Biden hails Harris as their party’s future in DNC speech

Democrats gather for the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Delegates, politicians, and Democratic party supporters are in Chicago for the convention, concluding with current Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party's presidential nomination. The DNC takes place from August 19-22. (AFP)
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Updated 20 August 2024
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Biden hails Harris as their party’s future in DNC speech

  • The Democratic National Convention that began Monday in Chicago holds particularly high stakes for the party one month after an unprecedented mid-campaign switch from Biden to Harris

CHICAGO: President Joe Biden cemented the Democratic Party’s embrace of Kamala Harris as its leader in the fight for the White House against Republican Donald Trump with a convention speech on Monday that hailed his vice president as the party’s future.
Biden took center stage on opening night of the Democratic National Convention, drawing an extended standing ovation from the party faithful, who have swiftly moved on without him.
Wiping away tears after being introduced by his daughter Ashley and waving to the crowd that held signs saying, “We (heart) Biden,” a smiling Biden said: “I love you.”
“Are you ready to vote for freedom? Are you ready to vote for democracy and for America? Let me ask you, are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz?” Biden said.
Biden’s address in Chicago kicked off a four-day event fueled by enthusiasm for Harris and relief that Biden abandoned his own reelection bid and endorsed her to replace him.
The president’s reluctant decision to step aside on July 21 came after heavy pressure from party leaders who worried the 81-year-old incumbent was too old to win or serve another four years.
Biden, who served as No. 2 to the nation’s first Black president, Barack Obama, is now urging Democrats to unite behind a candidate who, if triumphant on Nov. 5, would become the first woman, who is also Black and South Asian, to be elected US president.
The party’s chances of winning have improved dramatically with Harris’ candidacy, based on opinion polls, fundraising and the sizable crowds she has attracted.
Instead of his hoped-for high-profile speech on Thursday to accept the Democratic nomination for another four-year term, Biden was the main event at the start of the Chicago convention on Monday before traveling to California for a vacation.
In his speech, Biden touted his administration’s accomplishments — boosting the US economy and strengthening US alliances abroad — and made the case for Americans to elect Harris as his White House successor.
He condemned the racism and white supremacy that continue to plague America, saying they had no place in the nation.
Earlier in the evening, Harris made a surprise appearance, drawing cheers from the crowd as she vowed to defeat her Republican rival Donald Trump, 78, in the Nov. 5 election.
Harris, 59, will formally accept the nomination on Thursday.
“Let us fight for the ideals we hold dear and let us always remember, when we fight we win!” Harris said to the roar of the crowd.

Hillary clinton draws a standing ovation
Democrats also cheered their failed 2016 presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, whose loss to Trump in 2016 dashed hopes of installing the first woman in the White House.
Clinton, who became the first woman to secure a major US party’s presidential nomination, drew a standing ovation as she took the stage on Monday.
“The story of my life and the history of our country is that progress is possible, but not guaranteed,” said Clinton, who also lost her bid for the 2008 nomination to Obama.
She praised Biden for bringing decency, dignity and competency to the White House.
“And now, we are writing a new chapter in America’s story,” Clinton said. “Kamala has the character, experience and vision to lead us forward.”
Clinton took several shots at her former nemesis. “Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial, and when he woke up, he made his own kind of history, the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions,” she said to laughter.
While Democrats gathered for their national nominating convention, thousands of protesters assembled at a nearby park to pressure delegates to drop the party’s military support for Israel’s Gaza offensive.
The pro-Palestinian protesters were fewer than the tens of thousands that organizers had predicted, but a splinter group left the main march and breached a security perimeter near the convention center, drawing riot police who detained four people.

Harris challenges Trump
Harris is riding a historic whirlwind into the convention: her campaign has broken fundraising records, packed arenas with supporters, and turned opinion polls in some battleground states in Democrats’ favor.
Biden dropped his reelection bid after his disastrous debate performance against Trump on June 27 prompted longtime allies, major donors and other party supporters to demand he step aside.
Polls a month ago showed Trump with a clear lead over Biden, but Harris has closed the gap both nationally and in many of the highly competitive states, including Pennsylvania, that will play a decisive role in the election.


