Walz ‘misspoke’ in 2018 reference to ‘weapons of war, that I carried in war,’ Harris campaign says

Walz ‘misspoke’ in 2018 reference to ‘weapons of war, that I carried in war,’ Harris campaign says
Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz (L) gestures alongside US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris during a campaign event at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on August 9, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 10 August 2024
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Walz ‘misspoke’ in 2018 reference to ‘weapons of war, that I carried in war,’ Harris campaign says

Walz ‘misspoke’ in 2018 reference to ‘weapons of war, that I carried in war,’ Harris campaign says
  • Walz served 24 years in various Army National Guard units but he was never in a combat zone
  • Republicans began questioning Walz’s military record after Vice President Kamala Harris picked him as her running mate

PHOENIX: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic candidate for vice president, “misspoke” in a 2018 video about “weapons of war that I carried in war,” a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson said Saturday.
Republicans, including the vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, began questioning Walz’s military record after Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president, named the governor as her running mate on Tuesday.
Some of the criticism centers on comments by Walz in a 2018 video circulated on social media by the Harris campaign in which he speaks out against gun violence and says, “We can make sure that those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at.” The comment suggests that Walz portrayed himself as someone who spent time in a combat zone.
Walz served 24 years in various Army National Guard units but he was never in a combat zone.
Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign, said Saturday in a statement that Walz misspoke in the 2018 video.
“Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way,” Hitt said.
“In making the case for why weapons of war should never be on our streets or in our classrooms, the Governor misspoke,” Hitt added. “He did handle weapons of war and believes strongly that only military members trained to carry those deadly weapons should have access to them, unlike Donald Trump and JD Vance who prioritize the gun lobby over our children.”
Vance enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating high school, serving four years as a combat correspondent, similar to a military journalist, and deploying to Iraq in that capacity in 2005.


Comoros FM accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza

Comoros FM accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza
Updated 30 sec ago
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Comoros FM accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza

Comoros FM accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza
  • ‘Our country extends its full support to the brotherly people of Palestine,’ Mbae Mohamed tells UN General Assembly — Expresses ‘great concern’ over Sudan civil war, urges ‘all parties’ to ‘protect the civilian populati

WASHINGTON: Mbae Mohamed, the foreign minister of Comoros, on Thursday said his country fully supports the Palestinian people’s quest of independence and freedom from the Israeli occupation, and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

“The indiscriminate killing of Palestinians by Israel is the purest form of genocide perpetrated by Israeli forces in Gaza which we condemn, and there’s an urgent need to end it,” Mbae Mohamed told the UN General Assembly.

He urged the international community to act immediately to bring a halt to Israel’s war on Gaza, adding that more than 41,000 Palestinians — including women and children — have been killed, and most buildings and civilian infrastructure in the enclave have been completely destroyed.

“Our country extends its full support to the brotherly people of Palestine, and we call on the international community to act for an immediate ceasefire and rapid resumption of deliveries of humanitarian assistance,” Mohamed said.

Comoros also views the situation in the occupied West Bank with “great concern” as Israeli settlers and army units use extreme violence against Palestinians there, he added.

More than 500 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since last October, according to the UN.

Mohamed said Comoros supports a fair and lasting solution to end Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, rooted in international law and relevant UN resolutions that call for a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital.

He “applauded” the UNGA’s overwhelming vote in May calling on the Security Council to grant Palestine full UN membership while enhancing its rights and privileges.

Mohamad, whose nation is a member of the Arab League and the African Union, said Comoros is greatly concerned about the civil war in Sudan that has killed thousands and displaced around 10 million people, according to UN figures.

“The situation in Sudan is of great concern to us, and we call on all parties to exercise restraint and to protect the civilian population from the atrocities of war,” he said.


37 dead in sectarian fighting in northwestern Pakistan

37 dead in sectarian fighting in northwestern Pakistan
Updated 29 min 14 sec ago
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37 dead in sectarian fighting in northwestern Pakistan

37 dead in sectarian fighting in northwestern Pakistan
  • Tribal and family feuds are common in Pakistan
Peshawar: The death toll from ongoing sectarian clashes in northwest Pakistan has risen to at least 37, with more than 150 injured in fighting that has raged for a sixth straight day, a local official told AFP on Friday.
The Kurram district, formerly a semi-autonomous area, has a history of bloody confrontations between tribes belonging to the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years.
July clashes over land involving the same tribes killed 35 people and ended only after a jirga (tribal council) called a ceasefire, with officials attempting to broker a new truce.
Fighting involving heavy weaponry has continued in 10 areas of the district despite efforts by security forces and locals to reach an agreement, an official posted in Kurram told AFP requesting anonymity.
“What began as a land dispute has escalated into a full-fledged sectarian clash involving the use of automatic and semi-automatic weapons, as well as mortar shells,” he said.
He added that 37 people had been killed and another 153 wounded. Another security official, stationed in the provincial capital Peshawar, added that “28 houses have been damaged.”
Tribal and family feuds are common in Pakistan.
However, they can be particularly protracted and violent in the mountainous northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where communities abide by traditional tribal honor codes.
In Pakistan, a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, the Shiite community has long suffered discrimination and violence.

