BRUSSELS: EU leaders face difficult talks this week on the thorny issues of how to plug holes in the post-Brexit budget and choose a successor for European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.
A special one-day summit in Brussels on Friday of the 27 leaders without Britain is meant to be a key step in the roadmap to a leaner and more unified bloc after Britain leaves in just over a year.
But cracks have already appeared between French President Emmanuel Macron, leading the charge for a reformed Europe, and Juncker with his federalist vision of how top EU officials should be chosen in future.
The row means the EU’s attempts to overcome the shock of losing a major member are running into the classic problems that have bedevilled it for its six decades of existence: money and sovereignty.
Juncker was picked after European elections in 2014 by a controversial “Spitzenkandidat” system — German for “lead candidate” — under which the political group with the most votes gets to nominate its candidate for the job.
Both the European Parliament and Juncker back a repeat after the May 2019 European election, saying it gives the public a direct say in who heads the commission, the EU’s powerful executive arm.
European Council President Donald Tusk — who coordinates summits and represents the EU member states — is expected to lay out options at the summit, including whether to continue with the Spitzenkandidat system.
Leaders are expected to say it is their own “right and obligation” to choose the commission chief, while “taking into account” the views of parliament, as the EU treaties state, an EU source told AFP.
Many national leaders are bitterly opposed to the Spitzenkandidat process, saying it sidelines democratically elected heads of government in favor of a backroom deal by Brussels-based political parties, and also makes the job of commission chief too political.
Macron this week slammed the Brussels establishment as ideologically incoherent and called for a “political revamp” to give the commission a clear mandate, defined by the national leaders.
Juncker however said earlier this week that the Spitzenkandidat system was “completely logical.” He also called for the commission chief’s job to be merged with Tusk’s.
The row has become particularly fierce after the European Parliament earlier this month dealt Macron a slap by voting against “transnational lists” — which would allow 30 of the 73 seats vacated by Britain to be elected on pan-European tickets, instead of directly to constituencies.
“Why should we have Spitzenkandidaten if we have no transnational list for elections?!” Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel tweeted.
Filling the hole that Brexit leaves in the EU’s multi-year budget from 2020 threatens to open up even deeper divisions — but this time between member states themselves.
Tusk will ask the leaders at the summit whether they want to increase the budget, decrease it or keep it the same, sources said.
EU Budget Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has said that Britain’s exit could leave a hole of as much as between 12 and 15 billion euros ($15-19 billion) and suggested that contributions be increased to between 1.1 percent and 1.2 percent of GDP from the current level of one percent of GDP in the 2014-2020 budget.
The Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Sweden and Finland, all net contributors, are said to be against that idea.
Warnings by Oettinger of cuts on agriculture — a bugbear for France — and “cohesion funds” that benefit poorer eastern European states are also likely to go down badly.
But there is little appetite for suggestions that the EU could try to bring countries like Poland and Hungary into line on issues including the rule of law and migration by making cohesion funds “conditional” on good behavior.
With these tensions in the background it is no surprise that the EU has been stressing the need for unity in Brexit talks with Britain.
Tusk is expected to ask leaders on Friday if they want to push ahead next month with issuing negotiating red lines on a post-Brexit future relationship with Britain.
Uncertainty over Britain’s wishes, and difficulties in negotiations on a post-Brexit transition period, could push that back.
Seeking post-Brexit unity, EU leaders find more fights
Seeking post-Brexit unity, EU leaders find more fights
Zelensky says Ukraine ‘victory plan’ depends on quick decisions by allies
- Ukraine’s top officials agree on need for rapid, domestic weapons production
- Ukraine hopes to double its production of drones if it receives additional financial support from the US
KYIV: Ukraine’s “victory plan” in the war against Russia depends on quick decisions being taken by allies this year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
While seeking for expanded external support, Zelensky said senior Ukrainian officials have agreed in an “emotional” discussion that the country needs to make more weaponry domestically and speed up production.
In a joint press conference with von der Leyen, the Ukrainian leader said his country planned to use a proposed multi-billion dollar European Union loan for air defense, energy and domestic weapons purchases.
Zelensky singled out the importance of US President Joe Biden to the victory plan, which he said the two leaders will discuss when they meet. The Ukrainian leader is traveling to the United States next week.
“Most of the decisions from the plan depend specifically on him (Biden). On other allies too, but there are certain points which depend on the goodwill and support of the United States,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky has provided regular updates on the plan’s preparation but has given few clues to the contents, indicating only that it aims to create terms acceptable to Ukraine after more than 2-1/2 years of war following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“The entire plan is predicated upon quick decisions from our partners. The plan is predicated upon decisions which should take place from October to December, and not delaying these processes,” he told the press conference alongside von der Leyen.
Zelensky said in his nightly video address that he was counting on Biden’s support for the plan, intended not only to bring peace but also strengthen his country.
“Ukraine is counting very much on this support,” he said. “And this is fair. Because when one nation wins the battle for its independence and adherence to international law, the whole world wins.”
Domestic weapons
Zelensky said munitions production was the focus of a meeting with senior officials, including his defense and foreign ministers and top military commanders.
