Caracas (TIP): As thousands of people demonstrated across Venezuela, opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez on July 29 announced that his campaign has the proof it needs to show he won the country’s disputed election whose victory electoral authorities handed to President Nicolas Maduro.
Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters they have obtained more than 70 per cent of tally sheets from Sunday’s election, and they show Gonzalez with more than double Maduro’s votes.
Both called on people, some of whom protested in the hours after Maduro was declared winner, to remain calm and invited them to gather peacefully at 11 am Tuesday to celebrate the results.
“I speak to you with the calmness of the truth,” Gonzalez said as dozens of supporters cheered outside campaign headquarters in the capital, Caracas.
“We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory.” Their announcement came after the National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Maduro’s ruling Unites Socialist Party of Venezuela, officially declared him the winner, handing him his third six-year term.
In the capital, the protests were mostly peaceful, but when dozens of riot gear-clad national police officers blocked the caravan, a brawl broke.
Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom threw stones and other objects at officers who had stationed themselves on a main avenue of an upper-class district.
A man fired a gun as the protesters moved through the city’s financial district. No one suffered a gunshot wound.
The demonstrations followed an election that was among the most peaceful in recent memory, reflecting hopes that Venezuela could avoid bloodshed and end 25 years of single-party rule. The winner was to take control of an economy recovering from collapse and a population desperate for change.
“We have never been moved by hatred. On the contrary, we have always been victims of the powerful,” Maduro said in a nationally televised ceremony.
“An attempt is being made to impose a coup d’eacute;tat in Venezuela again of a fascist and counterrevolutionary nature.”
“We already know this movie, and this time, there will be no kind of weakness,” he added, saying that Venezuela’s “law will be respected.” Machado told reporters tally sheets show Maduro and Gonzalez received more than 2.7 million and roughly 6.2 million votes respectively.
“A free people is one that is respected, and we are going to fight for our freedom,” Gonzalez said. “Dear friends, I understand your indignation, but our response from the democratic sectors is of calmness and firmness.” Venezuelans vote using electronic machines, which record votes and provide every voter a paper receipt that shows the candidate of their choice. Voters are supposed to deposit their receipt at ballot boxes before exiting the polls.
After polls close, each machine prints a tally sheet showing the candidates’ names and the votes they received.
But the ruling party wields tight control over the voting system, both through a loyal five-member electoral council and a network of longtime local party coordinators who get near unrestricted access to voting centres. Those coordinators, some of whom are responsible for handing out government benefits including subsidised food, have blocked representatives of opposition parties from entering voting centres as allowed by law to witness the voting process, vote counting and, crucially, to obtain a copy of the machines’ final tally sheet. (AP)
Tag: World News
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Venezuelan opposition says it has proof its candidate defeated President Maduro in disputed election
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Taiwan’s President Lai calls for unity in face of China threat
TAIPEI (TIP): Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said July 30 “a threat from China to any country is a threat to the world”, emphasizing to lawmakers of more than 20 countries that global democracies must unite against “authoritarian expansion”.
China has in recent years stepped up military and political pressures on democratic Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.
While Taipei officially only has a dozen diplomatic allies, it has strengthened partnerships with democracies around the world — especially the United States, its largest weapons provider — as Beijing ups the rhetoric of unification being “inevitable”.
On Tuesday, Lai attended a summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) — a group of parliamentarians hailing from Uruguay and Canada to Japan and Britain concerned about how democracies interact with Beijing.
Praising the 49 lawmakers from 23 countries and the European Parliament for making the journey to Taipei, Lai said the delegation demonstrates “the importance and support” that various countries have for Taiwan.
“They send a crucial message to democratic partners worldwide: democracy requires unity and protection,” he said.
“I want to emphasize that a threat from China to any country is a threat to the world. Taiwan will do everything to join democratic partners to uphold the umbrella of democracy, (and) protect democratic nations from the threat of authoritarian expansion.”Lai, who took office in May, is regarded by China as a “dangerous separatist” for his staunch defence of Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Three days after later China launched war games, encircling the island with fighter jets and naval vessels, as a “punishment” for Lai’s inauguration speech which Beijing said was a “confession of Taiwan independence”.
Lai has repeatedly made overtures for dialogue with Beijing — severed after his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen came into office in 2016 for her stance that Taiwan is not part of China.
But like Tsai, he has also maintained that the island must be united in ensuring its sovereignty by building up its defence capabilities, as China maintains a near-daily military presence by deploying warships, fighter jets and drones around Taiwan.
Lai reiterated Tuesday that Taiwan must “prepare for war to avoid war, and achieve peace through strength”.
“We are also willing to take dialogue instead of confrontation with China, and take exchanges instead of containment based on the principle of mutual respect and dignity, to reduce conflicts and achieve peace and stability,” he said. (AFP) -
Taylor Swift says she is ‘in shock’ after 2 children died in an attack on a UK dance class
London (TIP): Police were questioning a suspect and working on July 30 to understand what motivated a 17-year-old boy to attack children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class, leaving two dead and six in critical condition.
A total of 9 children and two adults were hurt in the rampage in Southport in northwest England. Both adults and six of the children were in critical condition in local hospitals.
Swift said she was “completely in shock” and still taking in “the horror” of the event.
“These were just little kids at a dance class,” she wrote on Instagram. “I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Local people left flowers and stuffed animals in tribute at a police cordon on the street lined with brick houses in the seaside resort near Liverpool — nicknamed “sunny Southport” — whose beach and pier attract vacationers from across northwest England.
