And then the summary of the NATO summit, the umpteenth evacuation of Gaza City, Orban’s trips as EU president, the results of the elections in France and Iran, the disasters of Hurricane Beryl, the fight against early marriage in Sierra Leone. Here are the facts to know of the week
US, Biden Confused: Democrats’ Support at Risk
“I would not have chosen Vice President Trump as vice president if I did not think she was qualified to be president,” the US president said. Joe Biden, running for the presidential elections in November 2024, when he will have to challenge the Republican Donald Trumpto answer a question from a Reuters journalist during the press conference held during the NATO leaders’ summit which ended on July 11 in Washington. The gaffe followed shortly after another one made a few hours earlier, when during a meeting at the NATO meeting, Biden introduced the Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky like “President Putin.” “President Putin?” he said, realizing his mistake: “We will beat President Putin, President Zelensky. I am so focused on beating Putin. We have to worry about that.” As the New York TimesBiden’s gaffes could not have been more inappropriate: they come as the president seeks to counter a crisis of confidence among Democrats who are beginning to consider a new candidate ahead of the presidential election.
USA, NATO summit
At the conclusion of the NATO summit held in Washington DC on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Atlantic Alliance, the leaders drew up a 38-point document which shows that support for Kiev is unwavering and the trajectory of theUkraine towards the entry into NATO “irreversible”. It will happen, however, when “there is an agreement between the allies and the required conditions are respected”. The document also makes it clear that the Russia remains the most significant threat to the security of the Alliance. But for the first time a direct accusation is also made against the Chineseconsidered as a “decisive facilitator” of the Russian aggression, also accomplices Iran e North KoreaBut it is not only external rivals that threaten NATO, the shadow of the US vote is also frightening.
Gaza, yet another evacuation
While in Qatar should have resumed talks for a truce and an agreement for the release of hostages to end the war, now in its tenth month (since October 7, at least 38,345 people have been killed and 88,295 injured), the Israeli army on July 10 ordered the evacuation of Gaza City, again. It had already happened in January, during the first ground invasion, but for some time now tens of thousands of people had returned to repopulate the de facto capital of the Strip. Last Wednesday, the Israeli army dropped thousands of leaflets urging the population to leave because a new heavy offensive would begin again: according to the Gaza Civil Defense There are now dozens of bodies scattered in the alleys and inside the destroyed houses in the industrial area of the city, after the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Ukraine, missiles against hospitals
On July 8, Russia launched 40 missiles across the territory of Ukraine, causing at least 41 deaths and about 170 injuries in the regions of Kiev, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk. A subsonic missile hit Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in the capital, among the most important in Europe. The offensive was one of the most serious since the beginning of the Russian invasion: Volodymyr Zelensky He promised retaliation and called for “a stronger response” from the West, which immediately condemned Moscow for its “war crimes.”
EU, Orbán’s travels
After seven days of the rotating presidency of the EU, tensions have risen between the Union and the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who first met with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskythen unleashed a diplomatic storm with a surprise meeting with the Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow. After a few days he arrived in China to meet Xi Jinping. On X he described the trip as a “peace mission 3.0”. Finally, on July 11 met the US presidential candidate Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago in Florida: “We discussed how to achieve peace. The good news of the day: he will solve the problem!”, he said. But European leaders were quick to reiterate that Orbán represents only his country, not the EU. Meanwhile, the group in the EU Parliament wanted by the Hungarian leader, and Patriotshas taken shape.
Iran, the reformist Pezeshkian has won
On July 5, in the second round of the presidential election in Iran held after the death of Ibrahim Raisithe reformist won Masoud Pezeshkian with more than 53 percent of the vote, overtaking the ultraconservative Saeed Jalili. Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and former Minister of Health, while remaining faithful to the principles of the Islamic Republic, has promised to promote some reforms of partial liberalization of the Iranian regime: from opening up to the West to easing repression, especially against women who do not wear the veil.
France, the right fails to make a breakthrough
In France, in the second round of the parliamentary elections held on July 7, the left-wing coalition of New Popular Front she came first, contrary to what the polls predicted. Ensemble of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron came in second, beating the National Rally of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella. But the results of the vote have created a divided National Assembly. For France, a period of great uncertainty opens: since Macron cannot dissolve the chambers for the next twelve months, a majority must be found within the National Assembly thus constituted.
Americas, the devastation of Hurricane Beryl
After having crashed on Caribbean It is on Venezuelawhere Hurricane Beryl has caused at least seven deaths in recent days due to strong winds and flooding that have destroyed roads, buildings and infrastructure, the powerful tropical storm has also hit Jamaica, Mexico, Texas and Louisiana where at least eight more people died and millions were left without power. It is the largest Atlantic hurricane in the last 20 years with winds that reached category 5 and reached up to 240 km/h and torrential rains. Many countries have declared a state of emergency.
Kenya, nuovi minister
The President of Kenya William RutoJuly 11th he fired most of the ministersof his government with a promise to form a new, more effective one, in response to three weeks of protests, led mostly by young people, that have rocked the country, starting on June 25 when demonstrators stormed Parliament as it was passing a bill that would have raised taxes on its citizens to improve Kenya’s finances.
Sierra Leone, a law against early marriages
In early July, Sierra Leone’s president, Julius Maada Biohas promulgated a law that prohibits early marriageswhere thousands of girls get married before they turn 18: 800 thousand, for Unicefthe minors who got married in 2020, a third of all those in the West African country. According to the new law, those who, in addition to the husband, participate in the organization of the wedding, such as parents or guests, must also be punished.
India, a massacre of the faithful
“People started falling on each other. Those who were crushed died,” a witness told the news agency Press Trust of India about the religious meeting during which at least 100 people died 121 people and 80 were injuredIt happened to Hathrasin the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is not yet clear what triggered the panic among the thousands of devotees who had gathered to listen to the preacher’s speech Bhole Baba.
Source: lespresso.it
