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Global leaders condemn assassination attempt on Trump, Pakistan calls it ‘shocking development’

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump reacts following an assassination attempt at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 15 July 2024
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Global leaders condemn assassination attempt on Trump, Pakistan calls it ‘shocking development’

  • Assassination attempt targeting former US president left one attendee dead and critically injured two others
  • Secret Service said it killed suspected shooter who attacked from an elevated position outside rally value
Updated 15 July 2024
AP

Global leaders expressed concern Sunday over an assassination attempt targeting former US President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania that left one attendee dead and critically injured two others.

Trump’s campaign said the presumptive Republican nominee was doing “fine” after being whisked off the stage though the shooting pierced the upper part of his right ear.

The Secret Service said it killed the suspected shooter who attacked from an elevated position outside the rally venue.

US authorities are still investigating the shooting.
Argentina
Argentina’s President Javier Milei said Trump was the “victim of a cowardly assassination attempt that put his life and that of hundreds of people at risk.”

In a post on X, Milei also said the apparent assassination attempt highlighted the “desperation of the international left” and its “willingness to destabilize democracies and promote violence to screw itself into power.”

Australia
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the “inexcusable attack” on the United States and Australia’s shared democratic values.

“In Australia, as in the United States, the essence and the purpose of our democracies is that we can express our views, debate our disagreements and resolve our differences peacefully,” Albanese told reporters in the Australian Parliament House.

Brazil
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, called the incident unacceptable on X and said the attack must be “strongly repudiated” by all democracy defenders.

His predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who is a close Trump ally, relayed his solidarity with “the world’s greatest leader of the moment.” Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen at a campaign event ahead of the 2018 presidential election, which he went on to win.

Trump, he told reporters, was saved by a matter of a few centimeters. “This — to understand — is something that comes from above,” he added.

Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with former President Trump on Sunday.

“The Prime Minister condemned yesterday’s appalling assassination attempt and reiterated there’s no place for political violence,” Trudeau’s office said in a statement. “The Prime Minister wished the former President well and offered condolences to the shooting victims and to the family of Corey Comperatore.”

China

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that China is concerned about the attack and President Xi Jinping has already extended his sympathies to Trump.

Egypt

Egyptian President Abdelfattah El El-Sisi stressed his country’s condemnation of the attack in a statement and wished for the US election campaigns to resume peacefully.

France

French President Emmanuel Macron sent his wishes to Trump for a prompt recovery. “It is a drama for our democracies. France shares the indignation of the American people,” he posted on X.

Germany

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted on X saying the attack was “despicable” and such violent acts threaten democracy. “My compassionate thoughts are also with the other people who were hurt in the attack,” he said.
Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his thoughts and prayers were with Trump “in these dark hours” on X.

India

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, said he was deeply concerned by “the attack on my friend.”

“Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies,” he wrote on X.
Iraq

Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, condemned the attack “in the strongest terms,” saying on X his thoughts are with the victims of “this senseless act of terrorism.”

Israel

At the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he watched “in horror,” adding that the attack was also an “assassination attempt on American democracy.”

He said everyone in Israel was sending Trump wishes for “a quick recovery and return to full strength.”

Italy

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said in a statement the attack was a cause for serious alarm and “a disconcerting symptom of the deterioration of the civil fabric and of the dangerous refusal of confrontation, dialogue and respect for democratic life.”

Meanwhile, Premier Giorgia Meloni wished Trump a quick recovery.

Japan

“We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on X.

Mexico

Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, denounced the attack on X and said “violence is irrational and inhumane.”

Pakistan

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the shooting a “shocking development.” He said he condemned all violence in politics and wished the former president a swift recovery and good health.

And imprisoned Pakistani opposition leader and former prime minister Imran Khan, who was shot and injured at a rally in November 2022, wished Trump a full recovery. “Political violence is a tool of cowards and has no place in a democracy,” he said on X.

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans at present to call Trump, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“We do not at all think or believe that the attempt to eliminate presidential candidate Trump was organized by the current government, but the atmosphere that this administration created during the political struggle, the atmosphere around candidate Trump provoked what America is faced with today,” he added.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said earlier Sunday on her Telegram channel that American lawmakers should employ the money they use to supply weapons to Ukraine “to finance the American police and other services which should ensure law and order within the United States.”

South Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wrote on X that the attempted assassination of Trump “is a stark reminder of the dangers of political extremism and intolerance.”

Ramaphosa also voiced his hope that “the citizens and leaders of America will have the fortitude and sagacity to reject violence and seek peaceful solutions.”

Slovakia

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who survived an assassination attempt in May, condemned the shooting in a Facebook post. He drew direct parallels between the two incidents, suggesting the attack on Trump was the result of a campaign by his political opponents.

