WARSAW: Ukraine is reaping “huge political gains” from its military offensive into western Russia but the incursion is not altering the “anti-escalation approach” of the West, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said.
Ukraine says it has seized more than 80 settlements over 1,150 square km (444 square miles) in Kursk since Aug. 6 in the biggest invasion of Russia since World War Two. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield developments.
“This offensive does not change the anti-escalation attitude of the West,” Siemoniak said, asked in an interview with Reuters late on Friday if Kyiv’s military gains could change its allies’ stance on the use of arms they supply for its war with Russia.
Western governments providing military aid to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in February 2022 have so far refused to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons because of the perceived risk of escalation in the conflict.
“I think that for Western countries this is an event in terms of changing the image of Ukraine — Kyiv’s political gains are huge after less than two weeks,” Siemoniak said.
The US so far deems Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk region a protective move appropriate for Kyiv to use US equipment, officials in Washington said this week, but they expressed worries about potential complications as Ukrainian troops push further into enemy territory.
Warsaw has been one of the staunchest allies of Ukraine and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk struck a similar tone to Washington earlier this week, saying Ukraine had full right to carry out its war response in a way that would effectively paralyze Russia.
A Ukrainian presidential adviser said on Friday that Kyiv’s cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region was required to convince Moscow to start “fair” peace talks.
Russia has called Ukraine’s incursion a major provocation and vowed to retaliate with a “worthy response.”
The United States and Western powers, keen to avoid direct military confrontation with Russia, have said Ukraine had not given advance notice and that Washington was not involved.
Ukraine offensive doesn’t alter Western anti-escalation stance, Poland says
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Ukraine offensive doesn’t alter Western anti-escalation stance, Poland says
- Ukraine says it has seized more than 80 settlements in Russia's Kursk region since Aug. 6 in the biggest invasion of Russia since World War II
- Poland says Ukraine had full right to carry out its war response in a way that would effectively paralyze Russia
France’s new PM says to form government ‘next week’
REIMS: France will have a new government next week, recently installed conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier said on Wednesday, as he sounded out candidates to run ministries faced with an unpredictable hung parliament.
“We’re going to do things methodically and seriously,” Barnier told reporters in the eastern city of Reims.
He was “listening to everybody” in a political scene split into three broad camps since July’s inconclusive snap parliamentary elections.
“We’re going to name a government next week,” he said.
Later on Wednesday, his own right-wing Republicans (LR) party announced that they were ready to join his government. The party was reduced to just 47 deputies in the 577-seat National Assembly in July’s elections.
Barnier, who has previously served as the environment, foreign and agriculture ministers and was the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator, was named last week by President Emmanuel Macron as his compromise pick for head of government.
With no longer even a working majority in parliament following his decision to dissolve the National Assembly, Macron delayed picking a PM for weeks over the summer as he tried to find someone who would not suffer an immediate no-confidence vote.
The chamber is fairly equally divided between Macron’s centrist supporters — now loosely allied with Barnier’s rump conservative party — the left-wing NFP alliance and the far-right National Rally (RN).
NFP leaders have vowed to vote no confidence in any government not headed by them after they secured the most seats in the July vote, but fell well short of a majority.
Macron appears to have taken care to find a candidate in Barnier who does not immediately raise the hackles of the RN.
Rumours are swirling in Paris about who might claim key ministries after Barnier said he was open to working with people on the left or right.
“For now, the names in circulation seem to be just wish lists of people wanting to receive a ministerial portfolio,” Politico’s French edition wrote on Wednesday.
One prominent Socialist, Karim Bouamrane, mayor of the Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen, said he had turned down an invitation to serve.
“We have a right-wing prime minister approved of by the RN, a prime minister under supervision,” Bouamrane told Franceinfo radio.
An October 1 deadline to file a draft government budget for 2025 puts Barnier under pressure to get moving and sets him and his new team up for a fierce battle over taxes and spending.
In particular, both the NFP and RN promised ahead of the July elections to overturn last year’s unpopular pension reform that increased the official retirement age to 64 from 62.
Trump and Harris attend 9/11 memorial after brutal debate
NEW YORK: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shook hands Wednesday at New York’s 9/11 memorial to mark the anniversary of the attacks, briefly putting politics aside hours after they clashed in a fiery presidential debate.
The solemn display of unity was a stark contrast to the evening before, when the Democratic vice president forced the rattled Republican former president onto the defensive in a bruising televised encounter.
