New Delhi, India (DT) — Founder and Chairman of India’s Adani Group Gautam Adani has decided to contribute US$1 million to the Central Relief Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front to help the Southeast Asian nation overcome the devastating consequences of typhoon Yagi.
In his letter addressed to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, on behalf of Adani Group, Gautam Adani sincerely extended his deepest condolences to all Vietnamese people, especially those who are facing severe consequences caused by typhoon Yagi and floods.
“We are extremely saddened to witness the huge loss of lives and properties due to the devastation of the typhoon as well as the difficulties many parts of northern Viet Nam suffering”, he wrote.
For generations, the country and people of Viet Nam have always shown extraordinary strength and incredible determination in overcoming adversity. And in especially difficult times, it is extremely important to strengthen solidarity towards the people affected by the typhoon, he shared.
Rescue workers search for the missing after a flash flood buries a hamlet in mud and debris in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi in Lao Cai province, Vietnam Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Duong Van Giang/VNA via AP)
With the US$1 million-assistance package, Gautam Adani expressed his hope to make contribution to the common efforts of the entire people and provide necessary support for relief activities in typhoon-hit provinces and cities in northern Viet Nam and Vietnamese-Czech Friendship Hospital in Hai Phong City.
“We always stand ready to accompany and stand side by side with Vietnamese people to overcome this unprecedented historical natural disaster”, he wrote.
Typhoon Yagi ravaged 26 northern provinces, leaving 324 people dead or missing, including 24 children. It has damaged an estimated 141,469 homes, 550 health facilities, and 805 schools, while around 400,000 homes lack access to safe water. Approximately two million children have been left without access to education, psychosocial support, and school feeding programs./.
Hanoi, Vietnam (DT/AP) — The death toll in the aftermath of a typhoon in Vietnam climbed to 330 on Saturday as rescue workers recovered more bodies from areas hit by landslides and flash floods, according to state media agency VGP.
State-run broadcaster VTV said emergency crews have now recovered 48 bodies from the area of Lang Nu, a small village in northern Lao Cai province that was swept away in a deluge of water, mud and debris from mountains on Tuesday. Another 39 people are still missing.
Across Vietnam, 103 people are still listed as missing and more than 800 have been injured.
As of 5:00 p.m. on September 12, death toll from typhoon Yagi rose to 226 people, according to the Viet Nam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority (VDDMA).
Meanwhile other 104 people are still missing in the aftermath of typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year.
Lao Cai has been the hardest-hit locality with 98 deaths and 81 missing people, followed by Cao Bang with 43 deaths and nine missing people, Yen Bai with 42 deaths and two missing, and Quang Ninh with 15 deaths.
Storm-induced deaths were also reported in Hai Phong (two), Hai Duong (one), Ha Noi, (one), Hoa Binh (seven), Lang Son (three), Bac Giang (two), Tuyen Quang (five), Ha Giang (two), Lai Chau (one), Vinh Phuc (two), Phu Tho (11), Son La (one) and Thai Nguyen (two).
Top leaders fan out to flood-hit areas
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam arrived in the northern province of Phu Tho on Thursday afternoon to inspect the extent of damage and cleanup efforts and visit residents affected by typhoon Yagi and subsequent flooding.
The same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited Lang Nu Village in Phuc Khanh commune, Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province to oversee and direct search and rescue operation for the missing victims following a massive landslide which crashed into the village early on September 10.
Rescue workers and a sniff dog search for the missing after a flash flood buries a hamlet in mud and debris in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi in Lao Cai province, Vietnam Thursday, Sept. 12. 2024 (Duong Van Giang/VNA via AP)
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man on September 12 led a delegation to the northern province of Thai Nguyen to inspect the extent of damage caused by typhoon Yagi and subsequent floods.
Also on Thursday Chairman of the Central Inspection Commission Tran Cam Tu visited Lang Nu Village to inspect the ongoing rescue and relief operations.
Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh came to Ha Nam and Hoa Binh provinces to inspect dyke management work as flood water levels in northern Viet Nam’s rivers remain high.
A helicopter of Regiment 916 of the Air Defense – Air Force Service’s Air Division 371 took off at Hoa Lac Airport in Ha Noi on September 12 to carry out rescue missions and transport essential supplies to flood-affected areas in Nguyen Binh district of the morthern mountainous province of Cao Bang./.
Washington, USA (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are making a beeline for swing states that they hope to flip in their favor this year, both of them trying to expand their narrow paths to victory in a closely fought presidential campaign.
Harris has her sights set on North Carolina, where she’s scheduled to hold rallies in Charlotte and Greensboro on Thursday, her first political event after she buoyed supporters with her commanding performance in Tuesday’s debate.
Trump is heading west to Tucson, Arizona, as he looks to stabilize his campaign, which continues to struggle to recalibrate nearly two months after Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. Although Harris’ team said she’s willing to do another debate, the Republican candidate has waffled.
“Are we going to do a rematch?” Trump said Wednesday. “I just don’t know.
The candidates are barnstorming one day after they marked the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a somber occasion that provided little respite from partisan politics in a high-speed campaign season.
At a fire station in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, close to where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after passengers fought back against their hijackers, Trump posed for photos with children who wore campaign shirts. One of the shirts proclaimed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Biden and Harris were “dumb and dumber and dumbest.”
Biden and Harris visited the same fire station earlier in the day. Someone there offered Biden a red-white-and-blue baseball hat that said “Trump 2024,” and suggested the president put it on to demonstrate his commitment to bipartisan unity. Biden briefly put it on and flashed a wide grin.
Only a handful of battleground states will decide the outcome of the election.
Democrats haven’t won North Carolina’s electoral votes since 2008, when President Barack Obama was elected for the first time. However, Trump’s 2020 margin of victory of 1.3 percentage points was his narrowest win of any state that year, and Democrats hope that North Carolina’s growing and diversifying population will give them an edge this time.
Harris’s campaign said Thursday’s trip will be her ninth to the state this year, and recent polls show a tight race. More than two dozen combined campaign offices — supporting Harris and the rest of the party’s candidates — have been opened, and popular Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is one of her top surrogates.
Republicans have been confident about Trump’s chances in the state, and the former president held rallies there in August.
Registered independents — known in North Carolina as unaffiliated — are the state’s largest voting bloc and are usually key to determining outcomes in statewide elections. A state Supreme Court ruling this week affirming that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must be removed from North Carolina ballots could bring additional votes Trump’s way given Kennedy’s endorsement.
The state’s Republican Party has dismissed concerns that a poor showing by its gubernatorial nominee, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, could harm the electoral chances of other party candidates, including Trump.
The rise of Arizona Democrats has been driven by the arrival of transplants from blue states and a political realignment that has seen suburban voters — particularly college-educated women — shift away from Republicans.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, held a rally in the state on Tuesday ahead of the debate, and the Democratic ticket campaigned together there last month.
Republicans still outnumber Democrats in Arizona, but a third of voters are independent. Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, appeared last week in a heavily Republican area of metro Phoenix with Charlie Kirk, the founder of an influential conservative youth group.
Trump was last in Arizona two weeks ago for a news conference along the U.S.-Mexico border, where he drove one of his most effective attacks on Harris over the number of people crossing the border to seek asylum, followed by a rally at a former hockey arena in the Phoenix area.
Kyiv, Ukraine (AP) — The United States and Britain pledged nearly $1.5 billion in additional aid to Ukraine on Wednesday during a visit to Kyiv by their top diplomats as Ukrainian officials renewed their pleas to use Western-provided missiles against targets deeper inside Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced more than $700 million in humanitarian aid, while British Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that his country would provide another $782 million in assistance and loan guarantees. Much of the effort was aimed at bolstering the energy grid that Russia has repeatedly pounded ahead of an expected difficult winter.
