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Year: 2024

‘Breathtaking speed’: Trump’s Paris trip marks return to global stage as leaders turn ‘the page’ on Biden

‘Breathtaking speed’: Trump’s Paris trip marks return to global stage as leaders turn ‘the page’ on Biden

President-elect Trump is in Europe this weekend for his first overseas trip since his commanding victory in last month’s presidential election. Trump will meet with Emmanuel Macron after the French president invited him to attend Saturday’s star-studded VIP event for the official reopening of the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral, five years after a devastating fire wrecked the centuries-old Paris landmark. First Lady Jill Biden will also attend the ceremonies, but it’s Trump who will be holding court with world leaders. The president-elect’s appearance will serve as Trump’s unofficial return to the global stage, and it is another reminder that he is quickly becoming the center of the world’s attention. TRUMP RETURNING TO EUROPE FOR FIRST TIME SINCE ELECTION “This is without question a major moment in French history and the fact that Macron wanted to share it with Trump speaks to the significance of what Trump is achieving even before he gets to the Oval Office again, said Brett Bruen, a public affairs and strategic communications veteran, and former U.S. diplomat who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations. “He is being feted quite literally in Paris with all the glitz and glamour,” Bruen, president of the Global Situation Room, added. WHY BIDEN’S PARDON OF HIS SON HUNTER IS A POLITICAL GIFT FOR TRUMP And Bruen and other analysts give credit to Macron for inviting Trump to this weekend’s festivities. “This is a really smart move by Macron to get things rolling in the right direction when it comes to U.S.-French relations under Trump,” he said. “But let’s also not forget the fact that Macron is both badly weakened in his own country and on the European continent…[Macron] may see in Trump an opportunity to restore his lost luster as the European leader who can most effectively engage with the new American president.” Trump has taken a slew of calls in the weeks since the November election from international leaders congratulating him on his White House victory.  The trip to Paris comes a week after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hastily made an unannounced stop in Mar-a-Lago to dine with Trump after the president-elect threatened a trade war with Canada and Mexico.  DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS SAY THEY’RE THE ‘LAST LINE OF DEFENSE’ AGAINST TRUMP Trump argued that Canada had failed to prevent large amounts of drugs and undocumented people from crossing the northern border into the U.S. and also pointed to America’s massive trade deficit with Canada. According to reporting from Fox News’ Bret Baier, Trump suggested to Trudeau that Canada could become the 51st state. Trump has also weighed in recently on a number of international conflicts. In the volatile Middle East, the president-elect warned this week in a social media post that there would be “ALL HELL TO PAY” if Hamas does not release all the hostages held in Gaza before he is inaugurated on Jan. 20. News of Trump’s invitation to Paris came earlier this week as President Biden was on a history-making trip to Angola, as he became the first American president to visit the sub-Saharan African nation. But Biden, likely on his last overseas trip before Trump takes over in the White House next month, is already being overshadowed on the world stage by his predecessor and successor. “While President-elect [Trump] is still weeks away from taking the oath of office, loyalties and the attention of world leaders has shifted to the incoming President and from Washington to Mar-a-lago with breathtaking speed,” Wayne Lesperance, a veteran political scientist and president of New England College, told Fox News. Matt Mowers, a veteran GOP national public affairs strategist and former diplomat at the State Department during Trump’s first administration, made the case that “Biden’s essentially been a lame duck” for months and that “world leaders have been shifting their gaze to the next administration. While members of the Biden White House would likely disagree with such sentiments – especially after the current administration played a large role in hammering out the cease-fire that halted fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah – it is undeniable that world leaders have already started to engage directly with the incoming president and administration. While the spotlight traditionally shifts from the outgoing to the incoming president, Mowers argued that “it is more pronounced this time because the difference in the Biden and Trump approach to foreign policy is so different.” Mowers emphasized that Trump is already aiming “to shape world events” by “being bold, not timid, in the statements he’s putting out, and the world is already reacting to that kind of American strength.” “World leaders that want to get something done… have to engage with Trump,” he added. Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist who served at the State Department during Trump’s first term, told Fox News that “the world is demanding leadership” and that “the Oval Office has been replaced by Mar-a-Lago.” Lesperance, pointing to Biden’s swing through Africa, noted that lame duck presidents’ final weeks are “usually filled with celebratory moments and efforts to cement one’s legacy. Often the focus is on their role on the world stage on behalf of America and its allies.’ However, he argued that “Biden’s pronouncements on Ukraine, Gaza and the importance of climate change go largely ignored by world leaders. Instead, they focus on Trump’s picks for his foreign policy team and pronouncements about changes in U.S. foreign policy position. It’s pretty evident that while Biden attempts a victory tour, the world has turned the page.”

