Trump drives his anti-immigration message in Colorado suburb, seeks death penalty for migrants who kill Americans

Trump drives his anti-immigration message in Colorado suburb, seeks death penalty for migrants who kill Americans
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Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado, on October 11, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 12 October 2024
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Trump drives his anti-immigration message in Colorado suburb, seeks death penalty for migrants who kill Americans

Trump drives his anti-immigration message in Colorado suburb, seeks death penalty for migrants who kill Americans
  • Calls for death penalty for any migrant that kills an American citizen or a law enforcement officer
  • Ignores rejection by Aurora officials of Venezuelan gang takeover

AURORA, Colorado: Donald Trump detoured from the battleground states Friday to visit a Colorado suburb that’s been in the news over illegal immigration as he drives a message, often using false or misleading claims and dehumanizing language, that migrants are causing chaos in smaller American cities and towns.

Trump’s rally in Aurora marked the first time ahead of the November election that either presidential campaign has visited Colorado, which reliably votes Democratic statewide.

The Republican nominee has long promised to stage the largest deportation operation in US history and has made immigration core to his political persona since launching his first campaign in 2015. In recent months, Trump has pinpointed specific smaller communities that have seen large arrivals of migrants, with tensions flaring locally over resources and some longtime residents expressing distrust about sudden demographic changes.

Aurora entered the spotlight in August when a video circulated showing armed men walking through an apartment building housing Venezuelan migrants. Trump has claimed extensively that Venezuelan gangs are taking over buildings, even though authorities say that was a single block of the suburb near Denver, and the area is again safe.

 

Ignoring those denials from local authorities, Trump painted a picture of apartment complexes overrun by “barbaric thugs” and streets unsafe to travel, blaming President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic rival.

“They’re ruining your state,” Trump said of the Democrats in the White House.

“No person who has inflicted the violence and terror that Kamala Harris has inflicted on this community can ever be allowed to become the president of the United States,” Trump added.

Dehumanizing language

Trump often used dehumanizing language, referring to his political rivals as “scum” and to migrants as ” animals ” who have “invaded and conquered” Aurora. The town is “infected by Venezuela,” he said.

“We have to clean out our country,” Trump said. And he reprised the first controversy of his career in politics, when he launched his 2016 campaign by saying migrants are rapists and bring drugs and crime.

“I took a lot of heat for saying it, but I was right,” Trump said Friday, repeating the false claim that other countries are emptying their prisons and mental institutions and dumping their worst criminals in the United States.

To thunderous applause, he called for the death penalty “for any migrant that kills an American citizen or a law enforcement officer.”

Trump announced that as president he’d launch “Operation Aurora” to focus on deporting members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, or TDA. The violent gang traces its origins more than a decade to an infamously lawless prison with hardened criminals.

Trump also repeated his pledge to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law that allows the president to deport any noncitizen who is from a country that the US is at war with.

In July, the Biden administration issued a sanction against the gang and offered $12 million in rewards for the arrest of three leaders.

Trump exagerrates

Aurora resident Jodie Powell, 54, was among the attendees at Trump’s Friday event. She said it’s “not the case” that Venezuelan gangs have taken over the city, as Trump claims. Still, Powell said she’s seen an increase in crime she associates with newcomers, citing a police chase that ended at a store where she was shopping.

“It takes a small amount of people to make a big difference in the community,” said Powell, who ranks immigration as her top concern alongside the economy. “It’s scary, it’s a scary thing.”

At the venue where Trump appeared, posters displayed mug shots of people in prison-orange with descriptions including “Illegal immigrant gang members from Venezuela.”

“Look at all these photos around me,” Stephen Miller, a former top aide who is expected to take a senior role in the White House if Trump wins, told the crowd. “Are these the kids you grew up with? Are these the neighbors you were raised with? Are these the neighbors that you want in your city?” The crowd roared ”no” in reply.

Some Colorado officials, including the Republican mayor of Aurora, accused Trump and other Republicans of overstating problems in the city.

“Again, the reality is that the concerns about Venezuelan gang activity in our city — and our state — have been grossly exaggerated and have unfairly hurt the city’s identity and sense of safety,” said Mike Coffman, a former US congressman.