Blinken and Lammy traveled together to the Ukrainian capital on a rare joint tour to underscore their commitment to the country in its war. Air-raid sirens sounded repeatedly during the visit, causing delays in their schedule and forcing them to cancel a wreath-laying ceremony.
Blinken said he would bring the discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the missiles “back to Washington to brief the president.” Blinken said U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will “no doubt” talk about the issue when they meet Friday in Washington.
“Speaking for the United States, we have adjusted and adapted as needs have changed, as the battlefield has changed. And I have no doubt that we’ll continue to do that as this evolves,” Blinken told a news conference.
U,S.s Secretary 0 State Antony Blinken, left, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy, right, and Ukraine’s F Foreign Minister Andrity Sybiha: attend a jointr news c conference: at the Ministry of F Foreign Affairs in Kyń, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 1,2 2024. (APF Photo/Mark:S Schiefelbein, Pool)
The diplomatic visit unfolded as Russia’s bigger and better-equipped army bears down on Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and conducts aerial attacks on cities across the country using missiles, glide bombs and drones that claim many civilian casualties.
Lammy said the 2 1/2-year conflict is at a “critical” juncture following Ukraine’s daring incursion last month into Russia’s Kursk region.
“We convey the deepest condolences for the shocking attacks that we have seen, over the loss of civilian life, particularly women and children — horrific, barbaric, unbelievable,” Lammy said.
But relations between Ukraine and its Western partners have been increasingly strained by Kyiv’s repeated appeals for the West’s authorization to use long-range weapons from the United States and other allies to strike targets deeper inside Russia.
That issue took on added urgency after Russia’s latest reported acquisition of ballistic missiles from Iran, but Western leaders have so far balked at Ukraine’s request, fearing that, if granted, it could escalate the war.
Biden has allowed Ukraine to fire U.S.-provided missiles across the border into Russia in self-defense, but has largely limited the distance they can be fired.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaks during a meeting with U.S.Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
Zelenskyy said he hoped for changes to those limitations.
“Let’s count on some strong decisions, at least,” he said. “For us, it’s very important.”
He said he hoped to speak to Biden later this month, noting that U.S. military and financial support is crucial.
“We rely heavily on it, and frankly, we can’t prevail without it,” Zelenskyy said.
However, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week pushed back on the idea that long-range strikes would be a game-changer.
“I don’t believe one capability is going to be decisive, and I stand by that comment,” Austin said at a meeting of allied military leaders in Germany. The Ukrainians have other means to strike long-range targets, he added.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told Lammy he hoped an agreement on using long-range assets “for strikes on the territory of our enemy” could be reached. “We hope for your help and support in this issue.”
A hard winter likely lies ahead for Ukraine. Its power grid is under severe strain after Russian missiles and drones knocked out around 70% of the country’s generation capacity.
Kyiv officials will also have to navigate the outcome of the U.S. election in November, which could produce important policy shifts in Washington. Former President Donald Trump said in a presidential debate Tuesday that he wants the war to end but did not clearly say he wants Ukraine to win.
“We remain committed to Ukraine’s victory,” Blinken said. “The bottom line is this: We want Ukraine to win.”
Ukrainian officials politely sidestepped making any comment on the debate. Zelenskyy said he did not watch it, while Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, insisted U.S. policy was ultimately unlikely to change.
“Yes, it’s clear that there will be a new president. But we believe, and are convinced, in the strong support of the American people,” Sybiha said. “We are firmly, firmly convinced that this support will continue.”
The latest American aid package includes $325 million in energy support to help repair and restore Ukraine’s power generation facilities, provide emergency backup power for critical services and strengthen the physical security of energy infrastructure.
Some $290 million will fund food, water, shelter, health care and education programs for Ukrainians in need in the country and refugees outside the country. The remaining $102 million will be used for mine-removal work.
