PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday a standoff with the United States over Greenland was “a strategic wake-up call for all of Europe,” speaking alongside the leaders of Denmark and the Danish autonomous territory.
European powers have sought to join forces to show they can stand on their own feet after US President Donald Trump has roiled the transatlantic alliance by threatening to seize Greenland.
Speaking alongside the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland, Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Macron said the “awakening” must focus “on asserting our European sovereignty, on our contribution to Arctic security, on the fight against foreign interference and disinformation, and on the fight against global warming.”
He reaffirmed to Frederiksen and Nielsen France’s solidarity and “its commitment to your sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“France will continue to defend these principles in accordance with the United Nations Charter,” he added, expressing his support for increased NATO engagement in the Arctic.
Macron said some words in the Indigenous Greenlandic language, and then switching to the Danish language told the premier France would “be side-by-side” with the “Kingdom of Denmark.”
After European pushback, Trump backed down on the threat to take Greenland by military force.
Speaking in Paris earlier Wednesday, Frederiksen said that Europe needed to improve its defenses “now” to become less reliant on the United States for military protection.
On Monday, NATO chief Mark Rutte told EU lawmakers to “keep on dreaming” if they thought Europe could defend itself without the US.
In response to Rutte’s comments, Frederiksen conceded it would be “extremely difficult” for Europe to defend itself right now.
“Because when you look at intelligence, nuclear weapons, and so on, we depend on the US,” she said at Sciences Po university.
“But I think we’re able to do more than what is being said publicly right now.”
As for a 2035 target to ramp up spending on NATO, she said: “I’m sorry to say it would be too late.”
“I think rearming ourselves now is the most important thing.”
NATO members committed to raising defense and security spending last year to five percent of their economic output, following on from an earlier target of two percent by 2024, after pressure from the US government.
Fredriksen said Europe had made a “big mistake” by cutting military budgets in the past.
Greenland dispute ‘strategic wake-up call for all of Europe,’ says Macron
https://arab.news/b8m3p
Greenland dispute ‘strategic wake-up call for all of Europe,’ says Macron
- Macron said the “awakening” must focus “on asserting our European sovereignty, on our contribution to Arctic security”
- After European pushback, Trump backed down on the threat to take Greenland by military force
94 million need cataract surgery, but access lacking: WHO
- Of the 94 million affected, fewer than 20 percent are blind, while the rest suffer from impaired vision
GENEVA: More than 94 million people suffer from cataracts, but half of them do not have access to the surgery needed to fix it, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
Cataracts — the clouding of the eye’s lens that causes blurred vision and can lead to blindness — are on the rise as populations get older, with age being the main risk factor.
“Cataract surgery — a simple, 15-minute procedure — is one of the most cost-effective medical procedures, providing immediate and lasting restoration of sight,” the WHO said.
It is one of the most frequently performed surgeries undertaken in high-income countries.
However, “half of the world’s population in need of cataract surgery don’t have access to it,” said Stuart Keel, the UN health agency’s technical lead for eye care.
The situation is worst in the WHO’s Africa region, where three in four people needing cataract surgery remain untreated.
In Kenya, at the current rate, 77 percent of people needing cataract surgery are likely to die with their cataract blindness or vision impairment, said Keel.
Across all regions, women consistently experience lower access to care than men.
Of the 94 million affected, fewer than 20 percent are blind, while the rest suffer from impaired vision.
- 2030 vision -
The WHO said that over the past two decades, global cataract surgery coverage had increased by 15 percent.
In 2021, WHO member states set a target of a 30-percent increase by 2030.
However, current modelling predicts that cataract surgery coverage will rise by only about 8.4 percent this decade.
To close the gap, the WHO urged countries to integrate eye examinations into primary health care and invest in the required surgical equipment.
States should also expand the eye-care workforce, training surgeons in a standardised manner and then distributing them throughout the country, notably outside major cities.
The WHO was on Wednesday launching new guidance for countries on how to provide quality cataract surgery services.
It will also issue guidance to help support workforce development.
Keel said the main issue was capacity and financing.
“We do need money invested to get rid of this backlog, which is nearly 100 million people,” he told a press conference.
While age is the primary risk factor for cataracts, others include prolonged UV-B light exposure, tobacco use, prolonged corticosteroid use and diabetes.
Keel urged people to keep up regular eye checks as they get older, with most problems able to be either prevented or diagnosed and treated.
The cost of the new lens that goes inside the eye can be under $100.
However, out-of-pocket costs can be higher when not covered by health insurance.
“Cataract surgery is one of the most powerful tools we have to restore vision and transform lives,” said Devora Kestel, head of the WHO’s noncommunicable diseases and mental health department.
“When people regain their sight, they regain independence, dignity, and opportunity.”
