As Kamala Harris readies for US vote, her Indian village wants end to Gaza war

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Thomas and Mack Center, University of Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 10, 2024. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 13 August 2024
Follow

As Kamala Harris readies for US vote, her Indian village wants end to Gaza war

  • VP Harris’s maternal grandfather was born in Thulasendrapuram in Tamil Nadu state
  • Many residents are hopeful that Harris would shift US policy on Israel’s invasion of Gaza

NEW DELHI: In a small south Indian village more than 12,900 kilometers from Washington, residents have put up giant blue-white posters adorned with the face of US Vice President Kamala Harris. In the local Tamil language, each one wished her luck for the presidential election in November.

Thulasendrapuram, a village surrounded by rice paddy fields in India’s Tamil Nadu state, is where Harris’s maternal grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, was born more than a century ago. 

Throughout the years, its residents have been closely observing her political ascent, seeing the 59-year-old as one of their own. When she was inaugurated as vice president in 2021, they celebrated with firecrackers, free chocolate, posters and calendars with her picture. 

As she became the US democratic presidential candidate, many are beaming with pride as they pin new hopes that a Harris presidency would shift US policy on Israel’s war on Gaza.

“She belongs to our village and her ancestor was born here. We are very proud of her,” village chief Arulmozhi Sudhakar told Arab News. 

“She is from India and from Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, there is a saying that ‘every part of the entire world is ours and every human is our relatives’ … Once she wins she will stop and end the war. This is what I believe.”

Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinian citizens in over 300 days, has influenced election discussions in the US, with many now considering supporting Harris more than the previous democratic nominee, President Joe Biden, over her perceived stronger tone on the suffering of Palestinians. 

While she has not strayed from Biden’s policy on Israel, she has given a glimmer of hope for the supporters of Palestine, both within the US and abroad. 

It is also a salient issue for many Arab Americans, numbering more than 3.5 million in the US, whose support for Harris appears to depend on whether her proposed policies will save Palestinian lives. 

When it comes to the tiny Indian village of Thulasendrapuram, which temple is offering special prayers to the local deity for Harris’ success, there is also faith that she would “try to bring peace to Gaza.”

“She comes from Indian ancestry, which believes in non-violence … I hope that her decision would reflect her background and where she comes from,” village resident M. Krishnamurthy told Arab News. 

“No doubt she will try for peace in Gaza and stop the world from going into crisis.” 

A. Kanan, a retired government servant from Thulasendrapuram, is also hopeful that a Harris presidency would bring about a meaningful change for the besieged enclave.

“I want Kamala Harris to stop the war. This is my wish,” Kanan told Arab News. 

“Lots of women and children are being killed in Gaza. War needs to be stopped and there should be no more war and Kamala Harris should intervene to stop the war.” 


Pakistan says armed forces authorized to undertake ‘corresponding actions’ after India strikes

Updated 19 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan says armed forces authorized to undertake ‘corresponding actions’ after India strikes

  • India says struck nine sites that served as militant recruitment centers, launchpads and indoctrination centers
  • Pakistan army says at least six locations across its territory targeted, with 26 civilians killed and 46 injured

Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday the country’s top national security body had authorized its armed forces to take “corresponding actions” in response to Indian strikes inside Pakistani territory in which 26 civilians were killed overnight. 

In the sharpest military escalation in more than two decades between the nuclear-armed rivals, the Indian government said it struck nine Pakistani "terrorist infrastructure" sites where a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 had been planned. The assault took place on the tourist hill station of Pahalgam in the part of Kashmir governed by India, with 26 men killed. 

The Pakistani military said six locations across its territory - Ahmedpur East, Muridke, Sialkot, Shakargarh in the eastern province of Punjab and Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir - were targeted. Azad Kashmir is the part of the disputed Kashmir valley that is administered by Pakistan. 

In response, Pakistan military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said five Indian planes and one combat drone that had attacked Pakistan were shot down, naming three Rafales and an MiG-29 and Su-57 each.

“In consonance with Article-51 of the UN Charter, Pakistan reserves the right to respond, in self-defence, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing to avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and blatant violation of its sovereignty,” PM Sharif’s office said in a statement after he chaired a meeting of the National Security Committee, referring to the right of self-defense according to Chapter VII, Article 51, of the UN Charter.