Late last week, the U.S. announced it would send $250 million more in weapons to Ukraine, including air-defense missiles and artillery.
Wednesday’s visit was, unusually, announced in advance — a public signal of American and British support for Ukraine.
The British diplomats reached the Ukrainian capital by train from Poland. Blinken traveled from London, where he accused Iran of providing Russia with Fath-360 short-range ballistic missiles, calling the move a “dramatic escalation” of the war.
Referring to those missiles, Shmyhal added: “Russia’s use of weapons from its terrorist allies to strike at Ukraine continues their genocidal war and terrorism on our territory. We must be able to respond to such terrorism in kind by destroying military targets on their territory to ensure greater safety for our citizens.”
Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London and Derek Gatopoulos in Kyiv contributed to this report.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes across Gaza overnight and Wednesday hit a U.N. school sheltering displaced Palestinian families as well as two homes, killing at least 34 people, including 19 women and children, hospital officials said. A U.N. official said six staffers were among the dead.
The war in Gaza is now into its 11th month, with tens of thousands of people dead, and international efforts to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and the Hamas militant group have repeatedly stalled as they accuse each other of making additional and unacceptable demands.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli troops launched raids in several towns backed by airstrikes, continuing a crackdown across the territory that the military says is targeting militants but has wrecked neighborhoods and killed civilians. One airstrike killed five people the military said were militants threatening its troops. A second strike on a car killed at least three people, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
An attacker crashed a fuel truck into a West Bank bus stop near the Israeli settlement of GIvat Assaf, killing an Israeli soldier, the military said. Officials said soldiers and an armed civilian “neutralized” the attacker.
The strike on the U.N.’s al-Jaouni Preparatory Boys School in the Nuseirat refugee camp killed at least 14, including two children and a woman, officials from Awda and al-Aqsa Martyrs hospitals said. At least 18 other people were wounded, they said.
The Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas militants planning attacks from inside the school. The claim could not be independently confirmed.
People inspect the destruction following anisraeli forces raid in Tulkarern, West Bank. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024.0 (AP PhotofMajdi Moharmmed)
One of the children killed was the daughter of Momin Selmi, a member of Gaza’s civil defense agency, which rescues wounded and retrieves bodies after strikes, the agency said.
Gaza’s schools are packed with tens of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes by Israeli offensives and evacuation orders. The al-Jaouni school, one of many in Gaza run by the U.N. agency for Palestinians, or UNWRA, has been hit by multiple strikes during the war.
UNRWA said six staffers aiding the displaced, including the manager of the shelter, were killed. “Humanitarian staff, premises & operations have been blatantly & unabatedly disregarded since the beginning of the war,” the agency’s director, Philippe Lazzarini, wrote on X.
Israel frequently bombs schools, saying they are being used by Hamas militants. It blames Hamas for civilian casualties from its strikes, saying its fighters base themselves and operate within dense residential neighborhoods.
More than 90% of Gaza’s school buildings have been severely or partially damaged in strikes, and more than half the schools housing displaced people have been hit, according to a survey in July by the Education Cluster, a collection of aid groups led by UNICEF and Save the Children.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed at least 41,084 Palestinians and wounded another 95,029, the territory’s Health Ministry said. The ministry’s count does not differentiate between civilians and militants. Israel launched its campaign vowing to destroy Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel in which militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 250 others.
Earlier Wednesday, a strike hit a home near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, killing 11 people, including six brothers and sisters ranging from 21 months to 21 years old, according to the European Hospital, which received the casualties.
A strike late Tuesday on a home in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza killed nine people, including six women and children, according to the Health Ministry and the civil defense. The civil defense said the home belonged to Akram al-Najjar, a professor at the al-Quds Open University, who survived.
The Israeli military said two soldiers died and seven were injured when their helicopter crashed in southern Gaza as they evacuated wounded troops. It said the overnight crash was not the result of enemy fire and is under investigation. There have been 340 Israeli soldiers killed since the ground operation began in Gaza in late October, at least 50 of whom died in accidents, according to the military.