Any sense of harmony from the commemoration of the 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks is likely to be short-lived, with the US election still on a knife-edge with less than eight weeks to go, despite polls showing a crushing debate win for Harris.
The 78-year-old Trump came out swinging even before the ceremony, claiming — without evidence — in an interview with Fox News that the ABC News debate in Philadelphia was “rigged” against him.
“It was a rigged deal, as I assumed it would be, because when you looked at the fact that they were correcting everything and not correcting with her,” he complained — referring to pushback from the moderators to some of his brazenly false statements.
The debate was watched by 57.5 million Americans, according to preliminary figures from ratings agency Nielsen — more than the 51.3 million who watched the catastrophic performance in June that forced President Joe Biden out of the race.
Trump appeared to be in two minds about the Harris campaign’s call for a second debate. He initially said on social media “why would I do a rematch?” but later said he’d be ready for two more.
The rivals kept their animosity hidden at the Ground Zero memorial, however, in an extraordinary encounter that also included the outgoing president.
Biden, 81, looked on as Harris and Trump shared their second handshake in the space of a few hours — having had their first ever such greeting at the start of the debate, in an unexpected move initiated by Harris.
Wearing commemorative blue ribbons, they all then watched as the names of the almost 3,000 victims of the attacks on the Twin Towers were read out.
“We stand in solidarity with their families and loved ones. We also honor the extraordinary heroism on display that fateful day by ordinary Americans helping their fellow Americans,” Harris said in a statement.
She and Biden headed later to the site in Pennsylvania where a hijacked plane crashed on 9/11, with Trump following later.
During his visit, Biden briefly donned a red “Trump 2024” cap given to him by a Trump-supporting firefighter. The image went viral but the White House said it was a gesture of “unity.”
Biden and Harris later visited the site where another jet was flown into the Pentagon outside Washington in 2001.
The solemn atmosphere could not have been more different to Wednesday night’s debate.
Both candidates declared victory but it was former prosecutor Harris who landed blows on issues including abortion, and repeatedly managed to bait convicted felon Trump into angry remarks on past grievances.
Trump also boosted a debunked claim about migrants eating pet cats and dogs in Ohio, earning a correction from the ABC moderator.
A CNN snap poll said Harris performed better than Trump by 63 percent to 37, while a YouGov poll said Harris laid out a clearer plan by 43 to 32 percent.
US media and commentators broadly agreed Harris had come out on top — but that it may not move the dial much in a deeply polarized and entrenched electorate.
“I thought Kamala did a good job... and kind of gave us hope,” Tanya James, a retired teacher from Texas, said Wednesday outside the White House.
Ikaika Juliano, a musician from Florida, thought however that the Democratic contender “is fake.”
Harris meanwhile got a boost with pop megastar Taylor Swift offering her backing minutes after the debate. Trump said Swift would “probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.”
But the race remains neck and neck going into the final stretch.
Harris heads Thursday to North Carolina and Trump is due onstage in Arizona, two of the half-dozen swing states expected to decide the election.
Why the Trump-Harris debate is unlikely to sway undecided Arab American voters
- Experts say neither candidate succeeded in convincing the non-monolithic community to lend them their support in November
- Commentators feel both the Republican and Democrat relied on fear-mongering rather than in-depth policy discussions
CHICAGO: While the US presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on Tuesday night demonstrated sharp contrasts on major issues, experts suggest it may have done little to sway undecided voters, including those in the Arab American community.
“I don’t think this debate is going to tell us a lot about the results of the election,” Amal Mudallali, the former Lebanese ambassador to the UN, told “The Ray Hanania Show” on Wednesday.
“Neither side succeeded in bringing Arab Americans in or convincing them that he’s the one or she’s the one that will be better for them as president and will take their interests into account.”
Also speaking on Wednesday’s show, Joseph Haboush, Washington correspondent at Al Arabiya English, even called the debate “a bit bland overall.”
He said: “I’m not sure that there are any undecided voters that would change their minds based on last night’s performance.”
The debate, which was held less than two months before election day on Nov. 5, marked the first direct confrontation between the Democratic vice president and the former Republican president.
For Harris, the debate represented an opportunity to solidify her leadership after replacing President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket after his poor debate performance in June forced him to step aside.
Trump, on the other hand, saw the debate as an opportunity to link Harris to the perceived failures of the Biden administration, particularly around democracy, immigration, and the economy.
“I was a bit surprised that they didn’t delve into more policy-related issues in more detail, on what either side would want to do,” said Haboush.
