Latest news with #JVP
Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Charmed by PM Modi's 'diplomatic spell', Maldives and Lankan leaders give up anti-India stance
Colombo: Charmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "diplomatic spell", Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu and Sri Lankan President Anura Dissanayake - two leaders who backed a strong anti-India policy before coming to power in their respective nations - now seem to have made a major shift in their approach towards New Delhi, the Lankan media cited on Wednesday. The observations were made during Dissanayake's ongoing July 28-30 State Visit to the Maldives which took place almost immediately after PM Modi's landmark visit to Male, last week. "With the end of Modi's visit to the Maldives, Sri Lanka's pro-China JVP leader, President Anura, has gone to the Maldives at the invitation of the Maldivian President. What happened to Anura, and to the JVP, is the same as what happened to the Maldivian President. They also showed a strong anti-India policy before coming to power," a report by Lankan media outlet Mawrata News stated. Last December, Dissanayake, while visiting India on what was his first official foreign visit since assuming office, had thanked India for its "immense support" during the unprecedented economic crisis and also assured Prime Minister Modi that he will not allow the island nation to be used in any way that is detrimental to the interest of India. On July 25, PM Modi arrived in Male on a two-day State Visit to participate in the Maldives' 60th Independence Day celebrations as the Guest of Honour. This was Prime Minister Modi's third visit to Maldives - he had visited the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2018 and 2019, earlier - and the first by a Head of State or Government to Maldives during the Presidency of Mohamed Muizzu which began in November 2023. In a special gesture, President Muizzu had welcomed PM Modi at the airport in Male as he arrived from the United Kingdom. Maldives Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Finance Minister and Minister of Homeland Security were also present at the airport to welcome PM Modi. Breaking with tradition, Muizzu had not made India his first State Visit after assuming the presidency, signalling a clear shift in his foreign policy. He also permitted the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 — perceived as a surveillance ship — to dock in its waters, raising Indian concerns about potential data collection by Chinese to support submarine operations in the region. However, Muizzu's Five-day State Visit to India in October - his second trip to the country in four months after having also attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi - highlighted a significant diplomatic shift. Muizzu, who previously backed an "India Out" campaign in the Indian Ocean archipelago, now sought to navigate the complex relations while balancing the country's ties with China. This year already, in the first six months, New Delhi has seen nearly half a dozen ministerial level visits from the Maldives. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar's very first engagement in 2025 was with the Foreign Minister of Maldives. "Modi's view of Maldives was that of a younger brother who is angry with his older brother and would come back to him after the anger is over. Modi was right. Finally, the Maldivian President went to India to seek Modi's help in resolving the Maldivian economic crisis. Modi also forgot the old grudge and helped him," reported Mawrata News.
Daily Mirror
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Sex and the City icon shares that her son has gone on hunger strike
Seph Mozes, the 28-year-old son of Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon, is taking part in a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestine to call for an end to the US arming of Israel Seph Mozes, son of Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon, is on a hunger strike in solidarity with Palestine. Mozes, who is Jewish, is taking part in the strike as part of his advocacy with Jewish Voices For Peace (JVP), which is calling for an end to America's arming of Israel. Nixon, who is a prominent activist, describes her 28-year-old son as "a quite observant Jew" who is "very steeped in Jewish Voices for Peace," before sharing that he "doesn't have illusions that he's going to end the war, but I think he wants to do everything he can". JVP describes itself as the "world's largest Jewish organisation standing in solidarity with Palestine" and currently has over 765,403 members. Writing on its website, the grassroots organisation states: "We envision a world where all people - from the U.S. to Palestine - live in freedom, justice, equality, and dignity. Like generations of Jewish leftists before us, we fight for the liberation of all people." During a discussion on Wednesday at Newsweek's Manhattan office, Nixon, who is not Jewish herself, shared that her son was partially inspired to support Palestine because his paternal grandparents are Holocaust survivors. The actress and activist, best known for playing Miranda Hobbes in Sex and the City and its reboot And Just Like That, revealed: "He and five other of his compatriots are doing a hunger strike in Chicago [since] Monday, for Gaza. 'Stop starving Gaza, stop arming Israel'." Nixon, 59, described her son as "a smart person with his ear to the ground" and added: "His grandparents were Holocaust survivors, and he just feels like he can't stand by and not do everything he can." The actress went on a hunger strike herself in November 2023 as she called on Joe Biden, the US President at the time, to support a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. Addressing a crowd outside the White House, Nixon said at the time: "As the mother of Jewish children whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors, I have been asked by my son to use any voice I have to affirm as loudly as possible that 'never again' means 'never again for everyone.'" "In seven weeks, Israel has killed more civilians on a tiny strip of land than was killed in 20 years of war in the entire country of Afghanistan. "I am sick and tired of people explaining away by saying that civilian casualties are a routine toll of war. There is nothing routine about these figures. There is nothing routine about these deaths." Nixon made a heartfelt plea to Biden, suggesting that his own personal tragedies should make him more empathetic towards the Palestinian death toll. "I would like to make a personal plea to a president who has, himself, experienced such devastating personal loss, to connect with that empathy for which he is so well known and to look at the children of Gaza and imagine that they were his children," she implored.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jewish groups in US line up to oppose Trump anti-Semitism strategy
