Tehran's road to improve ties with West 'not easy'

Iran will continue its "Look East" policy and consolidate its collaboration with both China and Russia, even though the newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian may put more effort into repairing ties with the West, said a Chinese expert after Iran's "reformist candidate" won the election on Saturday.

"You created an opportunity for Iran and brought back hope and joy to the atmosphere of dissatisfaction, distress, and melancholy in society. I am grateful to all of you," Pezeshkian said during a speech Saturday at the Mausoleum of the late Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, where he pledged allegiance to the ideals of the Islamic Revolution, according to Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Pezeshkian also thanked Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for opening up the stage for a more competitive and healthier presidential election, according to IRNA.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday sent a message to Pezeshkian, congratulating him on his election as president of Iran.

Hollande, who had been president when Macron emerged onto France's political scene, won a majority of votes cast in his constituency, running against both the far-right Rassemblement National candidate and incumbent right-wing MP Francis Dubois.

France's former Socialist president François Hollande, running under the colors of the left-wing New Front Populaire (NFP) alliance in his old constituency, was elected to the Assemblée Nationale in the second round of parliamentary elections, on Sunday, July 7. With 43.29% of the vote, Hollande beat the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) candidate Maïtey Pouget (31.43%) and the incumbent Les Républicains (LR, right) MP, backed by President Emmanuel Macron's coalition, François Dubois (25.28%),who had refused to withdraw his candidacy despite coming third in the first round.

Hollande had come out on top in the first round in the 1^st constituency of the central French department of Corrèze, with 37.63% of votes cast, against the far-right party's candidate (30.89%), and the incumbent right-wing MP (28.64%). His candidacy to become an MP had surprised many, including among the Socialists' leadership.

Tbilisi adopted legislation earlier this month which tightens the rules on 'foreign agent' transparency.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has warned Georgia that its potential accession to the bloc is in jeopardy after Tbilisi adopted a controversial 'foreign agent' law earlier this month. The US has also indicated it will not hesitate to penalize the former Soviet republic unless it walks back the legislation.

Known officially as the Transparency of Foreign Influence Act and spearheaded by the ruling Georgian Dream party, the law came into force earlier this month despite opposition protests and a veto by President Salome Zourabichvili.

The legislation requires NGOs, media outlets, and individuals who receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as entities "promoting the interests of a foreign power" and to disclose their donors. Those who fail to comply will face fines of up to $9,500.

While opponents of the bill have described it as "Russian" and an attack on democracy, supporters have insisted it is similar to what numerous Western nations, including the US, have in place.

The indefinite postponement of 'Noble Partner' wargames comes a month after Georgia adopted a controversial 'foreign agent' law.

The US has suspended this year's 'Noble Partner' military exercise with Georgia due to a "comprehensive review" of bilateral relations by Washington. The maneuvers, which have previously involved troops from multiple NATO member states, had been held annually since 2015.

In early June, the legislation - officially known as the Transparency of Foreign Influence Act - came into force, after the ruling Georgian Dream party overrode a veto by President Salome Zourabichvili. The law requires NGOs, media outlets and individuals which receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as entities "promoting the interests of a foreign power" and disclose their donors. Failure to comply will result in a fine of up to $9,500.

Opponents of the bill, who denounce it as an attack on democracy, have held multiple protests. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze insists the legislation is similar to laws in several Western nations, and is meant to improve transparency.

The adoption of the law drew condemnation from the US and European Union. Washington has announced plans to restrict visas for Georgian politicians who supported the legislation.

NATO is a threat to global peace and stability because of its "deep-rooted Cold War mentality and ideological bias," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday.

Lin was asked by Bloomberg at a daily briefing to comment on recent reports that the US-led military bloc is planning to sign a cooperation agreement with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand at the upcoming NATO summit in Washington.

The spokesperson responded by stating that NATO is a "product of the Cold War and the world's largest military alliance." Despite claiming to be a regional and defensive organization, the bloc has continued to "expand its power across borders, break through defense zones, and provoke confrontation," Lin added.

Staffers for President Biden provide him instructions with large print and photos of venue interiors and his planned path of entry ahead of events the 81-year-old commander-in-chief attends, according to a report.

Documents obtained by Axios on Sunday show how staff help guide Biden — including his specific path to a podium — when he appears at functions. The report comes as the Democrat faces relentless questions about whether he is fit for the Oval Office after an awful debate performance last month against presumptive GOP opponent former President Donald Trump.

