World
Arsonists attack French high-speed rail system hours before opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics
Arsonists attacked France's high-speed rail network early Friday, paralyzing train travel to Paris for some 800,000 people across Europe, including athletes heading to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
Targeting remote locations far from the capital, the apparently coordinated attacks sought to cut off rail routes into the city from all directions. The fires were predominantly set in pipes containing critical signaling cables for the system known as the TGV.
Blazes were reported before dawn near the tracks on three separate lines, causing widespread disruptions. Another arson attempt, in the south in Vergigny, was thwarted by rail agents who scared off several suspects.
French authorities did not publicly comment on who might have carried out the attacks or why; none of them said the sabotage was directly related to the Games.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said intelligence services were mobilized to find the arsonists, whose attacks he described as “premeditated" and “calculated.”
The evidence indicates “a desire to seriously harm” the French people, said the CEO of national railway company SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou. “The places were especially chosen to have the most serious impact, since each fire cut off two lines.”
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the damage would not affect the opening ceremony. There were no reports of injuries.
Prosecutors in Paris opened a national investigation, saying the crimes included property damage threatening the nation's "fundamental interests” and could carry prison sentences of up to 20 years.
The troubles came ahead of an opening ceremony in which 7,000 Olympic athletes were due to sail down the Seine past iconic Parisian monuments such as Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum and the Musee d’Orsay.
“Disturbing such a festival of peace with acts of violence can never be accepted and demands the most determined rejection,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Paris.
Two out of four trains carrying athletes to Paris on the western line were stopped hours before the opening ceremony, an SNCF official said.
Two German athletes who were on a Paris-bound train for the opening ceremony had to turn back in Belgium because of the closures, German news agency dpa reported.
Repairs were being made as police conducted forensic tests. “We have to repair cable by cable, so it’s very meticulous work,” Farandou said.
French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said train traffic began to resume in the afternoon.
The attack occurred against a backdrop of global tensions and heightened security measures as the city prepared for the Games.
French authorities have said they have foiled several plots to disrupt the Olympics, including arresting a Russian man on suspicion of planning to destabilize the games.
Earlier this week, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said about 1,000 people suspected of possibly meddling on behalf of a foreign power have been blocked from attending the Games. Among those blocked were people suspected of Islamic radicalization or left- or right-wing political extremism, or who had significant criminal records, he said.
Although he has repeatedly pointed to suspicions of Russia-backed interference, Darmanin added that such threats have also come from other countries that he did not name.
The Paris police prefecture “concentrated its personnel” in train stations after the attack, Paris Police Chief Laurent Nuñez told France Info television.
In the capital, 35,000 police officers are being deployed each day for the Olympics, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony.
Paris has been the target of deadly terror attacks in the past decade, and some French officials saw the Games as a chance for the nation to heal from years of trauma.
The disruptions hit Paris’ Montparnasse station particularly hard.
In the station's crowded hall, Maiwenn Labbé-Sorin said she spent hours stranded on a train before it doubled back to Paris.
“We stayed two hours without water, without toilets, without electricity," she said. "Then we could go out on the track for a bit and then the train returned. Now I’m not sure what’s going to happen.”
Many passengers at the Gare du Nord, one of Europe’s busiest train stations, sought answers and solutions on Friday morning. All eyes were on the central message boards as most services to northern France, Belgium and the United Kingdom were delayed.
Germany’s national railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, said there also were short-notice cancellations and delays between France and Germany.
Prominent French cartoonist Plantu found inspiration in the rail network's quick response. He posted a cartoon on Instagram depicting the first three Olympics gold medals going to SNCF agents. Three agents were sketched on the Olympic podium, holding cables and trains, with dangling gold medallions around their necks.
Also Friday, the French airport of Basel-Mulhouse on the border with Germany and Switzerland was evacuated in the morning and shut down briefly “for safety reasons,” the airport said. It wasn’t clear whether there was a connection to the rail attacks.
UK drops plans to challenge ICC arrest warrant request against Benjamin Netanyahu
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said Friday that the U.K. will not interfere with the International Criminal Court’s request for an arrest warrant against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The announcement is reversal of plans announced by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was ousted earlier this month when Starmer's Labour Party swept Conservatives from office in a landslide.
“This was a proposal by the previous government which was not submitted before the election, and which I can confirm the government will not be pursuing in line with our long-standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide,” a Starmer spokesperson said.
