International

US President Joe Biden took to the airwaves on July 4 fighting to show he is fit to run for reelection and serve another term, trying to douse Democratic panic triggered by his disastrous debate with Donald Trump.As Americans gathered for their Independence Day holiday, concern has swelled over the 81-year-old incumbent's mental acuity, with rumblings within his party about finding a replacement candidate before November's election.And with polls showing Republican Trump extending a narrow lead after last week's televised showdown, Biden finds himself under pressure as never before to demonstrate his capacity to lead."I had a bad night," Biden acknowledged to Wisconsin's Civic Media in a radio interview recorded the day before it aired yesterday."I screwed up. I made a mistake," he added. "That's 90 minutes on stage. Look at what I've done in 3.5 years."The Biden campaign has been desperate to reassure Democratic donors, voters and lawmakers that the president's dismal performance against Trump was a one-off.He repeated that message in an emergency meeting Wednesday with Democratic governors, who pledged their continued support, attendees said afterward.The White House has insisted Biden is "absolutely not" stepping down as the party's presidential nominee.Biden himself sought to appear determined he was staying in the race, telling his radio interviewer: "When you get knocked down, you just get back up."As a signal of the international concern swirling over Biden's status, British magazine *The Economist became the latest major publication to call on Biden to withdraw, joining *The New York Times and *Boston Globe whose editorial boards this week called for the president to bow out of the race.The uncertainty simmered ahead of the embattled president's much-anticipated television interview Friday with ABC News, an event most of political Washington — and perhaps the nation — will be watching closely to see whether Biden can indeed bounce back from his faltering debate performance.All eyes will also be on a Biden campaign rally set for today in Madison, Wisconsin, one of the battleground states seen as crucial for a Biden victory.For July 4 Biden remained in Washington, where he and First Lady Jill Biden were to host a White House barbecue with military personnel and their families."As we celebrate the Fourth of July, I'm grateful for the countless service members who are the backbone of who we are as a nation. Their service reminds us that democracy is never guaranteed-every generation must fight to maintain it," Biden said on X, the former Twitter.In the evening Biden delivers remarks — again with his every move and tone likely scrutinised — before observing a fireworks display over Washington, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris.The nation's first female VP is suddenly in the spotlight as Democrats weigh a potential Harris candidacy.The 59-year-old has been unwaveringly supportive of Biden in public. But she is performing a delicate high-wire act, cheerleading for her boss while standing by as a leading contender to replace him if he ends his reelection bid.Trump, who has remained largely — and uncharacteristically — quiet as the Biden crisis deepens, broke his silence yesterday in fierce fashion, unleashing attacks on both Biden and Harris in a leaked video that he then posted on his own Truth Social account."I kicked that old broken down pile of crap" during the debate, Trump, seen sitting in a golf cart, says in the video."He's quitting the race. Yep, I got him out of the race. And that means we have Kamala," Trump says. "She's so bad, she's so pathetic."Biden's Wisconsin rally, and a press conference set for next week, are aimed at proving his capacity to speak impromptu, engage with voters and reporters, and generally to dismiss the doubts that have surged since his debate debacle.Two polls released Wednesday compounded the concern, including one post-debate survey by the *Times that showed Trump with his biggest lead ever over Biden — 49% to 43% of likely voters.Biden, 81, told his campaign on Wednesday that he was still running. His campaign fired back at Trump, 78, in a statement."No, Donald. What is bad is taking away women's rights; What is bad is losing an election and encouraging a violent mob to attack the Capitol; What is bad is assaulting women; What is bad is not paying your taxes," spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said.Trump's campaign stood by his words, with co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita responding on X: "Nothing in this video is incorrect."Reuters verified the location of the video as Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The golf cart Trump is seen driving features the number one and a presidential seal; he has been seen driving the same cart before in file video from the course.

Britons were voting yesterday in a parliamentary election that is expected to bring Keir Starmer's Labour Party to power, sweeping away Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives after 14 often turbulent years.Opinion polls put Starmer's centre-left party on course for a landslide victory but also suggest many voters simply want change after a period of infighting and turmoil under the Conservatives that led to five prime ministers in eight years.This means Starmer, a 61-year-old former human rights lawyer, could take office with one of the biggest to-do lists in British history but without a groundswell of support or the financial resources to tackle it."Today, Britain can begin a new chapter," Starmer told voters in a statement . "We cannot afford five more years under the Conservatives. But change will only happen if you vote Labour."The country's 40,000 polling stations opened at 0600 GMT.Sunak, 44, voted early with his wife, Akshata Murty, in the electoral district of Richmond in northern England that he represents in parliament. Starmer cast his ballot around 0830 GMT with his wife in his north London constituency.Having called the election months earlier than expected, Sunak has in recent weeks abandoned his call for a fifth consecutive Conservative victory, switching instead to warning of the dangers of an unchallenged Labour Party in parliament.Sunak issued a fresh rallying cry to voters for election day, saying a Labour government would hike taxes, hamper economic recovery and leave Britain more vulnerable at a time of geopolitical tension, charges Labour deny."They will do lasting damage to our country and our economy - just like they did the last time they were in power," Sunak said. "Don't let that happen."Voting ends at 10pm (2100 GMT) when an exit poll will give the first indication of the outcome. Detailed official results are expected in the early hours of Friday. (Reuters)

