WASHINGTON  –  Barack Obama has endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic presidential nominee, ending days of speculation over whether he would support her. Former President Obama and ex-First Lady Michelle Obama said in a joint statement that they believe Harris has the “vision, the character, and the strength that this critical moment demands”.

Obama was reportedly among more than 100 prominent Democrats Harris spoke to after President Joe Biden announced last Sunday he was dropping out of the race.

In a statement at the time, Obama praised Biden’s exit, but stopped short of endorsing Harris. The US vice-president has already secured the support of a majority of Democratic delegates, setting her on course to become the official nominee at the party convention in August.

The Obamas said in Friday’s statement that they could not be “more thrilled to endorse” Harris. They vowed to do “everything we can” to elect her. “We agree with President Biden,” said the couple’s statement, “choosing Kamala was one of the best decisions he’s made. She has the resume to prove it.” They cited her record as California’s attorney general, a US senator and then vice-president.

“But Kamala has more than a resume,” the statement continued. “She has the vision, the character, and the strength that this critical moment demands. “There is no doubt in our mind that Kamala Harris has exactly what it takes to win this election and deliver for the American people. “At a time when the stakes have never been higher, she gives us all reason to hope.”

The statement was accompanied by a video of Harris taking a phone call from the Obamas in which they pledge their support. “Oh my goodness,” says the vice-president in the clip. “Michelle, Barack, this means so much to me.” (BBC)…[+]

POLAND – A 19th-century shipwreck packed with crates of unopened champagne has been found in the depths of the Baltic Sea. The long-forgotten vessel was brimming with bubbly, according to the team of Polish divers who made the discovery off the coast of Sweden. “The whole wreck is loaded to the brim with crates of champagne, mineral water, and porcelain,” Tomasz Stachura, the leader of the Baltictech diving team that found the wreck, said in a press release sent to CNN.

According to the firm’s website, Stachura is “one of the most active wreck divers in the Baltic Sea,” who has “taken thousands of underwater pictures of Baltic wrecks.” Nevertheless, this recent find was different, he said, explaining that some 100 bottles were found onboard. “I have been diving for 40 years, and it often happens that there is one bottle or two… but to discover a wreck with so much cargo, it’s a first for me,” he said in the release. The find was “largely a coincidence,” he said, as the divers have been combing the seabed for years in search of sunken ships.

“We were just checking out new spots, which I had been collecting for years, out of pure curiosity, and that’s when we came across this wreck,” said Stachura. “We did not expect it to be anything significant and even hesitated for a moment whether to dive at all.” Two of the team were determined to take a look, however, on a “quick dive” but were gone for almost two hours, according to a post on the team’s website. The wreck was “in very good condition” and its cargo was plentiful. “There was so much of it that it was difficult for us to judge the quantities,” the post said.

While the champagne certainly provided cause for celebration, it was the bottles of water that perhaps shed most light on the vessel’s history. The press release said the water was in sealed clay bottles and branded Selters, “a German brand highly valued in the 19th century, often reserved for royal tables and considered almost medicinal.” It comes from a mineral spring of the same name in the town of Selters, in the central German state of Hesse, and has been bottled for more than 800 years. “We managed to take pictures of the brand name stamped on a clay bottle, which turned out to be from the German company Selters – produced to this day,” diver and underwater videographer Marek Cacaj said in the press release. According to Baltictech’s website, “its value was so precious that transports were escorted by the police.” “Thanks to the shape of the stamp, and with historians’ help, we know that our shipment was produced between 1850-1867. Interestingly, the pottery factory into which the water was bottled also exists, and we are in contact with them to find out more details.” (CNN)…[+]

PARIS – Millions of visitors and thousands of athletes will flock to Paris for the Summer Olympic Games, but the great unknown for organizers is the potential risk of protests, terrorism and cyber attacks. The Olympics have been a target for attacks in the past, notably the 1972 Munich Games where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed by members of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. Then in 1996, a bomb blast killed one woman and injured more than 100 people at the Atlanta Games.

France plans to deploy around 35,000 police each day during the Games, peaking at 45,000 for the Opening Ceremony, a spokesperson at the French interior ministry told CNN. In addition, 10,000 soldiers will be deployed in the Paris region – an effort supported by 1,800 police officers from around the world, they added. France will also deploy 20,000 private security personnel, Reuters reported.