The court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, accused Netanyahu, Gallant, and three Hamas leaders — Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh — of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. U.S. President Joe Biden also criticized the prosecutor and supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas — as did Sunak.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan sought warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in May over Israel’s war in Gaza, a symbolic blow that deepened Israel’s isolation over the war in Gaza.
Israel is not a member of the court. Even if warrants are issued, Netanyahu and Gallant do not face any immediate risk of prosecution. But the threat of arrest could make it harder for them to travel.
The ICC had set a deadline for Friday for the government to file a challenge.
Starmer’s decision puts the U.K. at odds with America, though his office on Friday described the decision as based in a strong belief in the separation of powers and the rule of law domestically and internationally.
The issue is a tricky one for Starmer and his party.
Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, has been under pressure from his party to take a tougher stand on the ongoing crisis in Gaza. London has also been the scene of huge protests decrying Israel’s actions intended to root out Hamas militants and has also reported record levels of antisemitic incidents.
Labour lost support and seats they had been expected to win after Starmer initially refused to call for a cease fire shortly after Israel retaliated for the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants. The party is still recovering from the stain of a scandal involving antisemitism allegations against the leadership of his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.
Starmer recently restored funding for the United Nations’ Palestine relief agency UNRWA, which had been suspended by Sunak's government in January.
He has also said the Palestinian state has an “undeniable right” to be recognized as part of a peace process.
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International U.K.’s chief executive applauded Starmer's decision not to challenge the action at the Hague court.
“This was a totally misguided intervention by the last government," Deshmukh said. “Instead of trying to thwart the ICC’s much-needed Palestine investigation, the U.K. should be backing efforts to bring all perpetrators of war crimes and possible genocide to justice.”
Sri Lanka will hold presidential election on Sept. 21, its first since declaring bankruptcy in 2022
Sri Lanka will hold a presidential election on Sept. 21 that will likely be a test of confidence in President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s efforts to resolve the country’s worst economic crisis.
The date was announced by the independent elections commission Friday, which said nominations will be accepted on Aug. 15.
Wickremesinghe is expected to run while his main rivals will be opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and Anura Dissanayake, who is the leader of a leftist political party that has gained popularity after the economic debacle.
It will be the first election in the South Asian island nation after it declared bankruptcy in 2022 and suspended repayments on some $83 billion in domestic and foreign loans.
That followed a severe foreign exchange crisis that led to a severe shortage of essentials such as food, medicine, fuel and cooking gas, and extended power outages.
The election is largely seen as a crucial vote for the island nation’s efforts to conclude a critical debt restructuring program and as well as completing the financial reforms agreed under a bailout program by the International Monetary Fund.
The country’s economic upheaval led to a political crisis that forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign in 2022. Parliament then elected the then-Prime Minister Wickremesinghe as president.
Under Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka has been negotiating with the international creditors to restructure the staggering debts and to put the economy back on the track. The IMF has also approved a four-year bailout program last March to help Sri Lanka.
Last month, Wickremesinghe announced that his government has struck a debt restructuring deal with countries including India, France, Japan and China — marking a key step in the country’s economic recovery after defaulting on debt repayment in 2022.
The economic situation has improved under Wickremesinghe and severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine have largely abated. But public dissatisfaction has grown over the government’s effort to increase revenue by raising electricity bills and imposing heavy new income taxes on professionals and businesses, as part of the government’s efforts to meet the IMF conditions.
Sri Lanka’s crisis was largely the result of staggering economic mismanagement combined with fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, which along with 2019 terrorism attacks devastated its important tourism industry. The coronavirus crisis also disrupted the flow of remittances from Sri Lankans working abroad.
Additionally, the then-government slashed taxes in 2019, depleting the treasury just as the virus hit. Foreign exchange reserves plummeted, leaving Sri Lanka unable to pay for imports or defend its beleaguered currency, the rupee.
Under the agreements with its creditors, Sri Lanka will be able to defer all bilateral loan instalment payments until 2028. Furthermore, Sri Lanka will be able to repay all the loans on concessional terms, with an extended period until 2043. The agreements would cover $10 billion of debt.
By 2022, Sri Lanka had to repay about $6 billion in foreign debt every year, amounting to about 9.2% of gross domestic product. The agreement would enable Sri Lanka to maintain debt payments at less than 4.5% of GDP between 2027 and 2032.