“The Armed Forces of Pakistan have duly been authorized to undertake corresponding actions in this regard.”

The statement added that India, “against all sanity and rationality, has once again ignited an inferno in the region,” saying the responsibility for ensuing consequences lay squarely with New Delhi. 

Pakistan's foreign ministry said the Chargé d’Affaires had been summoned "to receive Pakistan’s strong protest over the unprovoked Indian strikes.”

“The Indian side was warned that such reckless behavior poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.”

“Terrorist camps”

In New Delhi, two Indian military spokespersons told a briefing Indian forces had attacked facilities linked to militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistani officials say India only hit civilian infrastructure. 

The strikes targeted "terrorist camps" that served as recruitment centers, launchpads, and indoctrination centers, and housed weapons and training facilities, the Indian spokespersons said.

They said Indian forces used niche technology weapons and carefully chose warheads to avoid collateral damage to civilians and civilian infrastructure, but did not elaborate on the specifics or methods used in the strikes.

"Intelligence and monitoring of Pakistan-based terror modules showed that further attacks against India were impending, therefore it was necessary to take pre-emptive and precautionary strikes," Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the top official in its external affairs ministry, told the briefing.

The joint briefing by the Indian military and foreign ministry listed past attacks in India blamed on Pakistan, with Misri saying Pakistan had not done anything to "terrorist infrastructure" after the Pahalgam attack, which triggered the latest standoff. 

Pakistan had denied involvement in the attack and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had offered to be part of any credible and transparent investigation, which he reiterated in the latest statement by the NSC.

Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947. Both rule it in part and claim it in full and have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants involved in a separatist insurgency in its part of Kashmir since 1989, which Islamabad denies, saying it offers only moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their struggle for self-determination.

The current confrontation is reminiscent of the last major military standoff between the two nations in 2019, when an Indian airstrike in the northwestern town of Balakot was followed by Pakistani retaliatory action, including the downing of an Indian fighter jet and the capture of its pilot, who was later released in a gesture of goodwill.

On Wednesday morning, the South Asian neighbors also exchanged intense shelling and heavy gunfire across much of their de facto border called the Line of Control, which divides disputed Kashmir between them. 

The shelling across the frontier in Kashmir killed 10 civilians and injured 48 in the Indian part of the region, police there told media. At least six people were killed on the Pakistani side, Reuters reported, quoting officials.

Four local government sources in Indian-administered Kashmir told Reuters three fighter jets had crashed in separate areas of the Himalayan region during the night. Indian defense ministry officials have not officially confirmed the report.

(With input from Reuters)


Finnish fighter jet crashes in Arctic town, pilot ejected

Updated 58 min 13 sec ago
Follow

Finnish fighter jet crashes in Arctic town, pilot ejected

  • The road leading to the airport was closed to traffic, and police blocked access to the airport

ROVANIEMI : A Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet crashed Wednesday near the Rovaniemi airport in Finland’s Arctic north, but the pilot was rescued after ejecting, the armed forces said.
No details were available about the cause of the crash, which occurred “in the Rovaniemi airport area” around 11:00 am (0800 GMT), the military said.
Dark smoke could be seen rising from the scene and several emergency vehicles were dispatched to the area, public service broadcaster YLE said.
The road leading to the airport was closed to traffic, and police blocked access to the airport, it added.
Airport operator Finavia told AFP that it did not expect civilian flights to be affected by the accident for the time being, with the next flight not expected for several hours.


Vatican conclave to pick new pope, world awaits white smoke

Updated 07 May 2025
Follow

Vatican conclave to pick new pope, world awaits white smoke

  • Cardinals vote in the Sistine Chapel, cut off from world
  • New pope unlikely to emerge before Thursday or Friday
  • Lead cardinal tells peers to set aside personal desires

