Sabtu, 06 Juli 2024

Israeli attack on UN school used as shelter in Gaza kills at least 16 - Al Jazeera English

Dozens of Palestinians also injured in bombing of school in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Government Media Office says.

At least 16 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli attack on a United Nations-run school sheltering displaced people in the Gaza Strip, the Gaza Government Media Office said, as Israel continues to pound the besieged coastal territory.

In a statement on Saturday, the Government Media Office said more than 75 people also were injured in the attack on al-Jaouni school in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp.

“We condemn the Israeli occupation [for] committing these ongoing crimes and massacres against civilians, children and women,” it said.

The Nuseirat facility, run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), is the latest school to be bombed by the Israeli military since the Gaza war began in early October.

At least 38,098 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since October 7 and the besieged enclave faces dire shortages of food, water, medicine and other humanitarian supplies.

On Saturday, dozens of Palestinians, including five journalists, were killed as the Israeli military stepped up its bombardment of the territory.

Videos taken at the scene of the attack on the UNRWA school-turned-shelter in Nuseirat showed twisted metal at the collapsed building. A young boy could be seen sifting through pools of blood on the ground.

Footage shot at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in nearby Deir el-Balah and verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad agency also showed children and young people being rushed from ambulances.

They included a girl with a bandaged arm, another with a bloodied face and a boy bandage across his head. Emergency workers also tried to cover two bodies as they were quickly brought into the medical complex.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said in a statement that 50 injured Palestinians were taken to the hospital.

In a statement shared on social media on Saturday night, the Israeli army said its air force “struck several terrorists” in the area of al-Jaouni school.

Reporting from Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said hundreds of Palestinian families had sought shelter at the school after they were forced to flee Israel’s bombardment in other parts of Gaza.

The families “chose the middle area [of the Gaza Strip] because Israeli forces said the middle area is a safe zone”, Khoudary said.

“Everyone in the Gaza Strip believes that they are not safe, wherever they go.”

Last month, an Israeli attack on an UN-linked school – also in Nuseirat refugee camp – killed at least 40 people and injured dozens more, according to local authorities.

Musab, a 17-year-old survivor of the early June bombing of the UNRWA Nuseirat Boys’ Preparatory School, told the UN agency that his father was killed after “missiles rained down” on the family.

“Concrete slabs fell on us, and suddenly, we found ourselves surrounded by the dead and injured. All of my family members were either injured or killed,” Musab said in testimony shared by UNRWA.

“We were sleeping, and at two in the morning, missiles rained down on us. They pulled us from under the rubble, and all we saw were shrapnel, debris, and dust. I am in shock and can’t comprehend that my father is dead! How will we live?”

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMibWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDI0LzcvNi9pc3JhZWxpLWF0dGFjay1vbi11bi1zY2hvb2wtdXNlZC1hcy1zaGVsdGVyLWluLWdhemEta2lsbHMtYXQtbGVhc3QtMTbSAXFodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbGphemVlcmEuY29tL2FtcC9uZXdzLzIwMjQvNy82L2lzcmFlbGktYXR0YWNrLW9uLXVuLXNjaG9vbC11c2VkLWFzLXNoZWx0ZXItaW4tZ2F6YS1raWxscy1hdC1sZWFzdC0xNg?oc=5

2024-07-06 18:22:30Z
CBMibWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDI0LzcvNi9pc3JhZWxpLWF0dGFjay1vbi11bi1zY2hvb2wtdXNlZC1hcy1zaGVsdGVyLWluLWdhemEta2lsbHMtYXQtbGVhc3QtMTbSAXFodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbGphemVlcmEuY29tL2FtcC9uZXdzLzIwMjQvNy82L2lzcmFlbGktYXR0YWNrLW9uLXVuLXNjaG9vbC11c2VkLWFzLXNoZWx0ZXItaW4tZ2F6YS1raWxscy1hdC1sZWFzdC0xNg
Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:

Joe Biden rejects calls to quit presidential race as clamour grows for his exit - Financial Times