Venezuelan voters face crucial choice: Reelect Maduro or give opposition a chance after 25 years
The future of Venezuela is on the line. Voters will decide Sunday whether to reelect President Nicolas Maduro, whose 11 years in office have been beset by crisis, or allow the opposition a chance to deliver on a promise to undo the ruling party's policies that caused economic collapse and forced millions to emigrate.
Historically fractured opposition parties have coalesced behind a single candidate, giving the United Socialist Party of Venezuela its most serious electoral challenge in a presidential election in decades.
Maduro is being challenged by former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia, who represents the resurgent opposition, and eight other candidates. Supporters of Maduro and Gonzalez marked the end of the official campaign season Thursday with massive demonstrations in the capital, Caracas.
Maduro and his allies have traditionally fended off challenges by barring rivals from elections and painting them as out-of-touch elitists in league with foreign powers. But this time, the ruling party is allowing the Unitary Platform, the coalition of the main opposition parties, to participate in the election.
A deal that allowed the opposition coalition to participate in the election won Maduro some relief from crippling economic sanctions imposed by the United States. But that respite was short-lived. President Joe Biden's administration reimposed the sanctions, citing mounting government repression of real and perceived adversaries, including blocking the candidacy of opposition powerhouse María Corina Machado.
Here’s what to know about Venezuela’s upcoming presidential election.
Who is the opposition candidate?The most talked-about name in the race is not on the ballot: María Corina Machado. The former lawmaker emerged as an opposition star in 2023, filling the void left when a previous generation of opposition leaders fled into exile. Her principled attacks on government corruption and mismanagement rallied millions of Venezuelans to vote for her in the opposition’s October primary.
But Maduro’s government declared the primary illegal and opened criminal investigations against some of its organizers. Since then, it has issued warrants for several of Machado’s supporters and arrested some members of her staff, and the country’s top court affirmed a decision to keep her off the ballot.
Yet, she kept on campaigning, holding rallies nationwide and turning the ban on her candidacy into a symbol of the loss of rights and humiliations that many voters have felt for over a decade.
She has thrown her support behind Edmundo González Urrutia, a former ambassador who has never held public office, helping a fractious opposition unify.
They are campaigning together on the promise of economic reform that will lure back the millions of Venezuelans who have migrated since Maduro became president in 2013.
González began his diplomatic career as an aide to Venezuela’s ambassador in the U.S. in the late 1970s. He was posted to Belgium and El Salvador, and served as Caracas’ ambassador to Algeria. His last post was as ambassador to Argentina during Hugo Chávez’s presidency, which began in 1999.
More recently, González worked as an international relations consultant and wrote a historical work on Venezuela during World War II.
Why is the current president having trouble?Maduro’s popularity has dwindled due to an economic crisis caused by a drop in oil prices, corruption and government mismanagement.
Maduro can still bank on a cadre of die-hard believers, known as Chavistas, including millions of public employees and others whose businesses or employment depend on the state. But the ability of his party to use access to social programs to make people vote has diminished as the economy has frayed.
He is the heir to Hugo Chávez, a popular socialist who expanded Venezuela’s welfare state while locking horns with the United States.
Sick with cancer, Chávez handpicked Maduro to act as interim president upon his death. He took on the role in March 2013, and the following month, he narrowly won the presidential election triggered by his mentor’s death.
Maduro was reelected in 2018, in a contest that was widely considered a sham. His government banned Venezuela’s most popular opposition parties and politicians from participating and, lacking a level playing field, the opposition urged voters to boycott the election.
That authoritarian tilt was part of the rationale the U.S. used to impose economic sanctions that crippled the country’s crucial oil industry.
Who will vote?More than 21 million Venezuelans are registered to vote, but the exodus of over 7.7 million people due to the prolonged crisis — including about 4 million voters — is expected to reduce the number of potential voters to about 17 million.
Voting is not mandatory and is done on electronic machines.
Venezuelan law allows people to vote abroad, but only about 69,000 voters met the criteria to cast ballots at embassies or consulates during this election. Costly and time-consuming government prerequisites to register, lack of information and a mandatory proof of legal residency in a host country kept many migrants from registering to vote.
Venezuelans in the U.S. face an insurmountable obstacle: Consulates, where citizens abroad would typically cast their ballots, are closed because Caracas and Washington severed diplomatic relations after Maduro’s 2018 reelection.
