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Suyamin wins gold in girls’ U16 rapid chess in Penang, Malaysia

BONJOURE FILLE SUYAMIN

BONJOURE FILLE SUYAMIN came through with the worthiest effort for the Philippines after she struck gold in the girls’ under-16  (U16) rapid event in Penang, Malaysia Saturday night.

Ms. Suyamin, 14, bounced back from a sixth and penultimate round defeat to Davaakhuu Unurzul of Mongolia by venting her ire on another Mongolian, Zoljargal Enkhkhaliun in the final round, to snatch the crown from the jaws of defeat.

In the end, Ms. Suyamin, who will return to Far Eastern University after taking a break, finished with six points and the crown and bested Ms. Unurzul, who took the silver with 5.5 points, and Quinsha Adinda Syahirah of Indonesia, who copped the bronze with five points.

It was the best performance for the lean but mean Philippine delegation after also scooping up four silvers and a bronze.

FIDE Master (FM) Christian Gian Karlo Arca was on his way to the gold after going into the last round tied for first with FIDE Master Poh Yu Tian of Malaysia. But Mr. Arca fell to Mr. Poh and settled for the bronze.

Mr. Arca also took the team silver with FM Ivan Travis Cu and John Dave Lavandero.

Also pocketing team silvers were Ashzley Aya Nicole Paquinol, Lila Alyssa Serina and Kena Areld Galleguez (girls U14), Davin Sean Romualdez, Jaymiel Piel and Ran Zeth Marco Magallanes (open U14) and Phil Martin Casiguran, Tyrhone Jamnes Tabernilla and Keith Adriane Ilar (open U16).

The nine-round standard event had started yesterday with blitz to be played right after it.

National Chess Federation of the Philippines chief executive officer Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales thanked NCFP’s Butch Pichay, Philippine Sports Commission Chair Richard Bachmann and Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino  as well as the players’ respective local government units for their support. — Joey Villar

Strong Group races to second win in routing Aussie team

STRONG GROUP-PILIPINAS — JONES CUP/SGA

STRONG Group-Pilipinas cruised to a 91-69 win over BSBL Guardians of Australia to stay perfect in the 43rd William Jones Cup on Sunday in Taipei.

Chris McCullough churned out 23 points and seven rebounds laced by a steal and a block in only 22 minutes of play as the Philippine representative climbed to 2-0 in the nine-team tourney.

It was also Mr. McCullough, the former PBA champion import from San Miguel Beer, who led Strong Group to a 104-79 win over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the opener with a complete line of 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.

He drew a bevy of support once again spearheaded by Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player Ange Kouame with 16 points and 10 rebounds after settling for nine points and three rebounds in their debut win.

American reinforcement Tajuan Agee added 14 while Jordan Heading, Dave Ildefonso and RJ Abarrientos chipped in nine, seven and six points, respectively.

Like its strong 32-18 start against UAE, Strong Group got off to the races with a 34-10 upperhand in the opening salvo on its way to another 22-point blowout win.

Jesse Ghee (19), Atem Bior (14), Angus Howey (12) and Dhieu Magier (12) had their numbers but the Australian ball club still folded to the potent Philippine squad under the guidance of coach Charles Tiu.

BSBL Guardians slid to 0-2 after also bowing to Future Sports USA, 69-65.

Strong Group will try to score its third straight win against Ukraine at 5 p.m. Monday before facing Malaysia, Future Sports USA, Japan U22, China White and China Blue, in the single-round eliminations that will have the No.1 team as the champion right away.

The Philippine quintet is eyeing to bring home the country’s seventh title since last winning the invitational tourney in 2019 courtesy of Mighty Sports also under the tutelage of Mr. Tiu. — John Bryan Ulanday

Fil-Am Hoey a stroke behind leader in Kentucky PGA Tour

FILIPINO-AMERICAN Rico Hoey is knocking at the doors of milestone triumph in the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour.