Some foreign companies are considering moving Taiwanese employees out of China after Beijing said it could impose the death penalty on "diehard" Taiwan independence separatists, said four people familiar with the matter.The new guidelines have caused some Taiwanese expatriates and foreign multinationals operating in China to scramble to assess their legal risks and exposure, said the people, who include a lawyer and two executives with direct knowledge of the discussions."Several companies have come to us to assess the risks to their personnel," said the lawyer, James Zimmerman, a Beijing-based partner at the Perkins Coie law firm. He declined to identify the companies or industries for confidentiality reasons."The companies are still concerned that there may be some grey areas such as whether a benign social media post or voting for a particular political party or candidate in Taiwan elections could be interpreted as engaging in pro-independence activities," Zimmerman said.Reuters has previously consulted Perkins Coie on unrelated matters in China.Some 177,000 Taiwanese were working in China as of 2022, according to the most recent Taiwan government survey. Taiwanese staff are employed by many multinationals in China, given their linguistic abilities and cultural familiarity with the country.Many more work for the myriad Taiwanese firms that operate in China and have, by the Taiwan government's estimate, invested more than $200bn since 1991, helping fuel China's growth to become the world's second-biggest economy.Some foreign corporations operating in China have held meetings with employees on safety, said the two executives, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.Another source, who was briefed on the matter, said some Taiwanese staff in China have received and accepted the option to leave the country.China views Taiwan as its own territory. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future. He has denounced China's new guidelines.The June 21 guidelines criminalise promoting Taiwan's entry to international organisations where statehood is a condition, having external official exchanges and suppressing parties, groups and people that promote "reunification".Also illegal are "other acts that seek to separate Taiwan from China" - phrasing that allows Beijing to interpret the rules broadly, according to legal experts.Among "the ringleaders or those who have committed serious crimes", the guidelines say, "if the harm to the country and the people is particularly serious and the circumstances are particularly bad, they may be sentenced to death."The regulations do not further specify who might be subject to the death penalty.Asked for comment on how companies and Taiwanese employees are reacting to the guidelines, China's foreign ministry said in a statement: "Using criminal law measures to punish criminal separatist elements and uphold the country's core interests is a common practice for all countries."It needs to be emphasised that the relevant legislative document targets the extreme minority of diehard 'Taiwan independence' elements and their separatist activities, and does not implicate the vast majority of Taiwan compatriots," the ministry said.China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. Last week it said the vast majority of Taiwanese have nothing to worry about and can come "in high spirits".Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees relations with Beijing, said in a statement: "The government reminds Taiwanese business people and Taiwanese employees in mainland China that they must pay more attention to their personal safety now. The risk is indeed increasing."Last week the council urged Taiwanese people to avoid all non-essential travel to China, Hong Kong and Macau as a result of the new regulations.The council said last month that eight retired Taiwanese military and police officers had been detained in China over the previous year. Last year it warned that Taiwanese academics were being detained and interrogated upon entry to China, even if they were on formal exchange programmes.One of the executives who spoke to Reuters - a senior official who works with Taiwan investors in China - said his phone lit up after China announced the new guidelines as people discussed what they could mean for their work. He said the guidelines add to the uncertainty of doing business in China, coming on the heels of such measures as China's anti-espionage law and its national security law for Hong Kong.The second executive, who works for a large multinational whose Taiwanese executives frequently go on business trips to China, said they had been having regular meetings with senior managers to assess the danger and whether to withdraw those working in the country."It's not yet gotten to the stage of deciding not to send them there, but we are reviewing the risk daily," the executive said.Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, said the guidelines would force foreign companies to "either move their operations out entirely to keep Taiwanese talent or they stop hiring Taiwanese talent."That would mean that "even fewer Taiwanese will be working or living in China, thereby making Beijing's attempts to win over their hearts and minds even harder," Sung said.Beijing condemns Taiwan's Lai as a "separatist" and staged war games shortly after his May inauguration.Taiwan has complained of ramped up Chinese pressure since Lai won the election in January, including ongoing military actions, trade sanctions and coast guard patrols around Taiwan-controlled islands next to China. Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but been rebuffed.

A UN official affirmed that about 90% of the population of the Gaza Strip have been displaced at least once inside the Strip, since the start of the Israeli aggression that has been ongoing for 9 months.Head of Office for United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Andrea De Domenico said during the press briefing that the humanitarian community estimates that the population present in Gaza comprises about 2.1 million people."At the moment, we estimated that nine out of every ten people in Gaza Strip had been internally displaced at least once, if not up to 10 times, unfortunately, since October," he added.He explained that more than 37,000 people lost their lives, in addition to 110,000 people have left the Strip since October 2023, pointing out that there are between 300,000 to 350,000 people still in northern Gaza who cannot move to the south.The UN official pointed out that those who were displaced in the past two days, following the Israeli occupations orders to evacuate in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, are not necessarily added to the number of displaced people because many of them are already displaced, pointing out that every time people are displaced, they are forced to completely reset their lives over and over again.The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) estimated Wednesday that about 250,000 Palestinians may be forced to flee again from Khan Yunis, stressing that nowhere is safe place in Gaza.

