International
Biden vigorously defends NATO at leaders summit
Biden vigorously defends NATO at leaders summit
US President Joe Biden has welcomed Nato leaders to Washington DC with a forceful speech that seemed pitched to reassure allies overseas and closer to home that he can fight off an election challenge from Donald Trump.
In brief but strongly delivered remarks at the opening of the summit, the president declared the military alliance “more powerful than ever” as it faced a “pivotal moment” with the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Warning that “autocrats” had overturned global order”, Mr Biden announced more military aid for Kyiv.
The US president and the leaders of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Romania are donating Patriot missile batteries and other systems to bolster Ukraine’s beleaguered air defences.
“The war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country,” Mr Biden said in remarks read from a teleprompter on Tuesday afternoon. “Russia will not prevail. Ukraine will prevail.”
Mr Biden spoke for about 13 minutes in a clear voice, a marked difference from his fumbling tone during last month’s presidential debate with Trump.
Meanwhile, congressional Democrats met privately to debate Mr Biden’s leadership of the party and the mood was “sad”, lawmakers told the Associated Press news agency.
Later on Tuesday, a seventh House of Representatives Democrat – Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey – publicly called on Mr Biden not to run for re-election, saying the stakes were “too high”.
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Visiting diplomats also expressed scepticism about Mr Biden’s future, according to reports.
“We don’t see how he can come back after the debate,” one unnamed European envoy told Reuters news agency. “I can’t imagine him being at helm of the US and Nato for four more years.”
Mr Biden’s team has responded by trying to show that the 81-year-old remains vigorous enough to handle the demands of the presidency.
The White House has credited Mr Biden’s leadership for the expansion of Nato since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, with Finland and Sweden joining the alliance.
Leaders from the 32 member countries are converging on the US capital for the summit.
Joining them is the UK’s new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Before leaving for Washington, he said he was pleased to “confirm and reaffirm Labour’s strong support, unshakeable support for Nato”.
Asked by reporters travelling with him to the summit for his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sir Keir said the gathering “should be seen as a clear and united resolve by Nato allies… to stand with Ukraine and stand up to Russian aggression”.
He said a deadly attack on a children’s hospital in Kyiv earlier this week “strengthens the resolve and that is a very important if tragic backdrop to this summit”.
Sir Keir added the package of support for Ukraine the UK was seeking to advance at the summit “goes beyond the support that’s been put in before”.
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Sir Keir is due to meet Mr Biden on Wednesday, as well as Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress.
Tuesday’s event was steeped in the alliance’s history.
It was held in the very venue where the original treaty was signed decades ago, which Mr Biden invoked in his speech.
Near the conclusion of his speech, Mr Biden called Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on to the stage to award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honour.
On Tuesday evening, Trump, 78, criticised Nato allies during a campaign rally at his golf club in Doral, Florida.
The event was attended by all three of his sons, including his youngest, Barron, who was at his first ever Trump rally, according to his father, and received more applause from the audience than his brothers, Eric and Don.
Trump has repeatedly lambasted Nato member states for failing to meet an agreed goal of spending at least 2% of gross domestic product on defence. Many more Nato countries now meet that benchmark since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Trump told supporters that these countries were contributing “hundreds of billions of dollars” more because when he was president he had warned them “No, I will not protect you from Russia” unless they paid more to the alliance.
When Trump made similar remarks at a rally in February this year, Mr Stoltenberg said such talk “undermines all of our security”.
But the Nato chief remained tight-lipped on the Republican candidate as the summit began on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky said at an event held elsewhere in Washington DC that the whole world was “waiting for November”, when the US general election takes place, and he urged American voters to stand by Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky is due to meet Mr Biden on Thursday.
Biden vigorously defends NATO at leaders summit
BBC
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International
Trump Links French Protests To Islam ‘Taking Over’ France
Trump Links French Protests To Islam ‘Taking Over’ France
US President Donald Trump has linked the ongoing student protests in France to what he described as “out of control” mass migration and an alleged attempt by Islam to take over the country.
Trump made the claim Tuesday in a post on his Truth Social platform, rejecting the view that the protests are primarily about education and school conditions.
The protests have spread across France since late September, with students, teachers and parents demanding better-funded schools, more teachers, improved infrastructure and action over overcrowded classrooms.
More than 250,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country on Tuesday, according to French authorities, while organisers put the turnout at about 450,000.
Trump wrote that the unrest was “nothing less than out of control mass migration” and claimed: “This isn’t about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country!”
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However, there has been no established link between the protests and religious or identity-based demands. The grievances publicly cited by student groups have centred on teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school buildings and inadequate resources.
The demonstrations have nevertheless escalated in some areas, with clashes between protesters and police reported in cities including Paris, Strasbourg, Rennes and Toulouse.