The Palestinian boy who wanted to be like Ronaldo, killed by Israel

The Palestinian boy who wanted to be like Ronaldo, killed by Israel

Halhul, occupied West Bank – Like kids the world over, Naji al-Baba dreamed of becoming an international football player, “just like Ronaldo”. But – like his name, which means “survivor” – that was not to be the fate of a boy born in the occupied West Bank. Tall for a 14-year-old, Naji was always smiling and his family remember his kindness, calmness and helpfulness to everyone around him. He was passionate about football – practising for hours at the sports club in Halhul, just north of Hebron. A normal boy who loved to knock a football around with the neighbourhood children after school. Naji’s teammates hold up his football jersey as they remember their star player [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] His mother, Samahar al-Zamara, remembers the moment she realised Naji had grown taller than her and how he never refused a request from a friend or loved one “He grew up before his age,” the 40-year-old says. “When he left us, I felt that I lost a part of me that we’ll never get back.” One month ago, Naji was killed by Israeli soldiers while he was doing the thing he loved – playing football with his friends. Naji’s mother, Samahar al-Zamara, centre, arrives at the hospital with other women from the family the day after her son’s killing to prepare his body for the funeral [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] November 3 – the day Naji died – didn’t seem unusual, his father Nidal Abdel Moti al-Baba, 47, tells Al Jazeera. Advertisement “I went in the morning to work in Bethlehem and Naji went to school. When I returned from work at 12 noon, I found Naji near his school, leaving for home. He got into the truck with me to return home together.” Naji’s sisters had prepared his favourite meal – molokhia with chicken – for lunch. Afterwards, he asked his father to let him go out to play with his friends near his grandfather’s grocery store, which is close to their home. Naji was the fifth of six children, after Sondos, 23; Bashir, 21; Amira, 20; and Mohammed, 16; and ahead of Rataj, 13. He checked in at home after half an hour – a little after 3pm – and then set off to play again. It was the last time the family would see him alive. Nidal al-Baba’s hand was broken when he was violently assaulted by Israeli soldiers responsible for the killing of his 14-year-old son [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] ‘The most difficult 40 minutes of my life’ Just moments later, at about 3:30pm, Naji’s cousin ran to the house, shouting: “Uncle Nidal! Uncle Nidal!” The family listened in horror. Israeli soldiers had arrived and started shooting at the children playing in a nearby wooded area – and Naji had been hit, he said. Desperately hoping he was merely injured – as many have been since the increase in illegal Israeli settlements and incursions by Israeli settlers and the army across the West Bank since Israel’s war on Gaza began – Naji’s father and uncle Samir rushed to the spot where a cluster of Israeli soldiers was standing. “I want my son! I want my son!” Nidal screamed before about 10 soldiers turned on him and his brother and beat them so violently they broke Nidal’s hand. Advertisement As he continued to demand to see his son, he was handcuffed, tied up and left on the ground for more than 40 minutes. The most difficult 40 minutes of his life, Nidal says now. “I heard an officer ask the soldiers to stand in two teams, five on the right and one on the left to carry the body. “That’s when I started screaming: ‘How can you kill a 14-year-old child? What did he do to you? What did he do to you?’” One of the soldiers replied that Naji had been in an area Palestinians are forbidden to enter. Family and friends arrive at the hospital to prepare Naji’s body for his funeral [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] In this confusion: “For a moment,” Nidal says, “I thought: ‘Maybe this child isn’t my son.’ “I watched him being carried on the soldiers’ shoulders towards an army vehicle and… I could see it was Naji. “I recognised him from his shoes which I had bought for him only days before; a pair of black trainers he had longed for. All I could think about was how happy he was when I bought them for him.” The soldiers took Naji’s body away and ordered Nidal and Samir to leave immediately or they would be killed. The family found out later that a Palestinian ambulance was called after two hours and his body was handed over and taken to Halhul’s Abu Mazen Hospital overnight The forensic medical report found that Naji had been hit by four bullets – one in the pelvis, another in the foot, the third through his heart and the fourth in the shoulder. It also found that the boy was left for 30 minutes without medical attention after being shot. Advertisement The next morning, Naji’s family were able to visit the hospital to prepare him for his funeral. Despite his broken hand, Nidal insisted on carrying his son’s body on his shoulder for the funeral, which was attended by hundreds of people from Halhul. Al Jazeera contacted the Israeli Ministry of Defence for comment regarding the killing of Naji al-Baba, but did not receive a response. The funeral procession of Naji in Halhul, West Bank [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera] Remembering Naji The family was devastated and could not speak to anyone for nearly a month. In happier times, Naji was the one who took care of his family – fetching blood pressure medicine for his father and keeping an eye on the doses. “I have 20 grandchildren, but he was the most loving among them, affectionate, supportive and helpful,” his grandmother Intisar al-Baba, 70, remembers. In the winter, she says, Naji would keep an eye on the firewood and rush off

