Assault which left Danish PM ‘shaken’ likely not ‘politically motivated’

Assault which left Danish PM ‘shaken’ likely not ‘politically motivated’
File photo of Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. (Ritzau Scanpix via AFP)
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Updated 09 June 2024
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Assault which left Danish PM ‘shaken’ likely not ‘politically motivated’

Assault which left Danish PM ‘shaken’ likely not ‘politically motivated’
  • A prosecutor said the suspect has been remanded in custody after he was deemed a flight risk
  • The suspect, a 39-year-old Polish man, has been described by a doctor as mentally unbalanced and intoxicated

COPENHAGEN: Danish authorities said Saturday that an attack on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, which she said left her “shaken” but “fine,” was not thought to be politically motivated.

A 39-year-old Polish man, apprehended after hitting the prime minister on Friday evening on a Copenhagen square, was remanded in custody until June 20 after appearing before a court in the Danish capital, prosecutor Taruh Sekeroglu told reporters.
“It is not our guiding... hypothesis that there is a political motive here. But that is something that the police of course will investigate,” Sekeroglu said.
Sekeroglu said the man was suspected of violence against a public servant and deemed a flight risk.
In a post on social media platform Instagram on Saturday evening, the head of government said she needed “peace and quiet.”
“I am saddened and shaken by the incident yesterday, but otherwise I am fine,” said Frederiksen, 46.
She thanked people for the “many, many, many messages of support and encouragement,” and said she now needed to be with her family.
Frederiksen’s office told AFP earlier that she had been taken to a hospital for a check-up after the attack which had caused a “minor whiplash injury.”

During the hearing on Saturday, the prosecution presented a statement from a doctor describing the defendant as mentally unbalanced and intoxicated, Danish media reported.
Broadcaster DR said police had described the man, who denied being guilty of a crime, as “probably both under the influence of substances and drunk” when arrested.
The broadcaster also reported that while in court the prosecutor asked if the man could remember what he was doing between 5:30 p.m. (1530 GMT) and 5:45 p.m. the day before.
“To be completely honest, then no, not much,” the man replied, according to DR.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday joined European leaders in denouncing the attack, labelling it “unacceptable,” in a statement on X.
“I strongly condemn this act and wish Mette Frederiksen a speedy recovery,” Macron added.
Two witnesses, Marie Adrian and Anna Ravn, told newspaper BT they had seen Frederiksen arrive at the square while they were sitting at a nearby fountain, just before 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
The newspaper cited the women as saying that a man gave Frederiksen “a hard shove on the shoulder, causing her to fall to the side” but not hit the ground.
It said they described the man as tall and slim and said he had tried to hurry away but did not get far before being grabbed and pushed to the ground by men in suits.

The attack was widely condemned by leading European politicians, including EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who said it was a “despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe.”
Ordinary Danes on the streets of Copenhagen were shocked.
“I was just surprised that was something that could happen,” 45-year-old Anna Liljegren told AFP.
“I’m sure she has security,” she added.
Another Dane, 25-year-old Frederik Bey, told AFP he thought it was “quite disturbing that things like that can happen in Denmark.”
In 2019, Frederiksen became the country’s youngest prime minister at the age of 41 and kept the post after emerging victorious in the 2022 general election.
The incident follows a spate of attacks on European politicians from across the political spectrum ahead of this week’s EU elections.
Several politicians in Germany have been attacked at work or on the campaign trail.
On May 15, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot four times at close range as he greeted supporters after a government meeting.
Fico, who survived the assassination attempt, underwent two lengthy hospital surgeries.
Danes head to the polls for their EU vote on Sunday.
 