French authorities said hundreds of people were arrested Tuesday, while hundreds of students, school staff and police officers have reportedly been injured during the unrest.
The protests have also become part of a wider debate over France’s public finances, government spending and political direction ahead of the country’s next presidential election.
Trump’s comments add an international political dimension to the crisis, as the US president continues to make migration in Europe a major focus of his political messaging.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France was working to present its own account of the unrest rather than allowing foreign governments and political actors to define the narrative around the protests.
For now, the central demands of the protest movement remain focused on education, even as the unrest has become increasingly entangled with broader political disputes over immigration, public spending and France’s future.
Trump Links French Protests To Islam ‘Taking Over’ France
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International
Kemi Badenoch: I Don’t Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of ‘Little Ghettos’
Kemi Badenoch: I Don’t Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of ‘Little Ghettos’
UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has warned against the emergence of what she described as “little ghettos” of separatist migrant communities in Britain, arguing that newcomers must integrate and respect the country’s culture and values.
Badenoch made the remarks while opening the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham, where she set out her vision for rebuilding the party and Britain.
Speaking about immigration and integration, the Conservative leader said she wanted Britain to remain a “high-trust” society in which people coming into the country accept the social expectations and responsibilities that come with living there.
“I don’t want lots of little ghettos of separatist communities where they are recreating the place that they came from. That will ruin the United Kingdom,” Badenoch said.
She added that Britain was “not a dormitory” or “a hotel” and argued that migrants who come to the country, including those who come primarily to work, should respect British culture and values.
Badenoch stressed that she was not advocating race-based citizenship, saying Britain had never operated such a system. However, she argued that British culture, norms and expectations remained important to maintaining social cohesion.
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“It is not just about the values and the principles,” she said, arguing that the way people conduct themselves and the expectations they share also form part of British culture.
The remarks form part of Badenoch’s broader attempt to establish a tougher Conservative Party position on immigration, integration and national identity as the party seeks to regain political ground.
She has also acknowledged failures by previous Conservative governments to deliver promised reductions in immigration. In her newly published policy document, The Right Way, she argues that the party needs clearer principles and a more consistent approach to government.
The Conservatives are also proposing tougher conditions for migrants seeking permanent settlement in the UK, including changes to the rules governing indefinite leave to remain.
Badenoch’s comments have drawn attention because of the sensitivity surrounding immigration and multiculturalism in Britain, with critics arguing that language about migrant communities risks stigmatising minority groups.
Her supporters, however, say the emphasis on integration rather than race is intended to reinforce a shared national identity and social cohesion.
The debate comes as immigration remains a major political issue in the UK, with the Conservatives facing pressure from Reform UK over migration while the Labour government continues to face questions over legal and irregular immigration.
Badenoch, who became Conservative leader in November 2024, used the conference to present her party as a political alternative focused on economic growth, stronger national security, reduced bureaucracy and stricter immigration policies.
Her comments on migrant communities are expected to remain a significant part of the Conservatives’ political message as the party seeks to redefine its approach to immigration, integration and British identity.
Kemi Badenoch: I Don’t Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of ‘Little Ghettos’
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International
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
President Donald Trump has approved the execution by U.S. Army firing squad of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that left 13 people dead and 32 others wounded.
The Pentagon announced the decision on Monday, saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had recommended the firing-squad execution and Trump approved it.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Secretary of the Army would determine the date and location of the execution.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, opened fire at a medical facility at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, shortly before he was due to deploy to Afghanistan.
The attack killed 12 active-duty soldiers and one retired serviceman, while 32 others were wounded. Hasan was shot and seriously injured by a responding civilian police officer and has been partially paralysed since the attack.
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A military jury convicted Hasan in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder and sentenced him to death.
During his court-martial, Hasan represented himself and did not call witnesses in his defence. He acknowledged that he carried out the shooting and argued that his actions were intended to protect Muslims whom he believed were being targeted by U.S. military operations.
Hasan has remained on military death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, while pursuing legal challenges to his conviction and sentence.
Trump’s approval does not mean the execution will take place immediately. Further legal and administrative procedures remain, and Hasan could seek relief through the federal courts, potentially delaying the execution.
If carried out, Hasan’s execution would be an extraordinary event in the history of the U.S. military justice system.
The U.S. military has not carried out an execution since 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was hanged. The last known U.S. military execution by firing squad took place in 1945.
The decision also comes amid renewed debate in the United States over methods of execution. The Trump administration has expanded the available methods for carrying out federal executions, while recent difficulties surrounding lethal injection have intensified scrutiny of capital punishment.
Hasan’s case has remained one of the most prominent military death-penalty cases in the United States since the Fort Hood attack nearly 17 years ago.
The Army is now expected to determine when and where the execution will take place, subject to the remaining legal process.
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
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