Britain’s PM urges Israel and Hezbollah to ‘step back from brink’ of war

Britain’s PM urges Israel and Hezbollah to ‘step back from brink’ of war
Updated 23 min 48 sec ago
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Britain’s PM urges Israel and Hezbollah to ‘step back from brink’ of war

Britain’s PM urges Israel and Hezbollah to ‘step back from brink’ of war
  • Diplomacy vital for peace, Keir Starmer tells 79th UN General Assembly
  • UK to break from past ‘paternalism,’ listen more to solve global conflict

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned members of the UN General Assembly on Thursday that the world was in a “slide into greater and greater conflict, instability and injustice,” and called on Israel and Hezbollah to stand down.

Starmer said the UK would return to “responsible global leadership,” suggesting the country would play a greater role in helping to bring peace to war-torn regions of the world, including in Middle East.

“This starts with addressing the rising tide of conflict and preventing a regional war in the Middle East.

“I call on Israel and Hezbollah: Stop the violence, step back from the brink. We need to see an immediate ceasefire to provide space for a diplomatic settlement,” Starmer said at the 79th UN General Assembly meeting.

“And we are working with all partners to that end, because further escalation serves no one. It offers nothing but more suffering for innocent people on all sides, and the prospect of a wider wall that no one can control, and with consequences that none of us can foresee.”

Starmer said the continuing crisis in Gaza was an indictment of the international community.

“This is intimately linked with the situation in Gaza where again, we need to see an immediate ceasefire. It shames us all that the suffering in Gaza continues to grow. The answer is diplomacy, the release of all the hostages, and the unfettered flow of aid to those in need,” Starmer said.

“That is the only way to break this devastating cycle of violence and begin the journey towards a political solution for the long term which delivers the long-promised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.”

He added: “Conflict touches more countries now than at any time in the history of this assembly around the world, more fires are breaking out and burning with ever greater intensity. Exacting a terrible toll in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, and beyond.”

On Sudan, Starmer said it was the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.” And added: “We need to see greater action to deliver aid and to deliver peace. The world cannot look away. And we must stand up for international law.”

On Iran, Starmer said Tehran was not fulfilling its obligations. “Iran continues to expand its nuclear activity in violation of its international commitments.”

On the uses of artificial intelligence, he said: “Incredible new technologies like AI are being deployed for military use without agreed rules. These are difficult challenges to grip and too urgent to ignore. That’s why the new Pact for the Future is so important.

“We must put new energy and creativity into conflict resolution and conflict prevention, reverse the trend towards ever-greater violence, make the institutions of peace fit for purpose, and hold members to their commitments under the UN Charter.”

He called for a structural revamp of the UN Security Council to achieve these goals, and make it “a more representative body, willing to act — not paralyzed by politics.

“We want to see permanent African representation on the council, Brazil, India, Japan and Germany as permanent members and more seats for elected members as well.

“Finally, to support this, we will also change how the UK does things. Moving from the paternalism of the past towards partnership for the future. Listening a lot more, speaking a bit less. Offering game-changing British expertise and working together in the spirit of equal respect.”

Starmer has served as UK prime minister since 2024 and as leader of the Labour Party since 2020.


Harris says the right to be safe is a civil right as Biden signs order on gun technology

Harris says the right to be safe is a civil right as Biden signs order on gun technology
Updated 27 September 2024
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Harris says the right to be safe is a civil right as Biden signs order on gun technology

Harris says the right to be safe is a civil right as Biden signs order on gun technology
  • Harris said the American people have a right to “live, work, worship and learn without fear of violence — including gun violence”
  • Gun violence continues to plague the nation. There have been at least 31 mass killings in the US so far in 2024, leaving at least 135 people dead

