RT News - June 28 2024 (late) IMF issues USA a debt warning, Iran votes, more debate fall-out

The presidential debate - suckers, losers and criminals and that's according to the candidates! CNN hosted the debate without an audience, it was more of a Q & A than a debate. Caleb Maupin analysed the debate and discusses. There have been satirical shows produced which were much funnier than the debate, and a cartoon. Steve Malzberg (talk show host) says it was a disaster.

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In Iran, people are voting for the new President, after Pres. Raisi was tragically killed in a helicopter accident earlier this year. There 58,000 thousand polling stations opened in Iran and the turnout is high. There are more than 340 polling stations opened across the world for the Iranian diaspora to vote. Mahdi Abbasian reports from Tehran and talks about the issues they may be voting for.
Isabella Zaidan comments about the voting system in Iran
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British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has offended Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry after Cameron told pranksters Vovan and Lexus that he had been told that citizens of Ukraine were dying for Kazakhstan and that "Putin wants a slice of Kazakhstan". Cameron thought he was speaking with former Ukraine President Poroshenko. Cameron also said that Ukraine must not cause any argument between themselves and NATO before the NATO summit.
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Israel/Gaza : In central Gaza the IDF have continued with attacks. A woman and child were killed as IDF fighter jet air-strikes bombed a house. Earlier, three first responders were killed in an air-strike bombing raid as they were carrying out their work. More than 37,000 civilians in Gaza have been killed and the devastation is phenomenal with more than150,000 destroyed. There is nowhere safe for the Gazans to go. There is no fuel and food is in scarce supply. The water is salty. There are little medical supplies. Across the world people continue to protest for a ceasefire. Rebecca Napitupulu talks from Indonesia.
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The IMF has issued warning about US government debt which poses a threat to not just USA but every country across the globe. Martin Armstrong (International Economist Analyst) discusses with Nikki and warns of a global recession.
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Below: 1) Kremlin comments on Biden-Trump debate
2) Moscow issues warning over US spy drones
3) ICC backtracks on Israel arrest warrants
4) Iconic US car giant could leave Germany
5) Civil servant robot ‘commits suicide’
6) Le Pen’s party sets new popularity record
7) A former colonial European power returns to Africa. What is it after now?
8) Anti-Semitism ‘exploding’ in France – watchdog
9) Interview : ‘Iran’s enemies expected unrest in the country’: Here’s how the Islamic Republic will get a new president
10) Who is Kaja Kallas, the EU’s next foreign policy chief who ‘eats Russians for breakfast’?

Short take: The highly anticipated debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden turns into a name-calling spat, with both candidates hurling insults at each other. Amid mainstream media speculation that Democrats may be looking for ways to put forward another candidate to replace Joe Biden. Iranians head to polling stations as the nation votes for a new president after the untimely death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month.

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1) Kremlin comments on Biden-Trump debate 28 Jun, 2024 11:44

The Russian president has more important things to do than wake up early for such an occasion, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

US presidential debates are of no particular interest to the Russian president, who had no reason to watch Thursday night’s event, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

During the televised clash at CNN’s studio in Atlanta between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the issue of Russia cropped up – with the two rivals accusing each other of “encouraging” Vladimir Putin to start hostilities with Ukraine in 2022, and taking a weak stance on Moscow.

Russian journalists asked Peskov whether Putin watched the live debate.

”You don’t expect the president of Russia to set an alarm clock to wake up early in the morning and watch the debate in the US, do you?” he said, referring to the time difference between the two nations.

Domestic electoral politics in the US are “not among the priority issues for our agenda in any way,” he added. Putin’s office will analyze the statements made by the candidates in due course, but it is an internal US issue, Peskov stressed.

Moscow will not publicly assess the outcome of the debate, the spokesman stressed, as this would constitute interference in the domestic politics of a foreign nation, something that Russia does not do despite US claims to the contrary.

The Trump presidency from 2017 to 2021 was overshadowed by the ‘Russiagate’ narrative based on claims that he “colluded” with Russia to win the 2016 election, an idea given relentless coverage by news outlets at the time. However, an investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence to prosecute anyone for an alleged connection with Moscow. Critics of ‘Russiagate’ have argued that it was invented by the Democratic Party leadership to explain Hillary Clinton’s loss at the ballot box.