Witnesses described scenes “from a horror movie” as bloodied children ran from the attack just before noon on Monday. The suspect was arrested soon after on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Police said he was born in Cardiff, Wales and had lived for years in a village about 3 miles (5 km) from Southport. He has not yet been charged. Police said detectives are not treating Monday’s attack as terror-related and they are not looking for any other suspects.
“We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked,” Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.
It is the latest shocking attack in a country where a recent rise in knife crime has stoked anxieties and led to calls for the government to do more to clamp down on bladed weapons.
The attack happened during a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop for children aged about 6 to 11.
“They were in the road, running from the nursery,” said Bare Varathan, who owns a shop nearby. “They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere,” he said, indicating the neck, back and chest.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack “horrendous and deeply shocking”. King Charles III sent his “condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies” to those affected by the “utterly horrific incident”.
Prince William and his wife Catherine said that “as parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through”.
Britain’s worst attack on children occurred in 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton shot 16 kindergarteners and their teacher dead in a school gymnasium in Dunblane, Scotland. The UK subsequently banned the private ownership of almost all handguns. (AP) -
Under Milei, the worst economic crisis in decades puts Argentine ingenuity to test
BUENOS AIRES (TIP) : In the crush of anti-government protests paralyzing downtown Buenos Aires in the last months, some Argentines saw a traffic-induced headache. Others saw a reaction to President Javier Milei’s brutal austerity measures.
Alejandra, a street vendor, saw people with nowhere to urinate. Plazas provided no privacy and cafes insisted on pricey purchases to use the toilet. With little more than a tent and a bucket, Alejandra started a small business that has surged alongside Argentina’s angry rallies and sky-high inflation rate. She charges whatever people are willing to pay.
“I haven’t had a job for a year, it’s now my sole income,” said Alejandra, who declined to give her last name for fear of reprisals from neighbors. Every four or five patrons, she puts on gloves and empties her bucket into the trash. The political establishment’s failure to fix decades of crisis in Argentina explains the tide of popular rage that vaulted the irascible Javier Milei, a self-declared “anarcho-capitalist,” to the presidency.
But it also explains the emergence of a unique society that runs on grit, ingenuity and opportunism — perhaps now more than ever as Argentina undergoes its worst economic crisis since its catastrophic foreign-debt default of 2001.
“It’s the famous resilience of Argentines,” said Gustavo González, a sociologist at University of Buenos Aires. “It’s the result of more than three generations that have grappled with adverse circumstances, great uncertainty and abrupt changes.”
The libertarian leader warned that things would get worse before they got better.
To reverse the decades of reckless spending that brought Argentina infamy for defaulting on its debts, Milei scrapped hundreds of price controls. He slashed subsidies for electricity, fuel and transportation, causing prices to skyrocket in a country that already had one of the world’s highest inflation rates. He laid off over 70,000 public sector workers, cut pensions by 30% and froze infrastructure projects, pushing the country deeper into recession. Supermarket sales fell 10% last month. The International Monetary Fund lowered its 2024 growth outlook for Argentina, projecting a 3.5% contraction.
Poverty now afflicts a staggering 57% of Argentina’s 47 million people, and annual inflation surpasses 270% — a level unseen in a generation.
“Argentina is at a turning point,” Milei said in his Independence Day speech on July 9. “Breaking points in the history of a nation are not moments of peace and tranquility but moments of difficulty and conflict.”
Well-heeled Argentines have responded by stashing stacks of $100 bills in safe-deposit boxes and resorting to cryptocurrency to avoid their country’s chronically depreciating pesos.
Middle-class families — whose energy bills shot up last month by 155% — have pared down comforts they once took for granted: No more eating out. No more travel. No more private school. Public hospitals say they’re overwhelmed.
In a country where barbecued beef, or asado, is not only a national dish but a social ritual, meat consumption has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, according to the Rosario Board of Trade. (AFP) -
Search continues for possible survivors after Ethiopia landslides kill 229
ADDIS ABABA (TIP): Rescuers aided by drones were continuing a desperate search on July 24 for possible survivors of devastating landslides in an isolated area of southern Ethiopia that have killed 229 people and affected thousands more. Humanitarian agencies were also scrambling to rush emergency relief aid to the stricken community, the deadliest such incident recorded in Ethiopia, a country highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters.
About 14,000 people need to be evacuated from the area urgently because of the risk of further landslides, a UN source told AFP. Local residents have been using shovels and their bare hands to dig through the vast mounds of mud to hunt for victims and survivors of the landslides in Kencho Shacha Gozdi, a hard-to-access locality in the regional state of South Ethiopia hundreds of kilometres from the capital Addis Ababa.
So far, 148 men and 81 women are confirmed to have died in the disaster, which struck the remote and mountainous area, the Gofa Zone Communications Affairs Department which covers the locality, said Tuesday. Senait Solomon, head of communications for the South Ethiopia regional government, said eight people had been pulled from the mud alive and taken to medical facilities for treatment.The number of people still missing is not known, but Senait said updated tolls might be issued later Wednesday. “The search for survivors is ongoing and is currently being supported by drones operated by experts from the Information Network Security Administration (INSA),” Firaol Bekele, early warning director at the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC) told AFP Wednesday.
“The government is addressing urgent needs for food, water, medicine and shelter,” he said.
Officials have said that most of the victims were buried after they rushed to help other residents hit by a first landslide following heavy rains on Sunday.
The UN’s humanitarian response agency OCHA said more than 14,000 people had been affected in the area, which is roughly 450 kilometres (270 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa — about a 10-hour drive.
