World Briefing: September 15, 2024
Romania has set up displacement camps and launched rescue operations after floods killed at least four people and destroyed thousands of homes in the east of the country. Military boats and planes are being used to move people to safety, and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has said the priority now is to prevent further loss of life. Recent days have seen torrential rain sweep through central and eastern Europe, swelling rivers and triggering flood warnings in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary. The flood barriers in Czech capital Prague have been raised, while in parts of Poland residents have been evacuated. The four dead people were found in the southeastern Romanian region of Galati during a search and rescue operation, emergency services confirmed to the AFP news agency. "Dozens of people were rescued from their homes in 19 areas of the country," they added. - BBC
The head of NATO’s military committee said Saturday that Ukraine has the solid legal and military right to strike deep inside Russia to gain combat advantage — reflecting the beliefs of a number of U.S. allies — even as the Biden administration balks at allowing Kyiv to do so using American-made weapons. “Every nation that is attacked has the right to defend itself. And that right doesn’t stop at the border of your own nation,” said Adm. Rob Bauer, speaking at the close of the committee’s annual meeting, also attended by U.S. Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Bauer, of Netherlands, also added that nations have the sovereign right to put limits on the weapons they send to Ukraine. But, standing next to him at a press briefing, Lt. Gen. Karel Řehka, chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, made it clear his nation places no such weapons restrictions on Kyiv. - AP
Donald Trump re-election bid is being derailed by far-right influencers, his allies fear. His increasingly close association with Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and social media personality, has raised concerns among Republicans that his White House bid has taken a self-defeating turn towards the political fringes. The worries among Republicans about Trump’s debate performance have since been compounded by concerns that Loomer is influencing his thinking at a crucial stage in the campaign. “[Trump] increasingly just surrounds himself with the most sycophantic people who will tell him anything that he wants to hear, and he’s getting to be further detached from reality,” said Brendan Buck, a Republican strategist and former congressional aide. Earlier this week Loomer launched an attack on Harris’s Indian heritage, saying “the White House will smell like curry & White House speeches will be facilitated via a call centre” if the vice-president won the election. One top Republican strategist close to the campaign said the former president’s fixation on social media memes and allegiance to people such as Loomer meant he was failing to capitalise on his “substantial lead” over Harris on issues ranging from inflation to immigration and national security. - FT
Venezuela detained three US citizens, two Spaniards and a Czech national over an alleged plot to destabilise the South American country, the government said on Saturday. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the foreign nationals were being held on suspicion of planning an attack on President Nicolas Maduro and his government. The arrests come amid heightened tensions between Venezuela and Western powers over Venezuela's disputed July 28 presidential election, which the country's opposition accuses Maduro of stealing. - France 24
