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Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Rajnath Singh meets Chinese counterpart, stresses on avoiding new complexities in ties
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Admiral Don Jun that India and China should maintain the positive momentum in the bilateral ties and avoid adding new complexities. Singh held 'constructive' talks with Don on the sidelines of a conclave of defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in this Chinese port city on Thursday evening. The Indian defence minister's visit to China came amid efforts by both New Delhi and Beijing to reset their ties following an understanding last October to end the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. 'Held talks with Admiral Don Jun, the Defence Minister of China, on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao. We had a constructive and forward-looking exchange of views on issues about bilateral relations,' Singh said in a social media post on Friday. 'Expressed my happiness on the restarting of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after a gap of nearly six years,' he said. 'It is incumbent on both sides to maintain this positive momentum and avoid adding new complexities in the bilateral relationship,' he added. Singh also presented Don a Madhubani painting called 'Tree of Life' that symbolised wisdom and vitality, officials said. Madhubani art painting has its origin in the Mithila region of Bihar. This painting is a symbol of wisdom and vitality. According to a Chinese readout, Singh said in the meeting with Don that India does not seek conflict or confrontation with China, and is willing to properly handle differences, enhance communication and promote mutual trust for the steady development of bilateral relations. Singh's visit to Qingdao coincided with the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in Tibet. It is taking place after a gap of nearly five years. The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra was suspended initially in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently because of the military standoff between the two sides on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in China's Tibet Autonomous Region holds religious significance to Hindus as well as Jains and Buddhists. The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, and a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe downturn in ties between the two neighbours. The face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21 last year. In December last, NSA Doval visited Beijing and held talks with Wang under the framework of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary dispute. The decision to revive the SR mechanism and other such dialogue formats was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23, 2024. The Modi-Xi meeting came two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok. Doval visited China this week as well to attend a conclave of top security officials of the SCO.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Rajnath Singh meets Chinese counterpart; stresses avoiding new complexities in ties
"Expressed my happiness on the restarting of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after a gap of nearly six years," he said. "It is incumbent on both sides to maintain this positive momentum and avoid adding new complexities in the bilateral relationship," he added. Singh also presented Don a Madhubani painting called 'Tree of Life' that symbolised wisdom and vitality, officials said. Madhubani art painting has its origin in the Mithila region of Bihar. This painting is a symbol of wisdom and vitality. According to a Chinese readout, Singh said in the meeting with Don that India does not seek conflict or confrontation with China, and is willing to properly handle differences, enhance communication and promote mutual trust for the steady development of bilateral relations. Singh's visit to Qingdao coincided with the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in Tibet. It is taking place after a gap of nearly five years. The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra was suspended initially in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently because of the military standoff between the two sides on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in China's Tibet Autonomous Region holds religious significance to Hindus as well as Jains and Buddhists. The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, and a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe downturn in ties between the two neighbours. The face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21 last year. In December last, NSA Doval visited Beijing and held talks with Wang under the framework of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary dispute. The decision to revive the SR mechanism and other such dialogue formats was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23, 2024. The Modi-Xi meeting came two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok. Doval visited China this week as well to attend a conclave of top security officials of the SCO.
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Left-wing antisemitism is swiftly surpassing the right
With the smoke still in the air from an Egyptian Muslim's terror attack that set non-violent Jewish protesters on fire in Boulder, Colorado, there's finally a critical mass of concern about growing violent antisemitic hate in America from somewhere other than conservatives. For my whole life antisemitism has been a fact of life for conservatives like me. Cranky retirees and bald-headed young people alike espoused conspiracy theories and hatred of Jews from the fringes of our political world. People like William F. Buckley fought to keep them out of the mainstream, but millions of conservatives voted for vile anti-Jewish haters like Pat Buchanan. So in 2018 it didn't come as a surprise that the man nearly my age who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh was a right-wing crank who frequented Nazi-friendly social media sites like Gab and idolized the fringey Proud Boys. A couple years later when the Biden administration targeted the right for special attention from the Justice Department and the FBI for the potential violence of homegrown extremists, I didn't really object. Yes, there was left-wing violence like the 2017 attack on Republican congressmen at a bipartisan baseball game by a loopy old Bernie Sanders supporter, but it didn't seem like there was the same cesspool of violent hate on the left as there was on the right. That is changing. It turns out that while the Biden administration was on its politically convenient crusade against right-wing haters, they (and I) missed a parallel antisemitic culture of hate growing and metastasizing on the left. Left-wing extremism The Combat Hate Foundation, which takes reports of antisemitic incidents and categorizes them according to ideological motivation, found more than a 320% increase in left-wing antisemitic incidents from 2023 to 2024. 