The 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) began in the Kazakh capital Astana, where a wide range of current issues related to political, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian relations will be discussed.During the opening speech, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said, "our countries provide the vector for the development of the entire Eurasian continent. We have turned the SCO into one of the most authoritative and influential structures," noting that the interest in the SCO is growing.He added that for nearly a quarter century, the Organization has become a significant mechanism in the international relations system, greatly contributing to sustainable growth and comprehensive progress, pointing out that fruitful interaction in politics, security, economy, and culture among member states shapes the development path of the entire Eurasian continent.During the summit, leaders of member states signed a decision by the Council of Heads of State granting the Republic of Belarus full membership of the SCO.President of Kazakhstan welcomed Belarus's accession before the signing ceremony.The Summit brought together leaders of member and observer states, as well as dialogue partners.New agreements are expected on cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, drug control activities, combating organized crime across borders, and ensuring information security

US President Joe Biden vowed to stay in the 2024 presidential race during a call with campaign staff on Wednesday and sought to reassure top Democrats on Capitol Hill that he is fit for re-election, despite his disastrous debate performance last week.Biden dialled in to a call with worried members of his campaign team and told them he wasn’t going anywhere, according to two sources familiar with the call.“I am running,” Biden said, adding he remained the Democratic Party leader and wasn’t being pushed out, one source said.The president was to meet with Democratic governors last night to reassure them he is up to the job of standard-bearer for the party after the shaky debate with Republican Donald Trump. Some governors will attend virtually.Asked on Wednesday if Biden was considering stepping down, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “Absolutely not.”Biden spoke to Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader in the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, and Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader in the Senate, on Wednesday, a White House official said. He also spoke with House Democrat Jim Clyburn on Wednesday, whose office said afterward they had a long, private conversation.Clyburn — a kingmaker of sorts within the Democratic Party and who was instrumental in Biden’s 2020 win — told CNN on Wednesday that the party should hold a “mini-primary” if Biden steps aside, the first senior party member to talk publicly about how, exactly, replacing Biden as a candidate would work.Clyburn, who said on Tuesday that he would back Vice-President Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate if Biden were to depart, added: “If she were to be the nominee, we need to have a running mate and a strong running mate. And so all of this would give us an opportunity, not just to measure up who would be good to be at the top of the ticket, but also who would be best in second place.”Biden’s halting, shaky debate performance against Trump in Atlanta last week sparked calls for him to step aside as the Democratic presidential candidate for the November 5 election. Trump repeated a well-worn slate of falsehoods, including that he won the 2020 election.Democrats raised fresh concerns about Biden on Tuesday, with one House member calling for him to drop out and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime Biden ally, saying it was legitimate to ask whether Biden’s performance in Atlanta was an “episode” or a condition.The president has said he was tired after two foreign trips and the White House has said he had a cold. His campaign has held damage control calls with donors, and Biden has shown no signs so far abandoning his quest for a second term.White House chief of staff Jeff Zients held a call with demoralised White House staff on Wednesday as well, acknowledging that it had been a challenging few days while stressing that the Biden team had a record to be proud of and more work to do.A handful of governors are potential rivals to Biden if pressure for him to step aside were to increase, but many of them also speak on Biden’s behalf on the campaign trail.Harris is the likely successor if Biden does step aside, multiple sources told Reuters. However Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois Governor J B Pritzker, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear have all been mentioned as possible replacements to Biden if he decided to bow out as the 2024 candidate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping hailed their Eurasian security club on Wednesday as a force for global stability at a summit of the regional body, which is seen by Moscow and Beijing as a tool to counter Western influence.Putin and the Chinese president have expanded the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO), a club founded in 2001 with Russia, China and Central Asian nations, to include India, Iran and Pakistan as a counterweight to the West.“The organisation has firmly established itself as one of the key pillars of a fair, multipolar world order,” Putin said, adding that bilateral ties between Moscow and Beijing were at their best in history.“Our co-operation is not aimed against anyone, we are not creating any blocs or alliances, we are just acting in the interests of our peoples,” Putin said.In his opening remarks, Xi told Putin that China and Russia should “uphold the original aspiration of friendship for generations” in response to an “ever-changing international situation”.Calling Putin an “old friend”, Xi alluded to the progress the two countries had made in putting in place “plans and arrangements for the next development of bilateral relations”.Putin and Xi have instructed national companies to agree terms of delivery for the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline “as soon as possible”, Interfax reported, quoting Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak.“Work will continue on agreeing the terms and parameters. Instructions have been given to do this as soon as possible,” Interfax quoted Novak as saying.The Kremlin said Putin had held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO summit, which is taking place in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, and ends today.The SCO promotes common approaches to external security threats such as drug trafficking and also focuses on countering any domestic instability.Ahead of his meeting with Xi, Putin met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the presidents of Azerbaijan and Mongolia, Ilham Aliyev and Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh.India said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected in Moscow later this month, would not attend the Astana gathering, sending Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar instead. China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing, days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Since then, Xi and Putin have deepened relations.Xi and Putin believe the US-dominated post-Cold War era is crumbling. The US casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat. US President Joe Biden says this century will be defined by an existential contest between democracies and autocracies.At last year’s virtual summit, the group criticised what it called the negative impact of “unilateral and unlimited expansion of global missile defence systems by certain countries or groups of countries”, without directly referring to Nato expansion or Western military assistance to Ukraine.In a move that highlighted Beijing’s pragmatic economy-driven approach, Xi presided over a ceremony on Wednesday with his Kazakh counterpart just hours before meeting Putin, to mark the departure of a fresh batch of cargo along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.The route, also known as the Middle Corridor, starts in southeast Asia and China, runs through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and further to Europe. It has been heavily promoted by the West as an alternative to Asia-Europe land transit via Russia.Belarus will attend the Astana summit for the first time as a full member of the SCO, the Kremlin said.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also expected to attend the Astana gathering.

Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) will not win a majority of seats in next Sunday’s parliamentary run-off election, according to a poll on Wednesday, suggesting efforts by French mainstream parties to block the far-right might work.A Harris Interactive poll for Challenges magazine — the first to be published after politicians across party lines formed an anti-RN front — showed the RN would fall short of the 289 seats required to control the 577-seat National Assembly.The RN and its allies would get just 190 to 220 seats, according to the poll, while the centre-right Republicans (LR) would win 30 to 50 seats. This could rule out the possibility of a far-right minority government supported by part of the LR parliamentary group.“The result of the withdrawals is a clear step back for RN,” Challenges reporter Remi Clement wrote on X.The poll was published after more than 200 candidates across the political spectrum withdrew their candidacies to clear the path for whoever was best placed to defeat the RN candidate in their voting district, in a process known as the “republican front.”Before the withdrawals, pollsters had calculated the first round put the RN on track for 250-300 seats.Asked if she feared the RN would fall short of the 289 figure required for an absolute majority, Le Pen told TF1 TV: “No, I am very confident. French people have a real desire for change.”After the withdrawals, there were 92 three or four-way battles to come, according to a Reuters tally. Three-way votes favour the RN, while two-way contests are seen as better for the anti-RN alliance, experts say.The Harris poll showed that the leftist New Popular Front alliance would win 159 to 183 seats, while President Emmanuel Macron’s Together alliance would win just 110 to 135 seats.Various other parties would win 17 to 31 seats.French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a close ally of Macron, said earlier on Wednesday that he believed the cross-party bid to deprive the far-right RN of a majority could succeed. However, he dismissed suggestions that Macron’s centrists could look to form a cross-party government in the event of a hung parliament, proposing that moderates in the assembly worked together to pass legislation on a case-by-case basis instead.“What these withdrawals show is that we can avoid an absolute majority for the far-right,” Attal told France Inter radio.“I hope the (Macron-allied) Ensemble camp is as big as possible,” he said. “After that we will seek to secure majorities on a project-by-project basis.”In a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Macron rejected the option of a coalition that would include the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party of Jean-Luc Melenchon, one participant said. It was unclear if he mentioned other coalition options.Their comments underline that, even if the RN does not come to power, France could face months of political uncertainty through to the end of Macron’s term in 2027, when RN’s Le Pen is widely expected to mount a challenge for the presidency itself.The question remains whether voters will go along with the effort to block the anti-immigrant, eurosceptic RN. Centrist voters may baulk at supporting a far-left rival to the RN, while many left-wing supporters are so disillusioned with Macron that they will not stomach backing someone from his alliance.Le Pen has said she could reach out to other parties if the RN falls short of an absolute majority. Her prime ministerial pick Jordan Bardella has said he would decline to form a government without a sufficiently strong mandate.The RN came out well ahead in Sunday’s first-round vote after Macron’s gamble on a snap election backfired, leaving his centrist camp in a lowly third place behind the RN and a hastily formed left-wing alliance.Le Pen has worked for years to soften the image of the RN, but rights groups cite concerns about its “national preference” and anti-migrant policies, while its profound euroscepticism would pose serious threats to future European integration.It has signalled plans to reverse Macron’s reforms, such as his unpopular move to increase the retirement age, but economists question whether RN spending plans are fully funded.Financial markets were reassured by the bid to create a so-called “republican front” against Le Pen’s party, lowering the risk premium on France’s sovereign debt. “The strategy would significantly limit the chances of Le Pen winning an outright majority,” Jefferies chief Europe economist Mohit Kumar said in a note.The National Rally has attacked the cross-party bid to block it as anti-democratic and an attempt to undermine voters’ wishes. Bardella told Le Figaro newspaper: “The real ‘republican front’ — that is us.”

