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Trump accuses Harris of anti-Semitism

Trump criticised Harris for declining to attend Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent address to Congress….reports Asian Lite News

Former President Donald Trump ramped up his attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democrat nominee for the US presidential poll, in front of a conservative audience in Florida, claiming that she doesn’t like Jews and Israel.

Trump criticised Harris for declining to attend Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent address to Congress.

“She doesn’t like Jewish people, she doesn’t like Israel,” he alleged about Harris whose husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish.

In his Friday’s address at the Turning Point USA’s Believers’ Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump asked the crowd, “Does everyone here understand the radical left ideology Kamala supports is really militantly hostile towards Americans of faith?”

Trump termed Harris as “the most incompetent, unpopular and far-left vice president in American history.”

The Republican nominee also called Harris a “bum”. “She was a bum three weeks ago,” Trump said adding. “She was a bum, a failed vice president.”

Kamala Harris’s campaign immediately responded to “Trump’s strange speech.”

“Donald Trump… insulted the faith of Jewish and Catholic Americans, lied about the election (again)… bragged about repealing Roe, proposed cutting billions in education funding, announced he would appoint more extremist judges, revealed he planned to fill a second Trump term with more criminals like himself, attacked lawful voting,” read a statement put out by her campign.

“America can do better than the bitter, bizarre, and backward looking delusions of criminal Donald Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris offers a vision for America’s future focused on freedom, opportunity, and security,” James Singer, a spokesperson for Harris’s campaign, said in a statement on Friday night.

Meanwhile, in his Florida address, Trump focused on reaching conservative voters and promised attendees that in a second term, we would once again “appoint rock solid conservative judges who will protect religious liberty”.

He also announced that he “just took off the last bandage” after his assassination attempt nearly two weeks ago. Trump also said that he will return to Butler, Pennsylvania, at the scene of the attempt on his life on July 13 to hold a “big and beautiful” rally to pay a tribute to firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died that day when struck by gunfire.

“We want to thank each and every one of the believers in this room for your prayers and your incredible support, I really did appreciate it,” said Trump at the event.

Trump asserted he “accepted” an “apology” from the FBI after Bureau confirmed he had been shot by a bullet during an assassination attempt earlier this month. The FBI confirmed Trump had been clipped in the ear by a gunman’s bullet, on July 13 at a Pennsylvania rally.

“What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle,” the bureau said in a statement. (ANI)

FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet

Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump’s near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president’s ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former president’s injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.

“What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle,” the agency said in a statement.

The statement from the FBI marked the most definitive law enforcement account of Trump’s injuries and followed ambiguous comments earlier in the week from Director Christopher Wray that appeared to cast doubt on whether Trump had actually been hit by a bullet.

The comment drew fury from Trump and his allies and further stoked conspiracy theories that have flourished on both sides of the political aisle amid a dearth of information following the July 13 attack.

Up until now, federal law enforcement agents involved in the investigation, including the FBI and Secret Service, had repeatedly refused to provide information about what caused Trump’s injuries. Trump’s campaign has also declined to release medical records from the hospital where he was first treated or to make the doctors there available for questions.

Updates have instead come either from Trump himself or from Trump’s former White House doctor, Ronny Jackson, a staunch ally who who now represents Texas in Congress. Though Jackson has been treating Trump since the night of the attack, he has come under considerable scrutiny and is not Trump’s primary care physician.

The FBI’s apparent reluctance to immediately vouch for the former president’s version of events — along with the ire he and some supporters have directed at the bureau in the shooting’s aftermath — has also raised fresh tension between the Republican nominee and the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency, which he could soon exert control over once again.

Trump and his supporters have repeatedly accused federal law enforcement of being weaponized against him.

Questions about the extent and nature of Trump’s wound began immediately after the attack, as his campaign and law enforcement officials declined to answer questions about his condition or the treatment he received after Trump narrowly escaped death in an attempted assassination by a gunman with a high-powered rifle.

Those questions have persisted despite photos showing the trace of a projectile speeding past Trump’s head, photographs that show Trump’s teleprompter glass intact after the shooting, and the account Trump himself gave in a Truth Social post within hours of the shooting saying he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”

“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he wrote.

