that this conflict comes to an end”.

Macron argued that the sheer fact the meeting had taken place was an achievement.

“The fact we are here together side-by-side is something important,” he said, describing the conflict as an “open wound at the heart of the European continent”.

“We have a lot of work to do but I have the impression that there is goodwill to resolve the difficult questions,” said Merkel.

Under pressure 

The Kremlin has sent signals that it is ready to work with Zelensky, whom Putin has described as “likeable” and “sincere”.

But there was no sign of warmth between the two men at the midnight press conference, with the pair sitting at opposite ends of the table and with Macron and Merkel between them.

Monday’s summit sought to implement accords signed in Minsk in 2015 that called for the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the restoration of Kiev’s control over its borders, wider autonomy for Donetsk and Lugansk, and the holding of local elections.

The key shortcoming of the summit appeared to be the failure to agree any timetable for the holding of the local elections — with Kiev failing to win concessions from Moscow — and also the lack of agreement on control of the border.

The summit has been a hugely delicate event for everyone involved — but particularly for Zelensky, who came to power after starring in a comedy show about a school teacher who suddenly becomes president.

About 200 demonstrators spent the night in tents outside the Ukrainian president’s office, seeking to put pressure on Zelensky not to “capitulate” to his Russian counterpart.

For Macron, the summit was a centrepiece of an increasingly bold foreign policy he is driving despite troubles at home, where transport workers have been on strike for days in a dispute over pension reforms.

Macron, who shocked NATO allies last month by saying the alliance was suffering “brain death”, has made clear his belief that Europe needs a strategic partnership with Russia.

WASHINGTON — Democrats laid out the case for the impeachment of President Donald Trump Monday as they prepared to issue formal charges against the US leader.

Four months after an anonymous whistleblower sparked the investigation of Trump for seeking illicit political favours from Ukraine, Democrats said there was clear evidence that he had committed bribery, abused his power, and obstructed the investigation.

"President Trump put himself before country. These facts are not in dispute," Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said.

Facing an almost certain vote in the coming weeks to make Trump the third president impeached and placed on trial, Doug Collins, the senior Republican on the committee, countered that the effort was a simply “a good PR move” for Democrats ahead of next year’s national elections.

“It’s all political”, Collins said, dismissing the allegations.

“This is all about a clock and a calendar.”

Tempers erupt 

It was not clear whether Trump was watching the proceedings that could cast a dark stain on his presidency.

“Witch Hunt”, he tweeted as the hearing got under way.

“The Do Nothing Democrats are a disgrace!”

Tempers flared as Republicans tried to derail the hearing at its opening with procedural moves, and a lone protester was ejected after shouting in the president’s defence.

“We voted for Donald Trump and Americans are sick of this impeachment... Trump is innocent,” he shouted.

Trump is accused of abusing his powers by pressuring Ukraine to announce an investigation into former vice president Joe Biden, his potential challenger in the 2020 election.

Trump also pressed Kiev to further investigate a widely-dismissed allegation that the Ukraine government helped Democrats in the 2016 election.

Barry Berke, an attorney for the Democrats, said there was “significant proof” of wrongdoing as he laid out the evidence collected by the House Intelligence Committee in a 10-week investigation.

“In the scheme to pressure Ukraine... the person at the center of that scheme was President Donald Trump,” he told the hearing.

Berke played videos of testimony by top US diplomats involved with Ukraine supporting the charges, and a video of Trump claiming he has “the right to do whatever I want as president”. 

Witnesses “produced documents that provide uncontroverted, clear and overwhelming evidence that President Trump did this scheme”, Berke said.

“He put his political reelection interests over the nation’s national security and the integrity of its elections.”

“Of course we have an election coming up,” he said, in a nod to Republican criticisms.

“That’s not a reason to postpone this discussion. That’s a reason we must have this discussion, to make sure it is not interfered with — to make sure this president doesn’t do it, to make sure future presidents do not do it.”

 ‘Baloney’ 

Republican attorney Stephen Castor, tasked with disputing the evidence, said Democrats were simply attacking Trump for policies they do not agree with.