Nicolas Nordman, Deputy Paris Mayor in charge of security, told CNN that authorities had been working for months to try to anticipate what might happen and were confident the ceremony would be safe. He said a “strictly controlled” zone alongside the banks of the river will be closed off before the Opening Ceremony and anyone entering into it would be checked. That security perimeter came into effect last Thursday, with people living, working and visiting places inside the restricted zone required to carry a pass to enter. Individuals had to apply for an access pass prior to Thursday. “These controls must ensure that no ill-intentioned people enter the area. There is also the need for controls on the day of the ceremony,” said Nordman.

The long Olympic torch relay has come to an end with the torch’s flame igniting the cauldron. The flame will burn in its cauldron for the next two weeks as the Paris Games play out. During the closing ceremony, it will be extinguished in Paris and then readied for the next Games. The next Olympics will take place in two years in Milan, Italy. The torch was passed between legendary athletes Zinedine Zidane, Rafael Nadal (who carried the torch on a boat down the Seine), Serena Williams (who rode next to Nadal), Carl Lewis, Tony Parker and scores of French Olympians. Finally, the cauldron was lit by French Olympians Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec. The flame was lit after French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open and the Olympic oath was taken by France’s two flag bearers. (CNN)…[+]

CARACAS  –  Venezuela’s government and opposition have closed the official presidential election campaign period, with demonstrations of support that drew thousands of people on to the streets of the capital Caracas.

President Nicolas Maduro, who is seeking a third term, appeared on Thursday before supporters on a huge stage set up on one of the city’s main roads and rallied attendees with musical intermissions and dancing that peppered his speech.

Maduro told the crowd, some of which were transported to Caracas on state-owned buses, that his opponents were promoters of violence and described himself as a man who could ensure peace.

“Who of the 10 candidates guarantees peace and stability?” Maduro asked the crowd.

Maduro warned last week of a “bloodbath” if he were to lose, comments that drew criticism from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Brazil’s electoral court and former Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez both said that they had withdrawn from acting as election observers on Sunday.

Supporters of Maduro say he has successfully continued his predecessor Hugo Chavez’s legacy, and he remains a champion for the poor.

“It’s good for us if he [Maduro] wins,” said public servant Luisa Medina, 51. “It’s the only government which has thought about us, the poor,” Medina said.

Maduro is being challenged by former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia – who represents the resurgent opposition – and eight other candidates.

Urrutia and opposition party leader Maria Corina Machado – gathered far fewer supporters for their final rally last Thursday – moving through the city standing atop a platform affixed to a truck until they reached a middle-class district of the Caracas.

Gonzalez said he trusts the country’s military will ensure respect for the result of the vote on Sunday.

Venezuela’s military has long supported Maduro and Chavez, though the country’s Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino has said the armed forces will respect the outcome of the vote.

Gonzalez inherited the opposition mantle from Machado, who has been barred from holding public office. Supporters have expressed fears that Gonzalez could also face a similar ban or other restrictions, but he said he was confident of peaceful voting and a decisive victory on Sunday.

Maduro’s government has presided over an economic collapse in Venezuela, the migration of about a third of the population, and a sharp deterioration in diplomatic relations, which was crowned by sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union and others which have crippled the country’s already-struggling oil industry.

The US reimposed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil in April, accusing Maduro of reneging on deals reached with the opposition to ensure democratic elections.

The White House expressed concern about the threat of violence around the election, warning Maduro that the vote must be fair and free of repression.

Polls will open from 6am (10:00 GMT) to 6pm (22:00 GMT) on Sunday and the results are expected to be known on Sunday evening or in the following days. (Al Jazeera) …[+]

USA – The head of the United Nations has called on countries to take action to address the effects of “crippling heat”, as the world experiences record-high temperatures that have put vulnerable communities at risk.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Antonio Guterres said billions of people around the globe are experiencing “an extreme heat epidemic” fuelled by climate change. “Extreme heat is increasingly tearing through economies, widening inequalities, undermining the Sustainable Development Goals, and killing people,” the UN secretary-general said.