Standard Digital

Weekend Print + Standard Digital

wasnow $75 per month

Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiP2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZ0LmNvbS9jb250ZW50L2ZkYWI0YzM4LWI5YzktNGNhNS1iYTE5LWE4NTY2ZTg3MTRiONIBAA?oc=5

2024-07-06 18:34:55Z
CBMiP2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZ0LmNvbS9jb250ZW50L2ZkYWI0YzM4LWI5YzktNGNhNS1iYTE5LWE4NTY2ZTg3MTRiONIBAA
Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:

Defiant Biden says no intention to exit presidential race in TV interview - Al Jazeera English

US president says his recent debacle in a televised debate with Donald Trump was due to ‘exhaustion’ and a ‘bad cold’.

United States President Joe Biden used a much-anticipated interview with ABC News to reiterate that he is the candidate to beat Donald Trump in November’s presidential election and again called his recent disastrous debate against Trump “a bad episode”.

Biden, 81, told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in a taped interview that “I have a cognitive test every single day”, referring to the tasks he faces daily as president.

“Every day, I’ve had tests. Everything I do,” he said. “I just had a bad night. I don’t know why.”

Stephanopoulos asked whether the debate debacle “was a bad episode or a sign of a more serious condition” and whether Biden was being realistic in his belief that he could beat Trump, 78, given the gap opening in opinion polls between the two candidates and growing concern among Democrats that Biden should step aside.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that one in three Democrats want Biden to quit the race.

“I don’t think anyone is more qualified,” Biden said in the interview, blaming his debate performance on exhaustion and a “really bad cold”.

The polls, Biden said, were inaccurate.

Asked whether he was more frail, Biden said, “No”.

Asked also whether he would drop out if fellow Democrats in Congress said he was hurting their re-election chances in November, Biden said: “If the Lord Almighty comes out and tells me that, I might do that.”

The 22-minute interview, which ABC said was not cut or edited, was being closely watched by Democrats concerned about the president’s ability to serve another four years, or beat Trump. A republican, in the election, after his faltering debate performance on June 27.

The interview, even before it aired in full, seemed to do little to assuage viewers about Biden’s age and fitness to stand for election.

A handful of Democratic Party donors and business leaders are making their displeasure with Biden’s candidacy known loudly, halting funding or looking at possible alternative candidates.  Some of Biden’s closest political allies, including former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have raised questions about his health.

“It hard to imagine this good man beating Trump and serving four more years in the most demanding job on earth,” Ron Fournier, a former White House correspondent, said on social media alongside a clip of the ABC interview.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey issued a statement on Friday asking Biden to weigh his decision to run carefully, the rare Democratic governor not to issue a statement of support to the president in recent days.

“President Biden saved our democracy in 2020 and has done an outstanding job over the last four years,” she said.

“The best way forward right now is a decision for the president to make. Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.”

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMicWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDI0LzcvNi9kZWZpYW50LWJpZGVuLXNheXMtbm8taW50ZW50aW9uLXRvLWV4aXQtcHJlc2lkZW50aWFsLXJhY2UtaW4tdHYtaW50ZXJ2aWV30gF1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYWxqYXplZXJhLmNvbS9hbXAvbmV3cy8yMDI0LzcvNi9kZWZpYW50LWJpZGVuLXNheXMtbm8taW50ZW50aW9uLXRvLWV4aXQtcHJlc2lkZW50aWFsLXJhY2UtaW4tdHYtaW50ZXJ2aWV3?oc=5

2024-07-06 02:33:47Z
CBMicWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFsamF6ZWVyYS5jb20vbmV3cy8yMDI0LzcvNi9kZWZpYW50LWJpZGVuLXNheXMtbm8taW50ZW50aW9uLXRvLWV4aXQtcHJlc2lkZW50aWFsLXJhY2UtaW4tdHYtaW50ZXJ2aWV30gF1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYWxqYXplZXJhLmNvbS9hbXAvbmV3cy8yMDI0LzcvNi9kZWZpYW50LWJpZGVuLXNheXMtbm8taW50ZW50aW9uLXRvLWV4aXQtcHJlc2lkZW50aWFsLXJhY2UtaW4tdHYtaW50ZXJ2aWV3
Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:

French election: 'Outbreaks of violence are feared' - 51 politicians and supporters attacked as vote looms - Sky News

More than 50 candidates and their supporters have been attacked ahead of a second round of voting in France's parliamentary elections.

Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said politicians from across the spectrum had faced verbal and physical abuse - often while they were putting up campaign posters.

He told BFM that several of the attacks had been "extremely serious" - with the three-week campaign overshadowed by violence that left some victims in hospital.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Emmanuel Macron's biggest gamble?

Confirming there will be a greater police presence on the streets during Sunday's vote, he warned: "Outbreaks of violence are to be feared."

At least 30 suspects from "extremely varied backgrounds" have been arrested so far - with far-right National Rally candidates and left-wing politicians among those targeted.

Tensions remain high after President Emmanuel Macron called the surprise election on 9 June after suffering a punishing defeat at the hands of the far-right National Rally in the European parliamentary elections.

National Rally, under leader Jordan Bardella, secured the most votes in the first round of the election on 30 June.

More on Emmanuel Macron

Related Topics:

But the party didn't secure enough to claim an overall victory that would allow them to form France's first far-right government since the Second World War.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

French elections: Who are National Rally?

Sunday's vote will decide whether the anti-immigration group win an absolute legislative majority - a first in France - in what could be a major historical shift reflecting wider trends across Europe.

Mr Darmanin said that 30,000 police officers would be deployed on Sunday, including 5,000 in the Paris region.

Gatherings outside the National Assembly, the lower house of France's parliament, have been banned.

But a group called the Antifascist Action Paris-Suburbs called for a protest outside the building on Sunday night as results come in.

A protest on 3 July at Republique plaza. Pic: AP
Image: A protest on 3 July at Republique plaza. Pic: AP

Government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot was one of the most recent victims of violence.

Along with a deputy and party activist, the candidate for Mr Macron's Ensemble alliance was attacked by a group when putting up election posters in Paris on Wednesday night.

It led to the deputy and party activist being taken to hospital and four people - three of them under 18 - were in custody.

A few hours after being targeted, Ms Thevenot spoke about her worries as a person of Mauritian descent in a "complicated" political situation in France, in an interview with broadcaster TF1.

Read more:
France faces a new political reality
Forget the UK - the vote markets will be watching is abroad
BTS star Jin to serve as torchbearer at French Olympics

A woman walks past posters that read 'Go vote!'. Pic: AP
Image: A woman walks past posters that read 'Go vote! (if you can)'. Pic: AP

She said: "I don't say this only as spokesperson of the government, but more as the daughter of immigrants and mother of mixed-race children.

"They no longer do it anonymously, but with uncovered faces and even with a certain pride."

Many people have voiced concerns that the surge in voter support for National Rally has made people feel more comfortable using racist, xenophobic and antisemitic language in public.

National Rally candidate Marie Dauchy was assaulted on Wednesday when campaigning at a food market.

It led to her abandoning the race as Marine Le Pen called two men allegedly responsible for the attack "cowardly".

People gather at Republique plaza in a protest following results in the first round of France's elections. Pic: AP
Image: People gather at Republique plaza in a protest following results in the first round of France's elections. Pic: AP

Meanwhile in the Alps, 77-year-old local official Bernard Dupre was beaten while putting up campaign posters for former health minister Olivier Veran.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said: "Let's reject the climate of violence and hatred that is taking hold."

"This climate [of violence] is deplorable," Ms Le Pen also said in a TV interview.

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

One candidate for Mr Macron's campaign had to be assigned private security guards by her party after she was the target of antisemitic abuse.