'The left-wing antisemitic movement has evolved into a global force,' the group writes. 'Radicalized social movements, media disinformation campaigns, and efforts to target Jewish communities under the guise of anti-Israel activism have primarily fueled this increase,' the group said. The recent murder of a soon-to-be engaged couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum is an example of such left-wing antisemitism. The alleged killer, who shouted 'Free, free Palestine!' after his attack, has ties to left-wing socialist, anti-war and anti-racist groups. Most of the nearly 4,329 incidents of left-wing antisemitism in 2024 were not so brutal, primarily involving hate speech or vandalism and not violence. Combat Hate Foundation The Combat Hate Foundation, which is funded by a donor who also funds Republican political campaigns, has a record of calling out antisemitism on both the right and the left. Indeed, the latest report says violence is more common in right-wing attacks, but the number of such events fell by half in 2024 to 461 as left-wing incidents exploded into view with campus chants of 'Globalize the intifada,' a common refrain that implies a tolerance for violence. The Combat Hate Foundation is not alone in its concern. The more-traditional and left-leaning Anti-Defamation League also raised alarms in a 2020 email about antisemitism on the left, including among Black Lives Matter leaders. The most recent attack in Boulder stems from the third font of antisemitism, radical Islam. The Egyptian-born attacker, who allegedly planned his atrocity for more than a year, carried his hatred for Jews from the Middle East, where it is both common and government-backed, to a new home in America where he overstayed a visa and then sought refugee status. This source of antisemitism, too, is rising, according to the Combat Hate Foundation. America has been a safe home for Jews for centuries. It is tragic that they now face the old threat from the right along with rising threats on the left and from Islamists who benefit from very American religious tolerance that they refuse to share with Jews.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
National EMS memorial procession to stop in Somerset
A traveling memorial honoring EMS professionals who died in the line of duty is set to appear in Somerset on Tuesday, June 24. The National EMS Memorial Service's annual procession began June 1 in Riverside, Calif., and will culminate in Arlington on July 19. The procession will make 29 stops in 19 states, including Somerset, to remember 29 EMS professionals who died in the line of duty. On June 24, Somerset-Pulaski County EMS will host the Moving Honors procession. It will take place at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Somerset, at the corner of W. Oak and N. Main streets. Parking is available in the First Baptist Church rear parking lot on N. Vine Street. The event will feature local speakers as well as a remembrance of Somerset-Pulaski County EMS EMT Chastian McWhorter, who died in the line of duty on April 1, 2024 as a result of a vehicular accident. He was 26 years old. The event marks one of the many stops along the 6,500-mile journey to Arlington where fallen EMS providers will be honored as part of the National EMS Memorial Service and Weekend of Honor. At the heart of the journey is a specially wrapped ambulance carrying the Tree of Life — this year's installment of the memorial bearing the names of those lost. Built by EMS volunteers, the Tree is transported with reverence and remains sealed until its unveiling at the national service. A replica Tree of Life will be on display at each stop, offering communities a space to pause, reflect, and honor lives of service. One of the Moving Honors representatives supporting this year's procession is American Medical Response (AMR) paramedic Megan Haverkamp, now in her fifth year with the crew. What began as a one-time request to drive an ambulance from Texas to Virginia has become a deeply personal tradition. Haverkamp now helps escort the Tree of Life alongside 'Chief Ted E Bear,' a comfort companion who helps children of fallen EMS providers cope with loss. 'Each stop is a moment to remember, to honor and to let families and fellow providers know that their loved ones are not forgotten,' Haverkamp said. 'What continues to move me is how everyone comes together, whether they knew the honorees personally or not, to show their love and support.' 'This moving tribute is only possible because of the shared commitment from agencies across the country and the generous support of organizations like Global Medical Response,' said Jana Williams, National EMS Memorial Service immediate past president. 'It is extraordinary witnessing so many who join alongside us to honor our fallen and to support their loved ones in such an impactful way.' The National EMS Memorial Service, founded in 1991, is a volunteer-driven organization funded solely by donors to honor fallen EMS providers and support their families and colleagues. It is the congressionally sanctioned entity that bestows the highest honor in EMS to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. While a permanent national memorial is still in development, a new panel is constructed each year and added to the Tree of Life, a temporary memorial, which continues to grow and honor those lost in the line of duty. The Moving Honors procession not only brings awareness and additional homage to the honorees but also provides a space for the public to pay respect and send messages of hope to families and EMS professionals. The REMEMBERship program is a unique way to sustain the mission of the NEMSMS, offering a simple way to donate and keep the legacy of fallen heroes alive.
CNN
03-06-2025
- General
- CNN
‘This is an American problem; it's not a Jewish problem': Tree of Life chair reacts to Boulder attack
Michael Bernstein, board chair of the Tree of Life, an organization which aims to uproot antisemitism, speaks to Bianna Golodryga about the rise in safety concerns for Jewish communities in the US and beyond.
