MUMBAI: Thousands of women marched across several Indian cities overnight and Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for strict punishment for crimes against women, as outrage and protests against the rape and murder of a doctor escalated.
Holding candles and posters that said “reclaim the night,” women held marches across cities, including the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, where the rape and murder of a trainee doctor last week has triggered protests by fellow medics, demanding better and safer working conditions.
Many government hospitals in cities across India suspended all services except emergency departments earlier this week, as junior doctors sat outside in protest, demanding justice for the victim.
The 31-year-old doctor was found dead on Friday. Police said she had been raped and murdered and a police volunteer was subsequently arrested in connection with the crime.
“As a society, we have to think about the atrocities being committed against our mothers, daughters and sisters. There is outrage against this in the country. I can feel this outrage,” Modi said in an address to the nation on its 78th Independence Day on Thursday.
The rape has revived memories of a similar case in New Delhi in 2012, when a gang of men raped and severely injured a 23-year-old student in a moving Delhi bus, leading eventually to her death.
“This horrific incident has once again reminded us that women disproportionately bear the weight of ensuring their own safety,” Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt said in a post on her Instagram page, which has more than 85 million followers.
Doctors in India’s crowded and often squalid government hospitals have long complained of being overworked and underpaid, and say not enough is done to curb violence levelled at them by people angered over the medical care on offer.
Crimes against women in India rose 4 percent in 2022 from the previous year, data from the National Crime Records Bureau, released late last year, showed.
Protests escalate in India over rape of doctor
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Protests escalate in India over rape of doctor
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- Rape and murder of a trainee doctor last week has triggered protests by fellow medics
- Crimes against women in India rose 4 percent in 2022 from the previous year, data show
At least two dead, hundreds stranded in Thailand as floods hit north
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The adverse weather, which comes in the wake of Typhoon Yagi — the most powerful storm in Asia this year, has impacted about 9,000 households in Thailand, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said.
“Water currents are still strong,” she told reporters. “All agencies are prepared and when the current eases, they will go in immediately.”
The impacts of the storm have killed at least 143 people in Vietnam, where it made landfall on Saturday before moving westwards, with floods forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents living near the swelling Red River in the capital Hanoi.
Thailand’s Chiang Mai province experienced flash floods and mudslides, with two deaths recorded, according to its governor.
In the Mai Sai district of neighboring Chiang Rai province, which borders Myanmar, rubber boats were unable to reach some flooded areas where hundreds were stuck and awaiting help, said district chief Narongpol Kid-an.
“Helicopters will be used to evacuate stranded residents and deliver food and water,” he told Reuters.
A resident in the main town in Mae Sai, which has a population of over 28,000, said their group of three people was trapped on the second floor of a building after rising water submerged the lower level.
“We have not eaten anything since yesterday morning,” the resident said, asking not to be named.
“It is still raining heavily in Mae Sai. We hope a rescue team or somebody will come to help us.”
Flash flood sweeps away hamlet as Vietnam storm toll rises to 141 dead
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- Torrent of water buried Lang Nu hamlet with 35 families in mud and debris
- Rescuers have recovered 16 bodies and are continuing the search for about 40 others
HANOI, Vietnam: A flash flood swept away an entire hamlet in northern Vietnam, killing 16 people and leaving dozens missing as deaths from a typhoon and its aftermath climbed to 141 on Wednesday.
Vietnamese state broadcaster VTV said the torrent of water gushing down from a mountain in Lao Cai province Tuesday buried Lang Nu hamlet with 35 families in mud and debris.
Only about a dozen are known so far to have survived. Rescuers have recovered 16 bodies and are continuing the search for about 40 others.
The death toll from Typhoon Yagi and its aftermath has climbed to 141 as 69 others remain missing and hundreds were injured, VTV said.
Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian country in decades. It made landfall Saturday with winds of up to 149 kph (92 mph) and despite weakening on Sunday, downpours have continued and rivers remain dangerously high.
Floods and landslides have caused most of the deaths, many of which have come in the northwestern Lao Cai province, bordering China, where Lang Nu is located.
Anti-war protesters clash with police at Melbourne defense expo
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- Police were pelted with rocks, horse manure and bottles filled with liquid as they tried to protect attendees of the expo
- Two dozen police officers required medical treatment and 33 people had been arrested for offenses
SYDNEY: Anti-war protesters and police clashed outside a defense exhibition in Australia’s second-largest city of Melbourne on Wednesday, with police using sponge grenades, flash-bang devices and irritant sprays to control parts of the hostile crowd.
Police were pelted with rocks, horse manure and bottles filled with liquid as they tried to protect attendees of the expo, some of whom were assaulted by protesters, a Victoria state police spokesperson said in a statement.
Two dozen police officers required medical treatment and 33 people had been arrested for offenses including assaulting, obstructing or hindering police, arson and blocking roads, police said.