Days later, in a speech accepting the nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump described the horrific scene in detail, while wearing a large, white, gauze bandage over his right ear.

“I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard, on my right ear. I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet,’” he said.

“If I had not moved my head at that very last instant,” Trump said, “the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be here tonight.”

But the first medical account of Trump’s condition didn’t come until a full week after the shooting, when Jackson released his first letter last Saturday evening. In that letter, he said the bullet that struck Trump had “produced a 2 cm wide wound that extended down to the cartilaginous surface of the ear.” He also revealed that Trump had received a CT scan at the hospital.

But federal law enforcement involved in the investigation, including the FBI and Secret Service, had declined to confirm that account. And Wray’s testimony offered apparently conflicting answers on the issue.

“There’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray testified, before he seemed to suggest it was indeed a bullet.

“I don’t know whether that bullet, in addition to causing the grazing, could have also landed somewhere else,” he said.

The following day, the FBI sought to clarify matters with a statement affirming that the shooting was an “attempted assassination of former President Trump which resulted in his injury, as well as the death of a heroic father and the injuries of several other victims.” The FBI also said Thursday that its Shooting Reconstruction Team continues to examine bullet fragments and other evidence from the scene.

Jackson, who has been treating the former president since the night of the July 13 shooting, told The Associated Press on Thursday that any suggestion Trump’s ear was bloodied by anything other than a bullet was reckless.

“It was a bullet wound,” said Jackson. “You can’t make statements like that. It leads to all these conspiracy theories.”

In his letter Friday, Jackson insisted “there is absolutely no evidence” Trump was struck by anything other than a bullet and said it was “wrong and inappropriate to suggest anything else.”

He wrote that at Butler Memorial Hospital, where the GOP nominee was rushed after the shooting, he was evaluated and treated for a “Gunshot Wound to the Right Ear.”

“Having served as an Emergency Medicine physician for over 20 years in the United States Navy, including as a combat physician on the battlefield in Iraq,” he wrote, “I have treated many gunshot wounds in my career. Based on my direct observations of the injury, my relevant clinical background, and my significant experience evaluating and treating patients with similar wounds, I completely concur with the initial assessment and treatment provided by the doctors at nurses at Butler Memorial Hospital on the day of the shooting.”

The FBI declined to comment on the Jackson letters.

Asked if the campaign would release those hospital records, or allow the doctors who treated him there to speak, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung blasted the media for asking.

“The media has no shame in engaging in disgusting conspiracy theories,” he said. “The facts are the facts, and to question an abhorrent assassination attempt that ultimately cost a life and injured two others is beyond the pale.”

In emails last week, he told the AP that “medical readouts” had already been provided.

“It’s sad some people still don’t believe a shooting happened,” Cheung said, “even after one person was killed and others were injured.”

Anyone who believes the conspiracies, he added, “is either mentally deficient or willfully peddling falsehoods for political reasons.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close Trump ally, also urged Wray to correct his testimony in a letter Friday to the FBI director, saying the fact Trump had been hit by a bullet “was made clear in briefings my office received and should not be a point of contention.”

“As head of the FBI, you should not be creating confusion about such matters, as it further undercuts the agency’s credibility with millions of Americans,” he wrote.

Trump also lashed out at Wray in a post on his Truth Social network, saying it was “No wonder the once storied FBI has lost the confidence of America!”

“No, it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard. There was no glass, there was no shrapnel,” he wrote.

On Friday, he called Wray’s comments “so damaging to the Great People that work in the FBI.”

Jackson has faced significant scrutiny over the years.

After administering a physical to Trump in 2018, he drew headlines for suggesting that “if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old.”

He was reportedly demoted by the Navy after the Department of Defense inspector general released a scathing report on his conduct as a top White House physician that found Jackson had made “sexual and denigrating” comments about a female subordinates and took prescription-strength sleeping medication that prompted worries from his colleagues about his ability to provide proper medical care.

