STRASBOURG, France: Lawmakers at the European Parliament on Thursday re-elected Ursula von der Leyen to a second 5-year term as president of the European Union’s executive commission, giving her a comfortable majority and heading off a possible leadership vacuum.
Von der Leyen raised both fists in victory as the Parliament President Roberta Metsola read out the result at the legislature.
“5 more years. I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for the trust of all MEPs that voted for me,” she said on the social media platform X.
The re-election ensures leadership continuity for the 27-nation bloc as it wrestles with crises ranging from the war in Ukraine to climate change, migration and housing shortages.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was quick to send his congratulations on X, calling von der Leyen’s re-election “a clear sign of our ability to act in the European Union, especially in difficult times. Europeans expect us to take Europe forward. Let’s do it!”
A majority in the 720-seat legislature voted for the German Christian Democrat after a speech in which she pledged to be a strong leader for Europe in a time of crisis and polarization.
Von der Leyen gained 401 of the 707 votes cast. There were 284 votes against her candidacy, 15 abstentions and seven void ballots.
The secret ballot came hot on the heels of strong gains by the far right in last month’s election for the European Parliament.
“I will never let the extreme polarization of our societies become accepted. I will never accept that demagogues and extremists destroy our European way of life. And I stand here today ready to lead the fight with all the Democratic forces in this house,” von der Leyen said in her final pitch.
If lawmakers had rejected her candidacy, it would leave leaders of the 27-nation bloc scrambling to find a replacement as Europe grapples with crises ranging from the war in Ukraine to climate change. Instead, the continent now has an experienced pair of hands at the helm.
In a speech that sought to shore up support from across the political spectrum, von der Leyen pledged to strengthen the EU economy, its police and border agencies, tackle migration and pursue policies tackling climate change while also helping farmers who have staged protests against what they call stifling EU bureaucracy and environmental rules.
She also vowed to tackle housing shortages across Europe and said she would appoint a commissioner for the Mediterranean region due to the multiple challenges it faces.
She also took a swipe at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his recent visit to Russia shortly after his country took over the rotating six-month EU presidency.
“This so-called peace mission was nothing but an appeasement mission,” von der Leyen said as she vowed that Europe would remain shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine.
One radical right lawmaker, Diana Iovanovici-Sosoaca of Romania, was escorted out of the parliament’s chamber for heckling a speaker during the debate following von der Leyen’s speech. Iovanovici-Sosoaca briefly wore what appeared to be a muzzle and held up religious icons before being led out of the room.
Over the past five years, von der Leyen has steered the bloc through a series of crises, including Britain’s exit from the EU, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She has also pushed a Green Deal aiming to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050.
Von der Leyen’s election came as newly elected UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was welcoming some 45 heads of government to discuss migration, energy security and the threat from Russia as he seeks to restore relations between the UK and its European neighbors.
EU leaders signed off on the conservative German von der Leyen at a summit meeting late last month. The 65-year-old von der Leyen’s bid was boosted when the European People’s Party, which includes von der Leyen’s Christian Democratic Union, remained the largest group at the EU Parliament after the elections.
The German politician has been praised for her leading role during the coronavirus crisis, when the EU bought vaccines collectively for its citizens. But she also found herself receiving sharp criticism for the opacity of the negotiations with vaccine makers.
The EU general court ruled Wednesday that the commission did not allow the public enough access to information about COVID-19 vaccine purchase agreements it secured with pharmaceutical companies during the pandemic.
Before voting got underway, a majority of lawmakers rejected a motion from a leftist bloc in parliament calling for the election to be delayed until September in light of the court ruling.
Following the elections for EU Parliament, European Union leaders agreed on the officials who will hold the key positions in the world’s biggest trading bloc in the coming years for issues ranging from antitrust investigations to foreign policy. At the side of von der Leyen will be two new faces: Antonio Costa of Portugal as European Council president and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas as the top diplomat of the world’s largest trading bloc.
While Costa’s nomination only needed the leaders’ approval, Kallas will also need to be approved by European lawmakers later this year. The Estonian prime minister is a staunch supporter of Ukraine and a fierce critic of Russia within the European Union and NATO.
Ursula von der Leyen re-elected to a second 5-year term as European Commission president
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Ursula von der Leyen re-elected to a second 5-year term as European Commission president
US Supreme Court sides with Trump in South Sudan deportation fight
- Trump administration has sought to deport 8 migrants to unstable South Sudan
- District judge had said the deportation attempt violated his injunction
WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court again sided with President Donald Trump’s administration in a legal fight over deporting migrants to countries other than their own, lifting on Thursday limits a judge had imposed to protect eight men who the government sought to send to politically unstable South Sudan.
The court on June 23 put on hold Boston-based US District Judge Brian Murphy’s April 18 injunction requiring migrants set for removal to so-called “third countries” where they have no ties to get a chance to tell officials they are at risk of torture there, while a legal challenge plays out.
The court on Thursday granted a Justice Department request to clarify that its June 23 decision also extended to Murphy’s separate May 21 ruling that the administration had violated his injunction in attempting to send a group of migrants to South Sudan. The US State Department has urged Americans to avoid the African nation “due to crime, kidnapping and armed conflict.”
Two liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented from the decision.
The court said that Murphy should now “cease enforcing the April 18 injunction through the May 21 remedial order.”
Murphy’s May 21 order mandating further procedures for the South Sudan-destined migrants prompted the US government to keep the migrants at a military base in Djibouti. Murphy also clarified at the time that non-US citizens must be given at least 10 days to raise a claim that they fear for their safety.
