Latest news with #anti-Semitism
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Too 'woke' for America? Donald Trump pulls US out of Unesco; DEI policies, pro-Palestinian, pro-China tilt prime reasons
US President Donald Trump pulled out America from Unesco over its support for "woke, divisive cultural and social causes" including DEI policies, pro-Palestinian and pro-China tilt. "Continued involvement in Unesco is not in the national interest of the United States," AFP reported quoting state department spokeswoman. Back in February, Trump had directed a 90-day review of the US role in Unesco, focusing particularly on examining any 'anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organization.' "Upon conducting the review, administration officials took issue with Unesco's diversity, equity and inclusion policies as well as its pro-Palestinian and pro-China bias," the New York Post reported citing White House official. 'China has leveraged its influence over Unesco to advance global standards that are favorable to Beijing's interests,' the official said. 'President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from Unesco – which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November,' White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly said. 'This President will always put America First and ensure our country's membership in all international organizations aligns with our national interests,' Kelly added. Critics have pointed to Unesco's 2023 release of an 'anti-racism toolkit' and its 2024 'Transforming MEN'talities' campaign as examples behind Trump's concern. The toolkit urged member states to embrace 'anti-racist' policies and engage in a 'race to the top' to position themselves as leading voices for social justice, by confronting their histories of racism and committing to equity-driven reforms. The States initially pulled out of the UN agency in 1983 during the then President Ronald Reagan's administration, arguing that Unesco had overly politicized nearly every issue it addressed, shown clear antagonism toward free societies, particularly free markets and a free press, and engaged in unchecked budgetary growth.
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Business Standard
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Waltz to face grilling over Signal chat row at Senate hearing for UN role
Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump's nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations, will face questioning from lawmakers Tuesday for the first time since he was ousted as national security adviser in the weeks after he mistakenly added a journalist to a private Signal chat used to discuss sensitive military plans. The former Republican congressman is set to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, with Trump looking to fill his remaining Cabinet position after months of delay, including the withdrawal of the previous nominee. The hearing will provide senators with the first opportunity to grill Waltz over revelations in March that he added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an unclassified messaging app that was used to discuss planning for strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen. Waltz took responsibility even as criticism mounted against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who shared the sensitive plans in the chat that included several other high-level national security officials. Hegseth shared the same information in another Signal chat that included family, but Trump has made clear Hegseth has his support. Waltz was removed as national security adviser in May replaced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and nominated for the UN role. Trump praised Waltz in the announcement, saying, From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first. The United Nations is facing major changes If confirmed, Waltz would be coming to the UN at a moment of great change. The world body is reeling from Trump's decision to slash foreign assistance affecting its humanitarian aid agencies and it anticipates US funding cuts to the UN annual budget. Under an America First foreign policy realignment, the White House has asserted that "some of the UN's agencies and bodies have drifted from their founding mission and act contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking our allies and propagating anti-Semitism. With America being the largest United Nations donor, cutting US funding to the UN budget would greatly impair operations. Facing financial instability, the UN has spent months shedding jobs and consolidating projects while beginning to tackle long-delayed reforms. The UN is also facing growing frustration over what critics describe as a lack of efficiency and power in delivering on its mandate to end conflict and prevent wars. John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the UN who was also national security adviser during Trump's first term, was critical of the current state of the UN. It's probably in the worst shape it's been in since it was founded, Bolton, now an outspoken Trump critic, recently told The Associated Press. Waltz has been meeting with senators Waltz spent the last several weeks meeting with Democrats and Republicans on the Foreign Affairs committee. Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said Monday that she and Waltz discussed a wide range of issues, including whether the Trump administration would use the UN to strengthen alliances and combat Chinese influence. I asked him questions about Signalgate,' but I also talked to him about how we are going to sway other nations within the United Nations to our side, in light of how much influence the PRC is having on other nations, the Illinois senator said, using an acronym for the People's Republic of China. Even with Democratic opposition, Waltz only needs a majority in the 53-47 Senate, which Republicans control. He'll be fine. Mike won't have any issues, said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. I mean, the Democrats are gonna do their thing. Whatever. Mike's used to taking incoming fire. It is unclear how Waltz would approach the job. Trump's first nominee, Rep. Elise Stefanik, had built a track record in Congress of criticising the UN She vowed during her confirmation hearing in January to combat what she called antisemitism at the world body and lead a review of US funding. She was expected to be confirmed, but Trump abruptly withdrew her nomination in March, citing risks to the GOP's historically slim House majority. At the time, the loss of a mere handful of seats could have swung the House majority to Democrats and derailed their recently successful efforts to enact Trump's sweeping agenda. Waltz is still on the White House payroll Waltz, whose Florida House seat was filled during a special election earlier this year, has spent the last few months on the White House payroll despite being removed as national security adviser. The latest list of White House salaries, current as of July 1, includes Waltz earning an annual salary of $195,200. A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said Waltz stayed on to ensure a smooth and successful transition given the extreme importance of the role of NSA. Waltz was the first Green Beret elected to the House and easily won reelection for a fourth term in November before Trump asked him to join the administration.