The UN source told AFP that about 125 people had been displaced, and that the 14,000, including 5,000 pregnant or lactating women and 1,300 children needed to be evacuated fast because of the risk of another landslide.
Children and pregnant women affected
More than 21 million people or about 18 percent of the population rely on humanitarian aid in Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa, as a result of conflict and natural disasters such as flooding and drought.
“I am deeply saddened by this terrible loss,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had said on X on Tuesday in his first reaction to the calamity. (AFP) -
France announces major operation against cyber-spying
PARIS (TIP): French authorities have launched a major operation to clean up computers infected by a cyber-espionage programme that has struck millions of users worldwide, a senior prosecutor said on July 25. “On the eve of the Olympics, this operation demonstrates that different players in France and abroad are mobilised to fight against all forms of cybercrime,” Paris chief prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement.
She said investigators were targeting a network of bots suspected of infecting computers with PlugX malware and of stealing data from them “notably for purposes of espionage”.
She said analysts and investigators had managed to take control of a server that was controlling millions of the infected computers and were administering a fix.
They launched the operation on July 18 and it is expected to last several months, having already aided victims in several European countries, the statement said.
It did not cite a specific threat to the Paris Olympics. But separately, the French government’s cyber security agency warned last week that ransomware attacks will be “inevitable” during the Games, which officially open Friday.
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Russian drones attack Ukraine port second night in a row
KYIV (TIP): Russian drones attacked the southern Ukrainian port city of Izmail for a second straight night damaging infrastructure, Kyiv said on July 25, claiming several Russian attack drones entered Romanian airspace. Moscow has targeted ports in the southern Odesa region persistently since it exited an accord last year brokered by the United Nations and Turkey allowing Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea. Local authorities in Izmail said “port infrastructure facilities were damaged” in the Russian attack and that two civilians were wounded. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia had launched 38 Iranian-designed attack drones and that air defence systems had downed 25.
“Another three Shaheds were lost after crossing the state border with Romania,” it said.
The governor of the Odesa region, which borders EU and NATO member Romania, said the attack had damaged an administrative building. Three people were wounded in the Russian attack one day earlier on Izmail, local authorities had said. Romania’s military carried out a search for drone debris near the border with Ukraine following the attack on Wednesday, with Romanians reporting hearing explosions. People in 17 cities and villages in Romania’s southeastern Tulcea county got alerts on their mobile phones early July 24 after “several objects” were observed “approaching the northern area” of the county. (AFP) -
Russian missiles kill 31 in Ukraine, gut Kyiv children’s hospital
KYIV (TIP): Russia struck cities across Ukraine on July 23 with a missile barrage that killed 31 people and heavily damaged a Kyiv children’s hospital in an assault condemned as a ruthless attack on civilians. Dozens of volunteers, doctors and rescue workers were digging through debris of a part of Okhmatdyt paediatric hospital in a desperate search for survivors after the rare day-time bombardment, AFP journalists on the scene saw.
The first responders ran for cover when sirens and a explosion sounded after the initial strikes — a repeat attack that left four dead at a maternity hospital in a separate district of Kyiv, emergency services said. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces fired more than 40 missiles toward at least five major civilian hub, mainly in the south and east of the country, as well as the capital. (AFP) -
Philippine tanker carrying 1.4 mln litres of oil capsizes off Manila
MANILA (TIP): A Philippine-flagged tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank off Manila on July 25, authorities said, as they raced to contain a spill.
The MT Terra Nova was heading for the central city of Iloilo when it capsized in Manila Bay, nearly seven kilometres (4.3 miles) off Limay municipality in Bataan province, near the capital, in the early hours.
The vessel went down as heavy rains fuelled by Typhoon Gaemi and the seasonal monsoon have lashed Manila and surrounding regions in recent days.
An oil spill stretching several kilometres has been detected in the busy waterway.
“We are racing against time and we will try to do our best to contain it immediately and stop the fuel from leaking,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said at a briefing.
He warned that if all the oil in the tanker were to leak, it would be the biggest spill in Philippine history.
“There is a big danger that Manila will be affected, even the shoreline of Manila, if the fuel will leak, because it is within Manila Bay,” Balilo said.
Thousands of fishermen and tour operators are dependent on the waters for their livelihoods. Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said 16 of the 17 crew members had been rescued from the stricken vessel. A search was underway for the missing crew member, but Bautista said strong winds and high waves were hampering response efforts.
Four of the crew were receiving medical treatment. A photo released by the coast guard showed the MT Terra Nova almost entirely submerged in rough seas.
Investigation ordered
An oil slick stretching about 3.7 kilometres was being carried by a “strong current” in an easterly, north-easterly direction, the coast guard said in a report.
Coast guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gavan said he ordered a probe into the incident.
Marine environmental protection personnel have been mobilised to help contain the slick.
“It will definitely affect the marine environment,” Balilo said, describing the amount of oil on the ship as “enormous”.
One of the worst oil spills in the Philippines was in February 2023, when a tanker carrying 800,000 litres of industrial fuel oil sank off the central island of Mindoro.
Diesel fuel and thick oil from that vessel contaminated the waters and beaches along the coast of Oriental Mindoro province, devastating the fishing and tourism industries.
The oil dispersed over hundreds of kilometres of waters famed for having some of the most diverse marine life in the world. (AFP) -
You have officially become Iran’s useful idiots: Netanyahu to protestors
WASHINGTON (TIP): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 24 slammed Iran for funding and supporting groups against Israel and asserted that defeating the brutal enemies requires both courage and clarity.