Spiked by an eagle-aided five-under 67 in the third round, Mr. Hoey goes into the final push for the ISCO Championship crown in Nicholasville, Kentucky merely one stroke behind leader Pierceson Coody.

Mr. Hoey, fresh off his sixth place finish the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detriot, has been playing the game of his life in the $4-million event, which is being held opposite the Scottish Open. The 28-year-old Pinoy got things started with sizzling cards of 64 and 66 and he even went bogey-free at the Keene Trace Club until a one-over 5 in the par-4 No. 18 in Saturday’s Round 3 stained his flawless performance.

“I just kind of rushed the swing on the first tee ball and pulled it left,” Mr. Hoey was quoted by the Associated Press, talking about his first bogey of the week. “It’s unfortunate that just one bad swing I made a bogey, but it’s golf so I can’t complain. I set myself up for tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes.”

Mr. Hoey, who previously represented the Philippines in the Putra Cup, is at 197 for the tournament and shares second with England’s Harry Hall, who shot a third-round 64.

Mr. Coody had a roller-coaster 68 but stayed ahead of Mr. Hoey and Mr. Hall at 196.

After firing  three birdies in the first 13 holes, chipping in an eagle at the 15th and burying a 21-foot birdie putt from off the green at No. 16, Mr. Hoey arrived at the 18th tied for the lead.

However, hit his tee shot left into hip-high rough and finished with a bogey to slide to second. — Olmin Leyba

Ellis grabs second gold in mixed team event of Asian Triathlon Junior Cup

THE PHILIPPINES’ Kira Ellis continued to impress as she claimed her second gold medal in the mixed team event of the Asian Triathlon Junior Cup in Kampar, Malaysia yesterday.

Ms. Ellis joined forces with Matthew Ellis, Samantha Corpuz and Dayshaun Ramos in anchoring the Filipinos to the gold by clocking an hour and 27 minutes and 53 seconds in the super sprint distances of 300-meter swim, 5km bike and 1.25km run format.

Hong Kong wound up second in 1:29.32 while South Korea third in 1:30.43 in the field of 14 nations.

It was Ms. Ellis’ second triumph after reigning supreme in the girls’ side the day before. Ms. Ellis, whose trip was being bankrolled by the Philippine Sports Commission, will continue to play in the junior program (16 to 19 years old) where she will receive a high-performance training regimen by year end.

She also came from a five-week camp in Desmor, Portugal under coach Sergio Santos and participated in the grueling European Junior Cup in Hungary a week back.

“She’s our future and a bright hope for the 2028 Olympics,” said Triathlon Philippines Chair Tom Carrasco. — Joey Villar

Second seed Novak Djokovic ready for revenge in Wimbledon final rematch with Carlos Alcaraz

LONDON — The Wimbledon men’s singles final between defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and second seed Novak Djokovic takes place at the All England Club on Sunday. The mixed doubles finals will also be contested.

Three-times Grand Slam champion Mr. Alcaraz landed in Wimbledon as the title favorite following his French Open triumph last month but few expected Mr. Djokovic to go far after his Roland Garros run was cut short by a knee injury.

The 37-year-old, who underwent surgery only five weeks ago, has defied the odds in his bid for a 25th Grand Slam, taking sole ownership of the all-time record he currently shares with Margaret Court.

Mr. Djokovic’s steady return to top form in an otherwise shaky season has left fans at the All England Club and the world over salivating at the prospect of another thriller like the one the duo dished out 12 months ago, when Mr. Alcaraz won in five sets.

Last year’s defeat by Mr. Alcaraz ended Mr. Djokovic’s quest for a fifth straight title that would have left him level with Roger Federer on eight Wimbledon trophies and the Serb will head to the clash on Sunday seeking revenge.

However, he will have his task cut out against an opponent who has never lost a Grand Slam final and is the youngest player in the professional era to win a major on all three surfaces.