ALSO READ: Modi To Visit Ukraine, First Since Russia’s Invasion

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A PM committed to South Asian Communities 

Sir Keir has demonstrated his full commitment to South Asian communities across our country. I would like to illustrate this with the appointment of an individual, who I have had the immense pleasure of getting to know over the last year or two and working with. Vidhya Alekson OBE – who was recently appointed Political Director at Number 10 … writes  Professor Kishan Devani BEM 

Sir Keir Statmer has shown not just in words but in action his undying commitment to the South Asian Diaspora in the UK. Whether it is through his own work in his Camden Constituency or through his own offices while he was Leader of the Opposition and now in Number 10.

Sir Keir has demonstrated his full commitment to South Asian communities across our country. I would like to illustrate this with the appointment of an individual, who I have had the immense pleasure of getting to know over the last year or two and working with. Vidhya Alekson OBE – who was recently appointed Political Director at Number 10.

Vidhya Alakeson

Vidhya is an inspiration to many of us in the diaspora as she was appointed to this role by Sir Keir after the General Election victory, but prior to that Vidhya served as Sir Keir’s Director of External Relations & Stakeholder engagement – while he was Leader of the Opposition. Having worked with Vidhya, myself, I can say to the wider South Asian Community that there is not a better person for the role and that it is a matter of pride that we have a member of the South Asian Diaspora at the heart of Number 10. Her humiliy, passion and dedication to our country through her public service. Vidhya was previously instrumental in starting up Power to Change – an independent trust, established in 2015 to support and grow community-led businesses across England. She led the trust from 2015 to 2022. 

Prior to this, Vidhya was the deputy chief executive at the Resolution Foundation, an independent think tank focusing on living standards, and was also the mental health lead for the personal health budgets delivery programme at NHS England. Vidhya worked at the US Department of Health and Human Services in Washington D.C. from 2006-2010 and before that at the UK Treasury and the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. 

Vidhya has a modern languages degree from the University of Oxford and an MSc from the London School of Economics. She is a former Trustee of the Young Foundation. This appointment in itself illustrates our Prime Ministers commitment to the South Asian Community, by having individuals such as Vidhya at the heart of Government is a matter of pride for all of us and shows Sir Keir’s commitment to our wider community. We now have a Labour Prime Minister in Number 10 who is committed to Equality, Diversity and inclusion.

With his formidable Cabinet, Parliamentary team and his Number 10 Team – he is a force for good and will bring about the change necessary to give South Asian Communities across our country the ability to thrive and flourish.

ALSO READ: Modi To Visit Ukraine, First Since Russia’s Invasion

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Trump Pledges US Leadership in Crypto and Bitcoin

Trump’s journey from aversion to cryptocurrency to conversion was marked by intense industry outreach to him and to his campaign and donations…reports Asian Lite News

Donald Trump, the former US President and Republican nominee for the White House, has pledged to turn the US into the “crypto capital of the planet and the Bitcoin superpower of the world” if elected and unveiled a plan to unlock the potential of the fledgling industry.

The former President on Saturday also promised to appoint an advisory council to frame his administration’s cryptocurrency policy, fire Gary Gensler, the current head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which oversees the industry; and free a jailed American who ran the Silk Route market, a dark-net platform, by commuting his life-term sentence to time served in jail.

A one-time sceptic who called cryptocurrency — digital money that is not backed by any central bank — a “sham”, Trump has embraced it in recent months and said in a speech to an annual conference of the industry in Nashville, Tennessee, that Bitcoin — a type of cryptocurrency — “stands for freedom, sovereignty and independence from government coercion”.

“This afternoon, I’m laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet and the Bitcoin superpower of the world,” he said.

“We’ll get it done. If crypto is going to define the future, I want it to be mined and made in the USA. It’s not going to be made anywhere else. I want America to be the nation that leads the way. And that’s what’s going to happen, though, you’re going to be very happy with me,” the former President added.

Trump’s journey from aversion to cryptocurrency to conversion was marked by intense industry outreach to him and to his campaign and donations.

The first real sign of the shift in his thinking came in the Republican party’s platform release ahead of the convention in Milwaukee. “Republicans will end Democrats’ unlawful and un-American crypto crackdown and oppose the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency,” said the platform. “We will defend the right to mine Bitcoin, and ensure every American has the right to self-custody their digital assets and transact free from government surveillance and control.”