"It surprised me that a seasoned political pro like the president would need detailed verbal and visual instructions on how to enter and exit a room," a person who staffed a Biden event in the past 18 months told the outlet.

"I staffed a simple fundraiser at a private residence, but they treated it like it was a NATO summit with his movements," the unidentified staffer also said.

The Editor at Large for the Wall Street Journal, Gerry Baker, says: 'We've been "gaslit' and deceived" - for years - "all in the name of 'democracy'". That deceit "collapsed" with the Presidential debate, Thursday'.

"Until the world saw the truth ... [against] the 'misinformation' ... the fiction of Mr. Biden's competence ... suggests they [the Democrats] evidently thought they could get away with promoting it. [Yet] by perpetuating that fiction they were also revealing their contempt for the voters and for democracy itself".

Baker continues:

"Biden succeeded because he made toeing the party line his life's work. Like all politicians whose egos dwarf their talents, he ascended the greasy pole by slavishly following his party wherever it led ... Finally — in the ultimate act of partisan servility, he became Barack Obama's vice president, the summit of achievement for those incapable, yet loyal: the apex position for the consummate 'yes man'".

"But then, just as he was ready to drift into a comfortable and well-deserved obscurity, his party needed a front man ... They sought a loyal and reliable figurehead, a flag of convenience, under which they could sail the progressive vessel into the deepest reaches of American life — on a mission to advance statism, climate extremism and self-lacerating wokery. There was no more loyal and convenient vehicle than Joe".

If so, then who actually has been 'pulling America's strings' these past years?

"You [the Democratic machine] don't get to deceive, dissemble and gaslight us for years about how this man was both brilliantly competent at the job and a healing force for national unity - and now tell us, when your deception is uncovered, that it's 'bedtime for Bonzo' - thanks for your service, and let's move on", Baker warns.

"[Now] it is going horribly wrong. Much of his party has no use for him anymore ... in a remarkably cynical act of bait-and-switch, [they are trying to] swap him out for someone more useful to their cause. Part of me thinks they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. I find myself in the odd position of wanting to root for poor mumbling Joe ... It's tempting to say to the Democratic machine frantically mobilizing against him: You don't get to do this. You don't get to deceive, dissemble and gaslight us for years".

Something significant has snapped within 'the system'. It is always tempting to situate such events in 'immediate time', but even Baker seems to allude to a longer cycle of gaslighting and deception - one that only now has suddenly burst into open view.

Such events - though seemingly ephemeral and of the moment - can be portents to deeper structural contradictions moving.

The Israeli prime minister's statement comes after Hamas accepted a key part of a ceasefire proposal

Any potential ceasefire deal in Gaza must allow Israel to resume fighting until all of its war objectives are met, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. One of the main goals repeatedly voiced by the PM is the complete elimination of the Hamas militant group.

Netanyahu's statement comes after Hamas approved a US proposal for a phased ceasefire deal, dropping a key demand for Israel to first commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing the deal, according to a Reuters source.

Hamas expects to end hostilities through talks during the first six-week phase of the deal aimed at settling the conflict in Gaza, the outlet said.

Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death reported in Gaza, a new study published respected medical journal The Lancet said it is "not implausible" to estimate that up to 186,000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the genocidal war in Gaza.

The paper titled 'Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential', published on 05 July, stated that using the 2022 Gaza Strip population estimate of 2,375,259, the estimated death toll would translate to 7·9% of the total population in the besieged enclave.

On Sunday, the Palestinian health ministry said that at least 38,153 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in Gaza since October 07 while more than 87,828 have been wounded in the besieged enclave. 15,983 of them are children.

Gabriel Attal should remain in office temporarily to ensure stability after shock elections, the Elysee Palace has said

French President Emmanuel Macron has refused to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal following the second round of national elections that left France with a hung parliament and no clear candidate to replace him.

The New Popular Front (NFP), which unites various leftist parties, cruised to a surprise victory in Sunday voting, claiming 182 seats in the National Assembly, according to the Interior Ministry. Macron's centrist Ensemble alliance recovered after a poor performance in the first round and got 163 seats.

The rightist National Rally (RN), which was considered the favorite after trouncing Macron's bloc in the first round, came third, with 143 seats. However, none of the groups was able to clinch the 289 seats required for an absolute majority in the legislature.

Macron's office said in a statement on Monday that "the president has asked Gabriel Attal to remain prime minister for the time being in order to ensure the country's stability."