For all we know, Iran is funding the anti-Israel protests that are going on right now outside this building not that many, but they’re there and throughout the city.
Well, I have a message for these protesters: When the Tyrants of Tehran, who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair, are praising, promoting and funding you, you have officially become Iran’s useful idiots, Netanyahu said.
It’s amazing, absolutely amazing. Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming ‘Gays for Gaza’. They might as well hold up signs saying ‘Chickens for KFC’. These protesters chant ‘From the river to the sea’. But many don’t have a clue what river and what sea they’re talking about. They not only get an F in geography, they get an F in history.
They call Israel a colonialist state. Don’t they know that the Land of Israel is where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob prayed, where Isaiah and Jeremiah preached and where David and Solomon ruled? he said.
In his fourth address to the Joint Session of the Congress, the most by any foreign leader, Netanyahu alleged that in the Middle East, Iran is virtually behind all terrorism, turmoil, chaos and killing. And that should come as no surprise.
When he founded the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini pledged, We will export our revolution to the entire world.
We will export the Islamic revolution to the entire world.
Now, ask yourself, which country ultimately stands in the way of Iran’s maniacal plans to impose radical Islam on the world? And the answer is clear: It’s America, the guardian of Western civilization and the world’s greatest power. That’s why Iran sees America as its greatest enemy, he said.
Iran, he said, understands that to truly challenge America, it must first conquer the Middle East. And for this it uses its many proxies, including the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas.
Yet in the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran’s way, is one proud pro-American democracy my country, the State of Israel, he said.
Asserting that victory is in site, Netanyahu said the day after they defeat Hamas, a new Gaza can emerge. My vision for that day is of a demilitarized and deradicalized Gaza. Israel does not seek to resettle Gaza.
But for the foreseeable future, we must retain overriding security control there to prevent the resurgence of terror, to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel, he said.
Gaza should have a civilian administration run by Palestinians who do not seek to destroy Israel. That’s not too much to ask. It’s a fundamental thing that we have a right to demand and to receive. A new generation of Palestinians must no longer be taught to hate Jews but rather to live in peace with us. Those twin words, demilitarization and deradicalization, those two concepts were applied to Germany and Japan after World War II, and that led to decades of peace, prosperity and security, he added. (AP) -
Trudeau visits Dosanjh’s sold-out concert, says “Canada’s a great country where a guy from Punjab can make history and sell out stadiums”
TORONTO (TIP): Punjabi actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh had a special guest during the rehearsals of his concert as Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped at his “sold-out” show in Rogers Centre, a stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario. In a video, Diljit is seen greeting PM Trudeau with folded hands.Sharing the video, the singer wrote, “Diversity is Canada’s strength. Prime Minister @justinpjtrudeau came to check out history in the making: we sold out the Rogers Centre!”
As soon as the video was shared, fans and industry friends chimed in the comment section.
Singer Harshdeep Kaur wrote, “Legend.”
One of the users wrote, “@diljitdosanjh thank you for representing each one of us on this level.”Impressed by Diljit Dosanjh’s presence in the country, the Canadian PM took to X handle and shared pictures from his visit to the venue where the singer performed live. He captioned the post, which read, “Stopped by the Rogers Centre to wish @diljitdosanjh good luck before his show. Canada is a great country — one where a guy from Punjab can make history and sell out stadiums. Diversity isn’t just our strength. It’s a superpower.”
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Bedwetting, nightmares, shaking; War in Gaza takes a mental health toll, especially on children
DEIR AL-BALAH (TIP): Nabila Hamada gave birth to twin boys in Gaza early in the war, in a hospital reeking of decaying bodies and full of displaced people. When Israeli forces threatened the hospital, she and her husband fled with only one of the babies, as medical staff said the other was too weak to leave. Soon after, Israeli forces raided the hospital, Gaza’s largest, and she never saw the boy again.
The trauma of losing one twin left the 40-year-old Hamada so scared of losing the other that she became frozen and ill-equipped to deal with the daily burden of survival.
“I’m unable to take care of my other, older children or give them the love they need,” she said. She is among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians struggling with mental health after nine months of war. (AP) -
Far-right Israeli minister visits sensitive Jerusalem holy site, imperiling Gaza cease-fire talks
JERUSALEM (TIP): Israel’s far-right national security minister visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on July 18 morning, threatening to disrupt Gaza cease-fire talks.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist settler leader, said he had gone up to the contested Jerusalem hilltop compound of Al Aqsa Mosque to pray for the return of the hostages “but without a reckless deal.”
Ben-Gvir said he was pressuring Netanyahu not to give in to international pressure and to continue with the military campaign in Gaza.
The move threatens to disrupt sensitive talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire in the 9-month-old Israel-Hamas war. Israeli negotiators landed in Cairo on Wednesday to continue talks.
Ben-Gvir’s visit also came just days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves for a trip to the United States, where he will address Congress. Ben-Gvir last visited the site in May, to protest countries unilaterally recognizing Palestinian statehood.
Jews and Muslims both claim the Jerusalem hilltop compound, which is considered the holiest site for Jews.
Palestinians consider the mosque a national symbol and view such visits as provocative, though Ben-Gvir has frequently visited the site, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, during tense periods. Tensions over the compound have fueled past rounds of violence. (AP) -
Russia downed 33 Ukrainian drones in Crimea, 10 naval drones
MOSCOW(TIP): Russia downed 33 Ukrainian aerial drones overnight over Crimea and 10 naval drones that were heading for the peninsula, Moscow’s defence ministry said on July 18.