The Trump-Biden debate has been widely described by the US media as a humiliation for the 81-year-old Democrat. The incumbent failed to demonstrate sufficient vigor and mental acuity win a second term, most political analysts have agreed. In a CNN flash poll, 67% of registered voters who watched the debate said Trump performed better, while 33% said the same of Biden.
https://www.rt.com/russia/600145-peskov-biden-trump-debate/
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1a) Trump and Biden accuse each other of ‘encouraging’ Putin 28 Jun, 2024 01:55

The Democratic and Republican contenders traded blame for helping to start the Ukraine conflict

US President Joe Biden and his rival, former President Donald Trump, have accused each other of emboldening Russia in its conflict with Ukraine. The two men also attacked each other’s foreign policy record during the presidential debate hosted by CNN on Thursday.

Trump argued that Biden has damaged America’s reputation on the world stage, and that it was one of the factors that convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch a military operation in February 2022.

“If we had a president that was respected by Putin, he would have never invaded Ukraine,” Trump said. “[Biden] did nothing to stop it. You know, I think he encouraged Russia [to] go in.”

The former president suggested that Putin “saw the incompetence” of Washington during the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in 2021. It was “the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country,” Trump said. “When Putin saw that, he said, ‘You know what, I think we’re going to go in [Ukraine],’” he added.

When it was Biden’s turn to speak, he insisted that it was Trump who “encouraged Putin.”

“This guy told [Putin], ‘Do whatever you want.’ And that’s exactly what Trump did to Putin – encouraged him,” Biden said. Trump interjected, saying “I never said that.”

Asked by CNN’s Dana Bash if the peace terms proposed by Putin to Ukraine are “acceptable to you,” Trump replied: “No, they’re not acceptable.” He then reiterated his claim that he would “have that war settled” if reelected.

Biden stressed that the US must continue helping Ukraine and claimed that Russia could potentially attack a NATO country in the future. “If [Putin] takes Ukraine, what do you think will happen to Poland?” Biden told the audience watching at home. “I’ve never heard so much foolishness. This is a guy who wants to get out of NATO,” he said about Trump.

“He keeps talking about, go ahead, let Putin go in and control Ukraine, and then move on to Poland and other places. What happens then?”

Putin, for his part, has repeatedly said that Russia has no intention of attacking NATO members, and that it was “stupid” to suggest otherwise.
https://www.rt.com/news/600129-biden-trump-who-started-ukraine/
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1c) Biden’s team offers excuse for debate performance – Axios 28 Jun, 2024 14:11

The US president was “over-prepared” and therefore appeared less vigorous and energetic, a source ‘in his orbit’ reportedly said

Joe Biden’s team claims the US president’s poor performance during Thursday’s debate with Donald Trump was the result of him being “over-prepared” for the event and not getting enough rest, according to Axios news outlet.

The first presidential debate ahead of November’s election, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia, has overwhelmingly been described as a low point in Biden’s bid for a second term. The 81-year-old sounded hoarse, lost his train of thought several times, and struggled to get his points across.

According to Axios, which claims to have spoken to a person close to Biden, the president’s poor performance was due to him being prepared for “the wrong debate.”

“He was over-prepared and relying on minutiae when all that mattered was vigor and energy,” the source said. “They prepared him for the wrong debate. He was over-prepared when what he needed was rest. It’s confounding.”

The outlet also spoke to a former White House official, who argued that people on Biden’s team needed to be fired for the blunder. He noted, however, that this probably wouldn’t happen because “Biden rarely dismisses people.”

Meanwhile, Politico has reported that the Democratic Party is now actively discussing the possibility of replacing Joe Biden on the November 5 ballot following his “faltering” display on Thursday.

“No one expected this nosedive,” a senior Democratic adviser told the outlet, noting that Biden “was bad on message, bad on substance, bad on counter punching, bad on presentation, bad on non-verbals. There was no bright spot in this debate for him.”

A number of major Democratic donors have also expressed bewilderment at Biden’s performance, with some insisting that the president needs to drop out of the race.

“Our only hope is that he bows out, we have a brokered convention, or dies. Otherwise we are f**king dead,” an adviser to Democratic donors told Politico.

Despite the blunder, Biden’s team has indicated that the US president does not plan to drop out of the race, with one campaign official telling Politico that he is “the only person who has ever beaten Donald Trump” and will “do it again.”

According to a CNN flash poll after the debate, 67% of registered voters who watched the contest felt that Trump had outperformed Biden.
https://www.rt.com/news/600168-biden-overprepared-for-debate/
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2) Moscow issues warning over US spy drones 28 Jun, 2024 09:29

Washington and NATO as a whole are increasingly involved in the Ukraine conflict, the Russian military has said

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has ordered the military to present plans on how to “react to provocations” concerning NATO’s increasing involvement in the Ukraine conflict, the ministry said on Friday.