Under what conditions is the election taking place?A more free and fair presidential election seemed like a possibility last year, when Maduro’s government agreed to work with the U.S.-backed Unitary Platform coalition to improve electoral conditions in October 2023. An accord on election conditions earned Maduro’s government broad relief from U.S. economic sanctions on its state-run oil, gas and mining sectors.
But days later, authorities said the opposition’s primary was against the law and began issuing warrants and arresting human rights defenders, journalists and opposition members.
A U.N.-backed panel investigating human rights violations in Venezuela has reported that the government has increased repression of critics and opponents ahead of the election, subjecting targets to detention, surveillance, threats, defamatory campaigns and arbitrary criminal proceedings.
The government has also used its control of media outlets, the country’s fuel supply, electric network and other infrastructure to limit the reach of the Machado-González campaign.
The mounting actions taken against the opposition prompted the Biden administration earlier this year to end the sanctions relief it granted in October.
Harris says she's ready to debate Trump and accuses him of 'backpedaling' from Sept. 10 faceoff
Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on Thursday that she’s “ready to debate Donald Trump.”
She accused him of “backpedaling” away from a previous agreement for a debate hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10.
“I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on the debate stage,” she said after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Indiana and Texas.
The Sept. 10 debate was one of two debates that President Joe Biden and Trump had agreed on. The first one was hosted by CNN on June 27, but Biden has since dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as his successor.
Trump has said he would prefer to shift the debate to Fox News, but he would be willing to face off with Harris more than once.
Harris did not respond to a question about having Fox News host a debate.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement late Thursday that debate arrangements “cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.”
"Democrats very well could still change their minds,” Cheung said.
Alex Conant, a Republican consultant, said the debate could be “decisive.” “It’s the only time voters really tune in," he said.
This year's campaign has already shown the potential power of a debate. Biden's disastrous performance on June 27 revived concerns that he was too old for a second term. His support within the Democratic Party crumbled, and he ended his reelection bid on Sunday.
Harris tells Netanyahu 'it is time' to end the war in Gaza and bring the hostages home
Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said she urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a cease-fire deal soon with Hamas so that dozens of hostages held by the militants in Gaza since Oct. 7 can return home.
Harris said she had a “frank and constructive” conversation with Netanyahu in which she affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself but also expressed deep concern about the high death toll in Gaza over nine months of war and the “dire” humanitarian situation there.
With all eyes on the likely Democratic presidential nominee, Harris largely reiterated President Joe Biden's longstanding message that it's time to find an endgame to the brutal war in Gaza, where more than 39,000 Palestinians have died. Yet she offered a more forceful tone about the urgency of the moment just one day after Netanyahu gave a fiery speech to Congress in which he defended the war, vowed “total victory” against Hamas and made relatively scant mention of cease-fire negotiations.
“There has been hopeful movement in the talks to secure an agreement on this deal,” Harris told reporters shortly after meeting with Netanyahu. “And as I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done.”
Netanyahu met separately earlier in the day with Biden, who has also been calling on Israel and Hamas to come to an agreement on a U.S.-backed, three-phase deal to bring home remaining hostages and establish an extended cease-fire.
The White House said in a statement that Biden discussed with Netanyahu “the need to close the remaining gaps, finalize the deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and reach a durable end to the war in Gaza.” Biden and Netanyahu also discussed improving the flow of aid into Gaza as well as the ongoing threat posed by Iranian-backed militant groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Harris said after her meeting with Netanyahu that Israel’s war in Gaza is more complicated than simply being supportive of one side or the other.
“Too often, the conversation is binary when the reality is anything but,” Harris said.
Harris also condemned Hamas' brutality. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby reiterated the administration position that the militant group that killed some 1,200 on Oct. 7 and kidnapped 250 people from Israel ultimately holds responsibility for the suffering in Gaza and must come to terms with Israel.
Kirby added that gaps between the two sides can be closed “but there are issues that need to be resolved that will require some leadership, some compromise."
With Harris' forceful comments, the administration also appeared to be stepping up pressure on the Israelis to not let the moment pass to get a deal done.
“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time,” Harris said. “We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent.”
Thousands protested Netanyahu’s visit in Washington, and Harris condemned those who were violent or used rhetoric that praised Hamas.
Netanyahu, last at the White House when former President Donald Trump was in office, is headed to Florida on Friday to meet with the Republican presidential nominee.
Ahead of the Harris-Netanyahu meeting Thursday, Trump said at a rally in North Carolina the vice president was “totally against the Jewish people."