“Democrats are obsessed with impeaching the president,” he said.

He called the key evidence from the transcript of a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky “baloney”.

In that call, Trump tells Zelensky he wanted “a favour”, including an investigation of Biden and the 2016 conspiracy theory.

He also argued that Democrats needed to take more time to accumulate evidence and build their case.

Democrats rejected that argument, noting Trump has blocked his top advisors from testifying and refused to hand over White House records.

Democrats appeared determined to push through to a full House vote on formal charges — articles of impeachment — before the end of the year. 

That could see Trump stand trial in the Senate in January, which could last several weeks.

Given the solid Republican majority in the Senate and the high threshold to convict him, two-thirds of the 100 senators, it is almost certain that he will be acquitted.

BOBIGNY, France — A French court on Monday handed a suspended jail term of three months to far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon over his conduct during a raid on his party offices last year, when he shoved a police officer and a prosecutor.

Melenchon, leader of the France Unbowed (LFI) Party, was convicted on charges of rebellion and provocation by the court in Bobigny outside Paris and ordered to pay a fine of 8,000 euros ($8,800).

“This is a political judgement,” Melenchon said as he left the courthouse, saying he had hoped to be acquitted. He also expressed irritation at having to deal with the issue while backing the strikes against the pension reforms planned by President Emmanuel Macron.

Melenchon, visibly angered by the verdict, said he had no intention of appealing the ruling.

“If you think there can be justice for me, there is none. I am condemned in advance,” he said, adding he did not want “another farce” in court.

David Lepidi, the lawyer for the police, which was a civil party in the case, said “this affair was not politicised” and criticised the “implementing a smokescreen for propaganda”.

Another LFI lawmaker, Alexis Corbiere, was acquitted but its MP Bastien Lachaud, MEP Manuel Bompard and spokeswoman Muriel Rozenfeld were also handed fines of up to 7,000 euros.

‘The Republic, it’s me’ 

Melenchon had shoved a prosecutor and an officer in a fit of rage over police raids to search his home and party headquarters.

The searches had been carried out as part of two investigations — one into the party’s use of European Parliament funds, the other into the funding of Melenchon’s 2017 presidential campaign.

“The Republic, it’s me, I’m the one who is a parliamentarian. Get out of the way and open up this door,” an apoplectic Melenchon shouted at the policeman standing guard outside before proceeding to try to ram the door open at his offices.

A political veteran famous for his tirades against globalisation, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and elites, Melenchon enjoys a cult following among leftists but is seen as a polarising figure on the centre and right.

A slew of prominent French politicians are currently facing legal probes, notably former prime minister Francois Fillon, who will go on trial on February 24 on accusations of creating a fictitious job for his wife paid for by public funds.

Far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen and her father, Jean-Marie, both longtime former MEPs, have both been charged with misuse of public funds in connection with salaries paid to dozens of EU parliamentary aides.

And French veteran centrist leader Francois Bayrou as well as former defence minister Sylvie Goulard have been charged in a case related to the embezzlement of European Parliament funds.

WELLINGTON — New Zealand police have said no more survivors were expected to be rescued from an island volcano that erupted suddenly on Monday, suggesting as many as two dozen people could have died. 

Police said some 50 people were visiting White Island when it exploded in the early afternoon — hurling ash and rock high into the air.

Some 23 people made it off the island, five of whom have since died, the rest were being treated for injuries, including severe burns.

It was earlier estimated the number still on the island was in double digits.

Police said early Tuesday that despite several aerial reconnaissance flights to try and find those trapped "no signs of life have been seen at any point".

"Based on the information we have, we do not believe there are any survivors on the island. Police is working urgently to confirm the exact number of those who have died."

As night fell, deputy commissioner John Tims said volcanic activity made a rescue attempts by land too dangerous.

"I've got to consider the safety of our people and emergency services staff," he said.

The New Zealand military is expected to make a pass of the island at first light in the hope that people may have survived against the odds.