Mr. Alcaraz has not been at his convincing best at Wimbledon this year but can still finish the tournament in elite company as a successful defense will make him only the second player in the professional era after Mr. Federer to win his first four major finals.

He can also become only the sixth man since 1968 to claim the Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles in the same year after Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafa Nadal, Mr. Federer and Mr. Djokovic. — Reuters

Krejcikova holds off Paolini to win Wimbledon crown

LONDON — Barbora Krejcikova held off Italian crowd favorite Jasmine Paolini to win the Wimbledon singles title on Saturday, coming through 6-2 2-6 6-4 on a sunlit Centre Court.

The Czech doubles specialist had dominated the opening set with a near-perfect display but was then rocked by a dazzling Ms. Paolini fightback which sent the showpiece into a decider.

The momentum appeared to be with seventh seed Ms. Paolini, but a tight third set swung 31st seed Ms. Krejcikova’s way when she broke serve at 3-3 courtesy of a double-fault.

Serving for the title at 5-4, Ms. Krejcikova just about held her nerve, wasting two match points and saving two break points before sealing victory at the third time of asking.

Before being presented with the trophy, the 28-year-old also paid tribute to her friend, mentor and fellow Brno native, 1998 Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna who died in 2017.

“Jana was the one that told me I have potential and that I should turn pro and before she passed away she told me to go and win a Grand Slam,” said Ms. Krejcikova, who adds the Wimbledon title to her 2021 French Open triumph and also owns 10 Grand Slam doubles titles, including two at the All England Club.

While there were tears of joy for the Czech, it was heartache for the popular Ms. Paolini who lost the French Open final a few weeks ago and was bidding to become the first Italian to win a Wimbledon singles title.

“I am a little bit sad. I try to keep smiling because I have to remember today is still a good day, I made the final of Wimbledon,” Ms. Paolini, whose joyful and bubbly personality has lit up the tournament, said.

Ms. Krejcikova was seeking to continue a tradition of Czech-born Wimbledon champions including Marketa Vondrousova who claimed the title last year and she began in dominant fashion. Striking the ball with pace and accuracyshe broke serve in the first game before holding for a 2-0 lead.

Ms. Paolini, who beat Donna Vekic in the longest ever Wimbledon women’s semifinal to become the first Italian woman to reach the final, weathered some fierce ball-striking in her next service game to get herself on the scoreboard.

The Centre Court crowd came alive in the fourth game as Ms. Paolini showed unbelievable court coverage to stay in one point but to no avail as Ms. Krejcikova held for 3-1.

Chatting to herself between points, Ms. Paolini tried to fire herself up in the face of a Krejcikova onslaught but another dropped service game left her reeling and the Czech pouched the opener in 35 one-sided minutes.

Ms. Paolini disappeared off court, presumably for a deep breath, and returned with fire in her belly. Immediately the momentum shifted as she seized on the first Krejcikova dip to move into a 3-0 lead with some flowing winners.

Suddenly it was Ms. Krejcikova who looked tight with consecutive double faults adding more fuel to the Paolini fire but the Czech steadied down to avoid slipping 4-0 behind.

It was all Ms. Paolini though as she rode the cheers of the crowd to take the final to a decider. — Reuters

Knicks ink Brunson

Considering how far Jalen Brunson has gone in the last two years, it’s fair to contend that leaving the Mavericks was the right move for him. Not that it was his plan from the beginning; in fact, he was willing to sign a five-year extension for a bargain $55 million early in the 2021-22 season. He sought to secure his future after having given a good accounting of himself as a starting point guard while franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic was out with an injury. After front office honchos thought it best to wait until the end of the campaign before making a decision, however, he opted to move on.

Needless to say, the Knicks have benefited immensely from the turn of events. There is reason to argue that the Mavericks did extremely well in the aftermath, going so far as to reach the National Basketball Association Finals, but that’s another matter altogether. As far as Brunson is concerned, he’s where he belongs. Which, in a nutshell, was why he agreed to take an unprecedented pay cut in his latest contract, ensuring his place at the top of the hierarchy in the Garden over the next three years.