South Korea’s Constitutional Court to issue ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment on Friday

South Korea’s Constitutional Court to issue ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment on Friday
Updated 5 sec ago
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South Korea’s Constitutional Court to issue ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment on Friday

South Korea’s Constitutional Court to issue ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment on Friday
  • Yoon’s December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule plunged South Korea into political chaos
  • Lawmakers defied the troops to vote the measure down and impeached Yoon soon after
SEOUL: South Korea’s Constitutional Court will issue its long-awaited ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment Friday, months after he was suspended for declaring martial law.
Yoon’s December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule plunged South Korea into political chaos, after he sent armed soldiers into parliament.
Lawmakers defied the troops to vote the measure down and impeached Yoon soon after, but the months of political instability have hit South Korea’s economy and left the country in leadership limbo, even as US President Donald Trump targets the region with tariffs.
The court has held weeks of impeachment hearings to determine whether to officially remove Yoon from office, and then took weeks to deliberate on the case, giving rise to a surge in speculation with some suggesting the justices must be experiencing intense disagreements.
“The president’s impeachment case verdict will be on April 4, 2025 at the Constitutional Court,” the court said in a statement Tuesday.
For Yoon to be removed from office, at least six of the court’s eight justices must vote in favor. Confirmation of his impeachment would trigger elections which must be held within 60 days.
Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have been rallying for and against Yoon every weekend in central Seoul.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, was detained in January on insurrection charges but was released in early March on procedural grounds. He has remained defiant throughout and blamed a “malicious” opposition.
He is also the first sitting South Korean president to stand trial in a criminal case, facing charges of insurrection over the martial law bid.
“After four long months of waiting, the Constitutional Court has finally responded to the people,” the opposition Democratic Party’s spokesperson said.
“We believe the Court will demonstrate its firm resolve to defend the constitutional order and founding principles of the Republic of Korea by removing Yoon Suk Yeol, the insurrectionist, from office.”
Yoon’s party said it welcomed the court’s move to issue a ruling, saying it hoped the verdict would be “fair and impartial” and would not lead to further social unrest.
The People Power Party “will respect and accept the court’s decision, and after the ruling, both the ruling and opposition parties... must take the lead in easing public divisions and promoting national unity,” Kweon Seong-dong PPP party floor leader said.
If the Constitutional Court decides to formally dismiss the president, it would trigger elections, which opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is currently frontrunner to win.
An appeals court last week overturned an election law conviction against Lee, potentially clearing the way for him to mount a presidential campaign.
But if it is reinstated on appeal before the election, he will be stripped of his parliamentary seat and barred from running for office for five years, including the next presidential vote.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said the ruling on Lee may have appeared “to many Koreans to be reading the political tea leaves.”
“This is the judiciary trying to unwind the lawfare of the past three years to allow South Korea’s political crisis to be resolved by an election rather than by the courts.”
In a separate case, the Constitutional Court last week dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as acting president – a role he took after the president was suspended for declaring martial law.
Experts said the ruling did not have a direct legal correlation with the pending decision on Yoon’s impeachment, as it was not focused on the legality of martial law itself.

Burst gas pipe sparks colossal fire in Malaysia

Burst gas pipe sparks colossal fire in Malaysia
Updated 50 min 44 sec ago
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Burst gas pipe sparks colossal fire in Malaysia

Burst gas pipe sparks colossal fire in Malaysia
  • The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights in central Selangor state was visible for kilometers
  • The Selangor Disaster Management unit said that the blaze spread to several houses in a nearby village

KUALA LUMPUR: A colossal fire erupted Tuesday in a Malaysian suburb outside Kuala Lumpur due to a burst gas pipeline, prompting evacuations of nearby homes.
The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights in central Selangor state was visible for kilometers (miles). National oil company Petronas said in a statement that the fire broke out at one of its gas pipeline at 8:10 a.m.
It said in a brief statement that the affected pipeline has been isolated. Three gas stations nearby the fire site were not affected but have been temporarily closed as a precautionary measure, Petronas said, adding that investigations are still underway.
The Selangor Disaster Management unit said in a statement that the blaze spread to several houses in a nearby village, and efforts were efforts being made to rescue trapped residents. It added that several people suffered burns and will be taken for treatment, but the extent of the full damage is being assessed, and said that the valve to the pipeline has been shut, and that will eventually snuff out the fire.
The Star English newspaper said that fire and rescue teams had rescued seven victims, including two elderly individuals. No casualties have been reported so far.
Dozens of Selangor firefighters have been dispatched to the scene. Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said the fire department has quickly evacuated residents from nearby homes as a safety measure. He said they will be temporarily placed in a mosque nearby until the situation is under control.
Pictures and videos of the fireball went viral on social media, with some residents saying they felt the doors and windows of their homes shaking believed to be due to the fire explosion earlier.