The eruption occurred just after 2pm (01:00 GMT), thrusting a thick plume of white ash 3.6 kilometres into the sky.

Seconds before, live camera feeds showed a group of more than a half dozen people walking on the crater floor. Then the images went black.

A "considerable number" of those caught up in the disaster are believed to be Australian, according to officials in Canberra.

As many as 30 of those involved are also believed to be cruise passengers on a day trip from the vessel Ovation of the Seas, Kevin O'Sullivan, chief executive officer of industry body the New Zealand Cruise Association told AFP.

The ship's operator Royal Caribbean — who had billed the trip to White Island as "an unforgettable guided tour of New Zealand's most active volcano" — said "a number of our guests were touring the island" but did not confirm that number.

The ship has a capacity of around 4,000 people and set sail from Sydney last week on a 12 day voyage.

 Scene of terror 

Tourist Michael Schade, made it off the island just in time and was able to capture footage of the devastation.

His videos showed groups of startled tourists clustered by the shoreline, waiting to be evacuated as the ground around them smouldered, the sky filled with white debris. An ash-caked helicopter lay damaged nearby.

Volcanic Air said they had landed a helicopter on the island shortly before the eruption carrying four visitors and one pilot. All were now accounted for.

"It had landed on the island. What happened after that we don't know, but we know that all five made it back to Whakatane on one of the tourist boats," a company spokesman told AFP.

Guillaume Calmelet, the co-director of Skydive Tauranga, saw the eruption from above as he took a customer on a tandem skydive from a plane above the Bay of Plenty.

"As soon as the parachute opened there was this huge cloud that was really different to whatever we've seen before," he told AFP. "I could see it coming out in freefall, so probably about 30 seconds for the whole cloud to form, if that. It was pretty quick."

The country's National Emergency Management Agency described the eruption as "moderate", although the plume of ash was clearly visible from the mainland and from satellites flying overhead. 

White Island — - also known as Whakaari — is about 50 kilometres offshore in the picturesque Bay of Plenty and is popular with adventurous tourists willing to don hard hats and gas masks.

It is New Zealand's most active volcano cone and about 70 per cent of it is underwater, according to government-backed agency GeoNet.

Around 10,000 people visit the volcano every year. It has erupted frequently over the last half-century, most recently in 2016.

In August of that year the New Zealand Defence Force airlifted a 2.4-tonne shipping container onto the island to serve as an emergency shelter in case of an eruption.

PARIS — Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris for summit talks on Monday seen as a critical opportunity to take steps to end five years of conflict in the east of Ukraine.

No comprehensive peace deal is expected from the meeting — mediated by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel — but diplomats hope the summit will help to bolster trust between the two men.

They were to hold talks individually with the EU’s two key leaders before a four-way summit, followed by a hotly-awaited bilateral between wily ex-KGB agent Putin, in power for two decades, and ex-comedian Zelensky who won the presidency this year.

Thousands have been killed and one million have fled their homes since pro-Russia militias in eastern Ukraine launched a bid for independence in 2014 — kicking off a conflict that deepened Russia’s estrangement from the West.

The separatists seized control of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions shortly after Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

The issue of Crimea, whose seizure gave Putin a popularity boost at home but led to international sanctions being imposed against Moscow, is not on the table at this summit.

Its aims include agreeing to disband illegal militias, the departure of foreign fighters from Donetsk and Lugansk, and Ukraine taking back control of its border with Russia, according to a French presidential source.

Also key is agreeing to a calendar for local municipal elections to be held in Donetsk and Lugansk under Ukrainian law, with the two regions enjoying special status, an idea known as the Steinmeier Formula.

“If the summit meeting is to be meaningful, it should have a result, and the result should very much be on the Steinmeier Formula,” said Gerhard Mangott, professor of international relations at Austria’s Innsbruck University.

“It remains to be seen whether Ukraine is willing to give up some of its pre-conditions for implementing the Steinmeier Formula,” Mangott said.