To be clear, Brunson gave what was tantamount to a friendly neighborhood discount under unique terms sealed by deep personal associations. First, Knicks president Leon Rose just so happens to be the father of Sam Rose, his agent on record. Second, assistant coach Rick Brunson just so happens to be his father. Third, he and teammates Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo have ties that go back at back to college. And, for good measure, the blue and orange went about trading for Mikal Bridges, yet another Villanova alumnus.

Evidently, Brunson values relationships first and foremost. His sentiments were what spurred him to offer the Mavericks a sweet deal nearly three years ago, and what now has him committing to the Knicks for the foreseeable future. And, in turn, the latter have tried to install a workplace designed to keep him comfortable and motivate him to continually exceed himself. He’s certainly keen on one-upping his remarkable run in the immediate past season, during which he emerged as a bona fide Most Valuable Player candidate and came to within a game of a Conference Finals appearance.

Brunson’s impact as a Knick cannot be overstated. He hasn’t won any hardware yet, but he’s already on pundits’ lists of the franchise’s all-time greats. And he’s determined to live up to expectations. On tap is his overarching need to redeem himself after fatigue reduced him to mediocrity in the do-or-die affair against the Pacers two months ago. Meanwhile, it’s not as if his bank account lacks zeros; he’s still slated to earn a whopping $156.5 million between 2025 and 2029.

Will the Knicks succeed in claiming their first title since 1973? The path won’t be easy. The East may be the lesser conference, but it’s stacked all the same; heck, it’s where the champion Celtics are. At the very least, however, they know Brunson will leave nothing in the tank as he leads their cause.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

Donald Trump injured in assassination attempt

REPUBLICAN presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump is assisted by the Secret Service after gunfire rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, US, July 13, 2024. — REUTERS

BUTLER, Pennsylvania — Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally on Saturday after a major security lapse, an attack that will likely reshape this year’s presidential race and fuel long-standing fears that the campaign could descend into political violence.

In the moments after the shooting, Mr. Trump was swarmed and covered up by his security agents. He quickly emerged, his face streaked with blood, and pumped his fist in the air, mouthing the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!” The Trump campaign later said he was “doing well.”

The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the “subject involved” in what it termed an attempted assassination in a statement early on Sunday. He was a registered Republican, according to state voter records.

Earlier the Secret Service said in a statement that the shooter was dead, one attendee at the rally was killed and two other spectators were injured. Law enforcement officials told reporters they had not yet identified a motive for the attack.

Mr. Trump, 78, had just started his speech when the shots rang out. He grabbed his right ear with his right hand, then brought his hand down to look at it before dropping to his knees behind the podium before Secret Service agents covered him.

He emerged about a minute later, his red “Make America Great Again” hat knocked off, and could be heard saying “wait, wait,” before pumping his fist in the air. Agents then rushed him to a black SUV. “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” Mr. Trump said later on his Truth Social platform following the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Pittsburgh. “Much bleeding took place.”

He left the Butler area under the protection of the US Secret Service with the assistance of the Pennsylvania state police and later arrived at his golf resort and residence in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The shooting occurred less than four months before the Nov. 5 election, when Mr. Trump, the Republican candidate, faces an election rematch with Democratic President Joseph R. Biden. Most opinion polls including those by Reuters/Ipsos show the two locked in a close contest.

Mr. Trump is due to receive his party’s formal nomination at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off in Milwaukee on Monday.

The shooting raised immediate questions about security failures by the Secret Service, which provides former presidents including Mr. Trump with lifetime protection.

It was the first shooting of a US president or major party candidate since the 1981 attempted assassination of Republican President Ronald Reagan.

‘NO PLACE’ FOR SUCH VIOLENCE
Leading Republicans and Democrats quickly condemned the violence.