A brief statement noted the “increased number of US strategic drone missions flown over the Black Sea.” The aircraft “conduct reconnaissance and provide targeting data for weapons, which Western nations supply to conduct strikes on Russian objects.”

“Such flights increase the probability that incidents may happen in airspace involving Russian military aircraft and the risk of a direct confrontation of the alliance with the Russian Federation,” the message warned.

NATO members will be held responsible in the event of any such incident, the ministry added.

Moscow has accused Washington of sharing responsibility with Kiev for a deadly strike on a beach in Sevastopol last week. Four civilians, including two children, were killed and over 150 injured, after a US-donated ATACMS missile deployed its cluster munition payload, according to Russian officials.

The US was to blame because it helps Kiev deploy the weapons, Moscow said, alleging that American military specialists are directly involved in programming missiles before they are fired.

Washington has distanced itself from the attack, claiming that Ukraine unilaterally decides what to do with Western-supplied arms. Mikhail Podoliak, a senior aide to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, called the victims “civilian occupiers” who purportedly were in an active war zone.

Officials in Kiev previously claimed that people in Crimea were living under Russian occupation and needed to be liberated.
https://www.rt.com/russia/600142-russia-drones-black-sea/
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3) ICC backtracks on Israel arrest warrants 28 Jun, 2024 15:27

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have been accused of committing war crimes in Gaza

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have postponed a decision on whether arrest warrants should be issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The delay came after the ICC allowed the UK to submit legal arguments against the jurisdiction over the issue.

According to court documents made public on Thursday, the UK filed a request with the ICC on June 10 to provide written observations on whether “the court can exercise jurisdiction over Israeli nationals, in circumstances where Palestine cannot exercise criminal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals (under) the Oslo Accords.”

The ICC has had an ongoing investigation into any alleged crimes within its jurisdiction committed on Palestinian territory and by Palestinians on the territory of Israel since 2021.

The UK’s brief pointed out that the court at the time ruled it would need to make a final decision on Israel’s claim that the Palestinian Authority’s request to join the ICC violates the Oslo Accords if and when an ICC prosecutor requests arrest warrants against Israeli nationals.

The UK’s argument is that the Palestinian authorities cannot have jurisdiction over Israeli nationals under the terms of the Oslo Accords, and so it cannot transfer that jurisdiction over to the ICC to prosecute Israelis.

“The United Kingdom submits that the Chamber, pursuant to Article 19(1) of the Rome Statute, ‘is required to make an initial determination of jurisdiction in resolving the application for arrest warrants’ of which ‘[t]he Oslo Accords issue necessarily forms part,’” the ICC said on Thursday.

The judges added that the court would also accept submissions from other interested parties on the legal issue until July 12.

According to media reports, granting the UK’s request could delay for months the decision on arrest warrants for Israeli officials, which ICC prosecutor Karim Khan requested in May.

Khan announced at the time that he was seeking warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant due to suspected crimes of “causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict.”

The announcement was fiercely criticized by Israel and the US. President Joe Biden called the court’s accusations against Israel “outrageous.”

Israel declared war on Hamas after the Palestinian militant group launched a surprise attack in the south of the country in October, leaving more than 1,200 people dead and taking over 200 hostages. The Gaza campaign has inflicted widespread destruction on the Palestinian enclave, leaving more than 37,000 Palestinians dead and over 86,000 injured, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
https://www.rt.com/news/600155-icc-arrest-warrants-israel/
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4) Iconic US car giant could leave Germany – Bild 28 Jun, 2024 15:01

Ford has reportedly announced massive management downsizing at its Cologne plant

US car manufacturer Ford has imposed significant management cuts at its German plant in Cologne, under a restructuring plan that could see the auto giant leave the country, Bild reported on Thursday.

According to the newspaper, concerns in its German unit are mounting after Ford announced that only four of the ten current managing directors will retain their positions.

“As part of the transformation of the European business, Ford is simplifying its administrative and management structure in Germany and downsizing the management of Ford-Werke GmbH,” the carmaker was cited as saying in a statement. “With effect from July 1, 2024, a maximum of four members will form the management.”