Pamphlets targeting black people also appeared in mailboxes in the Paris suburb of Chatou.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiiQFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9mcmVuY2gtZWxlY3Rpb24tb3V0YnJlYWtzLW9mLXZpb2xlbmNlLWFyZS1mZWFyZWQtNTEtcG9saXRpY2lhbnMtYW5kLXN1cHBvcnRlcnMtYXR0YWNrZWQtYXMtdm90ZS1sb29tcy0xMzE3Mzk5N9IBAA?oc=5

2024-07-06 08:46:10Z
CBMiiQFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9mcmVuY2gtZWxlY3Rpb24tb3V0YnJlYWtzLW9mLXZpb2xlbmNlLWFyZS1mZWFyZWQtNTEtcG9saXRpY2lhbnMtYW5kLXN1cHBvcnRlcnMtYXR0YWNrZWQtYXMtdm90ZS1sb29tcy0xMzE3Mzk5N9IBAA
Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:

Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran presidential election - The Guardian

The reformist Masoud Pezeshkian has pulled off a stunning victory in the Iranian presidential runoff, reflecting deep dissatisfaction with the direction of the country in recent years and opening potential new avenues of cooperation with the west.

Pezeshkian won 16,384,403 votes to defeat the ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili, who received 13,538,179 votes, on a final turnout of 49.8% – a big increase on the record low turnout of 39% recorded in the first round. In the first round, Pezeshkian came top, defeating three Conservative rivals. The turnout included more than 1m invalid votes.

Pezeshkian has been an advocate of letting women choose whether to wear the hijab and ending internet restrictions that require the population to use VPN connections to avoid government censorship. He said after his victory: “The difficult path ahead will not be smooth except with your companionship, empathy and trust.”

Under the slogan “For Iran”, Pezeshkian had promised to be a voice of the voiceless, saying protests must not be met with the police baton. Although some regard him as naive in high politics, a large part of his campaign was deliberately framed around his personal integrity, as well as his absence from ministerial office for the past decade. There were immediate calls from his backers to release political prisoners from jails, a symbol of the pent-up demands he may struggle to satisfy.

Pezeshkian faces a minefield in trying to bring about change, and although he has said he is loyal to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he has also said he will resign if he feels he is being thwarted, and will then call on the population to withdraw from the political process.

The precise powers of the president in the field of foreign policy are disputed, but Pezeshkian argued in successive, often acrimonious TV debates that he could not bring about change, including the lowering of 40% inflation, unless he could secure the lifting of some sanctions, which would require a less confrontational approach to international relations.

During the campaign, he said Iran had found itself inside an economic cage as a result of its foreign policy, and needed to be more cooperative to see if sanctions could be lifted.

His in effect running mate in the campaign had been the former foreign minister Javad Zarif, who negotiated the nuclear deal in 2015 that led to a lifting of sanctions before Donald Trump pulled the US out of the plan in 2018.

Zarif said sanctions meant Iran had been bypassed. The stock market rose on the news of the reformist victory.

Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator close to the supreme leader, had claimed Iran could thrive by building stronger economic ties away from the west. Far from Iran being a cage, he said, Iran was a sanctuary.

Pezeshkian’s victory is all the more remarkable since no reformist was allowed to stand in the last presidential election in 2021, and it was thought the high tide of Iranian reformism had long passed, with many voters convinced there was no point going to the polls since a “shadow government” took all the decisions.

The repression of the “women, life, freedom” protests in 2022 only added to a sense that the path to change through the ballot box was closed. Many senior reformists from the green movement as well as political prisoners inside Evin jail had called for a boycott.

But after Pezeshkian topped the first round – defying the rule of Iranian politics that reformists lose if turnout is low – his campaign team grew in confidence that he could win if more voters took part in the runoff.

It also became clear that supporters of the more centrist conservative Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were not going to transfer their votes to Jalili, with whom they had sharp ideological differences. Zarif urged the abstentionists to vote, saying: “Those who did not participate in the first round, you sent your message in the first period, now you must complete your message with your presence.”