“There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it,” Mr. Biden said in a statement.

Ron Moose, a Trump supporter at the rally, said he heard about four shots. “I saw the crowd go down and then Trump ducked also real quick,” he said. “Then the Secret Service all jumped and protected him as soon as they could. We are talking within a second they were all protecting him.”

The BBC interviewed a man who described himself as an eyewitness, saying he saw a man armed with a rifle crawling up a roof near the event. The person, who the BBC did not identify, said he and the people he was with started pointing at the man, trying to alert security.

The shots appeared to come from outside the area secured by the Secret Service, the agency said. The FBI said it had taken the lead in investigating the attack.

At a briefing late on Saturday, FBI officials told reporters it was surprising that the suspect was able to fire multiple shots. The Secret Service did not have a representative at that briefing, which included FBI and state law enforcement officials.

Hours after the attack, the Oversight Committee in the Republican-led US House of Representatives summoned US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify at a hearing scheduled for July 22.

“Americans demand answers about the assassination attempt of President Trump,” the panel said in a statement on social media.

REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS DECRY VIOLENCE
The attack heightened longstanding worries that political violence could erupt during the presidential campaign and after the election. The concerns in part reflect the electorate’s polarization, with the country appearing bitterly divided into two camps with divergent political and social visions.

“This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on social media.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was horrified by what happened and was relieved Trump was safe. “Political violence has no place in our country,” he said.

Americans fear rising political violence, recent Reuters/Ipsos polling shows, with two out of three respondents to a May survey saying they worried violence could follow the election.

Some of Mr. Trump’s Republican allies said they believed the attack was politically motivated.

“For weeks Democrat leaders have been fueling ludicrous hysteria that Donald Trump winning re-election would be the end of democracy in America,” said US Representative Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, who survived a politically motivated shooting in 2017.

“Clearly we’ve seen far left lunatics act on violent rhetoric in the past. This incendiary rhetoric must stop.”

Mr. Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, easily bested his rivals for the Republican nomination early in the campaign.

He has largely unified around him the party that had briefly wavered in support after his supporters attacked the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

The businessman and former reality television star entered the year facing a raft of legal worries, including four separate criminal prosecutions.

He was found guilty in late May of trying to cover up hush money payments to a porn star, but the other three prosecutions he faces — including two for his attempts to overturn his defeat — have been ground to a halt by various factors including a Supreme Court decision early this month that found him to be partly immune to prosecution.

Mr. Trump contends, without giving evidence, that all four prosecutions have been orchestrated by Mr. Biden to try to prevent him from returning to power. — Reuters

Security lapses in focus after Trump rally shooting

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump is assisted by U.S. Secret Service personnel after gunfire rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. — REUTERS

WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers said they would launch swift investigations into how a person managed to evade Secret Service agents and climb onto the roof of a building near where former US President Donald Trump was speaking at an election rally and fire multiple shots before being killed.

Mike Johnson, speaker of the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives, said panels in the chamber will call officials from the Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI for hearings soon.

The House oversight panel called Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify on July 22.

While information about the incident was still sparse, early media reports said the shooter was outside the security perimeter of the rally venue in Butler, Pennsylvania. One person interviewed by the BBC said he had seen the man with gun and tried unsuccessfully to alert police and the Secret Service.

Trump supporters blasted the Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting Mr. Trump as a former US president. Billionaire Elon Musk called for the agency’s leadership to resign.

“How was a sniper with a full rifle kit allowed to bear crawl onto the closest roof to a presidential nominee,” asked conservative activist Jack Posobiec on social media site X.

FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek, speaking at a press briefing, called the number of shots the attacker was able to fire “surprising.”

The Secret Service did not have a representative in that press briefing late on Saturday, which included FBI and state law enforcement officials.

The Secret Service said shortly after the shooting that it has begun an investigation and briefed Democratic President Joseph R. Biden, Mr. Trump’s rival in the Nov. 5 election, though the agency did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment regarding its protocols.

