International

I was supposed to be dead now, God saved me – Trump

Published

1 month ago

July 15, 2024

I was supposed to be dead now, God saved me – Trump

Former US President Donald Trump has said he is “supposed to be dead” after Saturday night’s assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.

In one of his first interviews since the incident, Mr Trump told conservative US media he felt that he had been saved “by luck or by God”.

“The most incredible thing was that I happened to not only turn [my head] but to turn at the exact right time and in just the right amount,” he said, adding that the bullet that grazed his ear could have easily killed him.

“I’m supposed to be dead, I’m not supposed to be here,” he said.

A spectator was killed in the attack, while two other people were seriously injured. The gunman, who also died, has been named as Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Mr Trump described the moment he looked up at the crowd after realising he had been shot.

“The energy coming from the people there in that moment, they just stood there. It’s hard to describe what that felt like, but I knew the world was looking.

“I knew that history would judge this, and I knew I had to let them know we are OK,” he told the Washington Examiner.

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Speaking as he prepared to board a flight to the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is expected to be confirmed as the party’s candidate for president, Mr Trump said he now had a “chance to bring the country together”.

He said his speech would now be completely different instead of the “humdinger” aimed mostly at current President Joe Biden’s policies he had previously planned.

“Had [Saturday’s attack] not happened, this would’ve been one of the most incredible speeches.

“Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now. It is a chance to bring the country together.”

Earlier, Mr Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that he had intended to delay his trip to Wisconsin by two days.

But he added that he was sticking to his original schedule as: “I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling”.

Mr Trump said that the assassination attempt “has had an impact” on him.

Little is known about the motivation of Crooks, the 20-year-old would-be assassin who was shot dead by the Secret Service at the scene.

The FBI has said that while its investigation suggests Crooks acted alone, it would continue to look into whether the kitchen worker had received help.

The spectator who was killed in Saturday’s attack has been named as Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer fire chief who died trying to protect his family.

In a televised address following the attack, President Biden called for the “temperature of politics” to be lowered.

“We cannot, must not, go down this road again. We’ve travelled it before in our history,” said Mr Biden, listing off a growing number of violent political acts that had taken place in the US in recent years.

“In America we resolve our differences at the ballot box,” he added. “At the ballot box. Not with bullets.”

I was supposed to be dead now, God saved me – Trump

BBC

International

Gaza ceasefire deal now in sight, US envoy tells UN

Published

5 hours ago

August 23, 2024

Trends Admin

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Representative of the US to the UN, speaks during a UNSC meeting on situation in the Middle East on August 22, 2024 in New York City. (AFP)

Gaza ceasefire deal now in sight, US envoy tells UN

UNITED NATIONS: A Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal “now is in sight,” the US envoy to the United Nations told the Security Council on Thursday, urging members to press Palestinian militant group Hamas to accept a bridging proposal agreed to by Israel.

Months of on-off talks have circled the same issues, but Israel and Hamas have stuck to their demands.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said a bridging proposal put forward last week by the US, Qatar and Egypt was consistent with a plan outlined by President Joe Biden in May and endorsed by the Security Council in June.

“Israel has accepted the bridging proposal. Now Hamas must do the same,” she told the council. “As members of this council, we must speak with one voice, and we must use our leverage to press Hamas to accept the bridging proposal.”

Disagreements over Israel’s future military presence in Gaza and over Palestinian prisoner releases are obstructing a deal, sources familiar with talks told Reuters, stemming from demands Israel has introduced since Hamas accepted Biden’s May proposal.

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“It’s a decisive moment for ceasefire talks and for the region, and so every member of this council should continue to send strong messages to other actors in the region to avoid actions that would move us away from finalizing this deal,” said Thomas-Greenfield.

The conflict in Gaza put the entire Middle East region on edge, triggering months of border clashes between Israel and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, and threatening a wider escalation drawing in major powers.

Iran has also vowed retaliation over the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied it was behind the killing.

“There’s very real danger of regional escalation,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “So let us do everything in our power to get this ceasefire and hostage release deal over the finish line now.”

The current war in the Gaza Strip began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, Israel’s military has leveled swathes of the Palestinian enclave, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing at least 40,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Gaza ceasefire deal now in sight, US envoy tells UN

ARAB NEWS

International

Israel: Court extends house arrest of soldiers over Palestinian prisoner abuse

Published

6 hours ago

August 23, 2024

Trends Admin

Israel’s military court has extended the house arrest of soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee until Sept. 4. (File/AFP)

Israel: Court extends house arrest of soldiers over Palestinian prisoner abuse

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military court has extended the house arrest of soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee until Sept. 4 but will allow the defense to hold a hearing on Sunday to request an alternative to detention, the military said on Thursday.

It specified such an alternative could include ‘a place of work and suitable supervisors’.

The soldiers have been accused of sexually abusing a member of an elite Hamas unit at the Sde Teiman detention facility in the Negev desert in southern Israel, according to Israeli press reports.

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The United Nations special rapporteur on torture has said the alleged sexual abuse case is “particularly gruesome” and called on Israel’s civilian courts to investigate and hold the perpetrators to account.

The UN has received multiple reports of alleged torture against Palestinians detained since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed Israel in a shock assault that killed some 1,200 people.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the 10 months of fighting that have followed, according to health officials in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel: Court extends house arrest of soldiers over Palestinian prisoner abuse

ARAB NEWS

International

US agency discovers $5m meth disguised as watermelons

Published

23 hours ago

August 22, 2024

Trends Admin

US agency discovers $5m meth disguised as watermelons

United States officials announced that a substantial seizure of illicit substances had been effected, wherein a staggering quantity of methamphetamine, valued at over $5 million, was discovered cleverly concealed and disguised within a shipment of watermelons.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said more than 2 tonnes of methamphetamine, also known as meth or ice, was uncovered when a man driving a commercial tractor-trailer sought entry into the U.S. from Mexico.

Upon conducting a meticulous and thorough inspection, CBP officers discovered 1,220 packages artfully wrapped in paper, ingeniously disguised as watermelons within the shipment.

Subsequent testing and analysis confirmed that the contents of these packages were, in fact, methamphetamine, with an estimated street value exceeding a staggering $5 million.

Earlier in the month, officials uncovered 508 packages hidden among a shipment of celery in similar circumstances.

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Testing confirmed the packages contained methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $755,000.

Speaking on the operations, Area Port of Otay Mesa Director Rosa Hernandez expressed her utmost pride and admiration for the exceptional work of her team over the past few weeks, citing their remarkable success in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods.

Director Hernandez vowed that, as drug cartels continue to evolve and refine their smuggling techniques, her team will persist in finding innovative and effective ways to prevent these dangerous drugs from entering the country, thereby ensuring the interception of other contraband.

“I am incredibly proud of our team for their exceptional work over the past few weeks in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods.

“As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue to find new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs.

“Other contraband will be stopped from entering the country,’’ Area Port of Otay Mesa director Rosa Hernandez stated.