‘Festering wound’ 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko ahead of the meeting reaffirmed his country’s key demands of a “total and permanent ceasefire, our control over the borders of a unitary and indivisible state, the disarmament and dismantling of illegal armed groups, local elections in accordance with our legislation”.

The Kremlin has sent signals that it is ready to work with Zelensky, whom Putin has described as “likeable” and “sincere”.

But the Russian leader also will not want to return empty-handed and will be pushing for an easing of sanctions.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the Funke newspaper group that “we have to do everything we can... to make progress in the Ukrainian peace process”, and described the conflict as “a festering wound in Europe”.

Maas praised Zelensky for bringing “new momentum” to the talks, adding that “to make progress with the next difficult steps, Russia needs to make a move too”.

“There remains the problem of trust between the parties,” said the French presidential source, who asked not to be identified by name. “This needs to be created before we can move forward.”

‘Wound of war’ 

Monday’s summit is the first of its kind in three years and seeks to implement accords signed in Minsk in 2015 that call for the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the restoration of Kiev’s control over its borders, wider autonomy for Donetsk and Lugansk, and the holding of local elections.

The summit is a hugely delicate event for everyone involved, but particularly for Zelensky, who is under pressure not to cede ground to the Kremlin.

About 200 demonstrators spent the night in tents outside the Ukrainian president’s office, seeking to put pressure on Zelensky not to “capitulate” to his Russian counterpart.

The Ukrainian leader, who came to power after starring in a comedy show about a school teacher who suddenly becomes president, took a realistic tone ahead of the talks.

“I want to come back with concrete results, but we understand that we cannot have everything. The meeting is already a victory. Since 2016, there has been no dialogue.”

For Macron, the summit is a centrepiece of an increasingly bold foreign policy he is driving despite troubles at home, where transport workers have been on strike for days in a dispute over pension reforms.

Macron, who shocked NATO allies last month by declaring the alliance brain dead, has made clear his belief that Europe needs a strategic partnership with Russia.

NEW DELHI — At least 43 people were killed on Sunday in a devastating fire that ripped through a bag factory in the congested old quarter of the Indian capital New Delhi, trapping scores of workers who were sleeping inside.

The blaze was the worst in Delhi since 59 movie-goers died in a cinema in 1997, with the city’s poor planning and enforcement of building and safety regulations often responsible for such deadly incidents.

Tearful relatives spoke of receiving desperate calls from factory workers from around 5:00am (23:30 GMT) pleading to be freed from the inferno in the dark, poorly lit premises in the commercial hub of Sadar Bazar.

The four-storey building was home to a series of manufacturing units producing items including schools bags and packing materials which only worsened the spread of the fire, officials said. Locals said the factory also made purses. 

“Most of the casualties happened because of suffocation,” witness Mohammed Khalil told AFP.

“After the fire, people didn’t have any way to get out and I believe many were asleep and because of the smoke, they got suffocated.”

Outside a nearby hospital morgue, anxious relatives and friends gathered to identify the bodies.

Naushad Ahmad, was desperately looking for his friend who remained missing, unable to reach him on his mobile phone.

“I have been to the factory and this tragedy was waiting to happen,” he told AFP.

“There was only one exit and entrance to the building, with all the electricity meters installed at the main door... People didn’t get a chance to escape.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that the fire was “extremely horrific”, as state and national authorities said they would offer financial assistance to the victims’ families and to survivors.

Dozens rescued 

Sajjamuddin Ahmad spent two hours searching for his father-in-law and brother-in-law among the bodies and injured before discovering they were dead, he told AFP.

Other relatives said they still did not know what had happened to their loved ones.

“I don’t know whether they are alive or dead,” Noorjehan Bano, whose father and brother-in-law worked and lived in the factory, told AFP outside one of the hospitals.

Families of the victims told AFP they were mostly migrant workers who had come from Bihar, one of India’s most impoverished states. Some of them were paid just 1,000 rupees ($14) a month, they added.

Locals had called the police and emergency services as the blaze lit up the early morning sky, but firefighters struggled to reach the victims amid the narrow lanes.