The West Bank also has seen a surge in violence. Israel has stepped up its military raids there, saying it is working to dismantle militant groups and prevent increasing militant attacks on Israelis. Palestinians say such operations are aimed at cementing Israel’s seemingly open-ended military rule over the territory. At the same time, Jewish settlers have accelerated attacks on Palestinians.
The military on Wednesday said it launched assaults around the West Bank town of Tulkarem and in two northern towns. It said it dismantled an explosives lab, a weapons manufacturing workshop and an explosives-rigged vehicle. The military said an airstrike backing troops operating in the town of Tubas killed five militants. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed five were killed but did not specify if they were militants or civilians.
The Red Crescent said three people were killed in a strike on a car in a village outside Tulkarem. The military confirmed it carried out a strike there but had no immediate details.
Abuja, Nigeria (AP) — Severe flooding in northeastern Nigeria has left 30 people dead and affected more than a million others, authorities said on Wednesday.
The collapse of a major dam in the state of Borno on Tuesday caused some of the state’s worst flooding since the same dam collapsed 30 years ago, and prompted many residents to flee their homes. The state government said the dam was at capacity due to unusually high rains.
The current flooding comes nearly two years after Nigeria’s worst flooding in a decade killed more than 600 people across the country.
About 15% of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, was under water, state police spokesperson Nahum Daso told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Ezekiel Manzo, spokesperson of National Emergency Management Agency, said Wednesday that the death toll is 30.
“One million people have been affected so far,” said an aide for the governor of Borno, adding that as efforts to document displaced people begin, that number could rise to up to 2 million.
Residents of Maiduguri said that food has become expensive since the central market was destroyed during the flooding. There are also ongoing fears of wildlife after the flooding partially destroyed a local zoo and several of the animals escaped.
Mary Mamza, a Maiduguri resident, said people are afraid to leave their homes after an escaped crocodile was killed near her home earlier today.
These fears come as West Africa has experienced some of its worst flooding in decades. Over 2.3 million people have been affected by flooding so far this year which is a threefold increase from last year according to the UN.
African nations are losing up to 5% of their GDP every year as they bear a heavier burden than the rest of the world from climate change, a new report said Monday after one of the continent’s hottest years on record.
The World Meteorological Organization said many African nations are spending up to 9% of their budgets for climate adaptation policies.
The aide of the governor stressed that rescue operations were still underway and that people displaced by the flooding are gathering at a former refugee camp outside the flood zone.
Jakarta, Indonesia (DT/KYODO) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo attended the ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday for the second train line of Jakarta’s mass rapid transit system, financed by a loan from Japan of about 140.7 billion yen ($990 million).
The MRT railway — the first phase of which, a 15.7-kilometer stretch on the North-South Line, opened in 2019 — “has changed the face of Jakarta and Indonesia,” the president popularly known as Jokowi, said during the ceremony at the site for Thamrin Station of the new East-West Line.
The North-South Line has carried about 120 million passengers since its opening, he said.
The construction of the 84.1-kilometer East-West Line project consists of two phases, with the work for the 24.5-km first stage to be completed in 2031, according to the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta.
The new train line will be built with Japanese technology for the vehicle and signaling systems.
“The MRT system has become a symbol of economic cooperation between Indonesia and Japan,” said Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yasushi Masaki at Wednesday’s event.
Jakarta faces serious traffic congestion and air pollution due to its rapid economic growth and population increase.
Chicago, USA (AP) — Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined to say during this week’s debate if he would veto a national abortion ban if he were elected again — a question that has lingered as the Republican nominee has shifted his stances on the crucial election issue.
In Tuesday’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump said he would not sign a federal abortion ban, insisting that a ban would not pass Congress anyway. But he refused twice to say if he would veto such legislation if it landed on his desk. Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, a Republican from Ohio, said in an interview with NBC News last month that the former president would veto a ban.
