International

Biden says it’s “fantastic” to return to the White House after being isolated with covid

U.S. President Joe Biden said that it is “fantastic” to be back in the White House, in his first public appearance after he decided last Sunday to leave the race for the Presidency and after being isolated in his beach house in Delaware due to COVID-19.

“It’s fantastic to be back in the White House,” the president published in X, along with a photo of him heading to the south entrance of the building.

In another publication he indicated that being a U.S. president is still “the greatest honor” of his life and that today he met with his team in the Oval Office.

The Democratic president will offer a speech to the nation on Wednesday from the White House to explain the reasons for his resignation from re-election.

Biden returned to Washington after testing negative for COVID-19.

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The president had been isolated at his home in Delaware since last Wednesday, when he tested positive for this disease.

According to the latest report from his doctor, Kevin O’Connor, the president no longer has symptoms.

“During the course of his infection, he never manifested a fever and his vital signs remained normal, including pulse oximetry. His lungs remained clean,” the report says.

Last Sunday, Biden announced in a letter addressed to the American people that he was withdrawing from the presidential race, after the criticism raised by his own party for his weak performance in the first electoral debate against Donald Trump (2017-2021) that took place on June 27.

He said to do it for the good of the country and the party and announced that this week he would go to the nation to explain what happened.
Biden elected his vice president, Kamala Harris, as his successor, who already obtained the suf delegates on Monday.

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International

Iran Reports 201 Dead, 747 Injured After U.S. and Israeli Strikes

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported Sunday night (local time) that at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured following attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A spokesperson for the humanitarian organization said more than 220 rescue teams have been deployed across affected areas and that relief operations are continuing without interruption. The official highlighted the difficulty of treating the large number of wounded and the urgent need for additional resources in impacted provinces.

Out of Iran’s 31 provinces, 24 have reported damage, according to a statement carried by the Isna news agency. This marks the first overall casualty toll released by Iranian state-affiliated media since the launch of the offensive.

Among the dead are 85 schoolgirls from a school in the southern city of Minab, according to the country’s judiciary. “The number of martyrs at the Minab girls’ school has risen to 85,” the local prosecutor’s office said, as quoted by the judiciary’s website, Mizan Online.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian described the attack as a “savagery” that “constitutes a new black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.”

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Meanwhile, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely amid concerns about possible further reprisals and the broader impact on Middle East stability, energy markets, and global security.

AFP noted that it was unable to independently verify the casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding the events.

International

Pope Leo XIV Urges End to ‘Spiral of Violence’ in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the Middle East, following military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran and subsequent retaliatory bombardments in the region.

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I urge the parties involved to assume their moral responsibility and stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” the pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Speaking during the Angelus prayer, the U.S.-born pope said stability and peace cannot be achieved through threats or weapons. “Stability and peace are not built with reciprocal threats or with arms that sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” he declared.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics also called for diplomacy to “regain its role” amid escalating tensions.

In addition, the pope urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to urgently resume dialogue after several days of clashes between the two countries.

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International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.