Chicago, Aug 1 (IANS) Former US President Donald Trump has triggered a controversy by raising questions on the racial identity of his Democratic rival Kamala Harris during a convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Chicago.

“She (Harris) was always of Indian heritage and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black,” media reports quoted Trump as saying.

“So, I don’t know, is she Indian or Black?… I respect either one but she obviously doesn’t,” the Republican former President added while addressing NABJ’s annual convention on Wednesday.

Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the US.

As a senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris’ campaign, in a statement on Wednesday, said that “the hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power”.

“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency — while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in,” Tyler said.

Reacting to the former President’s remarks, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “It’s insulting and no one has any right to tell someone who they are how they identify.”

–IANS

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United Nations, Aug 1 (IANS) Calling the twin strikes by Israel killing senior leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah during a 24-hour period a “dangerous escalation”, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an international diplomatic push to prevent a broader regional conflict.

“The international community must work together to urgently prevent any actions that could push the entire Middle East over the edge, with a devastating impact on civilians,” the UN chief’s Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an audacious strike inside Iran on Wednesday during his visit for the swearing-in of newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to Hamas.

A short while earlier, Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an air strike in Beirut.

“The Secretary-General believes that the attacks we have seen in South Beirut and Tehran represent a dangerous escalation at a moment in which all efforts should instead be leading to a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages, a massive increase of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza and a return to calm in Lebanon and across the Blue Line that separates Lebanon from Israel,” Dujarric said.

While Guterres has been calling for maximum restraint, it alone is not enough “at this extremely sensitive time” and he “urges all to vigorously work towards regional de-escalation”, the spokesperson added.

Iran’s UN Mission warned of an escalation, saying in an X post: “The response to an assassination will indeed be special operations — harder and intended to instill deep regret in the perpetrator.”

While Israel military confirmed it had taken out Shukr, Israel was silent on the killing of Haniyeh, a serious setback to ceasefire efforts in Gaza because the Qatar-based leader was a key negotiator with Israel for a ceasefire and the return of hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

–IANS

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Bangkok, July 31 (IANS) Thailand’s industrial output continued to fall in June due to a decline in automotive manufacturing amid high household debt and rising energy prices, official data showed on Wednesday.

The manufacturing production index (MPI) dropped 1.71 percent in June from a year earlier, accelerating from a revised 1.45 percent decrease in May and marking the fifth month of contraction this year, according to the Ministry of Industry.

Auto production shrank for the 11th consecutive month in June as consumer purchasing power diminished amid high interest rates, the ministry said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

For the first half of 2024, the MPI fell 2.01 percent year-on-year, weighted down by an ongoing decrease in automotive and electronic production, said the ministry’s Office of Industrial Economics Director-General Warawan Chitaroon.

However, recovery in the tourism sector remained a supportive factor for related industries such as petroleum refining and beverage, while cassava starch and its products saw a significant growth in output, Warawan told a news conference.

The ministry said earlier that the MPI is expected to range between zero percent and 1 percent this year.

–IANS

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Vientiane, July 31 (IANS) Many parts of Laos have been affected by flooding and landslides, with farmland, residences and other property damaged following several days of rainfall.

Several villages of Yommalath district in Khammuan province, some 250 km southeast of the Lao capital Vientiane, have been affected by flooding after the Xebangfai River overflowed following several days of heavy rainfall, Lao national TV reported on Wednesday.

Many villages and crop fields were experiencing widespread flooding, as a tropical depression passed through the area, bringing large amounts of rain.

Local authorities in the province warned that the river was still rising and the level was approaching the warning mark, so there could be more flooding in the coming days, Xinhua news agency reported.

In Luang Prabang province, some 220 km north of Vientiane, local authorities were helping residents clean up their homes and clearing blocked roads after severe flooding and landslides hit the province.

The floods submerged roads, crop fields and vehicles, and also put electricity and gravity-fed water systems out of use.

Local residents had been instructed to move to safer locations on higher ground, according to the report.

Meanwhile, almost 40 households in Xay district in Oudomxay province, some 400 km north of Vientiane, were affected by flooding following heavy rainfall.

The Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines has instructed hydropower operators nationwide to ensure dam safety during the rainy monsoon season in the Southeast Asian country.

The operators of hydropower plants are asked to comply with emergency response plans and related legislations.

Villages along the Mekong River and its main tributaries in Laos have been warned to be alert for rising water levels after days of rain across Laos, with people in low-lying areas advised to be prepared for floods, the weather bureau said on Wednesday.

–IANS

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Nairobi, July 31 (IANS) Kenya on Wednesday launched the 481-million-shilling (about 3.73 million US dollars) Kenya livestock marketing and resilient project (KLMP) that seeks to boost the livelihoods of livestock and poultry farmers.

Bishar Fille Elmi, Director of Livestock at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the four-year project covers nine counties and seeks to enhance the production and marketing systems of the smallholder farmers.

“The project will connect 38,000 farmers to markets to enhance their incomes,” Elmi said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics indicate that the livestock sector which consists of a population of 150 million livestock contributes 12 percent of the total gross domestic product.

Elmi noted that the project will implement modern rangeland feeding technologies to ensure that livestock have access to adequate pasture, especially during the dry seasons. He noted that the country’s production of chicken meat stands at 111,000 metric tons annually against a demand of 618,000 metric tons.

Phineas Gikunda, project manager of KLMP, said that the scheme will also invest in the development of high-quality chicken and livestock breeds to reduce reliance on imports. He added that the project is also expected to provide loans to farmers-owned agribusiness in the poultry and livestock sectors.

–IANS

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