Another leading Pezeshkian backer, the former communications minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi, said: “We must prove the people are the people, not those who consider themselves guardians of the people.”

On Saturday evening, reformists became nervous that a sudden surge in late votes was a sign of the regime seeking to rig the result, something it has been accused of doing before. There were reports that government funds were being used to send clerics into rural villages to solidify support in Jalili heartlands.

But then late on Saturday, government news channels leaked that Pezeshkian had won before the Iranian election headquarters declared him the official victor, sending his supporters into the streets of Tehran.

About 5,000 had attended his final election rally in a football stadium in Tehran, suggesting his campaign might not have sparked the support he needed among abstentionists. After a quiet campaign in the capital, his jubilant supporters poured on to the streets of Tehran to celebrate a victory that few saw coming.

In parliamentary elections earlier this year marked by low turnout, the conservatives trounced reformists. Ghalibaf’s authority as speaker of the parliament has, meanwhile, been weakened by his defeat in the presidential elections. The political complexion of the parliament will be one of the many obstacles facing the new president since it has the power to impeach ministers.

The first round of voting on 28 June had the lowest turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. Iranian officials have long pointed to turnout as a symbol of the legitimacy for the country’s Shia theocracy, but Khamenei said those who stayed away from the polls had not done so due to opposition to the regime.

The snap presidential election was caused by the death of Ebrahim Raisi, the incumbent, in a helicopter crash in May. Raisi had been seen as a potential successor to the 85-year-old supreme leader, and his death has thrown that succession into disarray. The decision is taken by an 88-strong body, the assembly of experts.

The west will now have to make a judgment on whether to help Pezeshkian or maintain the blanket of sanctions due to the continued escalation of Iran’s nuclear programme, and its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Yemen Houthi rebels.

Iran is enriching uranium at near weapons-grade levels and maintains a stockpile large enough to build several nuclear weapons, but does not yet have the warheads or missile technology.

It is also providing Russia with drones for use in Ukraine. Pezeshkian’s second foreign policy adviser alongside Zarif was a former ambassador to Moscow, Mehdi Sanei.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiggFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVndWFyZGlhbi5jb20vd29ybGQvYXJ0aWNsZS8yMDI0L2p1bC8wNi9pcmFuLXJlZm9ybWlzdC1tYXNvdWQtcGV6ZXNoa2lhbi1leHRlbmRzLWxlYWQtaW4tcHJlc2lkZW50aWFsLWVsZWN0aW9uLWNvdW500gGCAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS93b3JsZC9hcnRpY2xlLzIwMjQvanVsLzA2L2lyYW4tcmVmb3JtaXN0LW1hc291ZC1wZXplc2hraWFuLWV4dGVuZHMtbGVhZC1pbi1wcmVzaWRlbnRpYWwtZWxlY3Rpb24tY291bnQ?oc=5

2024-07-06 02:29:00Z
CBMiggFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVndWFyZGlhbi5jb20vd29ybGQvYXJ0aWNsZS8yMDI0L2p1bC8wNi9pcmFuLXJlZm9ybWlzdC1tYXNvdWQtcGV6ZXNoa2lhbi1leHRlbmRzLWxlYWQtaW4tcHJlc2lkZW50aWFsLWVsZWN0aW9uLWNvdW500gGCAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLnRoZWd1YXJkaWFuLmNvbS93b3JsZC9hcnRpY2xlLzIwMjQvanVsLzA2L2lyYW4tcmVmb3JtaXN0LW1hc291ZC1wZXplc2hraWFuLWV4dGVuZHMtbGVhZC1pbi1wcmVzaWRlbnRpYWwtZWxlY3Rpb24tY291bnQ
Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:

Biden declines to undergo independent cognitive test in interview - The Independent

Support truly
independent journalism

Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.

Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.

Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.

Louise Thomas

Louise Thomas

Editor

One week after a debate performance that was so disastrous it prompted calls for his exit from the presidential race, President Joe Biden attributed his lack of coherence and disturbing appearance to exhaustion and illness.