Spreading falsehoods

Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, also have spread falsehoods about a community in Springfield, Ohio, where they said Haitian immigrants were accused of stealing and eating pets.

While Ohio and Colorado are not competitive in the presidential race, the Republican message on immigration is intended for states that are. Vance campaigned recently in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, a city of 70,000 that has resettled refugees from Africa and Asia, and touted Trump’s plan to ramp up deportations. He argues smaller communities have been “overrun” by immigrants taxing local resources.

Trump has vowed to deport not only “criminals,” a promise he shares with Harris, but also Haitians living legally in Springfield and even people he has denigrated as “pro-Hamas radicals” protesting on college campuses. Trump has said he would revoke the temporary protected status that allows Haitians to stay in the US because of widespread poverty and violence in their home nation.

Harris has tacked to the right on immigration, presenting herself as a candidate who can be tough on policing the border, which is perceived as one of her biggest vulnerabilities.

She wrapped up a three-day western swing with a campaign event Friday in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she said she would create a bipartisan council of advisers to provide feedback on her policy initiatives if she makes it to the White House.

“I love good ideas wherever they come from,” said Harris, who is making a push to get Republicans with doubts about Trump to support her.

Trump let Iran off the hook: Harris

She also accused Trump of letting Iran “off the hook” while he was in office and argued she would be a greater champion for Israel’s security.

“Make no mistake, as president, I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend American forces and interests from Iran and Iran-backed terrorists,” Harris said in a call with Jewish supporters ahead of Yom Kippur. “And I will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. Diplomacy is my preferred path to that end. But all options are on the table.”

Harris charged that Trump “did nothing” after Iran “attacked US bases and American troops.”

The criticism by Harris was a knock on Trump for downplaying a January 2020 missile attack by Iran on a US base in Iraq that left several American troops with concussion-like symptoms, including some who had to be evacuated for treatment. Trump earlier this month referred to the injuries as a “headache.”

The Iranian missile attack came days after Trump ordered a strike that that killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, and raised tensions between the US and Iran.

Harris participated virtually in a White House briefing with President Biden on the recovery effort from hurricanes Milton and Helene. She sought to reassure those who endured losses from the hurricane that they would get help from the government.


Korean man opens musalla at home to serve Muslim migrant workers

Korean man opens musalla at home to serve Muslim migrant workers
Updated 6 sec ago
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Korean man opens musalla at home to serve Muslim migrant workers

Korean man opens musalla at home to serve Muslim migrant workers
  • Often called the ‘Hawaii of South Korea,’ Jeju Island increasingly relies on migrant workers
  • Many employed in fisheries come from Muslim-majority Indonesia and Pakistan

Seogwipo, Jeju: On the southern coast of Jeju Island, far from the honeymoon resorts and tourist beaches, a modest home near a fishing village has quietly become a spiritual refuge for a largely invisible community: Muslim migrant workers.

Step past the shoe rack and the quiet hum of a record player, and you will find a small musalla. Clean, carpeted and softly lit, the space offers something rare for Muslims living on South Korea’s remote holiday island: a place to pray, rest, and feel recognized.

The prayer space was created by Nasir Hong-suk Seong, 35, a Korean fish farm operator who converted part of his home into a musalla after moving to Jeju earlier this year.

The island’s only masjid is in Jeju City, more than an hour by car from the southern coast where most migrants work in fisheries.

“Fish farm workers are on call 24 hours, so they can never make the time to go to the masjid for Jummah prayers,” Seong told Arab News.

“When I first arrived, I asked where they prayed. I was very sad when I heard it was almost impossible for them to attend Friday prayers and that they mostly prayed in the corner of their small dorm rooms.”

Often called the “Hawaii of South Korea,” Jeju is better known for its volcanic peak and tourist beaches than for labor migration. Yet, the island’s economy has been increasingly reliant on migrant workers, many of whom are Muslim men coming mainly from Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Jeju Province officially recorded 3,567 migrant workers in 2024. Seong estimates that in his region alone, 300 fish farms employ about 1,500 of them, with half identifying as Muslim.