Powerful Hurricane Beryl churned toward Jamaica on Wednesday with dangerous winds and sea surge, as residents braced for a storm that killed seven people and caused destruction in the Caribbean.The hurricane — unusually strong so early in the Atlantic season — was expected to pass near or over Jamaica in the next hours as a life-threatening Category 4 storm on a five-level scale, meteorologists said around midday.Beryl is the first storm since US National Hurricane Center (NHC) records began to reach the Category 4 level in June and the earliest to reach Category 5 in July.Across Jamaica, people removed boats from the water and tied them to fences for safety and rushed to buy food, water, gasoline and other essentials.As of midday on Wednesday the storm was packing maximum sustained winds 145mph, said the NHC. Tropical storm conditions are spreading through the island, it said.Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared an island-wide 6am to 6pm curfew and urged Jamaicans to comply with evacuation orders.“If you live in a low lying area, an area historically prone to flooding and landslide or if you live on the banks of a river,” he said in a video posted on social media, “I implore you to evacuate to a shelter, or to safer ground.”Desmon Brown, manager of the National Stadium in Kingston, said his staff has scrambled to be ready.“We’ve taped up our windows, covered our equipment — including computers, printers and that sort of thing. Apart from that, it’s mainly concrete so there’s not much we can do,” Brown said told the Jamaica Observer newspaper.Hurricane warnings were also issued in the Cayman Islands further west, which Beryl was expected to pass near or over last night or early today, according to the NHC.Then it is forecast to head in a more weakened state toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.Beryl has already left a trail of death with at least three people killed in Grenada, where the storm made landfall Monday, as well as one in St Vincent and the Grenadines and three in Venezuela.Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said the island of Carriacou, which was struck by the eye of the storm, has been all but cut off, with houses, telecommunications and fuel facilities there flattened.“We’ve had virtually no communication with Carriacou in the last 12 hours except briefly this morning by satellite phone,” Mitchell told a news conference.The 13.5-square mile island is home to around 9,000 people.

South Africa’s new unity government under President Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in on Wednesday, the first of its kind in the country after 30 years of rule by the ANC.Ahead of the 32 ministers — from six parties — making up the cabinet, Paul Mashatile, who has been re-appointed deputy president, was the first to take the oath during the televised ceremony in Cape Town.On Sunday, Ramaphosa, 71, unveiled his highly anticipated coalition government, which includes the leader of the former main opposition party and sees the number of ministries rise from 30 to 32. There are also 43 deputy ministers. His African National Congress (ANC), which has governed since the advent of democracy in 1994, sought to form a government of national unity after losing its outright parliamentary majority in May 29 elections.The historied party, which won just over 40 % in the poll, keeps 20 cabinet positions, including foreign affairs, finance, defence, justice and police. Its largest coalition partner and long-time critic, the Democratic Alliance (DA), won 21.8 % and will head six ministries, including agriculture, public works and communication.DA leader John Steenhuisen, 48, was appointed agriculture minister.

Rising water levels in the Yangtze River following intense rains in southern China have prompted eastern regions downstream to prepare for possible flooding.Water levels in the Jiangsu section of China’s longest river continued to rise on Wednesday as a result of the increased flow from its upper reaches as well as the persistent rainfall. Nanjing, the capital of China’s eastern Jiangsu province issued its second highest flood warning and authorities banned various vessels, including passenger ferries, from entering or operating in the river’s Jiangsu section, state media reported.China’s Ministry of Water Resources had said on Tuesday that water levels in sections of the middle and lower courses of the Yangtze River exceeded the warning mark.Water levels at Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province, where authorities had activated a second-level response for flood control since Tuesday night, were also being closely watched.

A prominent Philippine senator has created a stir by saying on social media she has knowledge of a Chinese plan to target her country with hypersonic missiles, though the national security council said it was unaware of any such security threat.Senator Imee Marcos, the sister of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and head of the senate foreign relations committee, made her claim in a short video that has so far had over 900,000 views on TikTok and over 100,000 on Facebook.China’s defence and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the video, which Imee Marcos posted on Tuesday as the Philippines and China held talks on their South China Sea territorial dispute.In her video, Marcos said China had set 25 targets around the Philippine archipelago that it would attack with hypersonic missiles, and the northern islands of Batanes, close to Taiwan, would be among the first targets.Marcos provided no evidence to support her claim, which she made as part of an argument that her brother’s closer ties with the US has made China see the Philippines as a threat. Reuters could not verify her claim.“Let’s admit the problem: that China thinks we have sided with their enemy,” she said in her video.“As tensions escalate in the West Philippine Sea, I saw a Chinese plan that they will use a hypersonic missile,” she said, without saying where she got the information. West Philippine Sea refers to waters within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.Marcos opposes some of her brother’s policies regarding China, including his decision to grant the US expanded access to Philippine military facilities it can use, including those facing Taiwan and the South China Sea.The Philippines national security council said it would ask Marcos for more information about her statement, with spokesman Jonathan Malaya saying in a message “... we are not aware of any of the security threats she mentioned”.“The Philippines and PRC (People’s Republic of China) maintain cordial relations and are committed to managing whatever differences there may be, thus we see no threat of any imminent attack from the PRC,” Malaya added.Neither the Chinese embassy in Manila nor Imee Marcos’ office responded immediately to a request for comment on the video. The US embassy said it had no comment at present.A spokesperson at the Philippine defence department said it “has no basis for a comment or reaction to senator Marcos’ video because we have not seen or read the plans she referred to”.President Marcos’ office did not respond to a request for comment.China accused the Philippines of “stoking the fire” of regional tensions with its military agreement with the US.Beijing also condemned the deployment of the US’ Typhon missile in the Philippines during the allies’ joint military exercises.