VATICAN CITY: Roman Catholic cardinals will begin the task on Wednesday of electing a new pope, locking themselves away from the world until they choose the man they hope can unite a diverse but divided global Church.
In a ritual dating back to medieval times, the cardinals will file into the Vatican’s frescoed Sistine Chapel after a public Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and start their secret conclave for a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month.
No pope has been elected on the first day of a conclave for centuries, so voting could continue for several days before one of the red-hatted princes of the Church receives the necessary two-thirds majority to become the 267th pontiff.
There will be only one ballot on Wednesday. Thereafter, the cardinals can vote as many as four times a day.
They will burn their ballots, with black smoke from a chimney on the roof of the chapel marking an inconclusive vote, while white smoke and the peeling of bells signalling that the 1.4-billion member church has a new leader.
The pope’s influence reaches well beyond the Catholic Church, providing a moral voice and a call to conscience that no other global leader can match.
At a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning before entering the conclave, the cardinals prayed that God would help them find a pope who would exercise “watchful care” over the world.
In a sermon, Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re told his peers they must set aside “every personal consideration” in choosing the new pontiff and keep in mind “only ... the good of the Church and of humanity.”
Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, is 91 and will not enter the conclave, which is reserved for cardinals under the age of 80.
Cardinals in recent days have offered different assessments of what they are looking for in the next pontiff.
While some have called for continuity with Francis’ vision of greater openness and reform, others have said they want to turn the clock back and embrace old traditions. Many have indicated they want a more predictable, measured pontificate.
A record 133 cardinals from 70 countries will enter the Sistine Chapel, up from 115 from 48 nations in the last conclave in 2013 — growth that reflects Francis’ efforts to extend the reach of the Church to far-flung regions with few Catholics.
No clear favorite has emerged, although Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle are considered the front-runners.

NO EAVESDROPPING
However, if it quickly becomes obvious that neither can win, votes are likely to shift to other contenders, with the electors possibly coalescing around geography, doctrinal affinity or common languages.
Among other potential candidates are France’s Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungary’s Peter Erdo, American Robert Prevost and Italy’s Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
Re suggested the cardinals should look for a pope who respected the diversity within the Church. “Unity does not mean uniformity, but a firm and profound communion in diversity,” he said in his sermon.
As in medieval times, the cardinals will be banned from communicating with outsiders during the conclave, and the Vatican has taken high-tech measures to ensure secrecy, including jamming devices to prevent any eavesdropping.
The average length of the last 10 conclaves was just over three days and none went on for more than five days. A 2013 conclave lasted just two days.
The cardinals will be looking to wrap things up quickly again this time to avoid giving the impression that they are divided or that the Church is adrift.
Some 80 percent of the cardinals who enter the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday were appointed by Francis, increasing the possibility that his successor will in some way continue his progressive policies despite strong pushback from traditionalists.
Among their considerations will be whether they should seek a pope from the global south where congregations are growing, as they did in 2013 with the Argentinian Francis, hand back the reins to Europe or even pick a first US pope.


China says US side initiated upcoming Geneva meeting on tariffs

Updated 07 May 2025
Follow

China says US side initiated upcoming Geneva meeting on tariffs

BEIJING: An upcoming meeting between China and US trade representatives in Geneva was requested by the US side, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
China announced earlier that Vice Premier He Lifeng will visit Switzerland from May 9 to 12 during which He will also have a meeting with a US delegation led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
China’s position of opposing US tariffs has not changed and any dialogues must be based on equality, respect and mutual benefit, spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters.


India strikes Pakistan over tourist killings, Pakistan says Indian jets downed

Updated 07 May 2025
Follow

India strikes Pakistan over tourist killings, Pakistan says Indian jets downed

  • India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least 26 people including a child
  • India says it struck terrorist sites in Pakistan
  • Pakistan says mosques, civilians hit, vows to respond

MUZAFFARABAD/NEW DELHI: India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in the worst fighting in more than two decades between the nuclear-armed enemies.
India said it struck nine Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” sites, some of them linked to an attack by Islamist militants on Hindu tourists that killed 26 people in Indian Kashmir last month.
Islamabad said six Pakistani locations were targeted, and that none of them were militant camps. At least 26 civilians were killed and 46 injured, a Pakistan military spokesperson said.
Indian forces attacked the headquarters of Islamist militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Indian defense source told Reuters.
“India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution,” the Indian defense ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan said Indian missiles hit three sites and a military spokesperson told Reuters five Indian aircraft had been shot down, a claim not confirmed by India.
However, four local government sources in Indian Kashmir told Reuters that three fighter jets had crashed in separate areas of the Himalayan region during the night.
All three pilots had been hospitalized, the sources added. Indian defense ministry officials were not immediately available to confirm the report.
Images circulating on local media showed a large, damaged cylindrical chunk of silver-colored metal lying in a field at one of the crash sites. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the image.
Islamabad called the assault a “blatant act of war” and said it had informed the UN Security Council that Pakistan reserved the right to respond appropriately to Indian aggression.
“All of these engagements have been done as a defensive measure,” Pakistan military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said. “Pakistan remains a very responsible state. However, we will take all the steps necessary for defending the honor, integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan, at all cost.”
The South Asian neighbors also exchanged intense shelling and heavy gunfire across much of their de facto border in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, police and witnesses told Reuters.
Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both sides claim in full and control in part.