Seong moved to Jeju from the port city of Incheon, where he used to run a guesthouse and often hosted Muslim guests. Getting to know them helped him see through the negative stereotypes of Islam in the West, and in 2023 he converted to the Muslim faith.

“About 30 percent of my guests were from Muslim-majority countries. As I got to know them through hosting, they turned out to be incredibly kind and respectful,” he said.

“There are so many people who misunderstand the religion. I think when people talk about Islam in Korea, they think of something foreign, something unknown. But it can be as simple as taking care of your neighbors.”

Such, too, was the purpose of Seong’s musalla. He spent a month preparing it at the home belonging to his grandfather. Starting in March, he spent all his after-work hours furnishing the space.

“When I moved in, I had nothing. Not even furniture or a pillow. This musalla was the first thing I made,” he said.

“I always keep it open. People can come for group prayer anytime ... and seeing them pray here makes me happy.”

Modest but maintained with care, the musalla is fitted with prayer rugs lined on the floor. A low shelf holds editions of the Qur’an in English, Arabic and Korean. Arabic calligraphy decorates the walls. A handmade qibla sign marks the direction of prayer.

Khalid Hussein, a 38-year-old from Pakistan, has been working in Jeju for the past 15 years. Employed at Seong’s fish farm, he has been visiting the musalla regularly, also to be in touch more with his identity.

“It became easier for us,” Hussein said.

“Jeju is 100 percent different. The culture, religion — everything is different. So, we need to compromise.”

He was at the musalla with his colleague, Zahaid Hussain, who also came from Pakistan on a contract that brought him to Jeju.

“I felt good when I was finally able to offer Friday prayers,” Zahaid said. “I was happy.”


Thousands of Buddhists gather in north India for Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday

Thousands of Buddhists gather in north India for Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday
Updated 21 min 27 sec ago
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Thousands of Buddhists gather in north India for Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday

Thousands of Buddhists gather in north India for Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday
  • Dalai Lama announced that the institution of Tibet’s spiritual leader would continue after his death
  • Followers and friends, including actor Richard Gere, took part in week-long celebrations

NEW DELHI: Thousands of Buddhists gathered in Dharamshala in northern India on Sunday to mark the 90th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

A Nobel peace laureate and one of the world’s most influential figures, the 14th Dalai Lama has been living in India since 1959, after he fled Tibet with thousands of others following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

Dharamshala, a town in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, has been his place of residence over the past six decades and also hosts the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Followers, monks, Indian officials and friends — including American actor Richard Gere — surrounded the Dalai Lama at the Tsuklakhang Tibetan Buddhist complex, where, despite monsoon rain, they greeted him with prayer and traditional Tibetan music and dance.

They celebrated his birthday and recent announcement that the 600-year-old institution of the Dalai Lama would continue after his death.

“This institution of the Dalai Lama is our identity, and I am glad it will be there. I came here for the Dalai Lama’s birthday from Delhi; you can understand how important he is for us,” said Loden, a Tibetan garment merchant living in New Delhi.

“This Dalai Lama is very popular and the whole world knows him, respects him, follows him. So yes, there is a bit of concern about the future Dalai Lama, about his acceptability in the world. I am sure this Dalai Lama would have thought about it. He has done great work for us Tibetans.”

When a Dalai Lama dies, Tibetan Buddhists believe he is reincarnated. Senior monks and members of the Tibetan government-in-exile will then search for the child who is the reincarnation, relying on dreams and visions, rituals at sacred lakes, signs at the Dalai Lama’s death, and other omens.

The 14th Dalai Lama was 2 years old when a search party decided he was the 14th reincarnation of Tibet’s spiritual leader.

Over the years, he has indicated that the continuation of the institution was ultimately up to the Tibetan people, and, if they no longer found it relevant, it could cease to exist, and there would be no 15th Dalai Lama.

He confirmed plans for a successor on Thursday.

“I am very happy that the Dalai Lama chose reincarnation. There should not have been any debate around it. It is our faith, and we trust every decision that the Dalai Lama makes. We can sacrifice our lives for him,” said Gatsog, a Tibetan refugee and monk in Dharamsala who attended the birthday celebrations.