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,017

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,017

Here is the situation on Saturday, December 7: Fighting: A Russian attack on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 10 people and wounded 24 on Friday. The city’s governor, Ivan Fedorov, said the attack had set a car garage and service station on fire in the blast. Another attack on nearby Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, killed at least two people, according to the local governor. Moscow said its forces had captured a village near the embattled supply hub of Pokrovsk and another near the industrial town of Kurakhove, gaining ground in two key areas of the east Ukraine front line. Lithuanian Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius at the European Commission in Brussels, on December 6, 2024 [Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP] Military and diplomacy: Zelenskyy slammed Putin after the attacks, saying in a post on Telegram that “thousands of such strikes carried out by Russia during this war make it absolutely clear that Putin does not need real peace,” adding that “only through force can real peace be established”. The EU’s first-ever defence commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, has called for a “big-bang approach” in spending and policy changes to strengthen the bloc’s defences, warning that Russia could be prepared for military aggression against the EU or NATO by 2030. Ukraine unveiled a new domestically produced “rocket drone” called Peklo (Hell in Ukrainian) saying it can fly 700km (430 miles) – more than twice the longest range attributed to missiles supplied by Western allies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a broadcast interview that his country’s recent use of a hypersonic missile in the Ukraine war sought to make the West understand that Moscow was ready to use “any means” to stave off defeat. Zelenskyy is set to travel to Paris this weekend for the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral, where he hopes to meet with the US president-elect Donald Trump. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview published on Saturday that he believed he and Trump would be able to develop a “joint strategy” for Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)

S Korea’s Yoon apologises for martial law crisis as impeachment vote looms

S Korea’s Yoon apologises for martial law crisis as impeachment vote looms

South Korean lawmakers are scheduled to vote on an opposition motion to impeach the president for declaring martial law earlier this week. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has made a public apology for his attempt to impose martial law this week but did not resign, defying intense pressure to step down – even from some in his own party – only hours before a planned impeachment vote. In a televised address to the nation on Saturday, Yoon said he would not seek to avoid legal and political responsibility for his decision to invoke the emergency measure of martial law for the first time in South Korea since 1980. He said his decision was born of “desperation”. “I am very sorry and would like to sincerely apologise to the people who were shocked,” Yoon said, promising there would be no second attempt. “I leave it up to my party to take steps to stabilise the political situation in the future, including the issue of my term in office,” he said, standing in front of the South Korean flag and bowing after he finished his brief remarks. The speech was the embattled leader’s first public appearance since he rescinded the martial law order early on Wednesday, just six hours after it was declared and after parliament defied an armed military raid and police cordons to vote against the decree, which forced the president to revoke his order. Advertisement Han Dong-hoon, leader of Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP), said after the address that the president was no longer in a position to carry out his public duties and his resignation was now unavoidable. On Friday, Han had said Yoon was a danger to the country and needed to be removed from power. On Saturday, Han met with the country’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to discuss the crisis, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. Under the constitution, if Yoon resigns or is impeached then the prime minister, who was appointed by Yoon, becomes South Korea’s acting president. If Yoon leaves office before his single five-year term ends in May 2027, the constitution requires a presidential election to be held within 60 days upon his departure. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote at 5pm local time (08:00 GMT) on the main opposition Democratic Party’s motion to impeach Yoon. Opposition leaders said if the motion fails, they plan to revisit it again on Wednesday. Prosecutors, the police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials have all launched probes into Yoon and senior officials involved in the martial law decree, seeking to pursue charges of insurrection and abuse of power, among others. Many in South Korea are still reeling from the president’s shock announcement late on Tuesday night, which gave the military sweeping emergency powers in order to combat unspecified threats from “North Korean communist forces”, and “to eradicate the shameless pro-North antistate forces”. Advertisement Yoon said martial law was necessary, accusing opposition members in the National Assembly of launching an unprecedented number of impeachment efforts against members of his administration, effectively paralysing key operations of government, and of handling the budget in a way that undermined the fundamental functions of government, including public safety. Yoon’s move plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy and key US military ally into its greatest political crisis in decades, and threatened to shatter South Korea’s reputation as a democratic success story. Adblock test (Why?)