Harris has long spoken of her strong support for Israel. The first overseas trip of her Senate career in early 2017 was to Israel, and one of her first acts in office was to introduce a resolution opposing a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israel.
She’s also spoken of her personal ties to Israel, including memories of raising money as a child to plant trees in Israel and installing a mezuzah near the front door of the vice president’s residence in Washington — her husband is Jewish. She also has connections to pro-Israel groups including the conservative American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the liberal J Street.
For Harris, the meeting with Netanyahu was an opportunity to demonstrate that she has the mettle to serve as commander in chief. She’s being scrutinized by those on the political left who say Biden hasn’t done enough to force Netanyahu to end the war and by Republicans looking to brand her as insufficient in her support for Israel.
Harris’ last one-on-one engagement with Netanyahu was in March 2021, but she’s taken part in more than 20 calls between Biden and Netanyahu.
The conservative Likud Party leader Netanyahu and centrist Democrat Biden have had ups-and-downs over the years. Netanyahu, in what will likely be his last White House meeting with Biden, reflected on the roughly 40 years they've known each other and thanked the president for his service.
“From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” Netanyahu told Biden.
A U.S.-backed proposal to release remaining hostages in Gaza over three phases is something that would be a legacy-affirming achievement for Biden, who abandoned his reelection bid and endorsed Harris. It could also be a boon for Harris in her bid to succeed him.
Following their talks, Biden and Netanyahu met with the families of American hostages.
Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, said the families received an “ironclad commitment” from Biden and Netanyahu to get the hostages home. He said he was more hopeful than at anytime since Hamas released more than 100 hostages during a temporary cease-fire in November.
“There is more reason today than in any time since the last round of hostage releases that something can happen,” he said.
Netanyahu is trying to navigate his own delicate political moment. He faces pressure from the families of hostages demanding a cease-fire agreement to bring their loved ones home and from far-right members of his governing coalition who demand he resist any deal that could keep Israeli forces from eliminating Hamas.
In his speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, Netanyahu offered a robust defense of Israel's conduct during the war and lashed out against accusations by the International Criminal Court of Israeli war crimes. He made the case that Israel, in its fight against Iran-backed Hamas, was effectively keeping “Americans boots off the ground while protecting our shared interests in the Middle East.”
“Remember this: Our enemies are your enemies,” Netanyahu said. “Our fight, it’s your fight. And our victory will be your victory. ”
Netanyahu also derided protesters who massed near the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, calling them Iran’s “useful idiots.”
Harris on Thursday said she was outraged that some protesters tagged areas near the U.S. Capitol with pro-Hamas graffiti, expressed support for the militants and burned a U.S. flag at Union Station.
“Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation,” Harris said in a statement. “I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way.”
Protesters massed near the White House on Thursday chanted, “Arrest Netanyahu,” and brought an effigy of the prime minister with blood on its hands and wearing an orange jumpsuit. A small number of counterprotesters wore Israeli flags around their shoulders.
Putin hosts Syria's Assad in the Kremlin as tensions rise in Middle East
Russian President Vladimir Putin met President Bashar Assad of Syria in the Kremlin, video distributed by the Kremlin press service on Thursday showed.
Putin told Assad he was concerned that tensions are rising in the Middle East, but neither leader provided further details on their talks. Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assad’s government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. While Russia now concentrates the bulk of its military resources in Ukraine, it has maintained a military foothold in Syria and keeps troops at its bases there.
“I am very interested in your opinion on how the situation in the region as a whole is developing,” Putin said to Assad. “Unfortunately, there is a tendency towards escalation, we can see that. This also applies directly to Syria.”
The Kremlin said Putin and Assad's meeting took place Wednesday.
Putin and Assad last met in March 2023 in the Kremlin on the anniversary of Syria’s 12-year uprising-turned-civil war. At that meeting, Putin emphasized the Russian military’s role in stabilizing the country.
“Considering all the events that are taking place in the world as a whole and in the Eurasian region today, our meeting today seems very important," Assad told Putin via a Russian translator.
The Kremlin did not provide details on Putin and Assad's talks but one potential discussion point was around Syria and Turkey restoring diplomatic relations.
Russia is one of the strongest backers of Assad’s government but also has close ties with Turkey and has been pushing for a return to restart relations.