“We know what is driving it: fossil fuel-charged, human-induced climate change. And we know it’s going to get worse; extreme heat is the new abnormal.” Guterres’s warning comes a day after the European Union’s climate monitor said the world had experienced its hottest day on record this week. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Wednesday that the global average surface air temperature on July 22 rose to 17.15 degrees Celsius (62.9 degrees Fahrenheit) – or 0.06 degrees Celsius higher than the record set just a day earlier. Every month since June 2023 has now ranked as the planet’s warmest since records began in 1940, compared with the corresponding month in previous years, according to C3S. (Al Jazeera)…[+]

Ronnie Brunswijk, chairman of the ABOP, recently claimed again that there are no tensions between his political party and Pertjajah Luhur (PL). Both political parties had initially planned on participating in the general elections as a joint party namely the ABOPPL. But both parties recently decided to fly solo again. “The decision to run for office separately was deemed necessary after intensive attempts to establish the new party, ABOPPL,” Brunswijk who is also the nation’s VP told the press. “PL chairman Paul Somohardjo made it clear that he would not exit his political party. This is why it was decided to participate in the elections separately and to put the plans for ABOPPL on hold for now,” said the chairman of the ABOP. After the general elections of May 2025 both parties will determine if and how they could collaborate. This decision was recently announced by Brunswijk at a rally of his party. Somohardjo was clearly surprised by the announcement because both parties had agreed to make this announcement in December 2024. Brunswijk made it clear that this decision should not come as a surprise to the people who were closely involved in the attempts to establish the ABOPPL. “Nobody can say that it came as a surprise,” said the chairman of the ABOP. Despite everything Brunswijk assured that there are no tensions between his party and the PL…[+]

GAZA / USA – Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu have met in an effort to close the remaining “gaps” in the push for a Gaza ceasefire deal, the White House said.

The meeting at the White House came a day after Mr Netanyahu gave a fiery speech to Congress as thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside. US Vice-President Kamala Harris later met Mr Netanyahu and said she had voiced “serious concerns” over casualties in Gaza. The Israeli prime minister faces pressure both at home and abroad to bring an end to the Israel-Gaza war, now in its ninth month.

He said he had known the US president for 40 years – and that Mr Biden had known every Israeli PM over the last half a century. “From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” he said. Mr Netanyahu also said he looked forward to working with Mr Biden “on the great issues before us” over the next several months.

The US president joked that Golda Meir was the first Israeli PM that Mr Biden had met, and that Yitzhak Rabin, a successor, was there as an assistant. The meeting follows months of tension over the war in Gaza, with Mr Biden reaching the point in May, according to his friend and former defence secretary Chuck Hagel, where he said “enough is enough”.

Mr Biden also previously publicly threatened to hold back weapons shipments if Israel launched a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah, prompting anger in Israel. Mr Netanyahu said in June it was “inconceivable” for the Biden administration to withhold weapons and ammunition from Israel. At a news briefing, national security spokesman John Kirby said the pair discussed the urgent need for a hostage release deal, the potential of conflict spilling over into Lebanon, the threat of Iran and the need to reach “compromises” in peace talks.

While Mr Kirby added that “gaps remain” in the US-Israel relationship, it was still “healthy”. “By healthy, I mean they’re not going to agree on everything,” Mr Kirby said, adding that Mr Biden was “very comfortable with the relationship he has with the prime minister”. Mr Netanyahu also met Vice-President Harris, the likely Democratic nominee now that Mr Biden has stepped down from his re-election campaign. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ms Harris called the discussion “frank and constructive”, adding that she has an “unwavering commitment” to Israel and its right to defend itself. She added, however, that she had “serious concerns” about Israeli operations in Gaza and the “dire humanitarian situation there”.

“I will not be silent,” she added. “It is time for this war to end.” “Let’s get the deal done so we can get a ceasefire to end the war,” she said. “Let’s bring the hostages home, and let’s bring much-needed relief to the Palestinian people.” She added that the war in Gaza is “not a binary conversation” and encouraged Americans to understand the “history and nuance” of the conflict. The US and Israeli leaders also held a closed-door meeting with the families of seven US citizens still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. (BBC)…[+]

USA – United States and Canadian fighter jets intercepted four Russian and Chinese bombers flying in international airspace near Alaska on Wednesday, officials said.

