While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 22
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US President Joe Biden speaks next to Vice President Kamala Harris as he delivers a statement at the White House on July 14.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Biden pulls out of US presidential race, endorses Kamala Harris as new candidate
US President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on July 21 after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump while endorsing Vice-President Kamal Harris to replace him as the party’s candidate.
Mr Biden, 81, in a post on X, said he will remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025 and will address the nation this week.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Mr Biden wrote.
Biden drops out of presidential election: What happens next?
REUTERS
President Joe Biden said on July 21 he would withdraw from the 2024 presidential election race, putting the United States into uncharted territory.
Mr Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee this year.
Before Mr Biden’s decision was made, Reuters spoke to Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, a Democratic National Committee member, and author of the book “Primary Politics” about the presidential nominating process, about what could happen next.
Israeli settlers beat foreign volunteers in occupied West Bank
AFP
Israeli settlers on July 21 attacked a group of foreign volunteers helping Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank, injuring some who needed hospital treatment, the activists and Israeli army said.
Eight mainly American volunteers were working with the farmers in an olive grove near the Palestinian village of Qusra when settlers came after them, said David Hummel, an American-German in the group.
“We were standing there peacefully, not a threat to anyone, when they started coming towards us and pushing us down the path,” Hummel told AFP.
Nadal beaten in straight sets by Borges in Bastad final
via REUTERS
Rafael Nadal suffered a setback in his Paris 2024 Olympics preparations on July 21 as he was beaten 6-3 6-2 in the Swedish Open final by Portuguese seventh seed Nuno Borges.
The 38-year-old Spaniard was playing his first title match since his 2022 French Open triumph, but saw his serve broken five times in the one-hour and 27-minute contest as Borges won his maiden tour final.
Making first appearance at the ATP Tour 250 event since winning the singles as a 19-year-old in 2005, Nadal was warming up for his bid for another Olympic medal at the Paris 2024 Games.
Paris restaurants struggle in Olympic security zones
REUTERS
Cafes along the banks of the Seine in Paris normally buzz with activity in the summer, but restrictions ahead of the Olympics have limited movement in the city centre, leaving restaurants empty of diners.
Police have imposed a security zone along the river, erecting metal barriers to fence off neighbourhoods and requiring authorisation - passes with QR codes - to enter.
“There is nobody,” said Liliane Khalil, owner of Aux Anysetiers du Roy, surveying rows of empty tables at her restaurant.
