New Delhi

This week, the NATO leaders congregated in Washington D.C. to figure out how to protect the military alliance from a potential Trump presidency. By the end of the week, in a seminal moment for American political history, Trump survived an assassination attempt. 

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Also read | How Trump assassination attempt has turbocharged his presidential re-run

The attempt on Trump's life shook capitals worldwide with leaders from China's Xi Jinping to India's Narendra Modi expressing sympathies with the former US president.

Also read | Trump rally shooting: Biden, Modi and other political bigwigs 'grateful' former prez safe after attack

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Washington D.C., United States

All was going according to plan, when US President Joe Biden, NATO summit 2024 host, pulled off an embarrassing slip of the tongue.NATO Summit 2024 | AFP image

NATO Summit 2024 | AFP image

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Biden was closing out NATO's three-day 75th anniversary summit in Washington, while vowing, "Ukraine will prevail" against Russian President Vladimir Putin and hailing the courage of Ukraine's iconic wartime leader, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Turning to Zelensky, Biden said, "Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin."

Biden quickly corrected himself and Zelensky, a former comedian, promptly said, "I am better than Putin."

No leaders openly questioned Biden's competence, who at 81, is six years older than the alliance itself.

Many NATO leaders fear a victory in November of Trump, who has loudly criticised the alliance, with its promise of collective defence, as an unfair burden on the United States.

Kathmandu, Nepal

K P Sharma Oli was appointed Nepal's Prime Minister for the third time on July 14 to lead the new coalition government amid consistent crisis for the lack of political stability in the landlocked South Asian country. 

Oli, 72, succeeds Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda who lost the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives on July 12.

President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed Oli as the new Prime Minister of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML)-Nepali Congress (NC) coalition.

Oli along with the new Cabinet is scheduled to be sworn in on July 15.

Late on July 12 night, Oli staked his claim to become the next Prime Minister with the backing of NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba and submitted the signatures of 165 House of Representatives (HoR) members — 77 from his party and 88 from the NC.

Oli served as Nepal's Prime Minister from October 11, 2015, to August 3, 2016 and then, from February 5, 2018, to July 13, 2021.