International

Harris and Trump choose the same states for their campaign closure: Pennsylvania and Michigan

Former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) and Vice President KamalaHarris chose the same two states to hold campaign rallies in the last days before the elections: Pennsylvania and Michigan, key regions for either of them to win next week.

On Sunday night, Harris will visit East Lansign in Michigan, in what would be his last visit to the state. On Monday, he will begin the day with a rally in Allenstown, a Latin-majority city in Pennsylvania, then he will pass through Pittsburgh – in the east of the state, on the border with Ohio – and end the day with a closing event in Philadelphia, the most populous city.

For his part, Trump will spend Sunday and much of Monday in Pennsylvania, with events in Reading and Pittsburgh, and then end on the night of the day before the elections in Gran Rapids (Michigan), where he already closed his presidential campaign in 2016 and 2020.

Trump and Harris, after the electoral votes

The latest polls indicate a tie between both candidates in Pennsylvania and give Harris a minimal advantage over Trump in Michigan, according to the FiveThirtyEight portal.

Both states are considered part of the “blue wall”, states that traditionally supported the Democrats, but that in 2016 broke the streak and opted for Trump’s political project.

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The former president bet heavily in 2016 on the three (closing the campaign in Michigan), appealed to the rural vote and the white working class disadisaged by the closure of industries and won them by a ridiculous combined margin of 80,000 votes.

Joe Biden recovered them in 2020 for the Democrats, but four years later they are at risk again.

Of the three, Pennsylvania is the jewel in the crown. It distributes 19 electoral votes and it is considered that the party that takes it will have the way paved to the White House. Michigan gives 15 and Wisconsin 10.

To reach the presidency, a candidate must obtain at least 270 votes from the Electoral College.

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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.