The Pennsylvania State Police referred questions to the Secret Service. Ben Maser said he was outside the rally perimeter, listening to Mr. Trump, when he noticed two officers seemingly looking for someone. Mr. Maser, a 41-year old welder, started scanning the area too.

“I saw the guy on the roof. I told the officer that he was up there. He went about looking for him,” said Mr. Maser.

SECURITY REVIEW
The attack is certain to lead to a review of Mr. Trump’s security, and going forward he will likely be provided with a level of protection more akin to a sitting president, said Joseph LaSorsa, a former Secret Service agent who served on the presidential detail. “There will be an intensive review” of the incident and “there’s going to be a massive realignment,” Mr. LaSorsa said. “This cannot happen.”

The Secret Service had said it recently added “protective resources and capabilities” to Mr. Trump’s security detail, without providing further details.

A retired agent who worked in protective services, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident should spark an internal review, and ideally an external one too.

“The gravity of the situation demands thorough scrutiny to prevent such failures in the future and to ensure accountability on all levels,” said the former agent.

SECURING TRUMP RALLIES
During most of Mr. Trump’s campaign stops, local police aid the Secret Service in securing the venue. Agents from other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, such as the Transportation Security Administration, occasionally help.

Many Trump rallies feature thousands of audience members, take place in the open air and last for hours.

Before the event, agents scan the venue for bombs or other threats, and Mr. Trump invariably arrives in a fortified motorcade.

Law enforcement officials typically put up barriers as a perimeter, and require all attendees to go through a metal detector to enter the venue. Armed protective agents search all attendees’ bags and even wallets. Many rallygoers are patted down by hand.

Paul Eckloff, a former Secret Service agent who retired in 2020, said agents would have surveyed all the rooftops with a line of sight ahead of time.

“This person either concealed themselves until they became a threat, or were not a threat until they revealed their weapons,” said Mr. Eckloff.

In the moments after Trump was injured, the former president was quickly surrounded by Secret Service personnel who formed a human shield, while heavily armed agents in body armor and toting rifles also took to the stage and appeared to scan the area for threats.

Mr. Trump was whisked by the agents to a black SUV, and taken to a local hospital, according to the campaign. — Reuters

Biden condemns ‘sick’ Trump shooting, campaign suspends political ads

REUTERS

REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware — US President Joseph R. Biden called for an end to political violence after Republican challenger Donald Trump was shot in the right ear during a rally on Saturday, and Mr. Biden’s campaign suspended all political communication, including ads attacking Mr. Trump.

“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick,” Mr. Biden said, adding he had been thoroughly briefed on the matter and planned to talk to Trump. “Everybody must condemn it,” Mr. Biden said. The president, 81, was at a church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, when the shooting occurred and later headed to his residence. After releasing a written statement, Mr. Biden left the Delaware beach house in his motorcade and headed to a local police department to speak on camera about the issue.

Asked whether he thought the shooting was an assassination attempt, Mr. Biden said, “I have an opinion, but I don’t have all the facts.”

Mr. Biden later spoke to Mr. Trump, 78, by phone the White House said, but it did not elaborate on the call.

A Biden campaign official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the team was “working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible,” in response to the seriousness of the moment. The official did not offer more details.

Mr. Biden’s political future has been in doubt since his shaky June 27 debate against Trump sparked calls by his own party to step aside and let a younger candidate run in November.

In recent weeks, the Biden campaign began its most aggressive effort to brand Mr. Trump a felon, with the introduction of a new television advertisement that focused on Mr. Trump’s criminal conviction.

The advertisement was part of a $50-million investment in battleground states, and marked a change in strategy after an initial reluctance to weigh in on the issue, to avoid engaging with Mr. Trump’s legal woes.

Mr. Trump was convicted by a New York jury on May 30 of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records related to covering up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.