Perth Now
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
‘Action:' Albo hits out on synagogue fire
Anthony Albanese has defended Labor's track record of working and responding to anti-Semitic attacks on the Jewish community, amid attacks from the opposition that there have been too many 'talkfests' and not enough 'action'. While quizzed by journalists in Hobart on Tuesday, the Prime Minister snapped back at a reporter who said Jewish community leaders had claimed the government's response was 'insufficient'. The questions were in response to an alleged arson attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue on Friday night, 'Who is saying that?' asked in response, and said he had spoken to community leaders on Saturday. 'Every time there has been a request, it has been met, expeditiously,' he said. 'On Saturday, one of the reasons why this gentleman has been caught so quickly is because the CCTV that was in place there was as a direct result of Commonwealth Government funding.' The East Melbourne synagogue was set ablaze on Friday night in an alleged arson attack. NewsWire/ Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia The blaze damaged the doors. NewsWire/ Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Albanese also rejected calls for him to convene national cabinet in response to Friday's alleged arson attack. 'Every time an issue comes up, people say, let's have a national cabinet. Let's be clear. What people want is not a meeting. They want action,' Mr Albanese said. Mr Albanese's comments comes after Executive Council of the Australian Jewry president Alex Ryvchin urged the government to adopt its 15-point plan to 'defeat anti-Semitism' in Australia. The plan includes calls for anti-Semitism education in the national curriculum and urges Labor to declare a National Emergency and establish a Joint Counter-Terrorism Taskforce to 'fight against anti-Semitic terror before we have a major terror attack in this country'. Sussan Ley said Labor had not committed to enough action. NewsWire/ David Crosling Credit: News Corp Australia Speaking later on Tuesday following a visit to the East Melbourne Synagogue, Sussan Ley maintained the Albanese government was not doing enough to protect Jewish-Australians. 'What I hear from the community is there have been many task forces, there have been many talkfests, many conversations and many words. What they are really calling for is action,' she said, alongside shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser and finance spokesperson James Paterson. Ms Ley also called for stronger state hate speech laws, which would prohibit people from chanting phrases like 'death to Israel,' and said calls for a national cabinet meeting to tackle anti-Semitism were a 'good suggestion'. 'There shouldn't be an ability for people to chant the words 'death' and I won't complete the phase, on the streets of Melbourne, and it just be accepted,' she said. 'It is not a protest, it is hate – pure hate and we need to have laws and levers and I would respectfully ask the Premier of Victoria to consider how she might instruct law enforcement in a way that allows a stronger intervention.'