India’s worst-hit border town sees people return after ceasefire

Updated 5 sec ago
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India’s worst-hit border town sees people return after ceasefire

  • Most of the over 60 dead were civilians and the majority Pakistanis
  • Residents returned as an India-Pakistan truce was holding on Sunday

POONCH: Residents of the town in Indian-administered Kashmir worst hit by the deadliest fighting in decades with Pakistan trickled back on Sunday, a day after a surprise truce.
Over 60 people died in days of days of missile, drone and artillery attacks that came close to all-out war until the ceasefire, which was holding on Sunday despite early alleged violations.
Most of the dead were civilians and the majority Pakistanis.
On the Indian side, Poonch on the Indian-run part of divided Kashmir bore the brunt, with at least 12 people killed at 49 injured, according to officials.
They included 12-year-old Zian Khan and his twin sister Urwa Fatima, hit by an artillery shell on Wednesday as their parents tried to leave the town.
The majority of the 60,000-strong population fled in cars, on buses and even on foot, leaving only a few thousand to brave it out.
Tariq Ahmad arrived back on Sunday bringing back 20 people in his bus as signs of life and activity returned to Poonch’s streets.
“Most who fled are still afraid and will wait and watch to see if this agreement holds,” the 26-year-old driver told AFP at the main bus terminal.
“Luckily, I managed to pick up 20 people from nearby villages who wanted to check if their homes and belongings survived the intense Pakistani shelling.”
Poonch lies about 145 miles (230 kilometers) from Jammu, the second largest city in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Hazoor Sheikh, 46, who runs a store in the main market, was one of the first few people to reopen his shop.
“Finally, after days, we could sleep peacefully,” he said.
“It is not just me or my family but everyone around finally had a smile yesterday,” he added.
“I nervously returned a short while back to check on my shop,” 40-year-old Mushtaq Qureshi said.
“Our families and neighbors were all separated as people fled to villages or relatives’ homes for safety. But we are happy to be back today and to see each other again,” he said.
Qureshi had left his home with about 20 relatives.
“Buildings around our neighborhood were hit but luckily nothing has happened to my home,” he said.
Rita Sharma, 51, said she was really looking forward to seeing five children from her extended whom she had sent away for safety.
“They were the first to call yesterday after the (ceasefire) announcement and declared that they’d be back home by Sunday evening,” she said.
“We hope it stays peaceful.”
Hotel manager Subhash Chandar Raina also stayed put despite “the worst shelling in years.”
“I feel sorry for those who’ve lost lives and belongings but thank God for allowing us to return to our normal lives after the worst phase in the region for years,” the 53-year-old said.
Raina was one of only two hotel staff who stayed back as they felt traveling “was risky.”
Abdul Razzak, 50, remembers fleeing with four children and two other relatives on two motorbikes with nothing but their clothes.
“It was our worst nightmare... We’ve seen our people die around us, so none of us want a war,” Razzak said.
Hafiz Mohammad Shah Bukhari was skeptical.
“We are not entirely confident that this ceasefire agreement will hold, based on our experience over the years,” the 49-year-old said.
“Every time India has agreed to such an agreement, Pakistan has ended up violating it... It’s people like us, the frontier people, who end up suffering and losing everything.”


Philippines’ Catholics welcome new pope with hope

Pope Leo XIV delivers the Regina Caeli prayer from the main central loggia balcony of St Peter’s basilica in The Vatican.
Updated 11 May 2025
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Philippines’ Catholics welcome new pope with hope

  • About 80 percent of Philippines’ 110 million population are Catholics
  • Before his election, Pope Leo XIV had made several visits to the Philippines

MANILA: Filipinos joined Catholics around the world on Sunday to welcome the newly elected leader of their church, expressing hope and optimism for the papacy of Pope Leo XIV. 

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday. The 69-year-old is the first North American pope and had spent more than two decades as a missionary in Peru. 

Pope Leo follows in the footsteps of Pope Francis, who died on April 21 after a series of health issues. He was 88 years old. 

In the Philippines, home to about 85 million Catholics, devotees who had closely followed the conclave to elect a new pope rejoiced at the outcome.  

“He feels like the kind of leader the Catholic Church needs right now — someone who will continue the work Pope Francis started, especially in fighting for the rights of migrants and calling for peace by stopping the current wars,” Kris Crismundo, a church choir member from Bulacan province, told Arab News. 

“It’s clear that he's someone with a heart for service, compassion, and unity, which are exactly the qualities the world needs more of today … I look forward to seeing where his leadership takes us.”