US Jewish groups are unified over the need to fight mounting anti-Semitic incidents across the country, but many are bitterly opposed to how President Donald Trump is seeking to counter the scourge. A string of incidents has targeted Jews in the United States in recent weeks. Two Israeli embassy workers were murdered in Washington, Molotov cocktails were thrown at an event in Colorado, and tensions persist on university campuses. The conservative Heritage Foundation think-tank, behind the "Project 2025" roadmap for radically overhauling and shrinking the government, published in October "Project Esther" -- a blueprint on combatting anti-Semitism. The project seeks to "dismantle" so-called "anti-Israel," "anti-Zionist," or "pro-Palestinian" organizations allegedly part of a "Hamas support network" that has "infiltrated" universities including Columbia and Harvard. The text advocates the dismissal of professors, barring some foreign students from campuses, expelling others outright, and withholding public funding from universities. Robert Greenway, a Project Esther co-author, recently told The New York Times it was "no coincidence that we called for a series of actions to take place privately and publicly, and they are now happening." The Heritage Foundation refused an interview request. Stefanie Fox, director of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), said "Project Esther sets out a blueprint for the Trump administration to sharpen the legal regimes that will best advance (his) 'Make America Great Again' goals." The JVP, a Jewish organization that leads demonstrations against "genocide" in Gaza, is named in Project Esther as a member of the so-called Hamas support network. "These assumptions are baseless, paranoid, laughable," said Fox, whose group is on the left. - 'Weaponizing' anti-Semitism? - Although 89 percent of the 7.2 million US Jews say they are concerned about anti-Semitism, 64 percent disapprove of Trump's efforts to combat it, according to a recent Jewish Voters Resource Center poll. "There is anti-Semitism on those campuses... But to give the broad claim that the thrust to fight anti-Semitism is to go after higher education is just absolutely ridiculous," said Kevin Rachlin. He is a prominent figure in the Nexus Project formed in opposition to Project Esther that seeks to counter anti-Semitism without impairing freedom of speech. Trump's strategy "doesn't keep Jews safe." Rather, it seeks to separate the Jewish minority from others in the country and ignores right-wing anti-Semitism, Rachlin argues. "We as Jews are safer when we're in coalition with other groups and other minorities," he said, adding that combatting anti-Semitism through education was more viable than targeting universities. Traditional Jewish groups have aligned more with Trump's Republicans and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, unlike the "majority" of American Jews, claims author Eric Alterman. "What's happened in Gaza has been very hard for most American Jews -- particularly young American Jews -- to stomach. Young American Jews are now roughly evenly divided between supporting Israel and supporting the Palestinians," he told AFP. Alterman added most US Jews are not anti-Zionist -- but don't like the war in Gaza or Israel's West Bank strategy. "They're kind of caught in the middle." Some Jewish groups warn that when Trump targets higher education purportedly combatting anti-Semitism, he is actually "weaponizing" the sensitive issue to stifle freedom of expression. In recent weeks, ten major Jewish organizations criticized the Trump administration in a letter, saying they reject the "false choice" between "Jewish safety" and "democracy." "There should be no doubt that anti-Semitism is rising" but access to "higher education, and strong democratic norms... have allowed American Jewry to thrive for hundreds of years," the letter states. One of the signatories, rabbi and former ambassador for religious freedom David Saperstein, said there was "appreciation" for Trump prioritizing anti-Semitic violence and rhetoric -- but opposed the clampdown on universities, media and judges. He added: "Ironically, they are targeting democratic institutions that have given the Jewry in America more rights, more freedom, more opportunities than we have ever known in our 2,600 years of diasporic history." gl/gw/dw/st
France 24
07-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Jewish groups in US line up to oppose Trump anti-Semitism strategy
A string of incidents has targeted Jews in the United States in recent weeks. Two Israeli embassy workers were murdered in Washington, Molotov cocktails were thrown at an event in Colorado, and tensions persist on university campuses. The conservative Heritage Foundation think-tank, behind the "Project 2025" roadmap for radically overhauling and shrinking the government, published in October "Project Esther" -- a blueprint on combatting anti-Semitism. The project seeks to "dismantle" so-called "anti-Israel," "anti-Zionist," or "pro-Palestinian" organizations allegedly part of a "Hamas support network" that has "infiltrated" universities including Columbia and Harvard. The text advocates the dismissal of professors, barring some foreign students from campuses, expelling others outright, and withholding public funding from universities. Robert Greenway, a Project Esther co-author, recently told The New York Times it was "no coincidence that we called for a series of actions to take place privately and publicly, and they are now happening." The Heritage Foundation refused an interview request. Stefanie Fox, director of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), said "Project Esther sets out a blueprint for the Trump administration to sharpen the legal regimes that will best advance (his) 'Make America Great Again' goals." The JVP, a Jewish organization that leads demonstrations against "genocide" in Gaza, is named in Project Esther as a member of the so-called Hamas support network. "These assumptions are baseless, paranoid, laughable," said Fox, whose group is on the left. 