This marked the first time that Chinese military aircraft had been intercepted in that area, according to U.S. official, and the first time that Russian and Chinese bombers had flown together near Alaska. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement that it had “detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two PRC [Peoples Republic of China] H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on July 24, 2024.”

NORAD said that American and Canadian fighter jets conducted the intercept and noted that the Russian and Chinese remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian airspace. “This is the first time we’ve seen these two countries fly together like that, they didn’t enter our airspace” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Thursday at a Pentagon news conference.

“They’re testing us and that’s no surprise to any of us,” adding that the United States had “closely monitored these aircraft, tracked the aircraft, intercepted the aircraft, and which demonstrates that our you know, our forces are at the ready all the time, and we have very good surveillance capabilities.”

“We will see challenges from adversaries throughout and I don’t think that this particular point in time, is any different,” Austin said when asked why he thought Russia and China would undertake such a mission at this time. “I think we’ll continue to see this going forward. It’s just a nature of who they are and what they do,” he added.

U.S. territorial airspace and waters extend at a distance of 12 nautical miles from the shoreline, but the ADIZ is a zone that stretches out 150 miles from the U.S. coastline, where the U.S. requires aircraft to identify themselves. It is not unusual for Russian bombers flying through the ADIZ to be intercepted, as was the case in February and March.(abcnews)…[+]

GEORGETOWN –  The Government of Guyana has made an initial proposal of a 7% salary increase for teachers for this year with a further 6% increase for 2025 and another 6% increase for 2026, according to sources familiar with the proposal.

The counter proposal by the Government follows the submitted proposal of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, which is seeking a 39.5% salary increase for this year with an additional 30% increase for each of the years 2025 and 2026. There has been no agreement on any of the two proposals, but the two sides met again today in their ongoing efforts to hammer out a multi-year agreement. Already, some non-salary issues have been settled, but the salary increases appear to be the stumbling block.

Following today’s five hour meeting between the two sides, President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union, Mark Lyte, said while there is some progress being made in some areas, the two sides have agreed not to divulge details of the meeting at this time. “Both sides committed to not releasing details on the discussions, but I would say for the most part, our discussion today went very well, and you can see that the members are hopeful, optimistic that in the short term, we will have a signed agreement,” the GTU President said.

Lyte also declined to offer any comment on the Government’s proposal, indicating that during the course of today’s negotiations, there were a number of financial and non-financial matters that were not settled. “The proposal put forward by the Ministry, like I said, several areas they have to go back and get, because when they proposed certain things, the Union might have said, we don’t quite agree with this and those are being reviewed,” he said.

A performance-based incentive of 2% per annum, an annual health/risk allowance of $25,000, and monthly internet/mobile data allowance of $10,000 to be paid to all teachers are among the other financial measures proposed by the Union.  When the Union and the Education Ministry met earlier this month for their first round of negotiation, following the end of the 75-day long nationwide protest, it was reported that they had agreed on a number of non-financial measures.  The next meeting between the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers’ Union is set for the 5th August. (newssourcegy)…[+]

MIAMI – The United States (US) Coast Guard on Tuesday said the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Forward offloaded in Port Everglades, Florida more than 7,302 pounds of cocaine with an assessed street value of about US$96 million, interdicted in the Caribbean Sea.

The US Coast Guard said its crews, working alongside interagency and international partners, interdicted the illegal drugs during three separate cases.  “This was another vital success of our combined drug interdiction efforts,” Lieutenant Commander Juan Ramirez said. “These drug offloads underscore our continued partnerships with the US Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy in combating the flow of illicit narcotics across the Caribbean.”

“The success of our joint efforts to save lives by reducing the availability of these harmful drugs is dependent on our cooperation with regional and international partners,” he added. The US Coast Guard said three suspected smugglers will face prosecution in US federal courts by the Department of Justice. “Detecting and interdicting illegal drug traffickers on the high seas involves significant interagency and international coordination,” said the US Coast Guard.