The Advertiser
27-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Online hate group listed as a terrorist organisation
The online far-right extremist network Terrorgram has been listed as a terrorist organisation, with members facing decades in jail if convicted of an offence. The federal government says the group provides instructions on how to conduct terrorist attacks and has been responsible for inspiring terror events in the United States, Europe and Asia. The listing means Australians who join, recruit or fund the network will face prison terms of up to 25 years. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing was different to previous ones because of the way Terrorgram operated. "If people imagine a big chat group dedicated to hatred and violence," he told ABC Radio on Friday. "It's a situation where the members won't necessarily know each other. They won't necessarily know the people who they're recruiting." Mr Burke said the group was a direct threat to the safety of Australians and had previously made threats. The group encouraged not just the sharing of hatred but the sharing of acts of violence and how-to guides to enable people to commit acts of violence, he said. "You never stop chasing these characters down ... this listing won't be the last thing we have to do against far-right supremacist groups." Mr Burke said the nature of terrorist threats kept changing, particularly involving young males being radicalised online around the principle of violence. "These sorts of groups try to tell a whole lot of Australians they're not welcome here," he said. "They try to tell people they intend for them not be safe. "We're saying 'no, no, no, it's the hatred and the bigotry and the violence that isn't welcome here'." Mr Burke said the government was sending the message anyone who wanted to engage in Terrorgram faced serious criminal penalties. In February, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist group was slapped with counter-terrorism financing sanctions as part of the federal government's crackdown on anti-Semitism. Its channels share fascist content on how members can carry out racially-motivated violence against minority groups, police, public figures, political figures and journalists. Announcing the financing sanctions, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they made it a criminal offence to use or deal with the assets of, or make assets available to, Terrorgram. Penalties include up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines. It was the first time Australia had imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on an entirely online entity, Senator Wong said. Terrorgram has operated on the Russian-founded social media site Telegram, aiming to inspire lone-wolf acts of terror. In January, the US State Department branded Terrorgram a terrorist group. The online far-right extremist network Terrorgram has been listed as a terrorist organisation, with members facing decades in jail if convicted of an offence. The federal government says the group provides instructions on how to conduct terrorist attacks and has been responsible for inspiring terror events in the United States, Europe and Asia. The listing means Australians who join, recruit or fund the network will face prison terms of up to 25 years. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing was different to previous ones because of the way Terrorgram operated. "If people imagine a big chat group dedicated to hatred and violence," he told ABC Radio on Friday. "It's a situation where the members won't necessarily know each other. They won't necessarily know the people who they're recruiting." Mr Burke said the group was a direct threat to the safety of Australians and had previously made threats. The group encouraged not just the sharing of hatred but the sharing of acts of violence and how-to guides to enable people to commit acts of violence, he said. "You never stop chasing these characters down ... this listing won't be the last thing we have to do against far-right supremacist groups." Mr Burke said the nature of terrorist threats kept changing, particularly involving young males being radicalised online around the principle of violence. "These sorts of groups try to tell a whole lot of Australians they're not welcome here," he said. "They try to tell people they intend for them not be safe. "We're saying 'no, no, no, it's the hatred and the bigotry and the violence that isn't welcome here'." Mr Burke said the government was sending the message anyone who wanted to engage in Terrorgram faced serious criminal penalties. In February, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist group was slapped with counter-terrorism financing sanctions as part of the federal government's crackdown on anti-Semitism. Its channels share fascist content on how members can carry out racially-motivated violence against minority groups, police, public figures, political figures and journalists. Announcing the financing sanctions, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they made it a criminal offence to use or deal with the assets of, or make assets available to, Terrorgram. Penalties include up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines. It was the first time Australia had imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on an entirely online entity, Senator Wong said. Terrorgram has operated on the Russian-founded social media site Telegram, aiming to inspire lone-wolf acts of terror. In January, the US State Department branded Terrorgram a terrorist group. The online far-right extremist network Terrorgram has been listed as a terrorist organisation, with members facing decades in jail if convicted of an offence. The federal government says the group provides instructions on how to conduct terrorist attacks and has been responsible for inspiring terror events in the United States, Europe and Asia. The listing means Australians who join, recruit or fund the network will face prison terms of up to 25 years. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing was different to previous ones because of the way Terrorgram operated. "If people imagine a big chat group dedicated to hatred and violence," he told ABC Radio on Friday. "It's a situation where the members won't necessarily know each other. They won't necessarily know the people who they're recruiting." Mr Burke said the group was a direct threat to the safety of Australians and had previously made threats. The group encouraged not just the sharing of hatred but the sharing of acts of violence and how-to guides to enable people to commit acts of violence, he said. "You never stop chasing these characters down ... this listing won't be the last thing we have to do against far-right supremacist groups." Mr Burke said the nature of terrorist threats kept changing, particularly involving young males being radicalised online around the principle of violence. "These sorts of groups try to tell a whole lot of Australians they're not welcome here," he said. "They try to tell people they intend for them not be safe. "We're saying 'no, no, no, it's the hatred and the bigotry and the violence that isn't welcome here'." Mr