“Victoria police is appalled at the behavior of some of the protesters in attendance,” the police spokesperson said.
“Some police have been spat at by protesters, whilst other officers have been sprayed with a liquid irritant, some of which has been identified as acid.”
Protesters lit fires in the street, disrupted traffic and public transport, while missiles were thrown at several police horses but no serious injuries were reported, police said.
About 1,200 people attended the protest outside the venue hosting the biennial Land Forces International Land Defense Exposition, authorities said.
Many chanted pro-Palestine slogans through loud speakers and waving Palestine flags while dumpsters were pushed toward police lines, video showed. One protester climbed on top of a truck that was stopped at traffic lights.
Australian media reported it was the largest police operation in Melbourne since 2000 when Australia’s second-largest city hosted the World Economic Forum.
About 1,000 exhibiting organizations from 31 countries are expected to attend the event through Friday, which the organizers said was Australia’s largest defense expo.
Some attendees were doused in a red liquid by protesters, ABC News reported.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said people had the right to protest but had to do it in a peaceful manner.
“You don’t say you’re opposed to defense equipment by throwing things at police. They’ve got a job to do and our police officers should be respected at all times,” Albanese told Channel Seven.
Key takeaways from the Harris-Trump presidential debate
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- Republican Donald Trump and Democratic VP Kamala Harris clashed over abortion, economy, immigration and Trump’s legal woes
- Harris appeared to get under Trump’s skin with a series of sharp attacks, prompting Trump to deliver stream of falsehood-filled retorts
PHILADELPHIA: Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump met on Tuesday for their first and perhaps only debate, a square-off that could have a significant impact on the Nov. 5 election as polls show a tight race.
Here are takeaways from the debate:
RILING HER RIVAL
Harris made a point to get under Trump’s skin, as her campaign had forecast.
She urged viewers to attend a Trump rally, where she said Trump would say bizarre things such as windmills cause cancer (something he has, in fact, said) and where, she taunted, attendees would leave out of exhaustion and boredom.
Trump, who prides himself on the crowds he draws, was clearly riled.
“My rallies, we have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics,” he said. He accused Harris of busing in attendees to her rallies.
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Trump then falsely claimed that immigrants in the country illegally were killing and eating people’s pets in the city of Springfield, Ohio, an unsubstantiated claim that has circulated on social media and been amplified by Trump’s vice presidential running mate JD Vance.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs! The people that came in, they’re eating the cats!” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
City officials in Springfield have said those reports are untrue, which the ABC moderators pointed out after Trump’s comments.
“Talk about extreme,” Harris responded, laughing.
PLAYING DEFENSE
Another of Harris’ goals, as a former California prosecutor, was to call Trump out for his past actions, particularly his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
An hour into the debate, her strategy appeared to be paying off. Trump was continually on the defensive.
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Asked about the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the US Capitol, he insisted he “had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech.” He also maintained, falsely, that he had won the 2020 election.
Harris used Trump’s actions as an argument for the country to turn the page.
“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people, so let’s be clear about that, and clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that, but we cannot afford to have a president of the United States who attempts as he did in the past to upend the will of the voters in a free and fair election,” Harris said.
The vice president dug at Trump a little more, saying world leaders were “laughing” at him and calling him a disgrace – language that Trump has employed himself at rallies in reference to how he says other countries view President Joe Biden.
A few minutes later, Trump erupted, claiming Harris had received “no votes” in claiming the Democratic nomination and suggesting she replaced Biden as part of some sort of coup.
“He hates her,” Trump said of Biden. “He can’t stand her.”
The exchanges may have aided Harris’ argument that Trump, as she put it, lacks the “temperament” to be president.
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RACIAL DIVIDE
Deep into the debate, the long-simmering topic of race came up. Trump was asked why he had publicly questioned Harris’ dual heritage as a Black and South Asian woman.
“I don’t care what she is,” he responded. “I read that she was Black. Then I read that she was not Black.”
Asked to respond, Harris accused Trump of using race to divide Americans throughout his career. She cited how he and his father turned away Black renters in the 1970s and how Trump led the public outcry against five young Black and Latino men who were wrongly convicted of assaulting a jogger in New York City’s Central Park in 1989.
More recently, he openly questioned whether President Barack Obama was a US citizen, Harris noted.
“I think it’s a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president who has, consistently, over the course of his career, attempted to use race to divide the American people,” she said.
“I think the American people want better than that,” Harris added. “We don’t want a leader who is constantly trying to have Americans point their fingers at each other.”
Instead of trying to defend his record, Trump pivoted back to the economy and tried to pin Biden’s economic policies on Harris. “She’s trying to get away from Biden,” he said.
Harris used the attack to pitch herself again as a change agent.
“Clearly, I am not Joe Biden, and certainly not Donald Trump,” Harris said, “and what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country.”
HANDSHAKE
Heading into the debate, there was a question as to how Harris and Trump, who have never met, would greet each other.