A woman was found dead inside the belly of a snake after it swallowed her whole in central Indonesia, police said Wednesday, the second python killing in the province in a month.Siriati, 36, had gone missing after she left her house Tuesday morning to buy medicine for her sick child, police said, prompting relatives to launch a search.Her husband Adiansa, 30, found her slippers and pants on the ground about 500 metres (yards) from their house in Siteba village, South Sulawesi province."Shortly after that, he spotted a snake, about 10 metres from the path. The snake was still alive," local police chief Idul, who like many Indonesians has one name, told AFP.Village secretary Iyang told AFP that Adiansa became suspicious after he noticed the python's "very large" belly.He called the villagers to help cut open its stomach, where they found her body.Such incidents are considered extremely rare, but several people have been swallowed by pythons in recent years.A woman was found dead last month inside the belly of a reticulated python in another district of South Sulawesi.Last year residents in the province killed an eight-metre python, which was found strangling and eating one of the farmers in a village.A 54-year-old woman was found dead in 2018 inside a seven-metre python in Southeast Sulawesi's Muna town.And the year before, a farmer in West Sulawesi went missing before being found being swallowed by a four-metre python at a palm oil plantation.

The UK Conservatives hoped Rishi Sunak would stabilise the party and country when they made him leader following his predecessors' chaotic tenures. Instead, he has led them to the brink of electoral wipeout.The party's MPs installed the 44-year-old former financier in October 2022, after Liz Truss's 49-day premiership imploded when spooked markets moved against her tax-slashing plans.Sunak succeeded to a point in stabilising the country's economy, but failed to stop bitter Tory infighting, or to make a dent in the persistent polling lead held by the opposition Labour Party.Buoyed by rare pieces of economic good news, Sunak called the July 4 election in late May, despite not having to face the voters until early 2025.He hoped the shock announcement would catch right-wingers Reform UK by surprise, and Labour's 20-point polling lead would shrink during the campaign.But Sunak's campaign has lurched from one disaster to another.By far the most damaging was Sunak's decision to leave early from D-Day commemoration events in France, provoking unilateral outrage and alienating the right wing whose votes he desperately needs.Now they look set to vote en masse for Reform, led by Brexit talisman Nigel Farage.He also had to apologise after Conservative candidates and the party's campaign chief were put under investigation over alleged bets placed on the date of the election before it was called.All of which has left Sunak cutting an increasingly frustrated figure, shorn of the bullish rhetoric of the early campaign but still insisting the election result is not a foregone conclusion.- 'Dishy Rishi' -The privately wealthy Sunak struggled to connect with regular voters hit hard by a cost-of-living crisis.He was roundly mocked for suggesting he had an austere childhood because his family did not have satellite television, and his interactions with voters have often seemed awkward.His current difficulties are a far cry from his rapid rise to power, becoming Britain's youngest prime minister of modern times at age 42, as well as the first of South Asian descent.The observant Hindu was born in Southampton on England's south coast on May 12, 1980, to a family doctor father and a mother who ran a local pharmacy.Sunak's grandparents were from Punjab in northern India and emigrated from eastern Africa in the 1960s, arriving in Britain with "very little", he has said.Sunak was educated at the exclusive private Winchester College, then Oxford and Stanford universities.During his Tory leadership bid, a video emerged of a 21-year-old Sunak talking about his friends."I have friends who are aristocrats, I have friends who are upper-class, I have friends who are, you know, working-class," he says, before adding quickly: "Well, not working-class."After making millions in finance, Sunak won the safe and overwhelmingly white Conservative seat of Richmond in Yorkshire, northern England, in 2015.His Instagram-friendly profile earned him the media nickname of "Dishy Rishi".An early backer of Brexit, he took over as finance minister in February 2020 -- a baptism of fire as the Covid pandemic erupted.The details-oriented policy wonk was forced to craft an enormous economic support package at breakneck speed, which he regularly touts as one of his proudest achievements in politics.- Wealthy wife -The pandemic sullied his squeaky clean reputation, though, after he received a police fine for breaching Covid rules by joining a birthday gathering for then-prime minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street.Sunak also faced difficult questions about the tax affairs of his wife Akshata Murty, whose father Narayana Murthy is the billionaire co-founder of IT giant Infosys.In early 2022, newspapers reported she had non-domiciled status, meaning she had not been paying UK taxes on her Infosys returns.The news hit Sunak's approval ratings and Murty announced that she would pay UK taxes on her global income.The Sunaks met while studying in California and have two young daughters, plus a photogenic dog.He insists his own family's experience, and that of his wife, are a "very Conservative" story of hard work and aspiration.In July 2022, Sunak quit as finance minister, helping to trigger Johnson's resignation after one scandal too many and public anger at the government's Covid response.Many Tories have never forgiven him and have harped against his leadership from the sidelines.He insists only he has a "clear plan" backed by "bold action" to change Britain but voters look set to limit his time in office to less than two years.