Burke said the government was sending the message anyone who wanted to engage in Terrorgram faced serious criminal penalties. In February, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist group was slapped with counter-terrorism financing sanctions as part of the federal government's crackdown on anti-Semitism. Its channels share fascist content on how members can carry out racially-motivated violence against minority groups, police, public figures, political figures and journalists. Announcing the financing sanctions, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they made it a criminal offence to use or deal with the assets of, or make assets available to, Terrorgram. Penalties include up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines. It was the first time Australia had imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on an entirely online entity, Senator Wong said. Terrorgram has operated on the Russian-founded social media site Telegram, aiming to inspire lone-wolf acts of terror. In January, the US State Department branded Terrorgram a terrorist group. The online far-right extremist network Terrorgram has been listed as a terrorist organisation, with members facing decades in jail if convicted of an offence. The federal government says the group provides instructions on how to conduct terrorist attacks and has been responsible for inspiring terror events in the United States, Europe and Asia. The listing means Australians who join, recruit or fund the network will face prison terms of up to 25 years. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing was different to previous ones because of the way Terrorgram operated. "If people imagine a big chat group dedicated to hatred and violence," he told ABC Radio on Friday. "It's a situation where the members won't necessarily know each other. They won't necessarily know the people who they're recruiting." Mr Burke said the group was a direct threat to the safety of Australians and had previously made threats. The group encouraged not just the sharing of hatred but the sharing of acts of violence and how-to guides to enable people to commit acts of violence, he said. "You never stop chasing these characters down ... this listing won't be the last thing we have to do against far-right supremacist groups." Mr Burke said the nature of terrorist threats kept changing, particularly involving young males being radicalised online around the principle of violence. "These sorts of groups try to tell a whole lot of Australians they're not welcome here," he said. "They try to tell people they intend for them not be safe. "We're saying 'no, no, no, it's the hatred and the bigotry and the violence that isn't welcome here'." Mr Burke said the government was sending the message anyone who wanted to engage in Terrorgram faced serious criminal penalties. In February, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist group was slapped with counter-terrorism financing sanctions as part of the federal government's crackdown on anti-Semitism. Its channels share fascist content on how members can carry out racially-motivated violence against minority groups, police, public figures, political figures and journalists. Announcing the financing sanctions, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they made it a criminal offence to use or deal with the assets of, or make assets available to, Terrorgram. Penalties include up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines. It was the first time Australia had imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on an entirely online entity, Senator Wong said. Terrorgram has operated on the Russian-founded social media site Telegram, aiming to inspire lone-wolf acts of terror. In January, the US State Department branded Terrorgram a terrorist group.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal jduge blocks Trump administration Harvard student ban
June 6 (UPI) -- A federal judge temporarily paused President Donald Trump's ban on foreign nationals coming to study, teach, or do research at Harvard University, pending a hearing later in June. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs' ruling Thursday night came after Harvard filed a suit in Boston alleging Trump's proclamation, issued a day earlier, was unlawful because it violated the First Amendment. Burroughs said she was granting Harvard's motion for a restraining order against the Homeland Security Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Justice Department, State Department and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program after accepting Harvard's claim that it would otherwise "sustain immediate and irreparable injury before there was an opportunity to hear from all parties." The motion was in a hastily amended complaint by Harvard after Trump on Wednesday suspended entry of all foreign nationals "who enter or attempt to enter the United States to begin attending Harvard," and directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider cancelling the visas of foreigners already there. She said the court would reconvene on June 16 for a full hearing on whether Trump's proclamation is legal. Burroughs' order also extended through June 20 a temporary restraining order she issued May 23, preventing DHS from implementing a ban on Harvard sponsoring holders of F-1 and J-1 non-immigrant visas, something the university has been permitted to do for more than seven decades. The school's legal team argued Wednesday's proclamation was an effort to get around this restraining order. "The proclamation simply reflects the administration's effort to accomplish the very result that the Court sought to prevent. The Court should not stand for that," Harvard's legal counsel alleged in court filings. Harvard has maintained that the orders represent executive overreach, while Trump insists there is a national security risk posed by its foreign students. The Trump administration has demanded that Harvard water down its diversity, equality and inclusion policies in hiring and admissions, beef up enforcement of anti-Semitism measures on campus following anti-Gaza war protests and hand over the records of its international students. Trump's proclamation stated that the step was in the national interest because he believed Harvard's refusal to share "information that the federal government requires to safeguard national security and the American public" showed it was not suitable for foreign nationals. In April, Trump cancelled more than $2 billion in federal funding that the university receives and threatened to remove its tax-exemption status and ability to enroll overseas students. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Hill that Harvard's lawsuit was a bid to "kneecap the President's constitutionally vested powers" to suspend entry to the country of persons whose presence was not in line with national interests. "It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments," McLaughlin said. "The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense to our student visa system; no lawsuit, this or any other, is going to change that. We have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side."