Taiwan

Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, said on X his thoughts and prayers are with Trump, adding that political violence of any form is never acceptable “in our democracies.”

Turkiye

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the shooting on X, offering his good wishes to Trump, his family and supporters.

He said he believed “the investigation into the attack will be conducted effectively” so as not to undermine the US elections.

The European Commission

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X she was deeply shocked by the shooting, adding that political violence has no place in democracy.

Ukraine

Also on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was appalled to learn about the shooting, saying such violence has no justification. He added he was relieved to learn that Trump is safe.

Zelensky extended his wishes for strength to everyone who was horrified by the event.

United Arab Emirates

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack on Trump, describing it as “a criminal and extremist act.”

United Kingdom

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X that he was appalled by the “shocking scenes,” and sent his best wishes to Trump and his family.

“Political violence in any form has no place in our societies,” he said.

British lawmaker Nigel Farage, a friend of Trump’s, sought to pin much of the blame on the “mainstream media” that he claimed opposed the former president. He told the BBC that it was a “horrendous” incident but somehow he was not shocked by it.

Vatican

In a statement, the Vatican expressed its concern over “last night’s episode of violence, which hurts people and democracy, causing suffering and death.” Pope Francis didn’t mention the apparent assassination attempt in his weekly prayers earlier.

Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned the attack during a campaign event in the town of Guacara. “We have been adversaries, but I wish President Trump health and long life, and I repudiate the attack,” Maduro added.

Topics: Trump Pakistan Donald Trump Assassination attempt on trump Arab News Pakistan

Kremlin: Russia may need to act to respond to EU ‘militarization’ plans to ensure its own security

Updated 4 sec ago
Reuters
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Kremlin: Russia may need to act to respond to EU ‘militarization’ plans to ensure its own security

  • ‘We see that the European Union is now actively discussing the militarization of the EU and the development of the defense segment’
  • ‘This is a process that we are watching closely, because the EU is positioning Russia as its main adversary’
Updated 4 sec ago
Reuters
MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia may need to act to respond to what it called European Union plans to militarize the bloc that cast Russia as its main adversary.
European leaders on Thursday backed plans to spend more on defense and continue to stand by Ukraine in a world upended by Donald Trump’s reversal of US policies.
“We see that the European Union is now actively discussing the militarization of the EU and the development of the defense segment. This is a process that we are watching closely, because the EU is positioning Russia as its main adversary,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“This, of course, could potentially be a topic of deep concern for us and there could be a need to take appropriate measures in response to ensure our security.
“And, of course, such confrontational rhetoric and confrontational thinking that we are now seeing in Brussels and in European capitals is, seriously at odds with the mood for finding a peaceful settlement around Ukraine.”

Zelensky to visit South Africa on April 10: presidency

Updated 7 min 16 sec ago
AFP
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Zelensky to visit South Africa on April 10: presidency

  • South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last week invited Volodymyr Zelensky on a state visit
  • Zelensky thanked Ramaphosa for supporting ‘Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity’
Updated 7 min 16 sec ago
AFP

JOHANNESBURG: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit South Africa next month, the African country’s presidency announced Friday.
“President Zelensky will be visiting South Africa on the 10th of April,” presidency spokesman Vincent Magwenya said.
The visit “is a continuation of ongoing engagements” on “an inclusive peace process” between Russia and Ukraine, he said.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last week invited Zelensky on a state visit, after heavy criticism of moves by Russia and the United States to negotiate an end to the war through a process to which neither Ukraine nor its European allies were invited.
“South Africa remains committed to supporting the dialogue process between Russia and Ukraine,” Ramaphosa said in a post on X.
The two leaders have a “constructive engagement” and agree on “the urgent need for an inclusive peace process that involves all parties,” Ramaphosa said.
Zelensky thanked Ramaphosa for supporting “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and said he hoped for peace this year.
“It is important that our countries share the same position: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Zelensky said on X last week.