“We discussed the issue of drone production and providing drones to all elements of the defense and security forces in great detail, even emotionally,” he said in his nightly video address.
“We also talked today about the production of missiles, electronic warfare systems and cooperation with partners...The main thing is not just to have contracts and funding for them but also the speed of actual production and real supply.”
Zelensky issues almost daily appeals for Ukraine’s Western allies to provide more military assistance, mainly long-range weapons and air defense systems, but has also focused on stepping up domestic production.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has spurred drone production by both sides.
Zelensky said late last year that Ukraine aimed to produce a million drones in 2024 and a Ukrainian minister said in March that it could double that rate if it received additional financial support from the United States.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow was boosting production by around 10 times to nearly 1.4 million this year.
US hedge fund executive sent on leave of absence for post celebrating Gaza catastrophe
- Hedge fund Neuberger Berman said manager Steven Eisman did not speak on its behalf and called his actions “objectionable”
- Eisman profited from the 2007 crisis in the US subprime mortgage market, which turned into a global financial crisis, by shorting the stocks of American banks
WASHINGTON: Hedge fund manager Steven Eisman, known for a big winning bet against the US housing market dramatized in the movie “The Big Short,” was put on leave by his firm on Friday after he said on social media he was celebrating devastation in the Gaza Strip.
His firm, Neuberger Berman, said Eisman did not speak on its behalf and called his actions “objectionable.” More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s nearly year-old war in the enclave, the Gaza health ministry has said.
An X user posted that the world was silent about war-ravaged Gaza. Eisman responded: “You must be kidding. We are not silent. We are celebrating.” His account has since been deleted.
Eisman could not immediately be contacted. In comments cited by media reports, he apologized for his remarks and said he had intended to refer to Israel’s attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
A Neuberger Berman spokesperson distanced the firm from Eisman’s comments.
“Even though Mr. Eisman has acknowledged that he mistook the content of the post he responded to, his actions on social media were irresponsible and objectionable,” the company spokesperson added. Eisman joined the firm in 2014.
Eisman profited from the 2007 crisis in the US subprime mortgage market, which turned into a global financial crisis, by shorting the stocks of American banks. The episode was the basis for the 2015 film “The Big Short.”
Human rights advocates have warned about rising dehumanization of Arabs, Muslims and Jews amid Israel’s war in Gaza which has displaced nearly Gaza’s entire 2.3 million population, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies.
Israel’s actions followed an attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which governs Gaza, on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 were killed and about 250 were taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. It sparked the latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Acting Secret Service chief details a list of failures uncovered during a review of the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump at a rally in July
- Trump has sought political advantage by blaming — without evidence — Biden and Democratic election rival Kamala Harris for fueling motivation behind the plots
WASHINGTON: The US Secret Service on Friday detailed a litany of failures uncovered by its review of the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump at a rally in July.
Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to open fire from a nearby rooftop at the outdoor event held by Republican election candidate Trump, who narrowly escaped death and suffered a wound to his right ear.
The review “identified deficiencies in the advanced planning and its implementation,” Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said at a press briefing.
“While some members of the advance team were very diligent, there was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols.”
Among the failures identified by Rowe were poor communication with local law enforcement, an “over-reliance” on mobile devices “resulting in information being siloed” and line of sight issues, which “were acknowledged but not properly mitigated.”
“At approximately 18:10 local time, by a phone call, the Secret Service security room calls the countersniper response agent reporting an individual on the roof of the AGR building,” Rowe recounted.
“That vital piece of information was not relayed over the Secret Service radio network.”
Two attendees of the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania were injured from gunfire and a third, 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, died as a result.
Crooks was shot dead on the roof by Secret Service personnel.
Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the aftermath of the dramatic incident, and several Secret Service agents have been put on leave.
Rowe said the Secret Service needed additional funding, personnel and equipment to complete a “paradigm shift...from a state of reaction to a state of readiness.”
The Congressional task force investigating the attempted assassination of Trump issued a statement Friday encouraging Rowe to “follow through” on holding employees accountable and to cooperate with its independent investigation.
“Complacency has no place in the Secret Service,” the task force said.
The US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill Friday to boost Secret Service protection for presidential candidates to the same level as sitting presidents and vice presidents.
The bill now awaits a vote in the Senate and a signature by President Joe Biden before it becomes law.
Rowe said that Trump is now being given the same levels of protection as the president.
The increased demand for security came into sharp focus again after a second apparent assassination attempt on Trump’s life at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida last weekend.
“What occurred on Sunday demonstrates that the threat environment in which the Secret Service operates is tremendous,” Rowe said.
The gunman in Florida did not have a line of sight on the former president and failed to fire a shot before he was discovered and arrested, officials say.
Trump has sought political advantage by blaming — without evidence — Biden and Democratic election rival Kamala Harris for fueling motivation behind the plots, citing their “rhetoric” about him endangering democracy.
Both Biden and Harris have repeatedly denounced the assassination bids and any political violence, with Biden calling for Congress to provide more resources for the Secret Service.
Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
MADISON, US: Kamala Harris on Friday attacked Republican rival Donald Trump and his party as “hypocrites” over abortion, as the first voters cast their ballots for November’s knife-edge US election.
The Democrat unleashed one of the most forceful speeches of her campaign so far as she blamed Trump for an abortion ban in the battleground state of Georgia that she said had caused the deaths of two women.
“And these hypocrites want to start talking about how this is in the best interest of women and children,” the vice president told a rally in Atlanta, Georgia to cheers from a mainly female audience.
“Well, where have you been? Where have you been when it comes to taking care of the women and children of America, where have you been? How dare they.”
Since replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket two months ago, Harris has repeatedly focused on what she calls “Trump abortion bans.”
Trump has frequently bragged on the campaign trail that his three Supreme Court picks paved the way for the 2022 overturning of the national right to abortion.
At least 20 states have since brought in full or partial restrictions, with Georgia banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Harris doubled down on the issue later Friday at a raucous rally in Madison, a liberal-leaning city in swing state Wisconsin where she slammed the bans as “immoral.”
“This is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect.”
In both speeches Harris mentioned Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28-year-old mother-of-one from Georgia who developed a rare complication from abortion pills and died during emergency surgery in 2022.
An official Georgia state committee blamed the fatal outcome on a “preventable” lag in performing a critical procedure.
“We will make sure Amber is not just remembered as a statistic,” Harris said in Atlanta, a day after meeting Thurman’s family during a campaign event hosted by talkshow icon Oprah Winfrey.
Harris’s campaign speeches came as three states — Virginia, Minnesota and South Dakota — began early voting 46 days before election day in what is an agonizingly close race.
“The election is basically here,” she told Madison rallygoers. “It’s basically here and we have work to do, to energize, to organize and to mobilize.”
Former president Trump has previously cast doubt on early voting and mail voting to back his false claims that he won the 2020 election against Biden.
Most US states permit in-person voting or mail-in voting to allow people to deal with scheduling conflicts or an inability to cast their ballots on election day itself, November 5.
Dozens of people waited at a polling station in the center of Arlington, Virginia, just outside the capital Washington.
“I’m excited,” said Michelle Kilkenny, 55, adding that voting early, “especially on day one, helps the campaign and raises the enthusiasm level.”
Ann Spiker, 71, told AFP she usually cast her ballot by mail “but I’m going to vote today because it’s so exciting.”
The Democratic supporter added: “I can’t believe we can pick Donald Trump, when I think about it I become very worried. That’s why we’re out and doing what we can.”
Trump, 78, faces criminal charges for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 result, after which his supporters violently stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Every vote will count in the race, whose result Trump has once again refused to say he will accept.
Harris, 59, has erased Trump’s lead since sensationally replacing Biden as the Democratic candidate in July, pulling neck-and-neck with the Republican.
The result is expected to hinge on just seven crucial swing states, including Georgia and Wisconsin.
Trump however sought to lay the blame for any potential loss at the door of Jewish American voters, sparking outrage on Friday.
“If I don’t win this election... in my opinion the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss,” Trump told an anti-Semitism event on Thursday, repeating his grievance that Jewish voters have historically leaned toward the Democrats.
The White House slammed his comments.
“It is abhorrent to traffic in dangerous tropes or engage in scapegoating at any time — let alone now, when all leaders have an obligation to fight back against the tragic worldwide rise in anti-Semitism,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.
US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib condemns cartoon showing her with exploding pager
- Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave, and created a humanitarian crisis
WASHINGTON: Palestinian American US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib on Friday condemned as racist a cartoon published in the conservative magazine National Review showing her with an exploding pager — a reference to an attack this week against members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Our community is already in so much pain right now. This racism will incite more hate + violence against our Arab & Muslim communities, and it makes everyone less safe. It’s disgraceful that the media continues to normalize this racism,” Tlaib wrote on the social media platform X.
Tlaib, a Democrat who represents a district from Michigan in the US House of Representatives, is the lone Palestinian American lawmaker in the US Congress. The Muslim American advocacy group Emgage Action, Democratic US House members Cory Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, some local officials in Michigan and human rights groups also criticized the cartoon.
National Review did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The cartoon, published on Thursday, showed a woman sitting next to an exploding pager. The woman’s desk in the cartoon had a name card saying “Rep. Tlaib” while the woman herself is shown saying: “ODD. MY PAGER JUST EXPLODED.”
The cartoon was created by Henry Payne, a Detroit News auto critic. Payne’s X account titled the cartoon as “Tlaib Pager Hamas.” The Detroit News said it was not involved in its creation and distribution, and chose not to run it.
Thousands of pagers used by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon exploded on Tuesday. That was followed a day later by the explosion of hand-held radios in Lebanon, with dozens killed and thousands wounded in the incidents. Security sources have said Israel was responsible. Israel did not take responsibility.
Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave, and created a humanitarian crisis. Israel’s assault followed an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people and in which about 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Tlaib has been a fierce critic of Israel’s actions in the war and American support for the longtime US ally.
Human rights advocates have cited rising dehumanization of Arabs, Muslims and Jews amid the war.