“It was more, I would say, fear-mongering; both sides accusing the other of trying to portray the other as a threat to any future of the US, be it democracy or on other issues that they were both accusing one another of.
“There wasn’t much more that was said or given to the audience that they didn’t already know.”
However, foreign policy issues, such as Ukraine, Gaza, China, and Afghanistan, were mentioned in the debate.
On Ukraine, Trump criticized Biden’s handling of the war and promised to end the conflict, claiming that it would not have occurred had he been president.
Pledging to “settle” the conflict even before taking office, Trump said: “What I’ll do is I’ll speak to one and I’ll speak to the other. I’ll get them together.”
He added: “I know (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky very well, and I know (Russian President Vladimir) Putin very well. They respect me. They don’t respect Biden.”
Harris attacked Trump’s perceived coziness with Putin, stating that the Russian leader would “eat you for lunch,” and accused him of undermining American support for Ukraine — a key concern given Trump’s ambiguous stance on the conflict.
She defended the Biden administration’s support for Kyiv, highlighting US military aid as essential to Ukraine’s continued independence.
“Because of our support, because of the air defense, the ammunition, the artillery, the Javelins, the Abrams tanks that we have provided, Ukraine stands as an independent and free country,” she said.
However, Harris did not propose new strategies for future US involvement.
Trump shot back, accusing Harris of being weak on foreign policy and of hating Israel and Arabs. He offered no specific solutions for the Israel-Hamas conflict, however, instead claiming the war in Gaza would not have happened under his leadership.
He said: “She hates Israel. She wouldn’t even meet with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu when he went to Congress to make a very important speech.” While Harris did skip the speech, she did meet Netanyahu the following day.
“If she’s president, I believe that Israel would not exist within two years from now,” Trump added, going on to say Harris also hates Arabs, claiming that “the whole place (the Middle East) is going to get blown up.”
He added: “Look at what’s happening with the Houthis and Yemen. Look at what’s happening in the Middle East. This would have never happened. I will get that settled, and fast, and I will get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended.
“If I’m president-elect, I’ll get it done before even becoming president.”
Harris, meanwhile, affirmed her support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and its proxies, while acknowledging the heavy civilian toll on Palestinians in Gaza, where 11 months of fighting have left some 42,000 people dead, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
“Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” she said.
She reiterated her support for the two-state solution and emphasized the importance of both Israeli security and Palestinian self-determination. Gaza, however, may not be a deciding issue in the election, even among Arab Americans.
“I don’t think Arab American voters are a monolith. It’s not all of them voting on one single issue,” Joyce Karam, a senior news editor at Al-Monitor, told Wednesday’s program.
“I have Arab American friends who have prioritized the war in Gaza and some of them are going for a third party candidate.”
She added: “I think it would not be fair to the community to just say this is a ‘one vote’ or ‘one priority’ kind of drive.”
In relation to China, the candidates sparred over tariffs and trade. Trump promised sweeping tariff increases on Chinese goods, while Harris criticized these measures, citing concerns over inflation and economic instability.
Afghanistan also featured briefly in the debate, with Harris standing by Biden’s decision to withdraw US troops in August 2021, while Trump criticized the manner in which the withdrawal was executed.
Both candidates blamed each other for the chaotic aftermath and the Taliban’s return to power.
One of the standout features of the debate was the contrast in the candidates’ delivery. Harris’ calm demeanor was in stark contrast to Trump’s frequent interruptions and emotional outbursts, which included raising his voice and launching personal attacks.
Harris’ ability to maintain her composure in the face of Trump’s barrage of insults seemed to play well with viewers. A CNN snap poll conducted after the debate found that 63 percent of respondents believed Harris had won, compared to 37 percent who favored Trump.
Online prediction market PredictIt’s 2024 presidential general election market showed Trump’s likelihood of victory declining during the debate, while Harris’ odds rose to 55 percent from 53 percent.
The debate may prove to be a pivotal moment for both campaigns. In the immediate aftermath, Harris’ campaign capitalized on her performance by calling for a second debate, challenging Trump to meet her again in October.
Trump, however, appeared reluctant to commit, claiming he had already won the debate and dismissing the idea of a rematch. But his appearance in the debate “spin room” afterwards suggested that even he recognized it had not gone as planned.
Perhaps the most poignant takeaway from the debate was the reminder that, as important as US foreign policy decisions are for the rest of the world, it is domestic issues that swing elections.
“We really don’t know what could happen. There could be many surprises to come,” said Karam. “It’s also very important to remind our audience in the Middle East that while the Gaza war is important, it’s not going to be the deciding factor for many voters.”