Topics: Ukraine South Africa Volodymyr Zelensky Cyril Ramaphosa

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Impeached South Korea president still in detention despite court order

Updated 07 March 2025
AFP
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Impeached South Korea president still in detention despite court order

  • Impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol’s lawyers filed a request to cancel his arrest warrant last month
  • They argued his detention was unlawful because the prosecution had waited too long to indict him
Updated 07 March 2025
AFP

SEOUL: A South Korean court canceled the arrest warrant of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, but he remains behind bars with the prosecution likely to appeal.
Yoon’s lawyers filed a request to cancel his arrest warrant last month, arguing his detention was unlawful because the prosecution had waited too long to indict him.
“It is reasonable to conclude that the indictment was filed after the defendant’s detention period had expired,” said a document from the Seoul Central District Court.
“To ensure procedural clarity and eliminate any doubts regarding the legality of the investigative process, it would be appropriate to issue a decision to cancel the detention,” the court added.
The president was impeached and detained for his December 3 declaration of martial law.
But his lawyers said the cancelation of his arrest does not necessarily mean that he will be released straight away.
“Even if the court decides to cancel the detention, the defendant is not immediately released,” Yoon’s lawyer, Seok Dong-hyeon, said Friday.
“The defendant will be released only if the prosecutor waives the right to appeal, or does not file an appeal within the prescribed period.”
Prosecutors did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
The opposition Democratic Party slammed the court decision.
“The prosecution must immediately appeal, to ensure a ruling that aligns with the public’s sense of justice,” said opposition party floor leader Park Chan-dae.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, plunged democratic South Korea into turmoil in December by briefly suspending civilian rule and sending soldiers into parliament.
He has been charged with insurrection for his martial law declaration, which lawmakers voted down within hours before impeaching him.
The 64-year-old resisted arrest for two weeks, in a tense standoff between his security team and investigators at his official residence in Seoul. He was finally taken into custody on January 15.
He also faces an impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, which will determine whether his removal from office is upheld.
The hearings for that case wrapped up last week, with the court’s eight judges to decide Yoon’s fate behind closed doors. A verdict is expected in mid-March.
South Korea must hold a fresh presidential election within 60 days if Yoon is removed.
Lawmakers at Yoon’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) hailed the court’s decision Friday.
“Although overdue, this is a very welcome decision,” said MP Kwon Young-se.
“The arrest itself raised numerous concerns, when considering the investigative process that led to it,” said Kwon.
“This is a crucial moment that reaffirms the rule of law and justice in South Korea,” he added.
Overjoyed supporters quickly gathered in front of Yoon’s house, waving Korean and US flags.
AFP reporters also saw at least 100 supporters in front of the detention center where Yoon is being held, chanting “dismiss the impeachment” and “for the president we voted.”
The court decision on Yoon’s detention is “entirely unrelated” to the ongoing impeachment trial, the opposition party spokesperson Han Min-soo said.
Friday’s ruling “will not affect the proceedings” regarding Yoon’s formal removal from office by the Constitutional Court, Han added.
Much of the impeachment trial has centered on whether Yoon violated the constitution by declaring martial law, which is reserved for national emergencies or times of war.
The opposition has accused him of taking the extraordinary measure without proper justification.
Yoon’s lawyers have said he declared martial law to alert the country to the dangers of “legislative dictatorship” by the opposition.

Topics: South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol

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Gisele Pelicot’s daughter says has filed sex abuse case against father

Updated 07 March 2025
AFP
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Gisele Pelicot’s daughter says has filed sex abuse case against father

  • The daughter of convicted French rapist Dominique Pelicot said Thursday she had filed a complaint against her father accusing him of sexual abuse
Updated 07 March 2025
AFP

PARIS: The daughter of convicted French rapist Dominique Pelicot said Thursday she had filed a complaint against her father accusing him of sexual abuse, after he was jailed for repeatedly sedating and raping her mother Gisele Pelicot along with dozens of strangers.
Caroline Darian, whose parents are now divorced, filed the complaint on Wednesday, accusing Dominique Pelicot of drugging her and committing “sexual abuse” against her, she told AFP in an interview.
She said she took legal action as a “message to all victims” of sexual abuse who were drugged not to give up.
Darian has said she suspects Dominique Pelicot abused her too after pictures of her naked and unconscious body were found among the detailed records he kept of his crimes.
Dominique Pelicot, 72, has always denied he abused his daughter.
“Yes, he denied it, but he also lied several times and gave different versions of the story during the two and a half years of the investigation,” Darian said.
Gisele Pelicot, 72, last year became a feminist icon for her courage during trial of her former husband for mass rape while they were married.
She had insisted that the trial be held in public and waived her right to anonymity.
A court in southern France in December sentenced him to 20 years for drugging and raping her and inviting dozens of men to do the same for almost a decade.
His 50 co-defendants were also found guilty and handed various sentences of between three and 15 years.
“We clearly saw in court that at no time was Dominique capable of telling the whole truth about what happened,” Darian added.
Darian has campaigned for awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse, and in 2022 wrote a book about the family’s ordeal, “Et j’ai cesse de t’appeler papa” (“And I stopped calling you dad“).
Her new book about victims of sexual abuse, titled “For us to remember” (“Pour que l’on se souvienne“), hit bookstands on Wednesday.