The Philippines is one of only two majority Christian countries in Asia, along with tiny East Timor. 

With nearly 80 percent of the population belonging to the Catholic Church, many in the country have a special affection for their religious leader. 

During a 2015 visit, Pope Francis drew a record crowd of more than six million people at a historic mass in Manila. When he died, masses were held throughout the archipelagic country in his honor.

“I have loved Pope Francis, but we have to accept God’s divine plan. A new pope is always a fresh start, and can give hope to all,” Manila-based journalist Karen Ow-Yong told Arab News. 

She sees Pope Leo’s background in Peru as a “glimpse of what his papacy” will look like.  

“We hope for a modern-day Pope who can relate and address modern-day challenges facing Catholics,” she said. “I wish for the new pope to be the light that shines on the darkest issues of humanity today, as well as to push for transparency and accountability, especially in issues and controversies involving the church.” 

Jaime Laude, a journalist and former seminarian from Antique province, highlighted similarities between Pope Leo and his predecessor. 

“Just like the late pontiff, he's been deeply immersed with the marginalized people in society like those in the Philippines, especially in Latin America where for decades he’s been assigned,” Laude said. 

“I, for one, have high hopes that the new pontiff will further strengthen the Catholic faith in all of us Roman Catholic believers … also hoping that his advocacies through faith and teachings will promote world peace.” 

Many Filipinos were aware that Pope Leo was no stranger to the Philippines, because he has visited over the years, according to reports from local media. 

Angeline Patricia Fae, an analyst in Manila, is hoping to see a continuation of Pope Francis’s papacy. 

“I hope that the new Pope Leo XIV will continue what Pope Francis preached and embodied: a church that is welcoming and accepting,” she told Arab News. 

“I pray for a fruitful rule and as well for his well-being. God bless.”

Other Filipinos are hopeful that the new pope will bridge divisions in an increasingly chaotic world. 

“I wish the holy father to be a prophet of dialogue in our divided world,” Ted Tuvera, a Filipino theologian and candidate for priesthood, said. 

“Instead of seeing the ‘other’ as ‘others,’ may we see and meet them as neighbors.” 

Monsi Alfonso Serrano, who is based in Manila, believes that Pope Leo’s election will neutralize the divisions created by US President Donald Trump. 

“The name of Cardinal Robert Prevost didn’t surface as a potential pontiff … This is how God works; mysterious and beyond human comprehension,” Serrano said. 

“The pope’s first address was a call for building bridges since Trump has been enjoying driving wedges between different countries in the world … The world needs a pope that calls to build bridges instead of walls.”


Pope Leo XIV appeals for ‘no more war’ in first Sunday message

Updated 11 May 2025
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Pope Leo XIV appeals for ‘no more war’ in first Sunday message

  • Pope Leo calls for ‘authentic’ peace in Ukraine
  • Pontiff appeals for Gaza ceasefire, release of Israeli hostages

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV appealed to the world’s major powers for “no more war” in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter’s Square since his election as pontiff.
The new pope, elected on May 8, called for an “authentic and lasting peace” in Ukraine, a ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of all Israeli hostages held by militant group Hamas.
Leo also welcomed the recent fragile ceasefire between India and Pakistan, negotiated overnight, and said he was praying to God to grant the world the “miracle of peace.”
“No more war!” the pope said, repeating a frequent call of the late Pope Francis and noting the recent 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in which some 60 million people were killed.
Leo said today’s world was living through “the dramatic scenario of a Third World War being fought piecemeal,” again repeating a phrase coined by Francis.
The new pope said he carries in his heart the “suffering of the beloved people of Ukraine.”
Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the bloody three-year war, Leo appealed for negotiations to reach an “authentic, just and lasting peace.”
The pope also said he was “profoundly saddened” by the war in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid and release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
Leo said he was glad to hear of the recent India-Pakistan ceasefire and hoped negotiations would lead to a lasting accord between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
He added: “But there are so many other conflicts in the world!“
US-BORN POPE SPEAKS ITALIAN TO CROWD
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, is the first US-born pontiff and was a relative unknown on the world stage before his election.
He previously served for decades as a missionary in Peru before first becoming a cardinal to take up a senior Vatican role two years ago.
Leo’s first Sunday address to tens of thousands in the square coincided with a previously planned pilgrimage to Rome by marching bands from around the world.
Minutes before the pope addressed the crowd, bands marched up the broad boulevard leading to the Vatican playing songs such as Y.M.C.A. by the Village People, the theme from the film Rocky, and music by John Philip Sousa, who composed the marching classic “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
The crowd, estimated at more than 100,000 by Italian authorities, was also entertained by bands from Italy, Mexico and other parts of Latin America who came to Rome for the ongoing Catholic Holy Year.
Leo gave his address on Sunday in fluent Italian.
In all of his appearances since his election, Leo has not made any mention of the country of his birth, angering some US conservative commentators.