The SEC has filed more than 80 cases against cryptocurrency industry figures under the Joe Biden administration. The charges range from defrauding customers, misrepresenting assets to making unregistered offerings of cryptocurrency.

“If you are considering a digital asset-related investment, take the time to understand how the investment works and to evaluate its risks,” the agency has warned in an investor alert.

An estimated 50 million Americans have invested in cryptocurrency, according to The Digital Chamber, an advocacy group for the industry. Black and Latino communities account for higher rates, the chamber wrote in a recent letter to Vice-President Kamala Harris urging her to include “pro-digital asset” language in her party platform.

Trump has beaten Harris to it and reinforced it with a policy plan received with loud cheering and applause from the attendees.

Trump promised the attendees that not only would his administration frame laws to encourage the cryptocurrency industry but also remove obstacles impeding the generation of electricity which is needed to power it.

“You need tremendous amounts of electricity. You need double the electricity of the entire electricity that we have right now in the United States to dominate. And we’ll get that done,” he said, adding, “We’ll be having power plants built at the sites. We’ll be releasing people from certain ridiculous requirements, and we’ll be using fossil fuel to make electricity because we’re going to have to. We’ll be using nuclear power.”

The former President left the attendees with a rousing promise, “My job will be to set you free and to let you do what Americans do best, and what you’re going to do better than anybody: Win, win, win. You’re going to win, win, win, with energy, passion and brilliance, like we have rarely seen before. Our country cannot fail. We’re in a failing nation right now, but we’re not going to be alone. Our country cannot fail. With your help, we will save our nation. We will restore our Republic. We will make America and Bitcoin, bigger, better, stronger, richer, freer and greater than ever before.”

ALSO READ-Trump Accuses Harris Of Anti-Semitism

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Damage Control

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham emphasized that people do not want “politicians without possession of the facts exploiting the situation for their own political agenda with zero regard for the effect on the ground in communities in Greater Manchester.” In another development, Rochdale MP Paul Wagh warned that extremists “of all kinds” could “exploit the ongoing storm and hijack it for their own ends,” writes Kaliph Anaz

After days of protests and expert intervention, the Greater Manchester Police have decided to launch a criminal investigation into an incident in which a police officer was filmed kicking and stamping on a man at the airport. A decision will then be made on whether to refer the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and whether the officer involved should face disciplinary proceedings. The officer was suspended on Thursday after the footage was widely shared on social media. It showed an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man who was lying face down on the floor.

The video sparked two nights of protests outside Rochdale Police Station and in Manchester city centre. Former Met Police Chief Superintendent Dal Babu told BBC Radio 4 that he believes racism “played a significant part” in the incident.

GMP said it was called at 8:25 pm on Tuesday evening to an “altercation” between members of the public in Terminal Two, before the officers were subjected to a “violent assault” while trying to make an arrest. Four men were arrested at the scene on suspicion of affray and assault of emergency service workers. Police reported that a female officer was left with a broken nose and other officers were taken to the hospital. The force also mentioned the risk of the armed officers’ firearms being taken.

GMP’s Chief Constable Stephen Watson expressed “profound regret” for the incident and added, “We are at one with the best instincts of those engaged in appealing for calm.”

 “It is a source of profound regret that this week’s incident at Manchester Airport has caused shock and upset in some of our communities,” the Manchester police said in a statement. “Throughout this week, senior officers have been meeting with community representatives to ensure their voices are heard and this will continue- we are at one with the best instincts of those engaged in appealing for calm.”

Catherine Bates, IOPC regional director, said she had met with one of the men involved in the incident and his family and will continue to update them and the police on the investigation.

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, called for calm. He said he had visited Rochdale and met with around 40 community members who “spoke of the family’s appeal for calm.”

Mr. Burnham reiterated that the people of Greater Manchester want “a process that is able to proceed on the basis of being fair to everyone” and that they do not want “politicians without possession of the facts exploiting the situation for their own political agenda with zero regard for the effect on the ground in communities in Greater Manchester.”

Meanwhile, Rochdale MP Paul Wagh stated that extremists “of all kinds” could “exploit the ongoing storm and hijack it for their own ends.”