Supervisory Board Chairman Kieran Cahill argued that the drastic step is needed to simplify Ford’s administrative and management structure in Germany. The move “gives us more speed of action and allows the management team to concentrate fully on its operational tasks and lead Ford into a successful future,” Bild quoted him as saying.

Ford announced massive layoffs last year as part of an austerity plan, saying it will cut 3,800 jobs in Europe, mostly in Germany, as it shifts to electric vehicle (EV) production, which requires less personnel.

The carmaker has already halfway completed its previous restructuring plan of 2,300 job cuts in Germany, reducing the staff number to 13,000, the head of the works council at the Cologne plant, Benjamin Gruschka, told Reuters.

Last week, Ford announced plans for further job cuts in Germany without specifying the number of additional layoffs.
https://www.rt.com/business/600167-ford-germany-job-cuts/
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5) Civil servant robot ‘commits suicide’ 28 Jun, 2024 15:20

The android threw itself off the stairs after being employed for less than a year at a city hall in South Korea

A robotic assistant ‘employed’ at the Gumi City Council in South Korea ended its existence while at work, plunging into a stairwell, the administrative body announced on Wednesday.

The incident at the council occurred last week; the robot had been seen “spinning in one place as if something was wrong” before falling two meters from the top of a staircase.

“Parts of the robot have been collected and will be analyzed by the manufacturer,” an official with the city council told AFP.

The robotic assistant, manufactured by a California-based startup called Bear Robotics, took on the administrative role at the council last August. The robot had its own employee card and worked from 9am to 4pm, transporting documents around the building, providing assistance to visitors, and otherwise promoting the city.

The machine’s demise has left the city hall’s staff deeply saddened; no plans to adopt a new robot are currently under consideration. “It is officially part of the city hall, a member of us. It has worked hard,” a city hall official said.

The incident has been touted by local media as the first-ever “robot suicide” to happen in the country. However, the droid was preceded in ‘death’ by an incident in Washington, DC, when a security robot named Steve drowned himself in a water fountain.

Footage of Steve laying on his side near his human colleagues promptly went viral at the time, triggering a wave of gallows humor questioning the preciousness of artificial life. The ‘self-delete’ hypothesis, however, was later debunked, as Steve’s black box data indicated that the machine had slipped on a “loose brick surface” and fallen prey to a tragic accident rather than dark thoughts.
https://www.rt.com/news/600162-city-hall-robot-suicide/
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6) Le Pen’s party sets new popularity record 28 Jun, 2024 14:30

With two days until France’s snap election, the National Rally enjoys the support of 37% of voters, according to a poll

The French right-wing National Rally party, formerly led by Marine Le Pen, has reached its highest popularity level ahead of a snap election, according to a newly released poll. President Emmanuel Macron called the vote earlier this month, following his own party’s poor showing in the European Parliamentary election.

The first of two rounds of voting to decide the makeup of the French legisalture will be held on Sunday.

On Friday, Radio Classique revealed the findings of its LegiTrack OpinionWay survey, concluding that the “National Rally is now at its highest in voting intentions since the start of this express campaign, at 37%, and has gained 2 points in one week.”

According to the media outlet, contenders from the left-wing New Popular Front alliance enjoy the support of 28% voters, while President Macron’s centrist alliance trails at 20%.

Le Pen was for years the leader of the National Rally (formerly National Front), and has run for president on three occasions. A vocal critic of the Macron government’s domestic and foreign policy, she now leads the party’s faction in parliament. The current party leader is 28-year-old Jordan Bardella.

The survey also indicated that nearly half of respondents do not expect any party to secure a majority in the National Assembly, believing that ‘cohabitation’ – meaning a prime minister and president from opposing factions – is a likely outcome.

In an interview with Le Figaro earlier this month, Le Pen said she would not seek the immediate ouster of President Macron from office should the National Rally win the parliamentary vote. The veteran politician cited her desire to avoid “institutional chaos,” predicting that “there will simply be cohabitation.”

She accused the head of state of wreaking havoc on France's public services and immigration system, and of destabilizing the political system.

President Macron, meanwhile, claimed on Monday that a victory for either the far-right or the far-left, whom he dismissed as extremists, could lead to civil war in France. He insisted that only his centrist alliance can prevent the country from going over that precipice.

A week earlier, business daily Les Echos, citing an opinion poll, reported that the French president’s approval rating had plummeted to a low not seen since the start of his second five-year term in May 2022, standing at just 24%.