In response to moderators prompting him about Vance’s statement, Trump said: “I didn’t discuss it with JD, in all fairness. And I don’t mind if he has a certain view, but I don’t think he was speaking for me.”
The exchange comes as voters and advocates across the spectrum wait for Trump to clarify his fluctuating stances on abortion, and Democrats warn that reproductive rights nationwide may be threatened by a second Trump presidency. Meanwhile, Harris emphasized support for reinstating a federal right to abortion Tuesday night.
“He was given an opportunity to give clarity to the American people. He could not do it,” said Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights group Reproductive Freedom for All. “He will not answer that question directly.”
During the debate, Trump repeatedly took credit for appointing the three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion and leaned heavily on his catchall response to questions on abortion rights: saying the issue should be left up to the states.
“I’m not signing a ban,” he said, adding that “there is no reason to sign the ban” because of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which once granted a federal right to abortion.
He repeated that he is “not in favor of an abortion ban, but it doesn’t matter, because this issue has now been taken over by the states.”
“This entire campaign cycle we’ve been telling voters they can’t trust Donald Trump when it comes to their reproductive freedom,” said Jenny Lawson, executive director at Planned Parenthood Votes. “And he just proved that right last night.”
Following the debate, Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, said she wasn’t surprised Trump didn’t say he would support a national abortion ban because he has said in the past that there should not be one.
She said her group hasn’t been focusing on a national ban “because it’s not going to happen. The votes aren’t there in Congress. You know, President Trump said he wouldn’t sign it. We know Kamala Harris won’t.”
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, said the anti-abortion movement largely disagrees with Trump that abortion should be left up to the states, and in an April open letter to Trump, Students for Life of America urged him to commit to signing legislation restricting abortion. But Hawkins said, “That’s a conversation that will be had in detail after the election.”
Trump’s states-based narrative is among his attempts to appear more moderate on abortion rights, which remain broadly popular and have emerged as among the GOP’s greatest vulnerabilities heading into November.
Timmaraju said she believes Trump is only voicing opposition to a national ban now due to political pressure and a desire to win votes in November.
“Trusting him to be moderate in his position while in office is out of touch with reality,” she said.
Around 6 in 10 Americans think their state should generally allow a person to obtain a legal abortion if they don’t want to be pregnant for any reason, according to a July poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Voters in seven states, including conservative ones such as Kentucky, Montana and Ohio, have either protected abortion rights or defeated attempts to restrict them in statewide votes over the past two years.
Trump’s shifting abortion policy stances began when the former reality TV star and developer, who had once called himself “very pro-choice” started flirting with running for office.
Before becoming president, Trump has said he “would indeed support a ban” in his book “The America We Deserve,” which was published in 2000. In 2016, he said he was “pro-life with exceptions” but said “there has to be some form of punishment” for women seeking abortions — a position he quickly reversed. At the 2018 annual March for Life, Trump voiced support for a federal ban on abortion on or after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
More recently, Trump suggested in March that he might support a national ban on abortions around 15 weeks before announcing that he instead would leave it to the states.
In an April interview with Time magazine, Trump also said it should be left to the states whether to prosecute women for abortions or whether to monitor women’s pregnancies and declined to comment on access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which was embroiled in an intense legal battle. When asked about mifepristone, he claimed only that he has “pretty strong views” on the matter and vowed to make a statement that has never come.
In May, he said he was open to regulations on contraception before backing away from the statement, claiming his comments were misinterpreted.
Trump also has appeared to reverse course on Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which he has previously called a “mistake” and too extreme. Last month, he ultimately said he would vote against a state ballot measure attempting to repeal the law and enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution, a day after he seemed to indicate he would vote in favor of the measure. He told reporters the initiative is from “radical” Democrats and falsely claimed it would allow abortions up until birth.