WASHINGTON: Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday she believes the right to be safe is a civil right — and that means a right to live free from gun violence — as President Joe Biden signed an executive order that seeks to restrict new technologies that make guns easier to fire and obtain.
“It is a false choice to suggest you are either in favor of the Second Amendment, or you want to take everyone’s guns away,” Harris said during an event at the White House. “I am in favor of the Second Amendment and I believe we need to reinstate the assault weapons ban.”
Harris said the American people have a right to “live, work, worship and learn without fear of violence — including gun violence.”
The Democratic nominee for president leads the first-ever White House office of gun violence prevention, which aims to curb violence, help communities recover from the trauma of that violence and coordinate the federal response. But Harris often says during campaigning that she’s a gun owner and insists she doesn’t want to take weapons away from responsible firearms owners.
The president sat down as a crowd gathered around him to sign the order, then he handed the pen to Harris.
“Keep it going, boss,” he said.
The order directs the president’s staff to research how active shooter drills may cause trauma to students and educators in an effort to help schools create drills that maximize effectiveness and limit harm.
“We just have to do better and can do better,” Biden said, also calling for better funding for federal law enforcement. “Never thought I’d have to sign something like this, but we do.”
The order also establishes a task force to investigate the threats posed by machine-gun-conversion devices, which can turn a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic firearm, and will look at the growing prevalence of 3D-printed guns, which are printed from an Internet code, are easy to make and have no serial numbers so law enforcement can’t track them. The task force has to report back in 90 days — not long before Biden is due to leave office.
The president has promised he and his administration will work through the end of the term, focusing on the issues most important to him. Curbing gun violence has been at the top of the 81-year-old president’s list.
He often says he has consoled too many victims and traveled to the scenes of too many mass shootings. Biden was instrumental in the passage of gun safety legislation and has sought to ban assault weapons. But there’s more to do, he says, and he’ll continue to work after he leaves office.
“It’s time we establish universal background checks and require safe storage of firearms,” Biden said. “Start holding parents accountable for being negligent.”
Overall, stricter gun laws are desired by a majority of Americans, regardless of what the current gun laws are in their state. That desire could be tied to some Americans’ perceptions of what fewer guns could mean for the country — namely, fewer mass shootings.
Gun violence continues to plague the nation. Four people were killed and 17 others injured when multiple shooters opened fire Saturday at a popular nightlife spot in Birmingham, Alabama, in what police described as a targeted “hit” on one of the people killed.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, in introducing the president, told the crowd about his personal experience with gun violence. His brother was shot to death and he heard his mother’s screams of pain.
“I heard that scream again this past Saturday, as the lives of four people were stolen and 17 other victims were shot during the horrific mass shooting in Birmingham,” he said.
Woodfin said curbing gun violence should not be partisan. “Saving lives should not be a Democrat or a Republican thing. Saving lives is the most American thing we can do together,” he said.
As of Thursday, there have been at least 31 mass killings in the US so far in 2024, leaving at least 135 people dead, not including shooters who died, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
The order was praised by gun-control groups, but criticized by Randy Kozuch, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, who said it was “just one more attempt by the Biden-Harris Administration to deflect attention from their soft-on-crime policies that have emboldened criminals in our country.”


Gunfire erupts near Guinea’s presidential palace and the military locks down the area

Gunfire erupts near Guinea’s presidential palace and the military locks down the area
Updated 27 September 2024
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Gunfire erupts near Guinea’s presidential palace and the military locks down the area

Gunfire erupts near Guinea’s presidential palace and the military locks down the area
  • 11 dissident soldiers opened fire on special forces guarding the presidential palace, but they were overpowered
  • The West African nation has been led by a military regime since soldiers ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021

DAKAR, Senegal: Shots were fired late Thursday near the presidential palace in Guinea ‘s capital Conakry, and the army briefly locked down the city center and evacuated it.
Local journalist Fode Toure, who was a few hundred meters from the presidential palace, told The Associated Press he heard gunshots and saw people running away in panic. An AP reporter near the palace saw heavily armed soldiers patrolling the streets.
A diplomatic official close to Guinea’s leader told the AP that 11 dissident soldiers opened fire on the special forces around the presidential palace, but they were overpowered by the special forces. Three of the assailants were killed and eight others arrested, he said, adding that the situation was under control. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters.
The official said the soldiers were loyal to Col. Celestin Bilivogui, who disappeared almost a year ago in mysterious conditions following his arrest by the special forces. Bilivogui was found dead on Wednesday, his family and lawyers said.
The lockdown of the center of Conakry was later lifted.
The ruling junta denied that any gunshots took place calling it a “crazy” and “fabricated” rumor in a statement read on national television. It urged residents of the city center to go about their business.
The West African nation has been led by a military regime since soldiers ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021. The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has pushed for a quick transition back to civilian rule and elections are scheduled for 2025.
Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, the country’s leader, overthrew the president three years ago, saying he was preventing Guinea from slipping into chaos and chastised the previous government for broken promises.
However, since coming to power he’s been criticized for being no better than his predecessor. In February, military leaders dissolved the government without explanation, saying a new one will be appointed.
Doumbouya has rebuffed attempts by the West and other developed countries to intervene in Africa’s political challenges, saying Africans are “exhausted by the categorizations with which everyone wants to box us in.”
Several West African nations including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have had coups that installed military juntas. They have severed or scaled back long-standing military ties with Western powers in favor of security support from Russia.