Harris settled the issue, definitively. She walked over to Trump at his podium, extended her hand and introduced herself as “Kamala Harris.”
It was a disarming way for Harris to approach a man who has spent weeks insulting her race and gender.
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SPARRING ON THE ECONOMY
In the debate’s opening minutes, Trump and Harris went to battle on one of the issues that is top of mind for voters: the economy.
Harris detailed the economic policies she has rolled out in recent weeks, which include a substantial tax credit for small start-ups. Trump focused his comments on tariffs, saying he would protect the American economy from unfair foreign competition.
While both sides got their jabs in, Harris got to speak first on a topic where she trails Trump in terms of voter trust. She appeared to force the former president onto his back foot, and Trump essentially played defense on one of his strongest issues.
“She doesn’t have a plan” Trump said, after Harris’ opening comments. “It’s like Run, Spot, Run.”
A SCHISM ON ABORTION
The two candidates also engaged in a fractious debate about abortion, an issue where polls show Harris has the upper hand.
Trump defended the US Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that ended constitutional protection for abortion and sent the issue back to individual states, arguing, incorrectly, that it was an outcome desired by both Republicans and Democrats. Democrats have long supported a constitutional right to abortion.
“I did a great service in doing it. It took courage to do it,” Trump said.
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Trump contended that some states allow babies to be aborted after birth, a point corrected by ABC News moderator, Linsey Davis.
Harris flashed some outrage at Trump’s assertion that abortion becoming a states-rights issue was a popular result, referring to states that have passed restrictive bans.
“This is what people wanted?” Harris asked. “People being denied care in an emergency room because health care providers are being afraid of being hauled off to jail?“
Trump was asked whether he would veto a federal abortion ban if one were passed by Congress. He insisted it would never happen, but refused to answer the question definitively.
WORLDS APART
One of the most heated policy discussions came when Trump and Harris clashed over how they would handle Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The candidates’ responses revealed the degree to which their views on America’s role in the world fundamentally differ.
Trump refused to say he wanted Ukraine to win the war, even as ABC moderator David Muir pushed him on the point, saying only that he wanted to wrap up the conflict as soon as possible.
Harris shot back, arguing that what Trump really wanted was Ukraine’s quick and unconditional capitulation.
“If Donald Trump were president, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now,” Harris said.
'WEAPONIZED’ JUSTICE
In one heated exchange, Trump and Harris accused each other of conspiring to “weaponize” the Justice Department in a bid to go after their enemies.
Trump said the indictments he faces for conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss and for his mishandling of classified documents — as well as his conviction for forging documents related to hush money payments to a porn star — are all the result of a conspiracy cooked up by Harris and Biden. There is no evidence for that assertion.
Harris shot back by pointing out that Trump has promised to prosecute his enemies if he wins a second term.
“Understand this is someone who has openly said he would terminate, I’m quoting, terminate the Constitution,” Harris said.
The exchange underlined how Harris and Trump see the stakes of this election as existential. Both see their opponent as a threat to democracy itself.
IMF agreement could give Ukraine access to $1.1 bn
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- It would raise to $8.7 billion the amount of funds dispersed so far to Ukraine as part of an IMF program tallying about $15.6 billion
SAN FRANCISCO: The International Monetary Fund late Tuesday said it has reached an agreement with Ukraine on an aid program review that could open the door to $1.1 billion for the war-battered country.
A staff-level agreement on the fifth review of the four-year Extended Fund Facility Agreement, subject to approval by the IMF executive board, would clear the way for Ukraine to access the money, according to the IMF.
It would raise to $8.7 billion the amount of funds dispersed so far to Ukraine as part of an IMF program tallying about $15.6 billion.
“Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to have a devastating impact on the country and its people,” IMF team leader Gavin Gray said in a release.
“Skillful policymaking, the adaptability of households and firms, and robust external financing has helped support macroeconomic and financial stability.”
Real gross domestic product grew 6.5 percent in Ukraine in the first quarter of this year, while inflation in July was deemed low at 5.4 percent year-over-year, according to the IMF.
Gray noted that an economic slowdown is expected in Ukraine due to repeated attacks on its energy infrastructure and the effect of the war on labor markets and overall confidence, but growth should be about three percent for this year.
Inflation is expected to rise to about nine percent by the end of 2024, with risks to the financial outlook considered high, according to Gray.
Kyiv in July said it had struck a preliminary deal with international creditors to restructure government debt worth more than $20 billion, giving the war-torn country some financial breathing room.
Ukraine’s economy has been decimated by Russia’s invasion and the government is reliant on international aid to help it fund both its military and day-to-day government spending.
The deal will see creditors — including BlackRock, Pimco and other major institutional investors — write billions off the nominal value of their holdings, and agree to a new payment schedule on terms more beneficial to Kyiv.
“The financial sector is stable and liquid, with reforms continuing apace despite challenges under Martial Law,” Gray said.