Snap elections for France’s lower house of parliament will be conducted in two rounds, on June 30 and July 7.
https://www.rt.com/news/600160-poll-france-le-pen-party-popularity-record/
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7) A former colonial European power returns to Africa. What is it after now? 28 Jun, 2024 12:52

Relations with the continent were among the main topics on the agenda at the recent G7 summit in Italy **** ANALYSIS ****
By Vsevolod Sviridov, expert at the Centre for African Studies, Higher School of Economics, Moscow

The history of relations between Western countries and Africa demonstrates that Western unity isn’t that obvious when it comes to the continent. The EU doesn’t have a single policy in regard to Africa, let alone a coordinated EU-US policy in the region or a common strategy within the G7. After Brexit, the EU lost the UK as an important center of power which largely determined Brussels’ Africa policy.

France, which in the absence of the UK tried to become the EU’s “main authority on Africa,” suffered a series of painful defeats in the Sahel, and its Africa policy faced a systemic crisis. Germany, which had shown interest in developing contacts with Africa in the late 2010s, reduced its diplomatic activity in the region due to internal problems and the economic crisis.

In this situation, Italy – the EU’s southern border which is historically and economically tied to North Africa – has attempted to activate its policy and seek a more prominent role on the continent in light of the problems faced by its G7 and EU partners. The fact that Italy isn’t involved in the Ukraine crisis as much as other EU countries works in its favor and allows it to direct additional resources towards Africa.

It is not surprising that Italy, which hosted the 50th G7 summit in June, included Africa among the main topics on the agenda. Although the G7 format is undergoing a crisis, it remains an important communication platform. Africa has often appeared on the agenda of the G7, and its summits are usually attended by the chairperson of the African Union, the chairman of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), and the heads of influential regional or pan-African institutions or organizations. Back in the ‘00s, when the G8 format still existed, Africa occupied an important place on the summit’s agenda, particularly regarding the issue of debt settlement and the activities of the Paris Club. In 2024, the “return of Africa” to the summit’s agenda marked an important trend. While previous summits had been almost exclusively dedicated to global crises – first the Covid-19 pandemic, and then the Ukraine conflict – this year, for the first time since 2020, the G7 abandoned its “tunnel vision.”

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It isn’t unusual for a host country to take the opportunity to deepen its own relations with Africa and proclaim the continent as one of the key topics. This happens in many international organizations. For example, during France’s EU presidency in 2022, it said that Africa would be one of the main topics on the agenda. And Germany’s experience is even more relevant. In 2017, during its G20 presidency, Berlin established the “G20 Compact with Africa” dialogue format, which later turned into a meeting platform between Germany and African countries which exists to this day.

In 2017, Germany was just at the beginning of its “return to Africa,” and its status in the region was similar to Italy’s current situation – it was a global power and an economic partner that lacked a specific Africa strategy.

Italy (even if to a lesser extent than Portugal) had significantly reduced its presence in Africa after the loss of control over its African colonies (Eritrea, Somalia, Libya, and occupied areas of Ethiopia) following World War Two. For a long time, Italy’s cooperation with Africa has been limited to security and energy – two gas pipelines stretch from Algeria and Libya via the Mediterranean Sea to Italy, and the Italian state oil and gas corporation Eni is one of the oil majors in Africa. Italy was able to build trusting relations with its Mediterranean neighbors, Algeria and Tunisia, and became a systemic player in the settlement of the Libyan conflict, in which it supports the government in Tripoli (as opposed to France, which sides with the political forces of Eastern Libya), but until the end of the 2010s, there was no talk of implementing a pan-African strategy.

Italy was the latest country to organize an Africa summit, which took place in January 2024 and was attended by the presidents and heads of government of 21 African countries. On January 10, ahead of the Italy-Africa summit, the Italian Parliament approved the bill proposed by the government, called “Piano Mattei” (the Mattei Plan) – Italy’s Africa strategy for the next four years.

The plan is named after Enrico Mattei, an Italian business executive and founder of the energy corporation Eni. Mattei is widely known as a fighter against the oligopoly of the so-called “seven sisters” – seven of the world’s largest oil and gas companies (all from the US and UK), which established control over most of the world’s oil and gas reserves in the 1940s-1960s. Mattei died in a plane crash in 1962 under unclear circumstances. His attempts to develop Italy’s relations with Africa (primarily North Africa), as well as the USSR are less known. Mattei laid the foundations of the energy policy of modern Italy and the Eni corporation in particular, and it is no coincidence that the Trans-Mediterranean gas pipeline, which stretches from Algeria via Tunisia and the Mediterranean Sea to Sicily, is named after him.