Akhmed Yakoob, a solicitor representing the family of the man kicked in the footage, said the victim’s family were “okay” but “traumatized.” Speaking to media outside Rochdale Police Station, Mr. Yakoob mentioned that the condition of one of the men had worsened, revealing that a CT scan found a “cyst on his brain.” He added, “The main concern for us, for me, is that the family receive justice and this no longer happens again.”

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the largest Islamic forum in the country, linked the incident with the ongoing rise in Islamophobia. “We are deeply shocked and alarmed by footage showing the aggressive use of force on passengers at Manchester Airport,” the MCB said in a statement. “Particularly troubling is the footage of a man who is kicked in the head and repeatedly hurt whilst he lay on the floor unarmed. This footage has caused significant distress across communities in the UK.”

A statement released by the Muslim Association of Britain said the events are “against a backdrop of rising incidents of police brutality, particularly targeting minority ethnic communities. Already, those on the far-right fringes of society are attempting to justify these actions and sow division. We must not allow their divisive rhetoric to take hold.”

Stand Up to Racism Greater Manchester said there was “no possible justification” for the attack. In 2021, a report commissioned by Mr. Burnham concluded that GMP was “institutionally racist,” a finding which was rejected by GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson, who still heads the force.

Ameen Hadi, from Manchester Stand Up to Racism, said: “This is the latest in a long catalogue of misogynistic, racist, and homophobic behavior. Chief Constable Watson must be held accountable by GM Mayor Andy Burnham and sacked.”

Habib Kadiri, director of Stop Watch, said the video “shows a blatant disregard for the principle of minimal force. Worst of all, the actions of officers towards a Muslim family at an airport reveal an Islamophobic strain of violence that confirms a growing fear among racialized minorities that the police do not keep them safe.”

Police Culture

Manchester Mayor Burnham stated he will continue to “challenge GMP to improve the culture” following a week of bad press for the force. Footage of the incident came to light less than a week after the Baird Review was published, which found GMP treated some women in custody “like meat.”

“Policing is challenging all over the country. Police forces everywhere are facing challenges. They are not unique to Greater Manchester; we have seen disturbances in other places very recently — these have been difficult times for everybody,” Mr. Burnham said. “Police forces have been out there dealing with some of these issues in society, and I want to say I recognize the difficult job that officers do in Greater Manchester. It’s a really difficult and demanding job — I am not making any comment on the individual situation; I am making a general comment here. It’s hard to be policing communities on the frontline at this moment in time.

“One thing I would say is that some of the things you have raised are [known about] because we are challenging GMP to go further to improve the culture in the organization. That brings some things out into the public domain. We will never say there is nothing to see here.”

GMP had also been put under special measures after it failed to record a fifth of all reported crimes and was only lifted out of them two years ago.

ALSO READ-DAMAGE CONTROL: Pakistan Army Targets Diaspora

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The Greatest Show On Earth Begins

Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony, afterward drew attention away from “The Last Supper” references, saying that hadn’t been his intention. Le Filip responded to the criticism of the scene with a touch of humor and sorrow…reports Asian Lite News

In an unprecedented display of inclusivity, drag queens took center stage at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, showcasing the vibrant and influential role of the French LGBTQ+ community — while also attracting criticism over a tableau reminiscent of “The Last Supper.”

Held along the Seine River, the spectacular four-hour event featured global stars such as Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, both considered queer icons. The ceremony blended historic and modern French culture with a touch of kitsch, culminating in a flotilla of barges carrying thousands of Olympians.

Nicky Doll, known for competing on the 12th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and hosting “Drag Race France,” participated in a high-octane fashion runway segment along with “Drag Race France” Season 1 winner Paloma, Season 3’s Piche, and Giselle Palmer. Initially, they stood alongside the runway, gazing fiercely at the strutting models. Later, they joined in, showcasing their own style.

Le Filip, the recent winner of “Drag Race France,” expressed their positive “surprise” and “pride” at the ceremony’s scale and representation.

“I thought it would be a five-minute drag event with queer representation. I was amazed. It started with Lady Gaga, then we had drag queens, a huge rave, and a fire in the sky,” they said. “It felt like a crowning all over again. I am proud to see my friends and queer people on the world stage.”