But Biden called it a limited episode that shouldn’t disqualify him from running for a second term and denied the need for any sort of medical evaluation to determine his continued fitness to run.

Speaking to ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in his first television interview since the debate debacle, Biden called his poor showing against former president Donald Trump “a bad episode”.

“No indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and -- and a bad night,” he said.

But Biden also told Stephanopolous he hadn’t re-watched the 90-minute broadcast.

Asked if he had, he replied: “I don’t think I did, no.”

Biden admits he was ‘exhausted’ during debate but denies having ‘any serious condition (ABC News)

The 81-year-old president spent most of the broadcast defending his ability to serve out a second term should he win re-election, after which he would leave office at 86 — the most advanced age of any American chief executive.

When pressed directly on whether he was fit to do so, he told the ABC anchor: “Yes, I am.”

But Biden, the oldest man ever to serve as president, also flat-out rejected the idea of him taking any sort of cognitive test when Stephanopolous asked if he was willing to do so, instead repeating an old talking point about the rigors of the presidency serving as a cognitive exam “every day.”

“No one said I had to,” he said.

The 22-minute interview, which aired in its’ entirety in prime time on Friday without any editing, came just hours after he told reporters that he won’t consider standing down from his campaign for a second term in the White House despite growing pressure from him to do so from Democratic members of Congress and donors to his party.

Biden was adamant that he won’t even consider withdrawing his name from contention in this year’s election. He told the ABC anchor, a former White House communications director during the Clinton administration: “I don’t think there’s anybody more qualified to be President or win this race than me.”

He also said only “the Lord Almighty” could potentially convince him to exit the race, despite calls for him to stand down from numerous Democratic figures.

“The Lord Almighty is not coming down. These are hypotheticals,” Biden added.

Joe Biden speaks with the press before boarding Air Force One prior to departure from Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin, July 5, 2024 (AFP via Getty Images)

When asked about mental lapses that have become more and more frequent according to many observers, Biden pivoted to describing his physical condition and refused to consider any sort of independent examination by a physician.

“Can I run the 100 in 10 flat? No, but I’m still in good shape,” he said.

And after Stephanopoulos asked if Biden was “more frail,” the president flatly responded: “No.”

Biden was also asked how he would feel if, after refusing calls for him to step down, Donald Trump was elected in November.

“I feel as long as I gave it my all and I did as good a job I know I can do, that’s what this is about,” Biden replied.

Earlier in the week at a fundraiser in Virginia, Biden had suggested his poor performance was the result of jet lag, citing his two foreign trips in rapid succession last month, to the D-Day anniversary commemoration in France, then the Group of Seven summit in Italy.

But the president actually had more than a week of rest and preparation before the debate, much of which was spent huddled with advisers at Camp David, the Navy-run presidential retreat in Thurmont, Maryland.

Asked why the time he took to prepare was insufficient by the ABC anchor, Biden replied: “Because I was sick. I was feeling terrible.”

“Matter of fact the docs with me. I asked if they did a COVID test because they’re trying to figure out what was wrong. They did a test to see whether or not I had some infection, you know, a virus. I didn’t. I just had a really bad cold,” he said.

He also told Stephanopolous that he, alone, was to blame for his debate performance rather than the staff and advisers who prepared him during his time at Camp David, and claimed to have prepared in the same way he would for meetings with foreign leaders, by taking in briefings with “explicit detail.”

But Biden then attempted to pivot to critiquing Trump’s performance, noting that the ex-president “lied 28 times” and complained that he wasn’t able to fact-check Trump in real time on account of “the way the debate ran.”

“The fact of the matter is what I looked at is that he also lied 28 times, I couldn’t -- I mean the way the debate ran -- not my fault, no one else’s fault -- no one else’s fault,” Biden said.

He also said he realized he was having a bad night when Trump continued shouting even after his microphone was muted under the rules of the debate, and admitted that he’d let the ex-president distract him.