The Mattei Plan encourages cooperation with African countries in many standard fields, such as the promotion of export and investment; education; research and innovation; health, agriculture, and food security; the exploitation of natural resources, including water; environmental protection and adaptation to climate change; modernization and the development of infrastructure, including digitalization; energy; the support of entrepreneurship; tourism, culture, and the fight against illegal migration. A Steering Committee was established to implement the plan, which is headed by the Italian prime minister and includes members of the Italian government and representatives of public, business, and academic circles. One of the innovations was the publicly announced budget of €5.5 billion (in the form of grants, loans, and guarantees). So far, nine pilot projects in the fields of energy, education, agriculture, and water resources have been announced under the auspices of the Mattei Plan in Algeria, Egypt, the DRC, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Mozambique, Tunisia, and Ethiopia. Through such small-scale and small-budget projects, the Italian government expects to build a foundation for Italian business investments in Africa, and in the future, the allocated funds can be used to co-finance larger Italian business projects.

Italy is last among the European countries to start developing ties with Africa, but that may actually work to its advantage. While the major players are distracted by Ukraine, Southeast Asia, or the Middle East, a window of opportunity opens for Rome to develop relations with Africa. It is still unclear whether Italy will be able to build more stable relations with the continent and move beyond energy cooperation, Eni projects, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s personal ambitions, since the Mattei Plan is quite brief and vague. Investing about $1 billion per year in Africa isn’t enough to turn Italy into a key player on the continent, but it may be enough to achieve tactical success in certain fields. There is also certain intrigue as to why the plan bears the name of Mattei, a well-known fighter against colonial practices and the dominance of the UK and US – no one really knows whether it is a simple homage to history or a hint at Italy’s strategic approach to Africa.
https://www.rt.com/africa/600144-mattei-plan-italy-g7/
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8) Anti-Semitism ‘exploding’ in France – watchdog 28 Jun, 2024 13:46

The country has seen a rise in all types of racism, a report has found

Racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia are on the rise in France and tolerance is declining, the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) said in an annual report published on Thursday.

According to the report, 2023 was marked by a “very sharp” 32% increase in racist acts, and a 284% “explosion” of anti-Semitic acts, as per Interior Ministry statistics.

Among the reasons for the trend, the report cites Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza, polarizing debate over recent asylum and immigration legislation in France, and a number of crimes involving immigrants.

“The Israel-Palestinian conflict regularly triggers (anti-Semitic) acts, which peak in relation to the operations carried out by the Israeli army in Palestinian territories. But this level is unprecedented,” the CNCDH said.

The commission’s president, Marie Burguburu, has blamed the government for not acting fast enough to take preventive measures against racist acts.

The report also cites a survey that found that out of 1 million people who suffered a racist attack last year, only 4% filed a complaint.

The report by the independent rapporteur comes as France prepares for the first round of voting in legislative elections on Sunday. The vote was scheduled after President Emmanuel Macron decided to dissolve the National Assembly following a defeat in the elections for the European Parliament earlier this month.

The latest polls suggest that the right-leaning National Rally party could win as much as 37% of the popular vote. The party has a Euroskeptic, anti-immigration agenda. It won 30 seats in the European Parliament earlier this month.

France also adopted a controversial bill in late January that implements a raft of measures aimed at taking a tougher line on immigration.

Some provisions make it harder for people to bring over family members and access welfare benefits. Backed by the National Rally, the bill sparked protests across the country.

According to the UN’s latest World Migration Report, France hosts the fourth largest refugee population in Europe, behind Germany, Russia, and Poland.
https://www.rt.com/news/600158-france-racism-increase-report/
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9) Interview : ‘Iran’s enemies expected unrest in the country’: Here’s how the Islamic Republic will get a new president 27 Jun, 2024 18:13

RT interviews a representative of the frontrunner for the upcoming poll

On June 28, Iran will hold presidential elections following the tragic death of the country’s former president Ebrahim Raisi in a plane crash on May 19.

Some believe that the president doesn’t have any real power in the Islamic Republic, but this is not true. The Iranian president does not have great influence over global issues such as the country’s foreign policy, national security strategy, or the nuclear program. However, he largely determines Iran’s domestic policy. He appoints the Council of Ministers and the heads of the main state institutions, and this directly affects the lives of the Iranian people.

The president is also responsible for solving economic problems. In fact, the resolution of economic issues caused by sanctions against Iran will be a measure of success for the new administration.