“Air defence systems on duty destroyed and intercepted 33 aerial drones over… Crimea,” the ministry said in a Telegram post, adding that forces “in the Black Sea destroyed 10 naval drones that were heading towards the Crimean peninsula”.
Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said earlier on Thursday that loud noises heard in the Crimean city were linked to the Russian army retaliating “against an attempted attack by a surface drone”.
Late last month, Moscow accused Ukraine of carrying out a deadly strike in Crimea using US missiles, killing at least four people, including two children, and injuring more than 150, according to the local authorities installed by Russia.
Two drones were also neutralised overnight in the Bryansk region of western Russia, according to the Russian defence ministry.
“There were no casualties or damage,” local governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram Thursday.
Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russian territory this year, targeting both energy sites that it says supply the Russian army, as well as towns and villages just across the border and in Crimea. (AFP) -
Uncertainty is the winner and incumbents the losers so far in a year of high-stakes global elections
LONDON (TIP): Discontented, economically squeezed voters have turned against sitting governments on both right and left during many of the dozens of elections held this year, as global power blocs shift and political certainties crumble. From India to South Africa to Britain, voters dealt blows to long-governing parties. Elections to the European Parliament showed growing support for the continent’s far right, while France’s centrist president scrambled to fend off a similar surge at home.
If there’s a global trend, Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer said at a summit in Canada in June, it’s that “people are tired of the incumbents.”
More than 40 countries have held elections already this year. More uncertainty awaits — nations home to over half the world’s population are going to the polls in 2024. The world is already anxiously turning to November’s presidential election in the US, where an acrimonious campaign was dealt a shocking blow by an assassination attempt against Republican nominee and former president, Donald Trump.
Aftershocks from the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and spiking prices for food and fuel have left dissatisfied voters eager for change. (AP) -
Paris mayor dips into the Seine River to showcase its improved cleanliness before Olympic events
PARIS (TIP): After months of anticipation, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the long-polluted Seine River on July 17, fulfilling a promise to show the river was clean enough to host open swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics — and the opening ceremony on the river nine days away. Clad in a wetsuit and goggles, Hidalgo plunged into the river near the imposing-looking City Hall, her office, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.
“The Seine is exquisite,” said Hidalgo from the water. After emerging, she continued to rave, “The water is very, very good. A little cool, but not so bad.” She also said today was “a dream” and a “testimony that we have achieved a lot of work,” referencing the city’s “swimming plan” that was launched in 2015.
They swam down the river for about 100 meters, switching between crawl and breaststroke.
“After twenty years of doing sports in the river, I find it admirable that we are trying to clean it up,” said Estanguet, who has three Olympic gold medals in canoeing.
It’s part of a broader effort to showcase the river’s improved cleanliness ahead of the Summer Games which will kick off July 26 with a lavish open-air ceremony that includes an athletes’ parade on boats on the Seine. Daily water quality tests in early June indicated unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria, followed by recent improvements.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.
Originally planned for June, Hidalgo’s swim was postponed due to snap parliamentary elections in France. On the initial date, the hashtag ”jechiedanslaSeine” (“I’m pooping in the Seine”) trended on social media as some threatened to protest the Olympics by defecating upstream.
That didn’t deter Hidalgo, who carefully entered the river Wednesday using a ladder on an artificial pond, set up for the event. Seven security boats were deployed for the occasion.
They swam down the river for about 100 meters, switching between crawl and breaststroke.
The upper banks were crowded with curious spectators.
“I wouldn’t have missed that for anything in the world,” said Lucie Coquereau, who woke up early to get the best view of Hidalgo’s up from the Pont de Sully bridge that oversees the swimming site.
Enzo Gallet, a competitive swimmer who has taken part in France’s national open-water championship, was among athletes invited to test the Seine alongside the Paris mayor. (AP) -
Fire at shopping mall in southwest China kills 16 people
BEIJING (TIP): At least 16 people were killed after a fire broke out at a shopping mall in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. The incident occurred on July 17 around 6 pm at the 14-story building, located in a high-tech zone in the city of Zigong, Sichuan province, according to Chinese state media. Dramatic images and videos showed a huge column of black smoke billowing from the building. Several people were also seen gathered on a balcony.The rescue operation was completed on Thursday.
Around 75 people who were trapped inside the building were evacuated, the local fire department said. A total of 16 people have been killed, and the rest were evacuated from the building, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. According to the preliminary investigations, the fire was caused by construction work, the report added.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management and National Fire and Rescue Administration said it has dispatched a working team to investigate the incident.
Fire experts from across the country will also be sent to participate in the accident investigation, the Ministry said.
China continues to witness major fire accidents despite the directives from President Xi Jinping to implement strict preventive measures for provincial governments.
Officials say the number of fire accidents in public places like hotels and restaurants was due to faulty electrical and gas pipelines.
Thirty-nine people were killed when a fire broke out in a commercial building in the Chinese province of Jiangxi in January this year. Fifteen people were killed in a fire at a residential building in Nanjing city in the following month. (PTI) -
A police officer has been wounded in a knife attack in Paris. The attacker was killed by police
PARIS (TIP): A police officer was wounded in a knife attack in Paris on July 18 in the high-end Champs-Elysees neighborhood and the assailant was shot and died of his injuries, authorities said, just days before the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said the attack did not appear linked to the Olympics and no terrorist motive was suspected.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on X that the attack happened in the 8th arrondissement of Paris while police were “responding to a call from officers securing a store.” Security agents at the flagship Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees contacted police after noticing “suspicious behavior” by a man outside the store, according to a police official.