Police and fire officials said at least 58 others were rescued, with local television networks airing footage of firemen carrying people out of the narrow lanes to nearby emergency vehicles.

The flames had been extinguished and they did not expect to find more bodies, officials added.

“Most who’ve died were sleeping when the fire broke out and died due to asphyxiation,” Sadar Bazar’s assistant commissioner of police told AFP.

Authorities said they did not yet know the cause of the blaze but Delhi’s fire services director told the Press Trust of India the site had been operating without the required fire safety clearances.

Many factories and small manufacturing units in big Indian cities are often located in old, cramped areas, where the cost of land is relatively cheaper.

Such units often also serve as sleeping quarters for poor, mostly migrant, workers, who manage to save money by staying overnight at their workplaces.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron this week faces the first major test of his policy of directly engaging with Russia that has disturbed some European allies, as he hosts a summit seeking progress in ending the Ukraine conflict.

Joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Macron will bring together Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for their first face-to-face meeting at an afternoon summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday.

The stakes are high: this will be the first such summit in three years and while diplomats caution against expecting a major breakthrough, a failure to agree concrete confidence-building steps would be seen as a major blow to hopes for peace and also Macron’s personal prestige.

Macron, who is pressing ahead with the summit despite crippling public transport strikes at home over contested pension reforms, has invested hugely in efforts to end the conflict in the east of Ukraine that has claimed 13,000 lives since 2014.

And he has also placed his bets on a risky strategy to deal directly with Putin, based on the assumption that one day Russia will understand it is in the national interest to see Europe as its long-term strategic partner.

“It is an important test for Macron and for the Europeans,” said Michel Duclos, a former ambassador and senior fellow at the Institut Montaigne, a French think tank.

“He is already very isolated. And if he obtains nothing on Ukraine he is going to be even more isolated,” he added.

But he added the Kremlin was “astute enough” to understand that the summit had to be declared a success and Putin was gladdened by Macron’s overtures as he “sees in that a chance to divide the Europeans”.

‘Threat but also a partner’ 

Macron has adopted an increasingly assertive presence on the international stage in recent months, at a time when Germany is a less imposing diplomatic player as Merkel prepares to leave office.

His thoughts were summed up in an explosive interview with The Economist last month, when he declared NATO was brain dead and said Europe needed to have a strategic dialogue with Russia.

Examining Russia’s long-term strategic options under Putin, Macron said in the interview that Russia could not prosper in isolation, would not want to be a “vassal” of China and would eventually have to opt for “a partnership project with Europe”.

Macron notably described ex-KGB agent Putin as a “child of Saint Petersburg”, the former Russian capital built by Peter the Great as a window onto the West.

His comments disturbed newer EU members that want a tough line against their former master Russia like the Baltic States and, in particular, Poland. And they added to a raft of growing tensions between France and Germany.

But after a summit of NATO leaders in England earlier this month, Macron was unrepentant and categorical about his strategy of cultivating Russia.

“Who is NATO’s enemy? Russia is no longer an enemy. It remains a threat but is also a partner on some subjects. Our enemy today is international terrorism and in particular Islamist terrorism,” he said.

‘Being a nuisance no strategy’ 

A French diplomatic source argued Russia could not forever pin its strategy on being a “power of disturbance” with policies like its military intervention in Syria to keep President Bashar Assad in power or its alliance with NATO member Turkey which has rattled the West.

“If having a capacity to be a nuisance is your only lever it is not a lasting and viable strategy,” said the source, adding there was also a “profound Russian concern about being locked into a rivalry with China”.

Konstantin Kalachev, director of the Moscow-based Political Expert Group, warned “it would be naive to think Emmanuel Macron can exercise any kind of influence on Vladimir Putin with the aim of bringing Russia closer to the EU.”

“There is only one person who can influence President Putin. And that is President Putin himself.”

In a glimmer of hope for Macron he added: “Mr Putin has no interest that this [Ukrainian] conflict worsens. But he wants any solution to be drawn up according to his conditions.”