Laura Ungar in Louisville, Ky. contributed to this report FOR AP
Trump, Harris and Biden on hand in NYC to mark 23 years since attacks in which nearly 3,000 killed; several speakers decry recently revoked plea deal with 9/11 mastermind
New York, USA (DT/AP) — On Wednesday, as the U.S. commemorated the 9/11 anniversary, relatives of victims called for accountability in front of the presidential candidates, adding a layer of election-season politics to the somber occasion.
In a notable scene, President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and Vice President Kamala Harris gathered at Ground Zero just hours after Trump and Harris had their first debate. Trump and Biden, who notably did not attend Trump’s inauguration, shared a handshake facilitated by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The political rivals stood mere feet apart—Biden and Bloomberg positioned between them—during the emotional hours-long reading of victims’ names. Trump was accompanied by his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
September 11, 2001 attacks, September 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) NEW YORK (AP) — With presidential candidates looking on, some 9/11 victims’ relatives appealed to them Wednesday for accountability as the US marked an anniversary laced with election-season politics.
A woman holds up a photo of a New York City Police officer during the 9/11 Memorial ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, September 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
In a remarkable tableau, President Joe Biden, former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stood together at ground zero just hours after Trump and Harris faced off in their first-ever debate. Trump and Biden — the successor whose inauguration Trump skipped — shook hands, and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared to facilitate a handshake between Harris and Trump.
Then the campaign rivals stood only a few feet (meters) apart, Biden and Bloomberg between them, as the hourslong reading of victims’ names began. At Trump’s side was his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
The image was one of putting politics aside at this year’s solemn commemoration of the hijacked-plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001. But some victims’ relatives, after reading out names, delivered political messages of their own.
“We are pleading for your help, but you ignore us,” Allison Walsh-DiMarzio said, directly challenging Trump and Harris to press Saudi Arabia about any official involvement in the attacks. Most of the 19 hijackers were Saudi, but the kingdom denies it was behind their plot.
(FILE) In this file photo smoke and flames erupt from the twin towers of the World Trade Center after commercial aircraft were deliberately crashed into the buildings in lower Manhattan, New York on September 11, 2001. (Photo by SETH MCALLISTER / AFP)
“Which one of you will have the courage to be our hero? We deserve better,” Walsh-DiMarzio said. She’s a daughter of 9/11 victim Barbara P. Walsh, an administrative assistant.
Joanne Barbara was one of multiple readers who spoke out against a now-revoked plea deal that military prosecutors struck with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two fellow defendants.
“It has been 23 years, and the families deserve justice and accountability,” said the widow of Assistant Fire Chief Gerard A. Barbara.
Biden, on his last September 11 in office, and Harris paid respects Wednesday at all three 9/11 attack sites: ground zero, the Pentagon and a rural part of Pennsylvania.
The president, vice president — and, separately, Trump — laid wreaths Wednesday afternoon at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Biden and Harris spoke with victims’ relatives and visited the local fire department; Trump and Vance went to a New York City firehouse earlier in the day.
The Flight 93 memorial stands where one of the hijacked planes crashed after crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit. Trump described the site as an “incredible place” in brief remarks from afar to reporters.
The attacks killed 2,977 people and left thousands of bereaved relatives and scarred survivors. The planes took down the World Trade Center’s twin towers and carved a gash in the Pentagon, the US military headquarters, where Biden and Harris laid a red, white and blue wreath Wednesday afternoon.
People place flowers on the bronze parapets that ring the reflecting pools during the 9/11 Memorial ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, on September 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
While many Americans may not observe 9/11 anniversaries anymore, “the men and women of the Department of Defense remember,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier in the day.
The attacks altered US foreign policy, domestic security practices and the mindset of many Americans who had not previously felt vulnerable to foreign extremists.
The global impact of the 9/11 attacks was profound. Victims hailed from over 90 countries, and the U.S. responded with a “Global War on Terrorism,” leading to U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis, as well as thousands of American troops.