Among their bold performances was a scene seemed to evoke Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” featuring the drag queens and other performers in a configuration reminiscent of Jesus Christ and his apostles. This segment drew significant attention — and mixed reactions.

“The (French) government knows what it’s doing. They want to show themselves in the best way possible. They showed no restraints in expression,” Le Filip told The Associated Press.

On the other hand, prominent far-right politician Marion Maréchal denounced the performance on social media.

“To all the Christians of the world who are watching the Paris 2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation,” she posted on X, a sentiment that was echoed by religious conservatives internationally.

“… because decapitating Habsburgs and ridiculising central Christian events are really the FIRST two things that spring to mind when you think of #OlympicGames,” Eduard Habsburg, Hungary’s ambassador to the Vatican, posted on X, also referencing a scene depicting the beheading of Marie Antoinette.

Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony, afterward drew attention away from “The Last Supper” references, saying that hadn’t been his intention. Le Filip responded to the criticism of the scene with a touch of humor and sorrow.

“It feels like the words of somebody who didn’t get on the guest list. We could all be laughing together. It’s sad to me, honestly,” they said. Inter-LGBT President James Leperlier was more circumspect, arguing that France still has significant strides to make in inclusivity.

“We know in the LGBTQ community in France we are far from what the ceremony showed. There’s much progress to do in society regarding transgender people. It’s terrible that to legally change their identity they are forced to be on trial,” Leperlier said.

He also highlighted the disparity in acceptance, saying that the community is not visible in other official ceremonies and “has difficulty being heard.”

“If you saw the opening ceremony last night you’d think it was like that normally, but it’s not. France tried to show what it should be and not what it is,” he said.

The opening ceremony came as drag and the voguing nightclub scene in France has experienced a revival. The cabaret club Madame Arthur, founded in 1946 in the ashes of World War II, is one of the world’s oldest continually running LGBTQ+ theaters. It opened as Europe was only just beginning to understand the extent of the widespread murder of members of the queer community in WWII and is currently experiencing a massive renaissance.

Drag is not just a pastime; for many minority French communities who feel alienated over tensions arising from divisive politics and scars from the anti-gay marriage protests a decade ago, it’s a statement of defiance. Many gay Black and Arab youths — especially those from Paris’ less affluent and religiously conservative suburbs — and others who feel a sense of disconnect with French society find voguing and drag events safe places where their identities can be expressed without fear of reprisal.

Despite the backlash, Le Filip believes the opening ceremony will ultimately transcend controversy. “The message of the show is freedom, and it’s a good postcard for France,” they concluded.

ALSO READ-Paris Dazzles World With Colourful Olympics Opening Ceremony

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Russia slams Olympic opening as ‘massive failure’

Only a few Russian athletes have been approved to participate in the Games as “neutrals.” Competiors under the Russian flag have been banned over Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine…reports Asian Lite News

Russia on Saturday slammed the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games as a “massive failure.” Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova gave a long list of shortcomings at Friday’s ceremony, which was not broadcast live on Russian television.

“I wasn’t planning to watch the opening. But after seeing the photos, I couldn’t believe it wasn’t a deep fake or photoshop,” the spokeswoman wrote on Telegram

Only a few Russian athletes have been approved to participate in the Games as “neutrals.” Competiors under the Russian flag have been banned over Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine.

Zakharova wrote that the “ridiculous open-air opening ceremony forced guests to sit for hours under pouring rain.”

“The organizers did not think of either seeding the clouds or awnings,” she said, referring to Russia’s practice of sending up planes ahead of major outdoor events to attempt to break up clouds.

France detained a Russian man just ahead of the Games’ opening, accusing him of a “destablization” plot for the event. “I wonder how many more ‘spies’ had to be embedded for the opening of the Olympics in Paris to end up such a massive failure?” said Zakharova.

Zakharova also mocked the “transport collapse” on the day, after three arson attacks on the rail system, and France’s blaming this on sabotage.

She said the center of Paris was “transformed into a ghetto for homeless people,” while “rats flooded the streets.”

Other targets were the US rapper Snoop Dogg carrying the Olympic torch and gaffes such as introducing the South Korean team as North Korea and raising the Olympic flag upside-down.