“I’m not blaming it on that, but I realized that I just wasn’t in control,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Biden told reporters traveling with him in Wisconsin on Friday he was “completely ruling that out” during a brief exchange with the press after he finished taping the interview.

Pressed on why he still thinks he is the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump despite his dismal showing against his predecessor in last week’s CNN presidential debate, Biden replied: “I did it before,” referring to his 2020 election victory over the twice-impeached, felonious former chief executive.

When it was pointed out that four years had passed since he defeated Trump — during which he has aged four years and has reportedly had numerous memory lapses and other moments that have caused observers to question his fitness for office — Biden struck a defiant tone, telling the reporters: “You’ve been wrong about everything so far. You were wrong about 2020. You were wrong about 2022.”

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMidGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3Mvd29ybGQvYW1lcmljYXMvdXMtcG9saXRpY3MvcHJlc2lkZW50LWJpZGVuLTIwMjQtZWxlY3Rpb24tcmFjZS10cnVtcC1iMjU3NTA0Ny5odG1s0gEA?oc=5

2024-07-06 01:15:23Z
CBMidGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3Mvd29ybGQvYW1lcmljYXMvdXMtcG9saXRpY3MvcHJlc2lkZW50LWJpZGVuLTIwMjQtZWxlY3Rpb24tcmFjZS10cnVtcC1iMjU3NTA0Ny5odG1s0gEA
Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:

Jumat, 05 Juli 2024

European Officials Say Orban 'Exploiting EU Presidency' By Visiting Putin For Ukraine Talks - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

European leaders on July 5 slammed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his visit to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of shaking hands "with a bloody dictator" and of "exploiting the EU presidency position to sow confusion."

Orban, who has angered EU and Ukrainian officials with his regular pro-Russia comments and policies, claimed he was in Moscow to help settle the war between Russia and Ukraine, but Western and Ukrainian officials have blasted the trip, insisting he doesn't speak for Brussels or Kyiv.

"In Moscow, Viktor Orban in no way represents the EU or the EU's positions," said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who has been designated to become the EU's next foreign affairs representative.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

"He is exploiting the EU presidency position to sow confusion. The EU is united, clearly behind Ukraine and against Russian aggression,” she said.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda echoed her comments. The Baltic nations Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have all expressed strong support of Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"If you truly seek peace, you don't shake hands with a bloody dictator, you put all your efforts to support Ukraine," Nauseda wrote on X.

The White House joined in on the criticism, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying the visit "will not advance the cause of peace and is counterproductive to promoting Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.”

Following his talks with Putin at the Kremlin, Orban told a news conference that his trip represented a "first step to restore dialogue" between the warring parties, but he acknowledged that viewpoints remain "far apart" in Kyiv and Moscow.

"I have found that positions are far apart. The number of steps needed to end the war and bring about peace are many," said Orban, who vowed to "continue this work."

EU and Ukrainian officials have insisted that Orban, who holds the rotating EU Council presidency, has no authority to negotiate on behalf of the bloc or Kyiv.

In televised comments, Putin maintained his long-standing position -- which has been rejected by Kyiv -- telling Orban that Ukraine must hand over all of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia has partially occupied and claimed as its own in their entirety.

"We are talking about the full withdrawal of all troops from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics [officially Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions], and from the Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions," Putin said.

Russia state media said Orban departed Moscow late on July 5 on the planned one-day visit just ahead of a massive rainstorm.

Since word leaked a day earlier of the apparently uncoordinated visit, multiple senior EU officials intensified statements distancing the bloc from Orban's plans and actions, and Kyiv said it hadn't given its "agreement" to anything.

The trip comes less than a week after Budapest assumed the six-month rotating EU Council presidency and three days after Orban presented a mystery cease-fire proposal in another surprise visit to Kyiv.

Orban maintains close relations with Putin and has resisted EU and other sanctions on Russia and refused to join military and other Western aid efforts to help Ukraine beat back the 28-month full-scale invasion ordered by Putin.