The Dalai Lama has long led the Tibetan diaspora — most of whom live in India — in their struggle for autonomy and resistance against Chinese domination in Tibet.

His succession has drawn concerns among Tibetans living abroad that China might try to appoint the next Dalai Lama to tighten its control over Tibet, a region it invaded in 1950 and has governed ever since.

“China has no role in our religion. It is a matter of our faith. It is only about the decision of the Dalai Lama. We support his decision,” said Sonam Dolma, a Tibetan translator who has been living in India since 2007.

“I don’t have any concerns about the future Dalai Lama as he would be chosen by this Dalai Lama. So, it would be good for us. We just hope the world accepts him.”


A man is injured in a struggle with an escaped lion in southern Turkiye

A man is injured in a struggle with an escaped lion in southern Turkiye
Updated 06 July 2025
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A man is injured in a struggle with an escaped lion in southern Turkiye

A man is injured in a struggle with an escaped lion in southern Turkiye
  • Kir Suleyman, a farmer, was hospitalized with wounds to his head, shoulder and legs

ISTANBUL: A farmer was seriously injured when he was attacked by a lion that had escaped a zoo in southern Turkiye on Sunday, local media reported. The lion was later shot dead.

The male lion, named Zeus, escaped his cage at Land of Lions in Manavgat, a resort city on the Mediterranean coast, in the early hours, the private Demiroren News Agency said. A few hours later, he attacked the 53-year-old man, who was sleeping outdoors after watering pistachio trees.

“I heard a whispering sound. When I lifted the blanket, the lion fell on me,” Suleyman Kir told the agency. “We struggled and fought. ... I grabbed his neck and squeezed. At that moment, he ran off a little.”

The Ilhas News Agency reported that police officers searching for the lion heard the noise of the struggle and scared it off by shooting into the air. Ilhas also showed footage of the lion strolling outside homes before disappearing into scrubland.

Kir was hospitalized with wounds to his head, shoulder and legs. Police teams and drones found the lion in a nearby wooded area.

Land of Lions’ website boasts that the park holds “the world’s largest lion family” of more than 30 animals. It also contains tigers, bears and wolves.

It wasn’t clear how the lion escaped but an investigation has been launched. The zoo did not comment on Sunday.


China used embassies to undermine Rafale sales after India-Pakistan conflict— French intelligence 

China used embassies to undermine Rafale sales after India-Pakistan conflict— French intelligence 
Updated 06 July 2025
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China used embassies to undermine Rafale sales after India-Pakistan conflict— French intelligence 

China used embassies to undermine Rafale sales after India-Pakistan conflict— French intelligence 
  • Pakistan says it downed five Indian planes during May fighting, including three Rafales
  • China’s defense ministry rejects French claims as “pure groundless rumors and slander”

PARIS: China deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of French-made Rafale jets after they saw combat in India and Pakistan’s clashes in May, French military and intelligence officials have concluded, implicating Beijing in an effort to hammer the reputation and sales of France’s flagship fighter.

Findings from a French intelligence service seen by The Associated Press say defense attaches in China’s foreign embassies led a charge to undermine Rafale sales, seeking to persuade countries that have already ordered the French-made fighter — notably Indonesia — not to buy more and to encourage other potential buyers to choose Chinese-made planes.

The findings were shared with AP by a French military official on condition that the official and the intelligence service not be named.

Four days of India-Pakistan clashes in May were the most serious confrontation in years between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, and included air combat that involved dozens of aircraft from both sides. Military officials and researchers have since been digging for details of how Pakistan’s Chinese-made military hardware — particularly warplanes and air-combat missiles — fared against weaponry that India used in airstrikes on Pakistani targets, notably French-made Rafale fighters.

Sales of Rafales and other armaments are big business for France’s defense industry and help efforts by the government in Paris to strengthen ties with other nations, including in Asia where China is becoming the dominant regional power.

France is fighting what it calls a disinformation campaign against the Rafale.

Pakistan claimed its air force downed five Indian planes during the fighting, including three Rafales. French officials say that prompted questions about their performance from countries that have bought the fighter from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation.

