While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 23
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US Vice-President Kamala Harris (left) and US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right) applaud as US President Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address.
PHOTO: AFP
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Kamala Harris wins key Pelosi support for White House race
US Vice-President Kamala Harris on July 22 won the crucial backing of Democratic heavyweight Nancy Pelosi to lead the party against Donald Trump in November after Joe Biden’s stunning exit from the 2024 race.
As the endorsements stacked up, the 59-year-old Harris made her first public appearance since Biden’s announcement in a ceremony at the White House where she warmly praised the outgoing president’s “unmatched” achievements.
But while she steered away from any triumphalism, Harris will now feel she has one hand on the prize after securing the support of Pelosi, the former US House speaker and a prime mover in moves to oust the 81-year-old Biden.
Israeli parliament votes to label UN relief agency a terror organisation
REUTERS
The Israeli parliament gave preliminary approval on July 22 to a bill that declares the main United Nations relief organization for Palestinians a terrorist organisation and proposes to sever relations with the body.
The vote against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) is the latest step in a Israeli push against the agency, which Israeli leaders have accused of collaborating with the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza.
The bill was approved in a first reading and will be returned to the foreign affairs and defence committee for further deliberation, the Knesset information service said.
Blinken to shore up US relationships in Asia amid political uncertainty at home
via REUTERS
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Asia this week to reassure allies and partners of US support, the State Department’s top official for Asia said on July 22, as the November US presidential election casts uncertainty over Washington’s foreign policy.
US tensions with China will provide the backdrop to the trip. Blinken is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of regional meetings in Laos, according to Assistant Secretary of State Dan Kritenbrink, who briefed reporters on the trip.
Blinken will hold security talks with US allies Japan and the Philippines before visiting Singapore and Mongolia, Kritenbrink said. He will also stop in Vietnam to attend the funeral of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who died last week, the State Department said.
Myanmar’s embattled junta chief takes on role of nominal president
REUTERS
All duties of Myanmar’s figurehead president have been transferred to the chief of the ruling junta, Min Aung Hlaing, after the nominal head of state was placed on medical leave following a period of prolonged illness, state television said on July 22.
Myanmar has been in engulfed in chaos since Feb 2021 when the military led by Min Aung Hlaing ousted an elected civilian government in a coup, triggering a wave of protests that has transformed into a nationwide armed rebellion against the junta.
Although Myint Swe, 73, is only a figurehead president, the junta has depended on him to sign its decrees and provide a veneer of legitimacy to its rule, which is struggling to contain an expanding civil war and manage a crumbling economy.
Messi ruled out for MLS All-Star Game after Copa injury
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi will not play in this week’s MLS All-Star Game, Major League Soccer said on July 22, eight days after the Argentine superstar left the Copa America final with an ankle injury.
Messi was listed among unavailable players for July 24’s match in Columbus, Ohio, pitting MLS All Stars from 18 league clubs against top talent from Mexico’s LIGA MX.
The game would have been the 37-year-old’s MLS All-Star Game debut after he joined Inter Miami in July 2023 following a storied career in Europe.