Zakharova picked on a part of the opening ceremony featuring drag queens, interpreted by some as parodying The Last Supper. She called it a “mockery of a sacred story for Christians,” saying that “the Apostles were shown as transvestites.”

“Evidently in Paris they decided that if the Olympic rings are multi-colored, you can turn it all into one giant gay parade,” she added.

A spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, Vakhtang Kipshidze, also condemned this section, writing on his personal Telegram channel that it was “cultural and historical suicide.”

South Korea wrongly introduced as North Korea at Olympics

Olympic organisers have issued a “deep apology” after South Korea’s athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony in Paris.

As the excited, flag-waving team floated down the River Seine, both French and English announcers introduced them as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” – the official name of North Korea.

The same name was then used – correctly – when North Korea’s delegation sailed past.

The two Koreas have been divided since the end of World War Two, with tensions between the states further escalating recently.

The subtitle which ran across the bottom of the television broadcast showed the correct title, however.

The South Korean sports ministry said it planned to lodge a “strong complaint with France on a government level” over the embarrassing gaffe.

In a statement, the ministry expressed “regret over the announcement… where the South Korean delegation was introduced as the North Korean team.”

The statement added that the second vice sports minister, Jang Mi-ran, a 2008 Olympic weightlifting champion, had demanded a meeting with Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued an apology on its official Korean-language X account, saying: “We would like to offer a deep apology over the mistake that occurred in the introduction of the South Korean delegation during the opening ceremony.”

South Korea, formally known as the Republic of Korea, has 143 athletes in its Olympic team this year, competing across 21 sports.

North Korea has sent 16 athletes. This is the first time it has competed in the games since Rio 2016.

ALSO READ-Paris Dazzles World With Colourful Olympics Opening Ceremony

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At least 35 killed by ADF rebels in Congo

The search for victims in burned-down houses has been ongoing since Wednesday morning, the sources said…reports Asian Lite News

At least 35 people were killed overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday by rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in North Kivu, a province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The attack took place in the village of Ombele of the Lubero territory, according to the sources, who said the toll might go up as many civilians were taken hostage or missing.

The search for victims in burned-down houses has been ongoing since Wednesday morning, the sources said.

The ADF was founded in the 1990s by several opposition movements in Uganda. Defeated by the Ugandan army, ADF rebels remain active in the eastern DRC, where the DRC and Ugandan military have since late 2021 been conducting joint operations to track down the group, now affiliated with Daesh.

A military court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) opened the trial against Corneille Nangaa, political leader of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a politico-military group allied to the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group.

Nangaa, former President of DRC’s Independent National Electoral Commission, an agency responsible for election affairs, and 25 others are prosecuted for war crimes, participation in a criminal group, and treason on Wednesday.

Corneille Nangaa’s wife, Yvette Lubanda Nazinda, in exile in Europe, is also prosecuted for “treason, war crimes and participation in an insurrectional movement.”

Sultani Makenga, leader of the M23; Bertrand Bisimwa, M23’s political leader; Willy Ngoma and Lawrence Kanyuka, M23’s spokespersons, are also on the list of the defendants.

In December 2023, several days before the DRC general elections, Nangaa formed a political-military alliance AFC, with M23 rebels and other armed groups to “save the country.”

Uncertainty and a humanitarian crisis loom in the eastern DRC, despite an extended truce until August 3 between the DRC military and the M23 rebellion, which controls nearly 100 villages in the eastern North Kivu province after resurfacing in late 2021.

More than 900,000 newly displaced people were reported between January and April 2024, bringing the total number of the displaced to around 7.3 million in the country, including more than 5.6 million in the three eastern provinces, namely North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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France and Djibouti renew defense partnership

French troops have recently closed military bases in Mali and Niger following military coups in both countries, but there has never been any question of abandoning Djibouti, France’s largest permanent overseas base…reports Asian Lite News

French President Emmanuel Macron and his Djibouti counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh agreed Wednesday to renew the defense partnership between the two countries, following two years of negotiations.

According to a statement from the French presidency, they signed an agreement on “the ambitious reform of the Defense Cooperation Treaty which unites France and Djibouti.”