’OPERATION SINDOOR’
Since a 2003 ceasefire, to which both countries recommitted in 2021, targeted strikes between the neighbors are extremely rare, especially Indian strikes on Pakistani areas outside Pakistani Kashmir.
But analysts said the risk of escalation is higher than in the recent past due to the severity of India’s attack, which New Delhi called “Operation Sindoor.” Sindoor is the Hindi language word for vermilion, a red powder that Hindu women put on the forehead or parting of their hair as a sign of marriage.
US President Donald Trump called the fighting “a shame” and added, “I hope it ends quickly.” The State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the national security advisers of both nations, urging “both to keep lines of communication open and avoid escalation.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for maximum military restraint from both countries, a spokesperson said. China, which neighbors both India and Pakistan, also called for restraint.
The Pakistani army’s shelling across the frontier in Kashmir killed seven civilians and injured 35 in the Indian sector of the region, police there said.
Indian TV channels showed videos of explosions, fire, large plumes of smoke in the night sky and people fleeing in several places in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir. Reuters could not independently verify the footage.
In Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, damage from the Indian strike was visible at sunrise. Security forces surrounded a small mosque in a hill-side residential neighborhood which had been hit, with its minaret collapsed.
All schools in Pakistani Kashmir, the national capital Islamabad, and much of Indian Kashmir and the populous Pakistani province of Punjab were ordered closed on Wednesday in the aftermath of the strikes.
Imran Shaheen, a district official in Pakistani Kashmir, said two mortars landed on a house in the town of Forward Kahuta, killing two men and injuring several women and children. In another village, a resident had been killed in firing, Shaheen said.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad was responding to the Indian attacks but did not provide details. Pakistan’s populous province of Punjab declared an emergency, its chief minister said, and hospitals and emergency services were on high alert.
A Pakistani military spokesperson told broadcaster Geo that two mosques were among the sites hit by India. The Pakistani defense minister told Geo that all the sites were civilian and not militant camps.
He said India’s claim of targeting “camps of terrorists is false.”
After India’s strikes, the Indian army said in a post on X on Wednesday: “Justice is served.”

STOCK FUTURES, AIRLINES IMPACTED
A spokesperson for the Indian Embassy in Washington told Reuters that evidence pointed “toward the clear involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists in this terror attack,” referring to the April tourist killings.
India said two of three suspects in that attack were Pakistani nationals but had not detailed its evidence. Pakistan denied that it had anything to do with the April killings.
News of the strikes impacted Indian stock futures mildly, with the GIFT NIFTY at 24,311, 0.3 percent below the NIFTY 50’s last close of 24,379.6 on Tuesday.
Several airlines including India’s largest airline, IndiGo , Air India and Qatar Airways canceled flights in areas of India and Pakistan due to closures of airports and airspace. Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior Indian officials briefed counterparts in Britain, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, an Indian source told Reuters.
The Indian strike goes far beyond New Delhi’s response to previous attacks in Kashmir blamed on Pakistan. Those include India’s 2019 air strike on Pakistan after 40 Indian paramilitary police were killed in Kashmir and India’s retaliation for the deaths of 18 soldiers in 2016.
“Given the scale of the Indian strike, which was far greater than what we saw in 2019, we can expect a sizable Pakistani response,” said Michael Kugelman, a Washington-based South Asia analyst and writer for the Foreign Policy magazine.
“All eyes will be on India’s next move. We’ve had a strike and a counter-strike, and what comes next will be the strongest indication of just how serious a crisis this could become,” he said.