Speaking in front of the Louis Vuitton store after the stabbing, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said the assailant ‘’pulled out a knife and threatened them (the officers), tried to stab them multiple times and succeeded in stabbing.’’
He defended the police response as “totally proportionate. They were facing an assailant who was threatening their lives.”
The suspect died of his injuries after being shot, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. An investigation was opened into attempted murder of a police officer, the prosecutor’s office said. The police officer was hospitalized but not in life-threatening condition.
The area was thronging with tourists and Parisians when the attack happened around the corner from the Louis Vuitton boutique. Some took photos as police cordoned off the area, while others continued their dining in nearby sidewalk cafes.
Associated Press journalists saw police reinforcements rushing in after the stabbing. At a luxury hotel nearby, guests arriving in a taxi had to pass under police tape to enter their hotel, as a porter wheeled their baggage under the cordon.
The Louis Vuitton store often has long lines outside and is among the biggest draws on an avenue packed with luxury boutiques. Louis Vuitton parent company LVMH did not comment on what happened.
Thursday’s knife attack comes just days after a man stabbed and wounded a French soldier patrolling Paris on Monday outside the Gare de l’Est train station in eastern Paris. The man was taken to a psychiatric hospital, according to French prosecutors.
France is under its highest security alert before the start of the Paris Games on July 26. Paris police imposed strict new security measures in the center of town starting Thursday to prepare for the exceptional opening ceremony, which will be held in the open all along the Seine River instead of in a closed stadium.
Darmanin is staying on in a caretaker role at the interior ministry until a new government is formed in the wake of a legislative election earlier this month. (AP) -
Ursula von der Leyen re-elected to a second 5-year term as European Commission president
STRASBOURG (TIP): Lawmakers at the European Parliament on July 18 re-elected Ursula von der Leyen to a second 5-year term as president of the European Union’s executive commission.
The re-election ensures leadership continuity for the 27-nation bloc as it wrestles with crises ranging from the war in Ukraine to climate change, migration and housing shortages.
A majority in the 720-seat legislature voted for the German Christian Democrat after a speech in which she pledged to be a strong leader for Europe in a time of crisis and polarization. “I will never let the extreme polarization of our societies become accepted. I will never accept that demagogues and extremists destroy our European way of life. And I stand here today ready to lead the fight with all the Democratic forces in this house,” von der Leyen had said.
In a speech that sought to shore up support from across the political spectrum, von der Leyen pledged to strengthen the EU economy, its police and border agencies, tackle migration and pursue policies tackling climate change while also helping farmers who have staged protests against what they call stifling EU bureaucracy and environmental rules.
She also took a swipe at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his recent visit to Russia shortly after his country took over the rotating six-month EU presidency.
“This so-called peace mission was nothing but an appeasement mission,” von der Leyen said as she vowed that Europe would remain shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine.
One radical right lawmaker, Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca of Romania, was escorted out of the parliament’s chamber for heckling a speaker during the debate following von der Leyen’s speech. Iovanovici-Sosoaca briefly wore what appeared to be a muzzle and held up religious icons before being led out of the room.
Over the past five years, von der Leyen has steered the bloc through a series of crises, including Britain’s exit from the EU, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She has also pushed a Green Deal aiming to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050.
As the debate ended, she told lawmakers: “I hope to have your trust and confidence for the next years. Long live Europe.”
Von der Leyen’s election came as newly elected U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was welcoming some 45 heads of government to discuss migration, energy security and the threat from Russia as he seeks to restore relations between the U.K. and its European neighbors. (AP) -
11 killed as passenger bus collides with pickup truck in northern Philippines
TUGUEGARAO (TIP): A bus collided with a pickup truck killing 11 people and injuring six others in a northern Philippine town on July 11. Those who died were riding the small truck as it was rammed on the side by the bus, causing it to lose control and smash into a roadside food stall in Abulug town, about 600 km (373 miles) north of Manila, said police chief Maj Antonio Palattao.
The drivers of both vehicles were injured, along with the owner of the food stall that was hit by the truck. An investigation is underway to determine who was responsible for the accident, he said.
Deadly road accidents are common in the Philippines because of weak enforcement of traffic laws, dilapidated vehicles and dangerous road conditions, including inadequate safety signs and barriers in mountain roads and far-flung provinces.
Heavy rains halt search for 30 people missing in an Indonesian landslide that killed at least 23
PALU (TIP):: Incessant rains July 10 halted the search for 30 people believed trapped under a landslide that engulfed an unauthorized gold mine on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island over the weekend, killing at least 23 people.
More than 100 villagers were digging for grains of gold on Sunday in the remote and hilly village of Bone Bolango in Gorontalo province when tons of mud plunged down the surrounding hills and buried their makeshift camps. The search was suspended Wednesday afternoon due to heavy rains, said Heriyanto, head of the provincial Search and Rescue Office. Rescuers have not yet been able to locate the missing people, he said. The National Search and Rescue Agency said Wednesday that 92 villagers managed to escape from the landslide. Several of them were pulled out by rescuers, including 18 with injuries. It said 23 bodies were recovered, including that of a 4-year-old boy, while 30 people were missing.
More than 1,000 personnel, including army troops, have now been deployed in the search, said Edy Prakoso, the agency’s operation director.