Congo brings forward launch of mpox vaccine drive to Oct 2
- Congo is the epicenter of the ongoing mpox outbreak that WHO declared to be a global public health emergency last month
- Health authorities now intend to start the campaign on Oct. 2, response chief Cris Kacita told Reuters
KINSHASA: Democratic Republic of Congo will start its mpox vaccination campaign on Oct. 2, nearly a week earlier than previously planned, the head of its outbreak response said on Wednesday.
Congo is the epicenter of the ongoing mpox outbreak that the World Health Organization declared to be a global public health emergency last month, but a lack of vaccines has until now hampered efforts to curb the spread of the sometimes deadly virus.
The central African country had been planning to launch vaccinations on Oct. 8 after receiving its first delivery of mpox doses last week. But health authorities now intend to start the campaign on Oct. 2, response chief Cris Kacita told Reuters.
“There are procedures that have evolved and helped reduce delays,” he said, adding that the vaccination campaign will last 10 days and target only adults, including health care professionals, park rangers and sex workers in Congo’s six provinces.
He has previously said that work was ongoing to combat mistrust of the vaccine in some communities and to manage the logistical challenge of rolling out the program across six provinces in a country the size of Western Europe.
On Tuesday, Congo received 50,000 mpox vaccine doses that had been donated by the United States, Ambassador Lucy Tamlyn said on X.
Kacita told Reuters that Congo had received in total 265,000 doses from the United States and the European Union.
He said those doses would not be sufficient to cover many areas in the central African country. “There have been promises from France and Belgium, and the number of doses is expected to be known within the week,” Kacita said.
Japan has promised to donate 3.5 million doses of a vaccine that could administered to children, who are among the main victims of the epidemic, he said, adding that discussions were still continuing.
Slavery reparations backed by all candidates vying for Commonwealth boss
- Declared candidates — Mamadou Tangara of Gambia, Shirley Botchwey from Ghana and Joshua Setipa of Lesotho — said they backed the idea of making amends for slavery and colonialism
- Caribbean Community has a 10-point reparation plan, which among other demands calls for debt cancelation
LONDON: All three candidates running to become the next secretary-general of the Commonwealth, a 56-nation club headed by Britain’s King Charles, said on Wednesday they supported reparations for transatlantic slavery and colonialism.
The Commonwealth evolved out of the British empire and is one of world’s biggest international organizations, covering some 2.7 billion people. Members include Canada and India as well as 21 African countries, and Caribbean islands such as Barbados and Jamaica.
Charles expressed deep sorrow over slavery in a speech to Commonwealth leaders in 2022 and last year gave his support to research that will examine the British monarchy’s links to slavery. However, Britain, like most colonial powers, has rejected calls for reparations.
The Commonwealth’s next leader, succeeding Britain’s Patricia Scotland, will be elected in October at the heads of government meeting in Samoa.
At a debate at London’s Chatham House, the three declared candidates — Mamadou Tangara of Gambia, Shirley Botchwey from Ghana and Joshua Setipa of Lesotho — said they backed the idea of making amends for slavery and colonialism.
“I stand for reparations,” Botchwey, Ghana’s foreign affairs minister, said, adding the Commonwealth could have a role to play if the member states request a “common voice” on the issue.
Setipa, a former trade and industry minister, said if he was elected he would not wait for member states to ask the Commonwealth to act.
“The Commonwealth has a long history of facilitating discussions about difficult issues,” he said.
Tangara, a Gambian diplomat and politician, said he “fully” supported reparations but it was up to member states to lead the conversations, which the Commonwealth could facilitate.
Both Botchwey and Setipa said reparations weren’t just about financial payments but also support to tackle climate change and build countries’ economic resilience, with Setipa noting these issues were crucial to addressing the legacy of centuries of slavery and colonialism.
From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported by European merchants and sold into slavery. Britain transported an estimated 3.2 million people, the most active European country after Portugal, which enslaved nearly 6 million.
The highly divisive issue of reparations to address historical wrongs is long-standing but has been gaining momentum, with several institutions and some nations acknowledging their past.
Ghana’s Botchwey has previously said Africa should use declarations and admissions of guilt as a “compelling reason and a foundation for a demand for reparations.”
The Caribbean Community has a 10-point reparation plan, which among other demands calls for debt cancelation, and the African Union is developing a common position on the issue, with Ghana leading the efforts.
Earlier this year, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres called for reparations to “help overcome generations of exclusion and discrimination.”