The accord, signed at Macron’s office, governs the 1,500 French troops based in the small but strategically located East African country.

French troops have recently closed military bases in Mali and Niger following military coups in both countries, but there has never been any question of abandoning Djibouti, France’s largest permanent overseas base.

The country is located opposite Yemen, near an opening to the Red Sea, where a large part of the global trade between Asia and the West passes.

The discussions had been held up by Djibouti’s demands that France greatly increase the rent it pays, according to a source close to the negotiations.

The defense agreement was first signed in 1977 when the former French colony won independence, and was renewed in 2011.

But France only began to pay rent in 2003, following the opening of a US base in the country.

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South Africa passes Climate Change Bill

Emissions targets will be set for each high-emitting government sector such as agriculture, transport and industry, and each relevant minister must adopt measures to achieve them…reports Asian Lite News

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law a broad climate change act that will set caps for large emitters and require every town and city to publish an adaptation plan.

The Climate Change Bill aims to enable South Africa to meet its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris climate agreement, the presidency said in a statement. South Africa, which is the world’s most carbon-intensive major economy and among the top 15 greenhouse gas emitters, is on track to miss those targets because of to its heavy reliance on coal for electricity.

“This is very significant in that it’s the first time that our climate change response is directly brought into domestic law,” said Brandon Abdinor, a lawyer at South Africa’s Centre for Environmental Rights, a non-profit organisation.

“A lot of work needs to be done, but this act puts the basic architecture in place for that to happen.” The presidency statement did not say when Ramaphosa had signed the law, which requires every province and municipality to assess climate change risks and develop a response plan.

Emissions targets will be set for each high-emitting government sector such as agriculture, transport and industry, and each relevant minister must adopt measures to achieve them.

The law also says the environment minister must allocate a carbon budget to large greenhouse gas-emitting companies, setting a limit on their emissions over a specified time.

The allocations have not yet been set, and the law does not make it an offence to exceed the limit although climate advocates had wanted this, said Abdinor. But emitters that exceed their budget are likely to have to pay a higher rate of carbon tax.

“With mandatory carbon budgets now in place, we expect to see significant emissions reductions from large companies,” Harald Winkler, an expert on climate policy at the University of Cape Town, said on X.

“Transparency in annual reporting will be key,” he added.

The bill is the latest sign that South Africa’s new government might be more aggressive on climate change and renewable energy than its predecessors.

The new energy minister has vowed to speed up the transition to renewables, but few specific plans have emerged. Funding plans to support the new bill are also unclear.

Western donors are offering billions of dollars in loans to fund the transition, but South African officials say they barely scratch the surface of the finance needed.

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Covid-19 Infects More Lung Cells Than Thought

Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys and the University of California-San Diego in the US have discovered that the lungs can independently mount an antiviral response without immune system aid when exposed to the virus…reports Asian Lite News

A lot more lung cell types can be infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the Covid-19 pandemic, and the number is higher than what was previously speculated, according to a study.

Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys and the University of California-San Diego in the US have discovered that the lungs can independently mount an antiviral response without immune system aid when exposed to the virus.

The team used induced pluripotent stem cells to create “mini lungs,” discovering that SARS-CoV-2 can infect cells without traditional receptors.

“While many people experience mild or moderate symptoms, Covid-19 still kills,” said Sandra Leibel, Associate Professor of Paediatrics at UC San Diego’s School of Medicine.

“This virus is here to stay, and we need to learn everything we can about it so we can improve treatment and prevention,” she added.

In the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that different strains of the virus prefer different lung cells, potentially explaining variations in disease severity. For instance, the Delta variant caused more severe pneumonia, while Omicron led to milder symptoms. The study also showed that the drug apilimod could block SARS-CoV-2’s entry into cells lacking traditional receptors.

Additionally, the team discovered that the lung’s surfactant protein B (SP-B) plays a crucial role in the antiviral response.

“These findings suggest not just one but two potential novel drug applications with the possible clinical use of surfactant early in Covid-19 cases,” said Evan Snyder, a professor in the Human Genetics Programme at Sanford Burnham Prebys. This research could lead to better treatment strategies and risk assessment tools for Covid.

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