Turkey and Syria cut their ties in 2011 as mass anti-government protests and a brutal crackdown by security forces in Syria spiraled into the still-ongoing civil war. Turkey backed Syrian insurgent groups seeking to overthrow Assad and still maintains forces in the opposition-held northwest, angering Damascus.
In December 2022, the Turkish, Syrian and Russian defense ministers held talks in Moscow, the first ministerial-level meeting between Turkey and Syria since 2011. Russia also brokered meetings between Syrian and Turkish officials last year.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Assad recently signaled they are interested in restoring diplomatic ties.
Last week, a Turkish newspaper reported that Erdogan would meet with Assad in Moscow in August, but Turkish officials denied the report, saying it did “not reflect the truth.”
Earlier this month, Erdogan said he had called on Assad to visit Turkey or to meet in a third country.
Speaking to reporters on July 15, Assad said that in order for relations to return to normal Turkey would have to withdraw its troops from northern Syria and stop backing insurgent groups that Damascus describes as “terrorists.”
Typhoon Gaemi hits China's coast after leaving 25 dead in Taiwan and the Philippines
A strong typhoon made landfall on China's southeastern coast on Thursday evening after sweeping across the nearby island of Taiwan, where it caused landslides and flooding in low-lying areas and left three dead.
Typhoon Gaemi had swept up the western Pacific, intensifying seasonal rains earlier in the week in the Philippines, where the death toll climbed to 22.
Offices and schools in Taiwan were closed for a second day on Thursday and people were urged to stay home and away from the coastline.
Two people were killed on Wednesday before the storm made landfall around midnight, and a 78-year-old man died after his home was hit by a mudslide on Thursday afternoon, Taiwan's Central News Agency said. Another 380 people were reported injured.
A third death on Wednesday — a driver pinned under an overturned excavator — was initially attributed to the typhoon but later was determined not to be linked, the news agency said.
The island is regularly hit by typhoons and has boosted its warning systems, but its topography, high population density and high-tech economy make it difficult to avoid losses when such storms hit. The capital, Taipei, was unusually quiet, with light rain and occasionally gusting winds.
The storm prompted the cancellation of air force drills this week off Taiwan’s east coast.
In China's coastal Fujian province, flights, trains and ferry services were canceled, and more than 240,000 residents were evacuated as the typhoon approached, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The storm is expected to weaken but still bring heavy rains to inland areas over the next three days, including the capital, Beijing.
In the Philippines, the death toll rose due to drownings and landslides. At least three people were missing, according to police.
Gaemi, called Carina in the Philippines, did not make landfall in that archipelago but enhanced its seasonal monsoon rains.
The Philippine coast guard reported that an oil tanker, MT Terra Nova, loaded with about 1.4 million liters (370,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil sank off Limay town in Bataan province early Thursday and rescuers saved 15 of 16 crew members.
It was not immediately clear if the sinking was related to the bad weather and rough seas but Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said coast guard personnel could not immediately reach the area to contain a possible oil spill because of the rough sea conditions.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered authorities to speed up efforts to deliver food and other aid to isolated rural villages.
“People there may not have eaten for days,” Marcos said in a televised emergency meeting.
In the densely populated region around the Philippine capital, government work and school classes were suspended after rains flooded many areas.
Biden’s speech: Warnings about Trump without naming him, a hefty to-do list, and a power handoff
President Joe Biden delivered a solemn Oval Office address Wednesday that laid out in the clearest terms yet why he abandoned his reelection campaign.
He wanted to send an unmistakable warning about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump while anointing Vice President Kamala Harris as his natural successor, without invoking an overtly political tone that would have been out of step in the official setting of the White House. He was determined to show that he would not act like a lame-duck president, outlining an ambitious agenda that underscored his resolve to continue building on his legacy.
Here are key takeaways from Biden’s address:
He warned about Trump — without naming him
Biden did not mention Trump, his former Republican opponent, in his 10-minute Oval Office address — but he didn’t have to. The remarks were imbued with a deep sense of urgency about what the outgoing president saw as the stakes of the election.
The early part of his address sketched the choices that faces voters in November — a contrast Biden himself had hoped to make during a reelection campaign that he ultimately decided he could not continue.
“Americans are going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division,” Biden said. “We have to decide — do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy.”
That last item — democracy — and defending it is “more important than any title,” Biden said.
Biden outlined a hefty to-do list for his final months
The president says he’s going to keep working over his final six months in office. He’s seeking to make the case for his legacy of sweeping domestic legislation and the renewal of alliances abroad.