After the shooting, Senator J.D. Vance, a leading contender to be Mr. Trump’s running mate, criticized the Biden campaign for portraying Mr. Trump as an authoritarian who “must be stopped at all costs,” suggesting the rhetoric led to the attack.  The Republican former president’s rhetoric on the campaign trail has repeatedly raised concerns he might flout democratic norms by using the power of the state to target perceived enemies if elected.

Political violence is on the rise in the United States, with most of the deadly attacks coming from the right, experts say.

In April, Mr. Trump shared a video on social media that included an image of Mr. Biden bound and restrained in the back of a pickup truck. — Reuters

Gaza officials say 90 Palestinians killed as Israel targets Hamas military chief

PALESTINIAN and Israel flags are seen in this illustration taken on Oct. 15, 2023. — REUTERS

CAIRO/GAZA/JERUSALEM — An Israeli airstrike killed at least 90 Palestinians in a designated humanitarian zone in Gaza on Saturday, the enclave’s health ministry said, in an attack that Israel said targeted Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it remained unclear whether Deif and another Hamas commander had been killed and promised to continue to target Hamas leadership, saying more military pressure on the group would improve chances of a hostage deal, even as three days of ceasefire talks separately halted on Saturday.

“Either way, we will get to the whole of the leadership of Hamas,” Mr. Netanyahu told a news conference.

The militant Islamist group Hamas denied Mr. Deif had been killed, according to a senior Hamas official on Al Jazeera TV. Hamas earlier said Israeli claims it had targeted leaders of the group were false and aimed at justifying the attack, which was the deadliest Israeli attack in Gaza in weeks.

Displaced people sheltering in the area said their tents were torn down by the force of the strike, describing bodies and body parts strewn on the ground.

“I couldn’t even tell where I was or what was happening,” said Sheikh Youssef, a resident of Gaza City who is currently displaced in the Al-Mawasi area. “I left the tent and looked around, all the tents were knocked down, body parts, bodies everywhere, elderly women thrown on the floor, young children in pieces,” he told Reuters.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, in a statement, said he was “shocked and saddened” by the civilian deaths, which underscored “nowhere is safe in Gaza,” and said international humanitarian law must be upheld.

The Israeli military said the strike against Mr. Deif also targeted Rafa Salama, the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, describing them as two of the masterminds of the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the nine-month war in Gaza.  Mr. Deif has survived seven Israeli assassination attempts, the most recent in 2021, and has topped Israel’s most wanted list for decades, held responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings.

The Gaza health ministry said at least 91 Palestinians were killed in the strike and 300 injured, the deadliest toll in weeks in the conflict-shattered enclave.

Al-Mawasi is a designated humanitarian area that the Israeli army has repeatedly urged Palestinians to head to after issuing evacuation orders from other areas.

Reuters footage showed ambulances racing towards the area amidst clouds of smoke and dust. Displaced people, including women and children, were fleeing in panic, some holding belongings in their hands.

The Israeli military published an aerial photo of the site, which Reuters was not immediately able to verify, where it said “terrorists hid among civilians.”

“The location of the strike was an open area surrounded by trees, several buildings, and sheds,” it said in a statement.

The Israeli military official said the area was not a tent complex, but an operational compound run by Hamas and that several more militants were there, guarding Mr. Deif.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday to discuss Israel’s Gaza operations and emphasized the need to minimize civilian harm, the Pentagon said.

Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s Foreign Affairs and Security Policy representative, called for an independent probe and condemned any potential violation of international law, posting on social media site X that the “end can’t justify all means.”

HOSPITAL ‘FULL OF PATIENTS’
Many of those wounded in the strike, including women and children, were taken to the nearby Nasser Hospital, which hospital officials said had been overwhelmed and was “no longer able to function” due to the intensity of the Israeli offensive and an acute shortage of medical supplies.