He said the Indonesian air force would send a helicopter to speed up the rescue operation, which has been hampered by heavy rains, unstable soil and rugged terrain.
Photos released by the agency showed an excavator removing tons of mud and rocks that blocked access to the site. (AP) -
PM Modi shares hearty laugh with Rohit, Kohli, Dravid, poses for photos with India’s T20 World Cup champions
NEW DELHI (TIP): The T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team returned to the country here on July 4 aboard a specially-arranged charter flight with scores of fans lining up outside the airport to welcome the players despite a steady drizzle and heavy security deployment that kept them at a distance from their heroes.
Hundreds of supporters, holding placards congratulating their favourites and waving the national flag, braved the weather to welcome the victorious side, which defeated South Africa by seven runs in the final in Bridgetown on Saturday last week.
“We have waited for this moment for the past 13 years. The team has made us proud by winning the World Cup,” a fan, who claimed to have been waiting since 4:30am in the morning said, referring to India’s last World Cup triumph which came back in 2011.
The side was unable to head back home immediately after the title win due to a shutdown forced by hurricane Beryl in Barbados.
They were cocooned in their hotel before the BCCI made arrangements for the special charter flight.
The Air India special charter flight AIC24WC — Air India Champions 24 World Cup — which left Barbados around 4:50am local time on Wednesday arrived in Delhi at 6am (IST) on Thursday after a 16-hour non-stop journey.
The Indian squad, its support staff, the players’ families and some BCCI officials were aboard the flight along with members of the travelling media contingent. Heavy security was deployed to keep the crowd in check at the Indira Gandhi International airport but that did little to dampen the spirits as fans cheered enthusiastically holding up posters of star batter Virat Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma and outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid. Two buses were stationed outside the T3 Terminal to ferry the players to their hotel, from where they will head to the Prime Minister’s residence at 9am tentatively for a reception.
They trickled out in ones and twos after completing immigration formalities.
Tired but excited, the players acknowledged the waiting fans by waving at them and flashing warm smiles.
Suryakumar Yadav, who took the sensational match-winning catch of David Miller in the final, was the most enthusiastic in responding to the cheering.
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant saluted the gathered crowd, while pacer Mohammed Siraj blew flying kisses in their direction.
Rohit and Player of the Final Virat Kohli, both of whom retired from T20Is at the end of India’s campaign, were among the last to come out of the VIP exit.
Rohit, who held the coveted trophy in his hands, raised it for the fans to catch a glimpse before boarding the bus.
Kohli gave a thumbs up to acknowledge the support before taking his place in the bus.
In their excitement to see their heroes in person, some fans claimed that they had been waiting outside the airport since last night.
“We have been here since last night. It was very important for us to win this World Cup after losing the ODI World Cup last year,” a group of fans said.
The squad won the country its second T20 world title, ending an 11-year wait for an ICC trophy, on Saturday.
India’s previous ICC title was in 2013 when it won the Champions Trophy under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
From the airport, Team India reached the ITC Maurya hotel, where they stayed before their meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Notably, Virat, Rohit, Hardik, head coach Rahul Dravid and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Roger Binny were spotted at the hotel.
A special cake featuring the T20 World Cup trophy was cut at the hotel to celebrate the win. Rohit, Virat, Dravid and all-rounder Hardik Pandya were among the stars who took part in the cake-cutting. The cake featured the trophy and some pictures of Indian stars. (PTI) -
Attacker wounds cop guarding Israeli embassy in Serbia, shot dead by authorities
BELGRADE (TIP): An attacker with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade on July 1, Serbia’s interior ministry said. The officer responded by fatally shooting the assailant.
Both Serbian and Israeli officials said that initial indications are that it was a terror-motivated attack.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said in a statement that the attacker fired a bolt at the officer, hitting him in the neck. He said the officer then “used a weapon in self-defense to shoot the attacker, who died as a result of his injuries.”
The policeman was conscious when he was transported to Belgrade’s main emergency hospital, where an operation to remove the bolt from his neck will be performed, the statement added.
A spokesman with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “today there was an attempted terrorist attack in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade.” The spokesman said the embassy is closed and no employee of the embassy was injured.
Dacic told reporters that “we are still talking about possible motives.”
Police officers work at a crime scene close to the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday.
He added, however: “There are now all indications that the motives relate to terrorism. Because there is no other motive why someone would attack a gendarme outside the Israeli Embassy.”
He said one person was arrested near the scene of the shooting. Police are investigating a possible network and ties with foreign terrorist groups, he added.
“There are indications that those are individuals already known to the security services … the Wahhabi movement,” said Dacic, referring to the hard-line Islamist movement. “But this still has not been confirmed.”
The identity of the attacker was still being determined.
Authorities raised the security alert in Belgrade, including for foreign embassies and government buildings but also public places such as shopping malls and other busy areas.
Israel’s embassy is located not far from the U.S. Embassy in an upscale Belgrade district. It is guarded by an elite police unit with officers armed with automatic weapons.
Serbia has maintained close relations with Israel during the war in Gaza. (AP) -
Xi Jinping lauds relevance of Panchsheel to end world conflicts, calls for consolidating Global South
BEIJING (TIP): Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday highlighted the relevance of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which gained traction with the Non-Aligned Movement, to end the present-day conflicts and sought to expand influence in the Global South amid its tussle with the West.
Xi, 71, invoked the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, termed as Panchsheel by India, at a conference here to mark its 70th anniversary and also sought to juxtapose them with his new concept of Global Security Initiative envisaging a shared future for mankind.
