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To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race

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Trump and Biden do battle in first US presidential debate

In the wake of Biden’s trainwreck performance during last week’s election debate, US, and global newspaper editorial boards have started to seriously question the Democrats plan to keep him as their presidential candidate.

The first debate from the two presidential hopefuls occurred on Thursday, 27 June, and was not a good showing for Biden. Trump’s strategy became clear as the debate began, and that was to attack, attack, and then attack some more, even if, or perhaps especially because, he could ignore uncomfortable questions from the moderators while doing so.

Biden however was stuck on the old formula of debate from a more civilised time when questions of policy and the answers you had regarding them mattered.

However in this day and age of reality TV politics, the appearance of confidence and strength matters more than actual ability to govern. Biden’s slow and sometimes halting responses only played into current perceptions of his age and ability to continue leading the US.

Trump on the other hand, often ignored all questions outright while flinging attack after attack at the floundering president, barely any of which had a connection to truth or policies.

While Trump spoke falsehoods with confidence, Biden was contrasted negatively as he spoke haltingly and in a meandering manner, even with the facts on his side.

In the wake of the debate, editorials across the world have chimed in on their take on the matter.

The Washington Post

“If President Biden had weekend plans, he should cancel them in favour of some soul-searching. His calamitous debate performance on Thursday raises legitimate questions about whether he’s up for another four years in the world’s toughest job. It’s incumbent on this incumbent to determine, in conversation with family and aides, whether continuing to seek reelection is in the best interests of the country.”

“Always a better talker, Mr. Trump tried gamely to make the most of a bad record, while Mr. Biden struggled to speak with authority about a presidency for which he could claim more credit than he is getting.”

The Wall Street Journal

“Well, that was painful—for the United States. President Biden’s halting, stumbling debate performance Thursday night showed all too clearly that he isn’t up to serving four more years in office. For the good of the country, more even than their party, Democrats have some hard thinking to do about whether they need to replace him at the top of their ticket”

The New York Times

“As it stands, the president is engaged in a reckless gamble. There are Democratic leaders better equipped to present clear, compelling and energetic alternatives to a second Trump presidency. There is no reason for the party to risk the stability and security of the country by forcing voters to choose between Mr. Trump’s deficiencies and those of Mr. Biden. It’s too big a bet to simply hope Americans will overlook or discount Mr. Biden’s age and infirmity that they see with their own eyes”

“It should be remembered that Mr. Biden challenged Mr. Trump to this verbal duel. He set the rules, and he insisted on a date months earlier than any previous general election debate. He understood that he needed to address longstanding public concerns about his mental acuity and that he needed to do so as soon as possible.

The truth Mr. Biden needs to confront now, is that he failed his own test.”

“The clearest path for Democrats to defeat a candidate defined by his lies is to deal truthfully with the American public: acknowledge that Mr. Biden can’t continue his race, and create a process to select someone more capable to stand in his place to defeat Mr. Trump in November.”

In the aftermath

The conclusion that media across the world have come to, is that Biden needs to go.

Confidence in Joe Biden’s ability to prevent a second Trump term has dropped to an all time low, with many discussing who in fact could replace him as the democratic frontrunner. The only ones who remain confident are those in his campaign team.

Notwhere can be seen more clearly in the Guardians opinion piece, “It’s risky, but Joe Biden needs to give way to someone who can beat Donald Trump”, or in another even more bluntly titled piece, “The true losers of this presidential debate were the American people”

However, beyond things turning into a truly ugly scenario, it is unlikely that Biden will be forced to step down from his position as the democratic incumbent, nor has he given any indication he would do so willingly.

That has not stopped others from speculating on who could replace him, given a chance.

However it is important to know that should Biden step down, the democratic party could become a free for all as various democrats would compete for the nomination. However it is possible that if Biden were to step down, he could negotiate the right to have final say in who replaces him.

But who can replace him?

While editorial boards from media giants have raised doubts about Biden’s ability to handle a second term, media coverage has instead gone into how he could be replaced.

Under normal circumstances should a US president be unable to fulfil his duties it falls on his vice president to step in, however since this situation would require Biden to withdraw from the nomination, Kamala Harris would simply be another runner in the race.

Her position of VP would give her an advantage, but her low popularity would dull it. Currently polls show that her popularity is lower than both Biden and Trump.

Other potential challengers such as California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer or Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro were floated in discussions, says the BBC, however none of those candidates have declared a desire to supplant Biden.

The end result is that while everyone agrees Biden should be replaced, no one has been able to generate a consensus on who that replacement should be. Without that sort of unity within the party, it is unlikely there will be any change when the democratic candidate is locked in on 19 August.

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Terror, ‘chaos’ as India stampede kills 121

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india chaos terror stampede

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.

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Vietnam economy expands 6.4% in first half of year

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Vietnam’s economy grew by more than six percent in the first half of 2024, government figures showed Saturday, as analysts said more reforms are needed to further boost the economy.

The global manufacturing hub saw an expansion of 6.4 percent in January-June, compared to 3.7 percent over the same period of 2023, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said in a statement.

The upswing was the result of “several measures” taken to improve supply chains, the foreign exchange market and public investment, the GSO said.

Industrial production was up 7.5 percent, while foreign investment increased by 8.2 percent compared to the same period last year, the new figures showed.

To maintain and promote growth, the government needs to focus on the key sectors of manufacturing and processing, logistics and hospitality, VPBank Securities analyst Duong Thien Chi said.

Policymakers should also take into account “unmeasurable variables” such as the US Federal Reserve’s moves on interest rate reduction, Duong told AFP.

The United States was Vietnam’s largest export market in the first six months of 2024.

The Southeast Asian nation earned $190 billion from exports over that period, up by 14.5 percent year on year.

Despite such improvement, an International Monetary Fund analyst said Vietnam “needs a new wave of reforms” following a visit to the country late June.

“Increasing productivity, further investing in human and physical capital, and incentivising private investment in renewable energy is key,” said the IMF’s Paulo Medas.

Vietnam is targeting growth of between six and 6.5 percent this year, up on the 5.05 percent seen in 2023.

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World ‘failing’ to meet development goals: UN chief

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António Guterres un

War and funding shortfalls have hampered progress toward the United Nations’ flagship development goals which include action to combat climate change, the organization’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday.

In 2015, UN member states adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, 17 targets to transform the world by 2030 including by completely ending extreme poverty and eliminating hunger.

But Guterres said Friday that “the world is getting a failing grade.”

“Our failure to secure peace, to confront climate change, and to boost international finance is undermining development,” he told a briefing in New York, unveiling the latest progress check on the targets.

“We must accelerate action for the sustainable development goals, and we don’t have a moment to lose — only 17 percent of the targets (are) on track.”

Efforts to devote money and attention to the goals have been repeatedly set back, including by the Covid-19 pandemic, the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan, worsening climate catastrophes and sharp increases in the cost of living.

While countries were lagging on progress in many areas, there were glimmers of hope in the reduction of new HIV infections, growing internet access, and the “booming” use of renewables, Guterres said.

But “the denial of basic needs for so many is outrageous and inexcusable,” he said.

Guterres said action to bring peace to the major conflicts raging globally coupled with efforts towards a green transition were needed.

“It means multiplying the lending capacity of multilateral development banks to provide more resources for climate action and sustainable development,” he added.

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