“The hospital is full of patients, it’s full of wounded, we can’t find beds for people,” said Atef al-Hout, director of the hospital, adding that it was the only one still operating in southern Gaza.

Mr. Gallant was holding special consultations, his office said, in light of “developments in Gaza.”

At ceasefire talks underway in Doha and Cairo, two Egyptian security sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said negotiations had been halted after three days of intense talks. They cited the behavior of Israeli mediators as revealing “internal discord.”

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas,in a statement said the group had been in contact with mediators in Egypt and Qatar as well as Turkey and Oman, and cited the attacks on Saturday, calling for an ed to “these massacres against our people.”

Mr. Netanyahu, in his televised remarks Saturday evening, said he had not moved away from the framework presented by US President Joseph R. Biden.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said Israel told US officials it had targeted senior Hamas officials and that the Biden administration was seeking to learn more about the reported civilian casualties.

As the prime minister spoke, protesters continued to rally in Tel Aviv, singing songs and waving signs calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Thousands of protesters also marched outside Jerusalem earlier in the day.

“Maybe it’s good, maybe it’s not good. I don’t know about Mohammed Deif, I know that keeping the war is bad for all of us,” said Ayala Metzger, the daughter-in-law of an Israeli hostage who took part in the hostage solidarity march near Jerusalem.

Also on Saturday, at least 20 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack on a prayer hall at a Gaza camp for displaced people in west Gaza City, Palestinian health and civil emergency officials said.

Critics have accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians, which Israel denies. It characterizes its actions as self-defense to prevent another attack like the one on Oct. 7, though the International Court of Justice ordered Israel in January to take action to prevent acts of genocide.

Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in the cross-border raid into southern Israel on Oct. 7, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel has retaliated with its military action in Gaza that has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, medical authorities in Gaza say. — Reuters

Argentina to sell dollars on parallel market as part of anti-inflation drive

REUTERS

BUENOS AIRES — Argentina’s central bank will start selling US dollars in the country’s parallel foreign exchange markets in an effort to combat inflation and freeze the country’s money supply, the government said on Saturday.

Economy Minister Luis Caputo announced the new strategy on messaging platform X on Saturday, saying it would “contribute to deepening the disinflation process.”

Starting Monday, when Argentina’s central bank issues pesos to buy US dollars on the formal exchange market, the bank will effectively balance Argentina’s monetary base by selling an equivalent amount of dollars on the parallel “CCL” exchange market, Mr. Caputo said.

“There are no more pesos printed in Argentina by any means. It is a historic novelty,” Mr. Caputo later said in a radio interview. “We were beating inflation by (a few) points and this is the ‘knock out’ blow,” the minister added.

The announcement comes after official data published on Friday showed a five-month streak of slowing inflation ended in June when monthly inflation came in higher than in May.

The strategy outlined by the government of President Javier Milei aims to stabilize the money supply, bring down inflation and help close the widening gap between Argentina’s official and parallel exchange rates traded in financial markets.

The South American country’s peso has been sliding since the beginning of the year in parallel markets, which for years has diverged sharply from the official rate due to strict currency controls.

At Friday’s close, the official exchange rate traded at 919.5 pesos per dollar, while the so-called “CCL” rate traded at 1,416.2 pesos per dollar. Meanwhile, the widely-used black market “blue” rate weakened to a historic low of 1,500 pesos per dollar on Friday.

President Milei celebrated Saturday’s announcement from the sidelines of the Sun Valley Conference, investment bank Allen & Co’s annual invitation-only gathering in Sun Valley, Idaho, where the president and Caputo are courting investors.

“The monetary base in Argentina is no longer increasing, and this is tremendously powerful news,” Mr. Milei said during a phone interview with Argentine news channel LN+, adding that the plan would “accelerate the deflation process in the economy.”

Since Mr. Milei took power late last year, inflation has slowed dramatically in Argentina, decelerating from 25.5% in December to 4.2% in May. June’s figure was 4.6%. — Reuters

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