WORLD BRIEFING: July 23, 2024
Vice-President Kamala Harris has attracted the support of enough Democratic delegates to become the party's nominee for president, the BBC's US partner CBS News reports. A survey by the Associated Press on Monday evening said Ms Harris had received the endorsement of more than the 1,976 delegates needed to win the nomination in the first round of voting.Ms Harris said she was "proud" to have secured "broad support" and looked forward to formally accepting the nomination. Delegates are people who are selected to represent their electoral area at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the party's key nominating event. Such endorsements are non-binding, but if the total holds between now and when delegates cast their votes, scheduled to take place from 1-7 August, Ms Harris would formally clinch the party's nomination - BBC
Palestinian factions including rivals Hamas and Fatah have signed an agreement on “ending division and strengthening Palestinian unity” in Beijing, China said Tuesday. The announcement followed reconciliation talks hosted by China involving 14 Palestinian factions starting Sunday, according to China’s Foreign Ministry, which come as Israel wages war against militant group Hamas in Gaza and as Beijing has sought to present itself as a potential peace broker in the conflict. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the agreement was “dedicated to the great reconciliation and unity of all 14 factions.” - CNN
Several European nations have reintroduced or expanded compulsory military service amid Moscow’s mounting threat, part of a range of policies aimed at boosting defenses that are likely to be scaled up even further. “We are coming to the realization that we may have to adjust the way we mobilize for war and adjust the way we produce military equipment and we recruit and train personnel,” said Robert Hamilton, head of Eurasia research at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, who served as a US Army officer for 30 years. The risks for a larger war in Europe have been rising after Russian President Vladimir Putin “finally resorted to open conflict” in Ukraine, pursuing his aim to “recreate the Soviet empire,” said Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.), who served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe. “So we’ve now got a war in Europe that we never thought we would see again,” said Clark, who led NATO forces during the Kosovo War. “Whether this is a new Cold War or an emerging hot war is unclear,” he continued, but “it’s a very imminent warning to NATO that we’ve got to rebuild our defenses.” - CNN
The news that President Joe Biden would not run for re-election caused a stir not only in America, but also in Russia, where pro-Kremlin propagandists are kicking up a fuss about what it would mean for their beloved Donald Trump. Appearing on Monday’s broadcast of a state TV show 60 Minutes, State Duma member Oleg Matveychev complained that Biden’s move is a disaster for Trump’s election chances. “He is left without any trump cards!” Matveychev said. “Previously, he could easily attack Biden’s health, now he has nothing left to attack. More than that, attacking Biden at this point would be seen as inappropriate and rude…Now they’re switching to [Vice President Kamala Harris] and are trying to attack her, but nothing new will stick to her,” Matveychev added. “Bringing up the fact she is not quite white will only activate her electorate.” Russian state TV’s coverage of Harris—which is a carbon copy of what is playing on Fox News—was largely limited Monday to attempts at mocking her laughter. Matveychev said that Biden’s departure from the race rendered the previous agenda obsolete. Discussing the age of the U.S. president or an assassination attempt against Trump is now yesterday’s news, he argued. “Trump had a great trump card with this shot that was fired at him... he just got lucky,” the lawmaker said. “Now he has to come up with something new to change the subject and draw attention to himself—and it’s hard to do, after the stakes were raised this high.” Matveychev said that if Trump was “a little bit smarter,” he would have toned it down during the debate to make sure Biden stays in the race. Host Evgeny Popov bitterly added, “Now he is the old candidate. The only old candidate!” - Daily Beast
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says the bloc will hold a strategic meeting next month in Brussels instead of Budapest, the capital of the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, Hungary. The bloc's move came in response to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s trips to Russia and China this month, which he said were part of a "peace mission" aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Orban's move caused outrage among Ukraine's allies, who saw it as undermining their support for Kyiv. "EU member states overwhelmingly criticized Hungary’s lack of sincere and loyal cooperation," Borrell wrote on X - RFE/RL
The staff union of The Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) parent company has urged management to reinstate Selina Cheng, a reporter who was fired weeks after she was elected chair of the city’s embattled Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA). In a statement issued on Thursday, the Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees said that the American paper’s management should “provide a full explanation” for its decision, and that it “supports calls for Selina to be restored to her WSJ position.” A spokesperson from Dow Jones, the newspaper’s parent company, told HKFP that the company had made some personnel changes on Wednesday, but that it would not comment on specific cases. Asked follow-up questions, a Dow Jones spokesperson said on Friday they had nothing further to add. - HKFP