Japan's top court ruled on Wednesday that a defunct eugenics law under which thousands of people were forcibly sterilised between 1948 and 1996 was unconstitutional, local media reported.The Supreme Court also ruled that a 20-year statute of limitations on compensation claims could not be applied, a major victory for victims who have endured decades of suffering.Japan's government acknowledges that around 16,500 people were forcibly sterilised under the eugenics law that was in place between 1948 and 1996.The law allowed doctors to sterilise people with inheritable intellectual disabilities to "prevent the generation of poor quality descendants".Another 8,500 people were sterilised with their consent, according to authorities, although lawyers say even those cases were likely "de facto forced" because of the pressure individuals faced.A 1953 government notice said physical restraint, anaesthesia and even "deception" could be used for the operations."I've spent an agonising 66 years because of the government surgery. I want my life back that I was robbed of," victim Saburo Kita, who uses a pseudonym, said before Wednesday's ruling.Kita was convinced to undergo a vasectomy when he was 14 at a facility housing troubled children. He only confided what had happened to his wife shortly before she died in 2013."Only when the government faces up to what it did and takes responsibility will I be able to accept my life, even just a little," Kita, now 81, told a news conference last year.- Apology -The number of operations in Japan slowed to a trickle in the 1980s and 1990s before the law was scrapped in 1996.That dark history was thrust back under the spotlight in 2018 when a woman in her 60s sued the government over a procedure she had undergone at age 15, opening the floodgates for similar lawsuits.The government, for its part, "wholeheartedly" apologised after legislation was passed in 2019 stipulating a lump-sum payment of 3.2 million yen (around $20,000 today) per victim.However, survivors say that was too little to match the severity of their suffering and took their fight to court.Regional courts have mostly agreed in recent years that the eugenics law constituted a violation of Japan's constitution.However, judges have been divided on whether claims are valid beyond the 20-year statute of limitations.Some have said that applying such limitations was extremely cruel and unfair, ordering the state to pay damages. But others dismissed cases, saying the window for pursuing damages had closed."The ruling will hopefully pave the way for active steps to be taken by the government to eliminate the kind of eugenic mentality that it created," Kita's lawyer, Naoto Sekiya, told AFP before Wednesday's ruling.

Survivors of India's deadliest stampede in over a decade on Wednesday recalled the horror of being crushed at a vastly overcrowded Hindu religious gathering that left 121 people dead.A police report said more than 250,000 people attended the event in northern India's Uttar Pradesh state, more than triple the 80,000 organisers had permission for.On Wednesday morning, hours after the event, discarded clothing and lost shoes were scattered across the muddy site, an open field alongside a highway.People fell on top of each other as they tumbled down a slope into a water-logged ditch, witnesses said."Everyone -- the entire crowd, including women and children -- all left from the event site at once," said police officer Sheela Maurya, 50, who had been on duty Tuesday as a popular Hindu preacher delivered a sermon."There wasn't enough space, and everyone just fell on top of each other."Almost all of the dead were women, along with seven children killed and one man.Officials suggested the stampede was triggered when worshippers tried to gather soil from the footsteps of the preacher, while others blamed a dust storm for sparking panic.Some fainted from the force of the crowd, before falling and being trampled upon, unable to move.The Uttar Pradesh's state disaster management centre, the Office of the Relief Commissioner, released a list of the dead on Wednesday morning.It said 121 people had been killed.- 'Crushed' -Maurya, who had been on duty since early morning on Tuesday in the sweltering humid heat at the preacher's ceremony, was among the injured."I tried to help some women, but even I fainted and was crushed under the crowd," she told AFP."I don't know, but someone pulled me out, and I don't remember much."Deadly incidents are common at places of worship during major religious festivals in India, the biggest of which prompt millions of devotees to make pilgrimages to holy sites."The main highway next to the field was packed with people and vehicles for kilometres, there were far too many people here," said Hori Lal, 45, who lives in Phulrai Mughalgadi village, near the site of the stampede."Once people started falling to the side and getting crushed, there was just chaos."Chaitra V., divisional commissioner of Aligarh city in Uttar Pradesh state, initially said panic began when "attendees were exiting the venue when a dust storm blinded their vision, leading to a melee".But Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh told reporters after visiting the site that worshippers had scrambled to get close to the preacher."I am told that people rushed to touch his feet and tried to collect soil, and a stampede took place," Singh said, according to the Indian Express daily."Many people fell in a nearby drain".Maurya said she had worked at several political rallies and large events in the past but had "never seen such huge numbers"."It was very hot, even I fell there and I survived with great difficulty", she added.- 'Heart-rending' -At dawn on Wednesday, four unidentified bodies lay on the floor of a makeshift morgue at the hospital in the nearby town of Hathras.Ram Nivas, 35, a farmer, said he was searching for his sister-in-law Rumla, 54, who was missing after the crush."We haven't been able to find her anywhere," Nivas said, adding he had visited all the nearby hospitals throughout the night."We just hope she's still alive," he said quietly. "Maybe just lost."In the hospital's emergency ward, Sandeep Kumar, 29, sat next to his injured sister, Shikha Kumar, 22."After the event ended, everyone wanted to exit quickly, and that is what led to the stampede," Sandeep said."She saw people fainting, getting crushed."Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation of $2,400 to the next of kin of those who died and $600 to those injured in the "tragic incident".President Droupadi Murmu said the deaths were "heart-rending" and offered her "deepest condolences".Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is also a Hindu monk, expressed his condolences to the relatives of those killed and ordered an investigation into the deaths, his office said.Religious gatherings in India have a grim track record of deadly incidents caused by poor crowd management and safety lapses.In 2008, 224 pilgrims were killed and more than 400 were injured in a stampede at a hilltop temple in the northern city of Jodhpur.