The Panchsheel pointers were first formally enunciated in the Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between the Tibet region of China and India signed on April 29, 1954, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The five principles formed part of the legacy of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in their unsuccessful quest to find a solution to the vexed boundary issue.
“The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence answered the call of the times, and its initiation was an inevitable historic development. The Chinese leadership in the past specified the Five Principles in their entirety for the first time, namely, ‘mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity’, ‘mutual non-aggression’, ‘mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs’, ‘equality and mutual benefit’, and ‘peaceful coexistence’,” Xi said.
“They included the Five Principles in the China-India and China-Myanmar joint statements which jointly called for making them basic norms for state-to-state relations,” Xi said at the conference where the invitees included former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and several political leaders and officials from various countries closely associated with China over the years. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were born in Asia but quickly ascended to the world stage. In 1955, more than 20 Asian and African countries attended the Bandung Conference, Xi recalled in his address. The Non-Aligned Movement that rose in the 1960s adopted the Five Principles as its guiding principles, he said.
“The Five Principles have set a historic benchmark for international relations and international rule of law,” he said, highlighting their relevance to ending the present-day conflicts.
They fully conform with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, with the evolving trend of international relations of our times, and with the fundamental interests of all nations, Xi said and sought to juxtapose them with his new concepts of Global Security Initiative (GSI) which advocates for joint security of nations and the ‘Vision of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind’.
Xi, who commenced his unprecedented third five-year term in power last year, has been advocating several initiatives, including his billion-dollar pet project the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to enhance China’s global influence. (PTI) -
At least 30 killed in Kenya anti-government protests: HRW
NAIROBI (TIP): At least 30 people died in protests in Kenya this week sparked by a government drive to substantially raise taxes in the East African country, Human Rights Watch said on July 1.
“Kenyan security forces shot directly into crowds of protesters on (Tuesday) June 25, 2024, including protesters who were fleeing,” the NGO said in a statement.
“Although there is no confirmation on the exact number of people killed in Nairobi and other towns, Human Rights Watch found that at least 30 people had been killed on that day based on witness accounts, publicly available information, hospital and mortuary records in Nairobi as well as witness accounts,” the statement said. “Shooting directly into crowds without justification, including as protesters try to flee, is completely unacceptable under Kenyan and international law,” said Otsieno Namwaya, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
“The Kenyan authorities need to make clear to their forces that they should be protecting peaceful protesters and that impunity for police violence can no longer be tolerated,” Namwaya added.
The largely peaceful rallies turned violent on Tuesday when lawmakers passed the deeply unpopular tax increases following pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
After the announcement of the vote, crowds stormed the parliament complex and a fire broke out in clashes unprecedented in the history of the country since its independence from Britain in 1963.
President William Ruto’s administration ultimately withdrew the bill. The state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights said it had recorded 22 deaths and 300 injured victims, adding it would open an investigation.
“Eight military officers came out and just opened fire on people. They killed several people, including those who were not part of the protests,” HRW quoted a rights activist in Nairobi as saying. “Kenya’s international partners should continue to actively monitor the situation… and further urge Kenyan authorities to speedily but credibly and transparently investigate abuses by the security forces,” the rights watchdog said.
Ruto had already rolled back some tax measures after the protests began, prompting the treasury to warn of a gaping budget shortfall of 200 billion shillings ($1.6 billion). The cash-strapped government had said previously that the increases were necessary to service Kenya’s massive debt of some 10 trillion shillings ($78 billion), equal to roughly 70 percent of GDP. (PTI) -
Kenya’s president says he won’t sign finance bill that led protesters to storm parliament
NAIROBI (TIP): Kenyan President William Ruto said July 3 he won’t sign into law a finance bill proposing new taxes, a day after protesters stormed parliament and several people were shot dead. It was the biggest assault on Kenya’s government in decades.
The government wanted to raise funds to pay off debt, but Kenyans said the bill caused more economic pain as millions struggle to get by. The chaos on Tuesday led the government to deploy the military, and Ruto called protesters’ actions “treasonous.”
The president now says the bill caused “widespread dissatisfaction” and he has listened to the people and “conceded.” It’s a major setback for Ruto, who came to power vowing to help Kenyans cope with rising costs but has seen much of the country unite in opposition to his latest attempt at reforms.
“It is necessary for us to have a conversation as a nation on how to do we manage the affairs of the country together,” the president said.
Kenyans faced the lingering smell of tear gas and military in the streets a day after the latest protests saw thousands storm parliament, an act of defiance that Ruto called an “existential” threat. At least 22 people were killed, a human rights group said.
Ruto acknowledged deaths, calling it an “unfortunate situation,” and offered condolences.
The capital, Nairobi, has seen protests in the past, but activists and others warned the stakes are more dangerous. Ruto on Tuesday vowed to quash unrest “at whatever cost,” even as more protests were called at State House on Thursday. Soldiers patrolled alongside police, who were accused of shooting several people dead on Tuesday.
Kenyans united beyond tribal and other divisions in a youth-led effort to keep the finance bill from becoming law. It would have raised taxes and fees on a range of daily items and services, from egg imports to bank transfers. The government wanted the revenue to pay off debt in East Africa’s economic hub.
There were no reports of violence Wednesday, but there was fear. Civil society groups have reported abductions of people involved in recent protests and expect more to come.
Many young people who helped vote Ruto into power with cheers for his promises of economic relief now object to the pain of reforms. Part of the parliament building burned Tuesday, and clashes occurred in several communities beyond the capital.
(AP)