On the anniversary of the attacks, communities nationwide hold events designated by Congress as Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Thousands of Americans honor the day with volunteer work, including Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who packed meals for those in need in St. Paul.
In the early years, presidents and other officials read poems, excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, and other texts at Ground Zero. However, since 2012, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum has limited the ceremony to relatives reading the names of the victims.
Korryn Bishop, who attended to remember her cousin John F. McDowell Jr., a finance worker, expressed her frustration. “If politicians truly care about what’s happening here, that’s great. But if they’re just seeking political gain, it’s upsetting,” she said.
Brandon Jones, whose cousin Jon Richard Grabowski, an insurance technology executive, was a victim, expressed relief that politicians were not on the podium. “This site should be about coming together to find solutions and peace, not a stage for political maneuvering and base-building,” Jones said.
“It’s my prayer that this wicked act called terrorism will never occur again,” Jacob Afuakwah said Wednesday. He lost his brother, Emmanuel Akwasi Afuakwah, a restaurant worker.
But many family members stick to tributes and personal reflections. Increasingly they come from children and young adults born after the attacks killed one of their relatives.
Thirteen-year-old twins Brady and Emily Henry read names to honor their uncle, firefighter Joseph Patrick Henry.
“We promise to continue telling your stories,” Emily Henry said, “and we’ll never let anyone forget all those lost on September 11.”
Amman, Jordan (DT/AFP) – Jordan’s Islamist opposition made notable strides in the parliamentary elections, driven by public discontent over Israel’s conflict in Gaza, according to initial official results released on Wednesday.
The Islamist Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, saw a boost from a new electoral law designed to enhance the role of political parties in the 138-seat parliament. Despite this shift, tribal and pro-government groups are expected to remain dominant.
Under the revised electoral law, which allocated 41 seats to political parties for the first time, the Front secured up to 20% of the seats, as indicated by preliminary figures from Reuters and corroborated by independent and official sources.
“The Jordanian people have given us their trust by voting for us. This new phase will increase the burden of responsibility for the party towards the nation and our citizens,” Wael al Saqqa, head of the party, told Reuters.
Tuesday’s vote represents a modest step in a democratization process launched by King Abdullah II as he seeks to insulate Jordan from the conflicts at its borders, and respond to demands for robust political reforms.
Protesters in the Jordanian capital Amman fly flags of the Muslim Brotherhood as they rally in support of Palestinians amid Israel-Hamas war on January 27, 2023. (Khalil Mazraawi/AFP)
Under Jordan’s constitution, most powers still rest with the king, who appoints governments and can dissolve parliament. The assembly can force a cabinet to resign by a vote of no confidence.
The voting system still favors sparsely populated tribal and provincial regions over the densely populated cities mostly inhabited by Jordanians of Palestinian descent, which are Islamic strongholds and highly politicized.
Turnout among Jordan’s 5.1 million eligible voters in Tuesday’s poll was low at 32.25 percent, initial official figures showed, up slightly from 29% in the last election in 2020.
Candidates had expressed worries ahead of the election that the war in Gaza could dampen turnout, hurting chances for more significant gains by Islamists who had sought to capitalize on public anger against Israel.
“The Gaza war and the Palestinian cause occupy a major place in Jordanian elections, as all eyes and minds are on Gaza and Palestine and the massacres taking place there against the Palestinian people,” IAF candidate Saleh Armouti said ahead of the vote.
Jordanian officials say the fact that elections are being held at all while the war in Gaza and other regional conflicts are raging demonstrates their country’s relative stability.
The Muslim Brotherhood has been allowed to operate in Jordan since 1946. But it fell under suspicion after the Arab Spring, which saw Islamists pitted against established powers in many Arab countries.
They have led some of the largest protests in the region in support of the Hamas terror group, their ideological allies, in what their opponents say led to bolstered popularity.
Jordan’s top court in 2020 dissolved the country’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, citing the group’s failure to “rectify its legal status.”