'Weaponizing' anti-Semitism? Although 89 percent of the 7.2 million US Jews say they are concerned about anti-Semitism, 64 percent disapprove of Trump's efforts to combat it, according to a recent Jewish Voters Resource Center poll. "There is anti-Semitism on those campuses... But to give the broad claim that the thrust to fight anti-Semitism is to go after higher education is just absolutely ridiculous," said Kevin Rachlin. He is a prominent figure in the Nexus Project formed in opposition to Project Esther that seeks to counter anti-Semitism without impairing freedom of speech. Trump's strategy "doesn't keep Jews safe." Rather, it seeks to separate the Jewish minority from others in the country and ignores right-wing anti-Semitism, Rachlin argues. "We as Jews are safer when we're in coalition with other groups and other minorities," he said, adding that combatting anti-Semitism through education was more viable than targeting universities. Traditional Jewish groups have aligned more with Trump's Republicans and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, unlike the "majority" of American Jews, claims author Eric Alterman. "What's happened in Gaza has been very hard for most American Jews -- particularly young American Jews -- to stomach. Young American Jews are now roughly evenly divided between supporting Israel and supporting the Palestinians," he told AFP. Alterman added most US Jews are not anti-Zionist -- but don't like the war in Gaza or Israel's West Bank strategy. "They're kind of caught in the middle." Some Jewish groups warn that when Trump targets higher education purportedly combatting anti-Semitism, he is actually "weaponizing" the sensitive issue to stifle freedom of expression. In recent weeks, ten major Jewish organizations criticized the Trump administration in a letter, saying they reject the "false choice" between "Jewish safety" and "democracy." "There should be no doubt that anti-Semitism is rising" but access to "higher education, and strong democratic norms... have allowed American Jewry to thrive for hundreds of years," the letter states. One of the signatories, rabbi and former ambassador for religious freedom David Saperstein, said there was "appreciation" for Trump prioritizing anti-Semitic violence and rhetoric -- but opposed the clampdown on universities, media and judges.
Express Tribune
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Nepal after its Maoist revolution
The writer is an academic and researcher. He is also the author of Development, Poverty, and Power in Pakistan, available from Routledge Listen to article The mountainous, land-locked, never colonised nation of Nepal is getting increased international attention due to the unfolding great power competition in South Asia. Whether Nepal will be able to leverage this newfound external interest to its advantage depends on the ability of its current leftist leaders to transcend personal ambitions and demonstrate greater statesmanship. Communist ideologies have not had much luck in Bangladesh and Pakistan. While Sri Lanka has seen the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) form a government after the ouster of the Rajapaksa brothers in 2022, the JVP's historic communist leanings have been significantly compromised. Communist parties yield significant influence in Indian states like Kerala, Tripura and West Bengal, and Maoist rebels are locked in a lingering insurgency against the hegemonic national government as well. Yet, Nepal is the only South Asian country where Maoists managed to take over the reins of power. Nepal's recent political history has experienced rapid changes. The Shah dynasty unified Nepal during the 18th century, but real power soon shifted to hereditary chief ministers known as the Ranas. The Nepali Congress Liberation Army operating from newly independent India then formed an alliance with the monarchy to undermine the Ranas in 1951. After sovereignty of the crown was restored, the Nepali Congress Party worked with the monarchy to form a new government, until King Mahendra decided to suspend parliament, and turn the country into an absolute monarchy again in 1960. Increasing disgruntlement with the Hindu monarchy eventually led communist influences to gain influence. An outright Maoist revolt soon plunged Nepal into a civil war in 1996, which lasted for almost a decade. A Comprehensive Peace Accord was finally signed between the government and Maoists in 2006, which abolished the monarchy. Yet, despite the creation of a multi-party system, the political landscape of the country has remained instable. There has been significant fragmentation amongst the Maoists, and formation and dissolution of varied coalitions has led to repeated changes in governments, even within a single electoral cycle. During the last general elections, held in 2022, the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-Maoist) formed a coalition with the Nepali Congress Party to secure power. But this partnership lasted for just over a year, before major differences emerged. A new leftist coalition was formed between the CPN (M) and the United Community Party (Marxist-Leninist), but the political situation remained tenuous. The CPN (M) has recently formed a new coalition with the Nepali Congress Party. How long this new coalition will survive before tensions erupt between these traditionally competing parties remains to be seen. There is also a relatively small but active group demanding restoration of Nepal's monarchy, which has also been resorting to violent protests to draw attention to their cause. Amidst all the in-fighting and jostling for power, there is scant attention paid to catering to the basic needs of the citizenry, to creating responsive state institutions, achieving sustainable economic growth and improving the lives of ordinary Nepalis. Nepal has the chance to leverage its geopolitical location to funnel more Chinese investments into the country to push back against traditional Indian hegemony. The US is also keener to invest in Nepal, primarily to keep the Chinese at bay. However, Nepali politicians will need to demonstrate much greater maturity and astuteness to balance these contending external influences in a manner which maximise national interests rather than serving their personal ambitions. Thus far, neither the Maoists factions nor the Nepali Congress Party have demonstrated such foresight.