Bangladesh villages home to more than 1.3 million people have been inundated after floods triggered by heavy rains in the country's northeast, a top government bureaucrat said Wednesday."More than 1.34 million people have been affected," Sylhet divisional commissioner Abu Ahmed Siddique told AFP, adding: "Their villages and roads and most of their homes have been inundated by flood water."

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday approved Kisunla (donanemab-azbt) injection, produced by Eli Lilly, for the treatment of Alzheimers disease.Kisunla is the third amyloid-targeting drug approved by the FDA since 2021, following two treatments Aduhelm and Leqembi.Kisunla slowed the cognitive and functional decline in patients with mild cognitive impairment by 35 percent over 18 months.The drug removes beta-amyloid that accumulates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.The estimated cost for a six-month course of the therapy is $12,522. A full year of treatment is protected to cost $32,000, according to Eli Lilly.

The United Nations Security Council held Tuesday a meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, which focused on the difficult humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip as the Israeli aggression continues for nine months."The war has not merely created a humanitarian crisis, it has unleashed a maelstrom of human misery. The health system has collapsed, schools destroyed and the disrupted education system threatens future generations," the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag said on Tuesday.Over 1 million people have been displaced once again in Gaza, desperately seeking shelter and safety," she added.She voiced deep concerns about reports of new Israeli evacuation orders issued in the area of Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip, and their impact on the civilian population.A sustained flow of assistance to Gaza is needed to deliver quantity and quality of goods throughout all land and sea crossings, including Rafah, Kaag told the Security Council."Since the start of the Israeli military operation in Rafah, and the subsequent closure of the border crossing in early May, the volume of aid entering Gaza or being distributed has dropped significantly," Kaag added.She also called for the opening of additional crossings, especially to south Gaza, and consideration of movement of aid from north to south Gaza"While humanitarian assistance will be required for years to come, planning for early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza is essential," the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator said. (QNA)

Democrats shocked by Joe Biden’s dismal debate performance urged the US president yesterday to be transparent about his mental fitness as he faced the first call from his own side to drop out of the election.Some supporters have expressed growing doubts about the 81-year-old following last week’s televised showdown with Donald Trump, after Biden stumbled over his words and lost his train of thought — exacerbating fears about his age.Congressman Lloyd Doggett became the first Democratic lawmaker to publicly call on Biden to make way for another candidate.“Recognising that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so,” the Texan said in a statement.Nancy Pelosi, a former House speaker and a grandee of the Democratic Party, said in her own statement it was “legitimate” to ask whether Biden’s debate disaster was indicative of a deeper problem rather than a one-off.She praised Biden’s vision and “strategic thinking” in an interview with cable network MSNBC — but admitted he had had a “bad night” and said it was fair to raise the mental acuity of “both candidates.”Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse also asked for reassurances, saying voters needed to know there would be no repeat of Biden’s sub-par showing.Whitehouse, of Rhode Island, told WPRI-TV he was “pretty horrified” by the president’s performance during the 90-minute CNN match-up, watched by more than 50mn Americans.Biden has not given a live interview or held a press conference since the debacle, meaning he has not had to give unscripted comments under pressure again.On Monday, at the end of a brief speech about a Supreme Court decision, a journalist asked him if he planned to withdraw from the race for the White House. Biden left the room without answering.The polling margins between the president and his Republican predecessor have been razor-thin and almost static for months, with Trump showing a slight advantage in the all-important swing states.Biden pushed for an unusually early first debate in hopes that he could jolt the race while there was still time to build on any momentum gained — but the plan backfired.The White House has always dismissed questions about Biden’s mental acuity, sometimes with marked irritation.His campaign — under pressure over its tactics — hit out at “self-important podcasters” in a memo widely seen as a swipe at a group of former Barack Obama staffers and slammed demands from “the bedwetting brigade” for Biden drop out.“I really do criticise the campaign for a dismissive attitude towards people who are raising questions for discussion,” Vermont Senator Peter Welch, a Democrat, told news website Semafor yesterday.Observers say Biden has visibly slowed over the last year.It has been several months since the president, who has fallen in public on several occasions, stopped using his plane’s wide gangway, preferring a shorter, more stable staircase.He has also surrounded himself with aides for the short walk from the White House to his helicopter on the lawn, preventing cameras from focusing on his slow, deliberate walk.Biden, who has always been gaffe-prone, has not given a long press conference since January 2022 and spends almost every weekend in one of his Delaware homes, with no official schedule.When he recently visited France to commemorate the 1944 Allied landings, he went straight from the airport to his hotel, where he remained locked up for an entire day, with no public appearances.Democrat candidate US President Joe Biden walks offstage with first lady Dr Jill Biden at the conclusion of a presidential debate with Republican presidential candidate and his predecessor Donald Trump, in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday. (Reuters)