India and Pakistan ceasefire shaken by overnight border fighting in disputed Kashmir region

Updated 24 min 9 sec ago
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India and Pakistan ceasefire shaken by overnight border fighting in disputed Kashmir region

  • Residents and officials in the disputed Kashmir region say there was overnight border fighting between Pakistani and Indian troops
  • As part of the ceasefire, agreed a day earlier, the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to immediately stop all firing and military action on land, in the air and at sea
  • They accused each other of repeatedly violating the deal hours later

ISLAMABAD: A ceasefire to end the conflict between India and Pakistan was shaken by overnight border fighting in the disputed Kashmir region.
People on both sides of the Line of Control, which divides the territory, reported heavy exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops. The fighting subsided by Sunday morning.
The two countries agreed to a truce a day earlier after talks to defuse the most serious military confrontation between them in decades following a gun massacre of tourists that India blames on Pakistan, which denies the charge.
As part of the ceasefire, the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to immediately stop all firing and military action on land, in the air and at sea. They accused each other of repeatedly violating the deal just hours later.
Drones were spotted Saturday night over Indian-controlled Kashmir and the western state of Gujarat according to Indian officials.
In the Poonch area of Indian-controlled Kashmir, people said the intense shelling from the past few days had traumatized them.
“Most people ran as shells were being fired,” said college student Sosan Zehra who returned home Sunday. “It was completely chaotic.”
In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir’s Neelum Valley, which is three kilometers from the Line of Control, people said there were exchanges of fire and heavy shelling after the ceasefire began.
Resident Mohammad Zahid said: “We were happy about the announcement but, once again, the situation feels uncertain.”
US President Donald Trump was the first to post about the deal, announcing it on his Truth Social platform. Indian and Pakistani officials confirmed the news shortly after.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Sunday with top government and military officials.
India, unlike Pakistan, has not said anything about Trump or the US since the deal was announced. Nor has India acknowledged anyone beyond its military contact with the Pakistanis.
Both armies have engaged in daily fighting since Wednesday along the rugged and mountainous Line of Control, which is marked by razor wire coils, watchtowers and bunkers that snake across foothills populated by villages, tangled bushes and forests.
They have routinely blamed the other for starting the skirmishes while insisting they were only retaliating.
India and Pakistan’s two top military officials are due to speak again on Monday.


Putin’s proposed Ukraine talks ‘not enough’: Macron

Updated 11 May 2025
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Putin’s proposed Ukraine talks ‘not enough’: Macron

PRZEMYSL: President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, after Kyiv and its European allies called for a 30-day ceasefire, is “not enough,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.
“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations, by definition,” Macron told reporters as he stepped off a train in the Polish city of Przemysl on his return from a trip to Ukraine, adding that Putin was “looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time.”
Western allies have repeatedly accused Putin of delaying tactics with regards to any potential bid to end the conflict in Ukraine, which has dragged on since February 2022.
Asked if this was another such example, Macron replied: “Yes, it is.”
Macron visited Kyiv on Saturday with the leaders of Germany, Britain and Poland, with the four of them and President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting on Monday.
Macron warned that Russia would face “massive sanctions” if it did not comply.
The United States and other countries back the proposal, the leaders said.
Speaking at the Kremlin in the early hours of Sunday, Putin proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul in the coming days but did not address the 30-day ceasefire proposal.
“It’s a way of not answering... of showing that he is committed while also trying to maintain ambiguity in the eyes of the Americans,” Macron said.
“We need to stand firm with the Americans and say that the ceasefire is unconditional and then we can discuss the rest,” he added.
Macron also said that Putin’s proposal was “unacceptable for the Ukrainians because they cannot accept parallel discussions while they continue to be bombed.”
He also cast doubt on whether Zelensky would agree to talks in Istanbul given the “complicated” Russian-Ukrainian negotiations held there shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.