Trump urged to dismiss vaccine-skeptic Kennedy as health chief

Trump urged to dismiss vaccine-skeptic Kennedy as health chief
Updated 01 April 2025
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Trump urged to dismiss vaccine-skeptic Kennedy as health chief

Trump urged to dismiss vaccine-skeptic Kennedy as health chief
  • “HHS cannot be led by an anti-vax, conspiracy theorist with inadequate training,” analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald assert
  • Kennedy last week announced plans to reshape the federal public health agencies, a move that could involve firing thousands of workers

Analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald, formerly headed by the Trump administration’s Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, called for the dismissal of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy, a well-known vaccine skeptic, last week announced plans to reshape the federal public health agencies, a move that could involve firing thousands of workers.
Cantor analysts Josh Schimmer and Eric Schmidt said in a note on Monday that Kennedy was “undermining the trusted leadership of health care in this country. HHS cannot be led by an anti-vax, conspiracy theorist with inadequate training.”
The note came after reports that the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official, Peter Marks, was forced to resign, the highest-profile exit at the regulator amid the Trump administration’s health agency overhaul.

op US vaccine official Peter Marks resigned on March 28, 2025, citing the "misinformation and lies" he said were being peddled by the incoming health secretary Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (AFP)

Lutnick, Cantor’s CEO for 40 years, stepped down last month to run Trump’s commerce department. His sons, Brandon and Kyle Lutnick took over as chairman and executive vice chairman of the brokerage, respectively.
“The views expressed in our Equity Research reports are solely those of the analyst(s). As always, we pride ourselves on the independence of the analysts within our Research division,” Cantor Fitzgerald said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
The ouster of Marks led to a decline in biotech and vaccine stocks on Monday. The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF closed down 3.9 percent.
The Cantor analysts noted the fall in the stocks, but said their note had nothing to do with politics, stocks and biopharmaceutical sales, but with keeping lives out of jeopardy.
They said they had learned from sources that Marks, who was willing to stay at the FDA, took a scientifically driven review of vaccine safety and did not yield to an anti-science agenda that undermined public health. The same could not be said about Kennedy, they said.
The analysts also said the “administration has shown an ability to correct course, to compromise and to make changes where needed,” adding they are “hopeful that the leaders in Washington will recognize and appreciate the benefits that vaccines can and should play in protecting US citizens.”


European countries resist US push to scrap diversity and inclusion initiatives

European countries resist US push to scrap diversity and inclusion initiatives
Updated 01 April 2025
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European countries resist US push to scrap diversity and inclusion initiatives

European countries resist US push to scrap diversity and inclusion initiatives
  • European firms reportedly have received a letter saying Trump’s rollback of DEI initiatives also could apply outside of the US
  • Belgium's FM Jan Jambon said Europeans have a “culture of “non-discrimination” that must be continued
  • Barcelona’s mayor said his municipal government will defy Trump’s attack on DEI initiatives that have included a cultural program hosted by the city

PARIS: US government efforts to eliminate diversity initiatives are not going down well on the European continent.
Laurent Saint-Martin, France’s minister for foreign trade, said on Monday the country won’t compromise after the US State Department said that French companies who have contracts with the US government need to drop diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