After the Supreme Court lifted Murphy’s April injunction on June 23, the judge promptly ruled that his May 21 order “remains in full force and effect.” Calling that ruling by the judge a “lawless act of defiance,” the Justice Department the next day urged the Supreme Court to clarify that its action applied to Murphy’s May 21 decision as well.
Murphy’s ruling, the Justice Department said in court filings, has stalled its “lawful attempts to finalize the long-delayed removal of those aliens to South Sudan,” and disrupted diplomatic relations. Its agents are being “forced to house dangerous criminal aliens at a military base in the Horn of Africa that now lies on the borders of a regional conflict,” it added.
Even as it accused the judge of defying the Supreme Court, the administration itself has been accused of violating judicial orders including in the third-country deportation litigation.
The administration has said its third-country policy is critical for removing migrants who commit crimes because their countries of origin are often unwilling to take them back. The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority. Its three liberal members dissented from the June 23 decision pausing Murphy’s injunction, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor calling it a “gross abuse” of the court’s power that now exposes “thousands to the risk of torture or death.”
After the Department of Homeland Security moved in February to step up rapid deportations to third countries, immigrant rights groups filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of a group of migrants seeking to prevent their removal to such places without notice and a chance to assert the harms they could face.
In March, the administration issued guidance providing that if a third country has given credible diplomatic assurance that it will not persecute or torture migrants, individuals may be deported there “without the need for further procedures.”
Murphy found that the administration’s policy of “executing third-country removals without providing notice and a meaningful opportunity to present fear-based claims” likely violates due process requirements under the US Constitution. Due process generally requires the government to provide notice and an opportunity for a hearing before taking certain adverse actions.
The Justice Department on Tuesday noted in a filing that the administration has received credible diplomatic assurances from South Sudan that the aliens at issue will not be subject to torture.”
The Supreme Court has let Trump implement some contentious immigration policies while the fight over their legality continues to play out. In two decisions in May, it let Trump end humanitarian programs for hundreds of thousands of migrants to live and work in the United States temporarily. The justices, however, faulted the administration’s treatment of some migrants as inadequate under constitutional due process protections.
Explosive drone intercepted near Irbil airport in northern Iraq, security statement says
- The “Flight operations at the airport continued normally,” the Irbil airport authority said
IRBIL, Iraq: An explosive drone was shot down near Irbil airport in northern Iraq on Thursday, the Iraqi Kurdistan’s counter-terrorism service said in a statement.
There were no casualties reported, according to two security sources.
The “Flight operations at the airport continued normally and the airport was not affected by any damage,” the Irbil airport authority said in a statement.
The incident only caused a temporary delay in the landing of one aircraft, the statement added.
Saudi authorities close 996 establishments over health violations
RIYADH: A total of 5,912 inspections covering 4,307 establishments were carried out across the Kingdom by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority in April and May.
A total of 996 were shut down due to various violations, while 136 were closed for operating without required licenses and for product safety breaches.
Additionally, production lines at 127 establishments were halted and 1,750 types of products were seized.
The initiative is part of the SFDA’s efforts to ensure compliance with approved regulations and to uphold high quality standards.
At one food establishment, inspectors found raw materials of an unknown origin, employees without health certificates, the absence of a tracking system and inadequate measures being taken to prevent cross-contamination. These led to the closure of the business and the implementation of necessary legal measures.
Need for global collaboration to fight drought stressed
- Saudi Arabia, along with partners, launched the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership on the first day of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development
RIYADH: As part of the Kingdom’s efforts to mitigate the impacts of desertification, improve air quality and achieve its sustainable development goals, Saudi Arabia, along with partners, launched the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership on the first day of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development.
Held in Seville, Spain, from June 30 to July 3, the four-day event saw the participation of 70 countries, including attendance by local and international ministers, environmental organizations and financial development entities.
Among the participants was Saudi Deputy Minister for Environment, Water and Agriculture Osama Faqeeha.
Faqeeha, who is also the adviser to the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties Presidency, emphasized the significance of collaborative efforts and innovation to address the escalating threat of climate change that resulted in complicated and devastating environmental issues such as drought.
Faqeeha said: “The Riyadh Drought Resilience Partnership will serve as a global facilitator, a ‘one-stop shop’ for drought resilience, promoting the shift from reactive relief response after drought hits to proactive preparedness.
“We also seek to amplify global resources to save lives and livelihoods around the world.”
The deputy minister said that solutions should be applied through strategies and mechanisms to ensure enhanced resilience in the areas that were mostly affected by drought and climate change globally.
He praised the partnership with the International Drought Resilience Alliance, a global coalition that aims to build resilience against droughts and climate change.
He said it was fundamental to bridging the gap between the political and financial aspects to ensure the achievement of long-term sustainable development objectives.
The discussion highlighted some of the national efforts and strategies for environmental sustainability, including efforts by the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Islamic Development Bank and the CAF Development Bank of Latin America.
Russian shelling kills five in and near eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk
- Two people had been killed in Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub
KYIV: Russian shelling killed five people on Thursday in and near the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, the regional governor said, a key target under Russian attack for months.
Vadym Filashkin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said two people had been killed in Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub, where local authorities have been urging residents to evacuate.
Two died in Bylitske, northwest of Pokrovsk, and another in Illinivka, between Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk, another frequent target in Russia’s slow westward advance through Donetsk region.