His to-do list was full of weighty issues. He said he’d work to end the war in Gaza, bring home the hostages and try “to bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war.” Biden meets Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He’s going to continue to work to lower costs for families and defend personal freedoms, keep calling out “hate and extremism” and push to end gun violence.
He also said he would continue to work on his initiative to end cancer as we know it and push for Supreme Court reforms.
“I’m going to keep working,” he said.
He is willingly handing off power to a new generation
Biden finally understood what Democrats had been telling him — that it was time to hand off power to a younger generation — and he embraced it, calling for “fresh voices, yes, younger voices” in politics.
“I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. It’s the best way to unite our nation,” he said, even as he believed his presidency was deserving of a second term.
For months, Biden insisted that only he could go up against Trump and win. But that changed following his debate with Trump on June 27, when he spoke haltingly, lost his train of thought and failed to fact-check the former president’s falsehoods. The performance raised a chorus of questions about his age and ability to do the job another four years and pushed Democrats to increasingly call for him to step aside. The standoff dragged for 24 days before Biden yielded, saying he needed to unify his party.
The tone and setting were solemn
Biden is not a stranger to the sober address, delivering remarks on weighty matters such as the fate of democracy and voting rights at historically significant landmarks across the country and around the globe.
But Biden has used the formal trappings of an Oval Office address — a tool used by presidents in times of national crisis or to capture a key moment in history — sparsely, with Wednesday’s speech marking just the fourth time that he has sat behind the Resolute Desk to speak directly to the nation.
His tone was solemn, the delivery careful and deliberate. He was surrounded by family and close aides as he gave an address willingly relinquishing power — one that no politician wants to make.
“The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators do not rule — that people do,” Biden said as he closed his address. “History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands.”
Biden made a subtle push for his vice presidentIn the official setting of the Oval Office, Biden steered clear of overt political talk. But he still praised Vice President Kamala Harris as “tough” and “capable,” and gave a not-so-subtle push to voters.
“She’s been an incredible partner for her leadership, for our country,” he said. “Now the choice is up to you, the American people. ”
First lady Jill Biden posted a hand-written note after the president’s speech thanking “those who never wavered, who refused to doubt.” She thanked supporters for putting their trust in the president. “Now it’s time to put that trust in Kamala.”
Biden, aides say, knows that if Harris loses, he’ll be criticized for staying in the race too long and not giving her or another Democrat time to effectively mount a campaign against Trump. If she wins, she’ll ensure his policy victories are secured and expanded, and he’ll be remembered for a decision to step aside for the next generation of leadership.
Taiwan sees flooding and landslides from Typhoon Gaemi, which caused 22 deaths in the Philippines
Taiwan has seen flooding in low-lying areas, along with landslides and damage to homes and shops after Typhoon Gaemi made landfall on the island.
The storm swept up the western Pacific, leaving 22 people dead in the Philippines from flooding and landslides, and three in Taiwan, with more than 220 reported injured.
Offices and schools in Taiwan were closed for the second consecutive day on Thursday and people were urged to stay home and away from the coastline.
The island is regularly hit by typhoons and has boosted its warning systems, but its topography, high population density and high-tech economy make it difficult to avoid losses when such storms hit.
The capital, Taipei, was unusually quiet, with light rain falling and occasionally gusting winds.
In the Philippines, the death toll rose due to drownings and landslides. At least three people are missing, according to police.
The Philippine coast guard reported that an oil tanker, MT Terra Nova, loaded with about 1.4 million liters (370,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil sank off Limay town in Bataan province early Thursday and rescuers saved 15 of 16 crew members.
It’s not immediately clear if the sinking was related to the bad weather and rough seas but Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said coast guard personnel could not immediately reach the area to contain a possible oil spill because of the rough sea conditions.
The storm prompted the cancellation of air force drills off Taiwan’s east coast.
Gaemi, called Carina in the Philippines, did not make landfall in that archipelago but enhanced its seasonal monsoon rains.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered authorities to speed up efforts to deliver food and other aid to isolated rural villages.
“People there may not have eaten for days,” Marcos said in a televised emergency meeting.
In the densely populated region around the Philippine capital, government work and school classes were suspended after rains flooded many areas.
The storm’s effects were expected to continue into Friday as it moved in a northwestern direction toward mainland China. In Fujian province on China’s east coast, ferry routes were suspended on Wednesday and all train service will be halted on Thursday, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said.