Receiving Orban in the Kremlin, Putin said at the start of televised talks that he regarded the Hungarian leader as somehow acting on behalf of the European Union in terms that appeared crafted to troll Brussels.

"I understand that this time you have come not just as our longstanding partner but as president of the [EU] Council," Putin told Orban. He said he expected Orban to lay out "the position of European partners" on the situation in Ukraine and was ready to talk about "nuances" of peace proposals.

Orban is being accompanied on the trip by his foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto.

Orban's spokesman shared an image on social media of Orban on a red carpet on a tarmac in Moscow with the message "The #peace mission continues. Second stop: #Moscow."

Szijjarto posted an image of himself exiting a Hungarian Air Force plane and said, "Arriving in Moscow. Another step for peace!"

EU officials might disagree.

An unnamed EU official told RFE/RL that Orban had not informed Brussels of any planned Moscow trip, and his press office did not initially respond to request for comment.

Current EU foreign affairs high representative Josep Borrell said in a statement on July 5 that "Prime Minister Orban has not received any mandate from the EU Council to visit Moscow."

He said the visit "takes place, exclusively, in the framework of the bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia."

Orban has whipped up heightened fears of an escalating conflict in recent Hungarian elections, seemingly adopted Kremlin talking points, and accused many in the West of warmongering in response to Russia's invasion.

He has also whipped up heightened fears of an escalating conflict in recent Hungarian elections.

Orban's record with respect to Moscow has sparked concerns that beyond rule-of-law and democracy disputes with Brussels, the Hungarian EU presidency might erode unity among bloc members in the face of Russian aggression.

In Kyiv on July 2, Orban presented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with a cease-fire proposal he said was aimed at pausing the fighting. He declined to give details but said he asked Zelenskiy "whether it was possible to take a break, to stop the firing, and then continue the negotiations."

Zelenskiy did not express his opinion on the proposal during the briefing with reporters, but a spokesman for the president said later on July 2 that Zelenskiy gave Orban an opportunity to air his thoughts.

Zelenskiy said after Orban's arrival in Moscow that the visit was "without agreement" of any kind from Kyiv.

Putin, who has denied Ukrainian nationhood and history, has said conditions for ending the war, which has killed and wounded more than 500,000 people on both sides, include Kyiv renouncing any NATO hopes and ceding Crimea and four other occupied regions of Ukraine.

Zelenskiy has insisted its territorial integrity -- backed in multiple UN votes and a Ukrainian-initiated Global Peace Summit in Switzerland last month -- must be the foundation of any peace deal.

After word leaked on July 4 of Orban's planned visit, European Council President Charles Michel said "the EU rotating presidency has no mandate to engage with Russia on behalf of the EU."

"The European Council is clear: Russia is the aggressor, Ukraine is the victim. No discussions about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine," Michel added.

Orban last visited Moscow in September 2022, when he paid his respects at the funeral of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiUmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnJmZXJsLm9yZy9hL29yYmFuLWV1LXJ1c3NpYS12aXNpdC11a3JhaW5lLXdhci1wcmVzaWRlbmN5LzMzMDIzMTk0Lmh0bWzSAVRodHRwczovL3d3dy5yZmVybC5vcmcvYW1wL29yYmFuLWV1LXJ1c3NpYS12aXNpdC11a3JhaW5lLXdhci1wcmVzaWRlbmN5LzMzMDIzMTk0Lmh0bWw?oc=5

2024-07-05 18:47:36Z
CBMiUmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnJmZXJsLm9yZy9hL29yYmFuLWV1LXJ1c3NpYS12aXNpdC11a3JhaW5lLXdhci1wcmVzaWRlbmN5LzMzMDIzMTk0Lmh0bWzSAVRodHRwczovL3d3dy5yZmVybC5vcmcvYW1wL29yYmFuLWV1LXJ1c3NpYS12aXNpdC11a3JhaW5lLXdhci1wcmVzaWRlbmN5LzMzMDIzMTk0Lmh0bWw
Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:
Langganan: Postingan (Atom)