For example, former president Raisi came to power against the background of the economic failure of his predecessor, reformist Hassan Rouhani, and the collapse of the nuclear deal. The result of Rouhani’s two terms in office was failure on all counts: the country achieved zero economic growth and faced record inflation (the highest in 60 years), a 700% increase in the dollar exchange rate, the biggest social gap in ten years, and the largest stock market decline in half a century.

The candidates and the rules
Six candidates were allowed to participate in the presidential elections. Five of them represent the conservative camp, with the most popular candidate being the current speaker of the parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

There is also one reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian. This is an interesting decision, since in recent years, the role of the reformists has been marginalized due to their failures in governing the country. Nevertheless, Pezeshkian hired former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as his chief national security adviser. Many experts took this as a sign that, if Pezeshkian wins, he will take a course towards improving relations with the West in order to lift some of the sanctions and improve Iran’s economy.

However, such rhetoric is currently not very popular in Iran. Ghalibaf’s plan is much more clear. By the way, he is not a representative of ultra-religious forces and calls himself a neoconservative. Ghalibaf’s moderate views and extensive experience as mayor of Tehran give him an important advantage as a candidate. Moreover, Ghalibaf has extensive ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which indicates that he has no major contradictions with Iran’s key national security institutions.

According to the Iranian constitution, in order to win the election, a candidate must secure a simple majority. If no one achieves this result, a runoff election will take place next Friday between the two candidates who get the most votes.

Not your ordinary elections
“The current elections will be held a year earlier than is stipulated by the law. Due to the extraordinary circumstances in the country, Iran’s enemies were expecting unrest in the country. However, everything is going according to the usual schedule,” said Abbas Mirzaei Ghazi, a representative of the Russian-Iranian Center for Economic and Legal Cooperation.

Ghazi headed Ghalibaf’s campaign headquarters in Moscow during the pre-election period. “The current elections have another special feature. They will be held within 50 days after the death of the [former] president (according to Article 131 of the country’s constitution). This means that the candidates had very little time to present their four-year plan to voters. They had less than two weeks to gain the trust of the public.”

RT: Observers pay particular attention to the voter turnout in Iranian elections. Do you think the turnout will be high this time? Some sources predict that it may be quite low…

Abbas Mirzaeli Ghazi: We should be realistic and ignore the propaganda of the Western media. Considering the fact that candidates from both the conservative and reformist camps are running in the election, they promise to be interesting. I predict that the voter turnout in this round [of the election] will be over 49%.

RT: Mr Ghalibaf, whose team you represent, has often noted that he will continue the policy of the previous president. What does this refer to?

Abbas Mirzaeli Ghazi: To the expansion of [Iran’s] relations with neighboring countries. This policy started under the Raisi administration, and Dr Ghalibaf’s administration is determined to continue on this course. Ghalibaf said that Iran possesses the ‘gold key’ to relations with countries like Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and, of course, Central Asia. Dr Ghalibaf’s government will never follow a passive geopolitical course.

Economic issues
RT: At the presidential debates, economic growth was named a priority goal. Do you think the new president will be able to achieve this? And what are the main challenges in this regard?

Abbas Mirzaeli Ghazi: I believe that the key point is to form a government that the public will trust. Iranians should feel confident about the future – without this, there can be no economic growth.

RT: Do you believe that work on concluding a comprehensive cooperation agreement between Russia and Iran will continue after the elections?

Abbas Mirzaeli Ghazi: Of course. Just like the Russian Federation’s macro policy is determined by Mr Vladimir Putin and is then implemented by the government, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the macro policy is determined by the Supreme Leader and is handed over to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for implementation.

As Ayatollah Khamenei noted, the agreement will be concluded and implemented by the future government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The signing of the comprehensive cooperation agreement between Russia and Iran will take place quite soon.

Conclusion: Main challenges
RT: One last question: What challenges will the new president face? What will his first steps look like?

Abbas Mirzaeli Ghazi: The biggest issues are economic imbalance and inflation. In this context, the energy issue is important. In recent years, the country’s energy consumption growth rate has exceeded all international standards. On average, our energy consumption grew by between 6% and 6.5% per year, but our oil production was stable and decreased after the sanctions. In the gas sector, although production increased, it has already reached its peak.