“Once interdiction becomes imminent, the law enforcement phase of the operation begins, and control of the operation shifts to the US Coast Guard throughout the interdiction and apprehension,” the US Coast Guard continued. It said interdictions in the Caribbean Sea are performed by members of the US Coast Guard under the authority and control of the Coast Guard’s Seventh District, headquartered in Miami. (Jamaicaobserver)…[+]

GAZA – Families of hostages held captive in Gaza condemned Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the United States Congress, as pressure grows on the Israeli prime minister to agree to a deal to secure their release. The speech and applause won’t erase the one sad fact: The words ‘Deal Now!’ were absent from the prime minister’s address,” The Hostage and Missing Families Forum in Israel said in a statement.
Although Netanyahu’s speech drew raucous applause inside Congress, dozens of Democrats refused to attend. Among those who snubbed the speech was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called it “by far the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States.”
People gathered at the so-called Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to watch Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has become a potent political force in Israel since some 250 people were abducted by Hamas on October 7, and the square a regular site of protests demanding that the hostages be brought home. “They came to watch the broadcast of the speech and hear addresses from family members of the hostages, hoping to hear the Prime Minister utter the two crucial words: ‘There’s a deal,’” the statement from the Forum said.
During his nearly 52-minute address, Netanyahu lashed out against critics of Israel’s war in Gaza but did not mention the status of the ceasefire negotiations, despite intense international pressure to find a deal and growing optimism that one could soon be struck. Rather than mentioning a deal, a bellicose Netanyahu told Congress: “The war in Gaza could end tomorrow if Hamas surrenders, disarms and returns all the hostages. But if they don’t, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, end its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home.” But Netanyahu is facing growing calls to negotiate a deal to secure the hostages’ release. Noam Peri, daughter of Chaim Peri, who the Israeli government last month said died in Hamas captivity, said: “You can no longer save my father, but you must return to our shared values and restore the basic contract between us – before it’s too late.” “Sign the deal, save the hostages who are alive and fighting for their lives every moment,” she urged. Criticism from families of hostages was echoed by Yair Lapid of the opposition Labor party, who wrote on X: “Disgrace! An hour of talking without saying the one sentence: ‘There will be a kidnapping deal.’ But Netanyahu’s speech was lauded by members of his government. (CCN)…[+]

UKRAINE – The black box sits on the army truck dashboard like a talisman, its tiny screen lighting up with warnings when Russian drones are above us. We are driving fast along a country road in the darkness near the front lines outside Kharkiv. Like many in this war, the soldiers inside have come to revere the little cube they call “sugar”; it warns of the unseen dangers above.
On the vehicle’s roof are three mushroom-shaped antennas that make up separate drone-jamming equipment. The car emits an invisible aura of protection that will thwart some, but not all, of the Russian attack drones patrolling the skies above this battlefield.
“It has detected the Zala Lancet Russian drones,” says Senior Lt Yevhenii, 53, from the front passenger seat, describing one of the most powerful long-range Russian drones and its targeting drone. “Is that why we’re driving so fast?” I ask, aware that the drone-jamming antenna is useless against a Lancet. We’re not a priority for them, but it’s still better not to slow down because it’s very dangerous,” says Yevhenii, from the Khartia Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard.
The jamming equipment blocks roughly 75% of frequencies that drones use to communicate with their operators, but some like the Lancet are difficult to block because they are entirely autonomous once their target has been marked. Because of the Lancet’s power, it tends to be used on larger targets, such as armoured vehicles or infantry positions, the Ukrainians say.
Almost none of this technology was here in Ukraine a year ago; now it is commonplace. Drones, which were once peripheral to the war, are a central component for both sides, alongside infantry and artillery as Ukraine struggles to hold back Russian advances. Ukraine has been thrown into the bleak future of war, where within minutes individual soldiers, fast-moving vehicles and trench positions can be precisely targeted. Drones have civilians in their sights too: about 25 from Russia attacked Kharkiv on Tuesday night, although most were intercepted.
Ukraine’s army is fighting back with its own drones, and there are dozens across this stretch of front line. One Ukrainian soldier tells me every day they kill 100 Russians. The last images from drone cameras are usually of men panicking, their arms flailing, weapons firing before they are killed. The brigade’s 37-year-old drone commander, who goes by the call sign Aeneas, says that without shelter in a building there is little chance of survival – for Russians, and his men too. (BBC)…[+]