India acknowledged aircraft losses but didn’t say how many. French air force chief Gen. Jérôme Bellanger said that he’s seen evidence pointing to just 3 Indian losses — a Rafale, a Russian-made Sukhoi and a Mirage 2000, which is an earlier generation French-made jet. It was the first known combat loss of a Rafale, which France has sold to eight countries.

“Of course, all those, the nations that bought Rafales, asked themselves questions,” Bellanger said.

French officials have been battling to protect the plane from reputational damage, pushing back against what they allege was a concerted campaign of Rafale-bashing and disinformation online from Pakistan and its ally China.

They say the campaign included viral posts on social media, manipulated imagery showing supposed Rafale debris, AI-generated content and video-game depictions to simulate supposed combat. More than 1,000 social media accounts newly created as the India-Pakistan clashes erupted also spread a narrative of Chinese technological superiority, according to French researchers who specialize in online disinformation.

French military officials say they haven’t been able to link the online Rafale-bashing directly to the Chinese government.

Intelligence assessment says Chinese officials lobbied potential clients to ditch French planes

But the French intelligence service said Chinese embassy defense attaches echoed the same narrative in meetings they held with security and defense officials from other countries, arguing that Indian Air Force Rafales performed poorly and promoting Chinese-made weaponry.

The defense attaches focused their lobbying on countries that have ordered Rafales and other potential customer-nations that are considering purchases, the intelligence service said. It said French officials learned of the meetings from nations that were approached.

Asked by AP to comment on the alleged effort to dent the Rafale’s appeal, the Ministry of National Defense in Beijing said: “The relevant claims are pure groundless rumors and slander. China has consistently maintained a prudent and responsible approach to military exports, playing a constructive role in regional and global peace and stability.”

In recent years, China has stepped up disinformation campaigns on global social media platforms like X, Instagram or Facebook, using networks of state-sponsored influencers, sites that pose as news organizations, and fake social media accounts to spread narratives from Beijing.

France’s Defense Ministry said the Rafale was targeted by “a vast campaign of disinformation” that “sought to promote the superiority of alternative equipment, notably of Chinese design.”

’Strategic French offering’

“The Rafale was not randomly targeted. It is a highly capable fighter jet, exported abroad and deployed in a high-visibility theater,” the Defense Ministry wrote on its website.

“The Rafale was also targeted because it represents a strategic French offering. By attacking the aircraft, certain actors sought to undermine the credibility of France and its defense industrial and technological base. The disinformation campaign therefore did not merely target an aircraft, but more broadly a national image of strategic autonomy, industrial reliability, and solid partnerships.”

Dassault Aviation has sold 533 Rafales, including 323 for export to Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and Indonesia. Indonesia has ordered 42 planes and is considering buying more.

China may be hoping to weaken the security relationships that France is building with Asian nations by spreading worries about the equipment it supplies, said Justin Bronk, an airpower specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank in London.

“From a point of view of limiting Western countries’ influence in the Indo-Pacific, it would make sense for China to be using the performance of Pakistani weapon systems — or at least purported performance — in downing at least one Rafale as a tool to undermine its attractiveness as an export,” he said.

“They certainly saw an opportunity to damage French sales prospects in the region.”


Pope sends condolences to victims of Texas floods

Pope sends condolences to victims of Texas floods
Updated 06 July 2025
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Pope sends condolences to victims of Texas floods

Pope sends condolences to victims of Texas floods
  • 50 people lost their lives in the Texas flood while 30 people remain missing

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo on Sunday sent condolences to the families of devastating floods in Texas which have left at least 50 people dead and nearly 30 more missing, many of them children.

“I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in a summer camp in the disaster caused by flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas. We pray for them,” said the US-born pontiff following Angelus prayers.

Rescuers searched through the night to try to locate 27 girls and teenagers missing from a riverside summer camp after flash floods caused by torrential rains on Friday, when the Guadalupe River rose eight meters (26 feet) in just 45 minutes.

Nearly 300 millimeters of rain per hour suddenly fell, a third of the average annual rainfall.