This means that consumption is growing, while production has stagnated. In this situation, investments in oil and gas fields are at their lowest and their rapid decline is very alarming, so the fixed capital of our oil and gas sector decreased by 30%. As for energy sources such as gasoline and diesel fuel, on which we have major restrictions, consumption has increased from 6% to 14%. This means that, in five or six years, this figure will double. In the coming years, we will face major problems in the energy sector.

The second problem concerns natural resources. The country’s groundwater reserves are being depleted and will not be replenished. Experts warn about the threat of water scarcity and a possible water crisis, which may lead to land subsidence, desertification, and dust storms.

Naturally, the [president’s] first steps should be directed towards solving these two issues.
By Abbas Juma, an international journalist, political commentator, Middle East and Africa specialist
https://www.rt.com/news/600111-rt-interview-iran-presidential-elections/
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10) Who is Kaja Kallas, the EU’s next foreign policy chief who ‘eats Russians for breakfast’? 28 Jun, 2024 09:20

The hawkish Estonian prime minister is leaving a political crisis at home to take the top diplomatic post in Brussels

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has been nominated by the leaders of EU member states to become the next high representative for security and foreign policy.

The politician – selected to speak for Brussels internationally and balance conflicting interests in the EU – has a reputation as an uncompromising hawk on Russia.

Before beginning a five-year term, Kallas will need approval from the European Parliament, whose members are expected to vote on her appointment in July, a step widely seen as a formality.

‘Eats Russians for breakfast’
The 47-year-old’s attitude towards Moscow was summed up by an unnamed EU official, explaining why Western European nations were resisting her candidacy for another top job – the secretary general of NATO.

Are we really putting someone who likes to eat Russians for breakfast in this position?” the source told Politico in March.

Kallas reacted by posting a picture of her breakfast, consisting of blueberries, muesli, a dairy product, and a drink.

Send troops to Ukraine
Kallas has embraced the idea that at some point NATO countries may have to deploy troops in Ukraine to prevent Moscow from defeating Kiev, first put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron in February.

“We shouldn’t be afraid of our own power. Russia is saying this or that step is escalation, but defense is not escalation,” the Estonian politician said of the proposal.

Macron’s stated goal in voicing the idea publicly was to leave Russian President Vladimir Putin guessing as to how far the US-led military bloc might go in supporting Ukraine. After multiple member states, including the US, ruled out sending their soldiers to fight for Kiev, the suggestion was downgraded to a military training mission in Western Ukraine.

Kallas has backed the new plan, saying it does not amount to an escalation – because a potential attack on the instructors would not trigger a mandatory joint NATO response.

“If you send your people to help Ukrainians … you know the country is at war and you go to a risk zone. So you take the risk,” she explained in May.

What victory means
According to Kallas, there should be no “Plan B” for Ukraine, because contemplating it would amount to undermining the primary goal of helping Ukraine prevail in the conflict.

”Victory in Ukraine is not just about territory,” she told the BBC in early June. “If Ukraine joins NATO, even without some territory, then that’s a victory because it will be placed under the NATO umbrella.”

The Estonian politician believes the optimal scenario of a defeat for Russia would result in the country's dissolution. Russia is composed of “many different nations” that could become independent, and “it is not a bad thing if the big power is actually [made] much smaller,” she argued last year.

Best thing she could do for Estonia
The Estonian daily Postimees argued earlier this month that leaving domestic politics behind may be the best thing the prime minister can do for her country.

The Baltic nation is enduring a recession and severe budget deficit, and Kallas’ coalition government is unable to find common ground on tackling the problems, the editorial argued.

“She has earned the reputation of a strong voice of the eastern part of the EU and a convincing supporter of Ukrainian victory,” the newspaper said. “It’s all good, but the citizens of Estonia did not elect her based on her international image”.

Her looming appointment has “paralyzed the government,” as the coalition is unable to function while everyone waits for Kallas to quit, Postimees said.

‘Hypocrisy’ on Russia
Kallas is a vocal proponent of cutting all business ties with Russia as part of the Western response to the Ukraine conflict. However, last year Estonian media revealed that her Husband Arvo Hallik held a 25% stake in a logistics company that provides services in Russia.

She has denied any wrongdoing and rejected calls to step down over the scandal, which she claimed to be a politically motivated hatchet job. But her reputation was severely damaged, at home and internationally.

“This is hypocrisy in a cube,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said at the time. He was referring to Kallas’ criticisms of Budapest, which views the EU decision to decouple from the Russian economy as self-harming, while having no impact on the hostilities.
https://www.rt.com/news/600136-kaja-kallas-russia-hawk/
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