In neighboring Belgium, where some companies received similar requests, the government lashed out at the new US rules.
French media reported last week that French companies received a letter saying US President Donald Trump’s rollback of DEI initiatives also could apply outside of the US.
Saint-Martin spoke to RTL Radio following the reports and said French authorities will seek explanations from their US counterparts about the letter.
The reported demands included abandoning inclusion policies that are part of French and European Union laws such as equality between men and women, the fight against discrimination and racism or the promotion of diversity to help people with disabilities, he said.
“All of this is progress that corresponds first and foremost to our French values, we are proud of this and we don’t want to compromise on it,” Saint-Martin said. “We can’t just cancel the application of our own laws overnight.”
French media said the letter was signed by an officer of the US State Department who is on the staff at the US Embassy in Paris. The embassy didn’t respond to questions from The Associated Press.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, speaking to reporters at a briefing in Washington, confirmed that letters were sent.
“This is an effort to comply with the executive order from the president and it is essentially a self-certifying statement to local consulates and embassies,” she said.
Le Figaro daily newspaper published what it said was a copy of the letter. The document said an executive order that Trump signed in January terminating DEI programs within the federal government also “applies to all suppliers and service providers of the US Government, regardless of their nationality and the country in which they operate.”
The document asked US government contractors to complete, sign and return within five days a separate certification form to demonstrate that they are in compliance.
Saint-Martin said he was “deeply shocked” but insisted on the need to have a “positive agenda” and maintain a dialogue with the US.
In Belgium, Finance Minister Jan Jambon said Europeans have a “culture of “non-discrimination” that must be continued. “We have no lessons to learn from the boss of America,” he told channel RTL-TVi.
In a joint statement quoted by local media, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot and Equal Opportunities Minister Rob Beenders regretted the “step backward” taken by the US.
“Diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords, but the foundations of a strong and dynamic society,” they said. “They strengthen our economy, foster innovation and allow talent to flourish.”
In Spain, Barcelona’s mayor said last week that his municipal government will defy Trump’s attack on DEI initiatives that have included a cultural program hosted by the city.
Trump issued the executive order to roll back the programs with federal funding, including those receiving US government aid abroad.
The Barcelona-based program is one of 700 “American Spaces” located in 140 countries. They offer English-language and other courses to adults and children, information and materials about the US and counseling for foreign students hoping to enroll at US schools and universities.


Russian and US steps to normalize ties bring optimism, China’s FM Wang Yi says

Russian and US steps to normalize ties bring optimism, China’s FM Wang Yi says
Updated 01 April 2025
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Russian and US steps to normalize ties bring optimism, China’s FM Wang Yi says

Russian and US steps to normalize ties bring optimism, China’s FM Wang Yi says
  • Wang calls for Ukraine peace talks to continue, says China ready to help solving conflict
  • Wang said Russia and China bear a special responsibility to maintain world peace

Russia and the United States have taken the first step toward normalizing relations, which inspire optimism, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Russia’s RIA state news agency in remarks published on Tuesday.
“Russia and the United States have taken the first step toward normalizing relations, which is good for stabilizing the balance of power between major powers and inspires optimism in a disappointing international situation,” RIA cited Wang as saying.
Wang is on a three-day visit to Moscow for strategic cooperation talks, surrounded by uncertainty around the partial ceasefire in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump striking a critical tone against the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
China calls for the peace talks to continue, Wang told RIA in a wide-ranging interview.
“The step toward peace, although not that big, is constructive — it’s worth building on it,” Wang said. “With peace, it is no pain no gain. You need to work hard to achieve it.”
China and Russia declared a “no limits” strategic partnership days before Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Putin over 40 times in the past decade and the two leaders agreed in May 2024 to deepen their partnership and cooperate on issues such as Taiwan, Ukraine and mutual rival the United States.
The Kremlin said on Monday that Putin will receive Wang, who will also hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Wang reiterated to RIA that Beijing is ready to play a role in settling the conflict in Ukraine, although its peacemaking efforts to date have gone nowhere.
“China is ready, taking into account the aspirations of the parties involved, to play a constructive role in the settlement together with the international community, primarily with the countries of the Global South,” Wang said.
Xi has been pushing for a greater involvement of China in peace talks since the early days of the war, which marked its third anniversary in February.
Beijing has proposed on its own, and together with Brazil, general principles to end the conflict, but its ideas have received a tepid reception.
Wang said Russia and China bear a special responsibility to maintain world peace.
“Our countries, as each other’s largest neighboring states, world powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, bear a special responsibility for maintaining peace and development throughout the world,” Wang said.