In the latest book, she recalls her time in court at her father’s trial, describing it as “the worst experience of my life” and her feeling of having been “the person who was most forgotten at the trial.”
She says that since the trial she has been plunged into “abyssal void” and a “feeling of injustice” which “crushes” her. She wants more than ever to be a voice for the victims who are sexually abused after being drugged, she writes.
“Rebuilding requires recognition of my status as a victim,” she told AFP, adding: “I know that the road is still long.”
Beyond “my personal case,” the complaint filed this week represents “a message sent to all victims,” she said.
“It is important for me to convey this message so that other victims” of chemical sedation can “tell themselves that there are things to do, there are remedies, and we must never give up.”
She has stepped up her public activities since the trial, notably through an NGO she has set up called M’endors pas (Don’t fall asleep).
“It’s a fight that requires a lot of time, brainpower and a certain form of mental load, but it’s really worth it,” she told AFP.
“Things are moving and I want to believe that this will allow us to set up real initiatives and real avenues for improvement to support victims who really need it.”

Topics: Gisele Pelicot

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Australians told ‘prepare for worst’ as tropical cyclone nears

Updated 07 March 2025
AFP
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Australians told ‘prepare for worst’ as tropical cyclone nears

  • Some four million people in the firing line along a 400-kilometer stretch of coastline straddling the state border of Queensland and New South Wales
  • It is a region rarely troubled by typhoons – it has been more than 50 years since a tropical cyclone made landfall in that stretch of coast
Updated 07 March 2025
AFP

GOLD COAST, Australia: Violent winds toppled power lines Friday as a tropical cyclone inched toward Australia’s eastern coast, swelling rivers, sparking evacuation orders and leaving 80,000 homes without electricity.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred was 125 kilometers east of Brisbane by Friday afternoon, crawling toward the densely populated coastline at “walking speed,” government forecasts said.
Some four million people were in the firing line along a 400-kilometer (250-mile) stretch of coastline straddling the state border of Queensland and New South Wales.
It is a region rarely troubled by typhoons — it has been more than 50 years since a tropical cyclone made landfall in that stretch of coast.
No deaths have been reported, but police said one man was missing after his four-wheel drive vehicle was swept from a bridge into fast-running river water south of the cyclone.
“The male driver was able to exit the vehicle and secure himself to a tree branch,” New South Wales police said in a statement.
But later, “the man was swept from the tree and seen to go beneath the water where he has not been sighted since.”
Heavy rains associated with the cyclone had already prompted flood warnings in the area.
Around 80,000 homes were left in the dark across the two states as winds uprooted trees and brought down power lines, officials and utility companies said, as repair crews raced to restore electricity.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the storm already “packed a punch,” warning conditions would get worse as it approached land on Saturday morning.
AFP images showed a white yacht blown into the rocks after snapping its moorings at Point Danger on the Gold Coast.
Two people made “a lucky escape” after a large gum tree crashed through the roof of a house in rural Currumbin Valley, the Queensland Ambulance Service said.
Emergency response officials said they had issued evacuation orders for some 10,000 people in the flood-prone northern rivers region of New South Wales.
There was particular concern for the town of Lismore, which was engulfed by record 14-meter (45-feet) floodwaters after heavy rains in 2022.
Many residents have spent the past three days fortifying their homes with sandbags, tying down loose furniture and stocking up on food and water.
“A lot of people are feeling a bit anxious, for sure, because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Paul Farrow from Coolangatta, a coastal suburb better known for its sun-splashed beaches.
“Yeah, we could all lose our houses. Who knows,” the 62-year-old told AFP.
“The pubs might be shut for a week or two. Who knows.”
Farrow said he had stashed a “couple of peaches,” a “couple of cartons of beer,” and “a bag of grapes” to get him through.
“So I’ll be right,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the region should “hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”
“When nature does its worst, Australians are at our best. We rally. We lift each other up. We look out for our neighbors,” he told reporters.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred would likely cross the coast on Saturday, the Bureau of Meteorology said, although its path has proven increasingly difficult to track.
It was forecast to make landfall somewhere north of Brisbane.
Drenching rains, “destructive” wind gusts, and “abnormally high tides” would pummel the coast as it crept nearer, the bureau said.
More than 900 schools across Queensland state and neighboring parts of northern New South Wales were closed on Friday, education department officials said.
While cyclones are common in the warm tropical waters lapping Australia’s northern flank, it is rarer for them to form in cooler waters further south.
Alfred would be the first to make landfall in that part of Australia since 1974, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Researchers have repeatedly warned that climate change amplifies the risk of natural disasters such as bushfires, floods and cyclones.

Topics: weather Australia

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