Two Israeli staff shot dead outside Jewish museum in Washington

Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead late Wednesday outside a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted “free Palestine,” authorities said, with US officials and Israeli diplomats expressing shock and outrage over the killings.President Donald Trump quickly condemned the attack, saying “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!””Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA,” he posted on social media.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “this was a brazen act of cowardly, antisemitic violence. Make no mistake: we will track down those responsible and bring them to justice.”Gunfire broke out on the sidewalk outside the Capital Jewish Museum and Washington police confirmed the suspected shooter then walked into the museum after the shooting and had been detained.”We believe the shooting was committed by a single suspect who is now in custody,” Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters.”Prior to the shooting the suspect was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum. He approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire.”After the shooting the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by event security.”She said that the handcuffed suspect identified where he had discarded the weapon and chanted “Free, free Palestine.”Police identified him as Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago.”The fatal shooting that took place outside the event that took place at the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C… is a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism,” Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said.”Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line.”We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act. Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives — everywhere in the world.”Police Chief Smith said during a news conference that officers responded to multiple calls of a shooting near the museum at around 9:00 pm on Wednesday evening (0100 GMT Thursday). When authorities arrived at the scene, a man and a woman were found unconscious and not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts from first responders, both were pronounced dead.Emergency response vehicles remained at the scene into Thursday morning after police taped off the area.”We’re going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks to send the clear message that we will not tolerate anti-Semitism,” Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters.”There is no active threat in our community. What I do know is that the horrific incident is going to frighten a lot of people in our city, and in our country. I want to be clear that we will not tolerate this violence or hate.”

Two Israeli staff shot dead outside Jewish museum in Washington

Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead late Wednesday outside a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted “free Palestine,” authorities said, with US officials and Israeli diplomats expressing shock and outrage over the killings.President Donald Trump quickly condemned the attack, saying “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!””Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA,” he posted on social media.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “this was a brazen act of cowardly, antisemitic violence. Make no mistake: we will track down those responsible and bring them to justice.”Gunfire broke out on the sidewalk outside the Capital Jewish Museum and Washington police confirmed the suspected shooter then walked into the museum after the shooting and had been detained.”We believe the shooting was committed by a single suspect who is now in custody,” Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters.”Prior to the shooting the suspect was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum. He approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire.”After the shooting the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by event security.”She said that the handcuffed suspect identified where he had discarded the weapon and chanted “Free, free Palestine.”Police identified him as Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago.”The fatal shooting that took place outside the event that took place at the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C… is a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism,” Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said.”Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line.”We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act. Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives — everywhere in the world.”Police Chief Smith said during a news conference that officers responded to multiple calls of a shooting near the museum at around 9:00 pm on Wednesday evening (0100 GMT Thursday). When authorities arrived at the scene, a man and a woman were found unconscious and not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts from first responders, both were pronounced dead.Emergency response vehicles remained at the scene into Thursday morning after police taped off the area.”We’re going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks to send the clear message that we will not tolerate anti-Semitism,” Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters.”There is no active threat in our community. What I do know is that the horrific incident is going to frighten a lot of people in our city, and in our country. I want to be clear that we will not tolerate this violence or hate.”

India’s mother tongue teaching spells reading success

Sitting together on the classroom floor in Kalyanpur in northwest India, a dozen children aged five and six are trying to identify Hindi words beginning with the “p” sound.After a spontaneous “papa”, the children unanimously agree on “papaya” — spelt out at the top of their lungs by the entire class.But for these children, born into an Indigenous tribe in Rajasthan state, learning to read in a language neither they nor their parents speak is a challenge.To break this pattern, authorities launched a programme in two Rajasthan districts to teach students to read in their mother tongue.Months after the experiment began, there is progress.”I used Hindi language with the children, but I could see that they were not responding well,” said their teacher, Jashoda Khokariya.”They were scared, and were not able to answer my questions,” she added. “Now, it’s a miracle — there is not a single child who is not able to respond.”Indian school enrolment rates are high — but performance is much lower.One key problem in the world’s most populous country, where 1.4 billion people speak a mosaic of over a hundred languages, is that primary school teaching is often in a language the children do not understand.- ‘Multilingual society’ -At the age of eight, only 39 percent of Indian students reach the required reading level.At 15, the situation is even worse. The rate drops to 10 percent.Poverty, early marriage and poor teacher training are all to blame — but language plays a part too.”We have a multilingual society; this needs to be accounted for when children come to school,” said Saadhna Panday, from the UN children’s agency (UNICEF).”Several studies have demonstrated that children learn best in the early years in their mother tongue.”But this is rarely the case.In many Indian states, students are taught in English and Hindi, of which families may have little knowledge.Since 2020, the national education ministry has said that primary education in students’ mother tongue is a priority.Rajasthan ticked all the boxes to host a pilot project.A survey in nine of its rural districts revealed the magnitude of the task: 250,000 primary school students speaking 31 languages. Three-quarters of them are far from understanding — let alone speaking — Hindi.- ‘Many obstacles’ -The programme faces multiple hurdles — one of these being that teachers are not trained to use the children’s language for formal teaching in the classroom.”There were many obstacles,” said Shweta Fageria, director of Rajasthan’s State Council of Educational Research and Training centre.”We first created dictionaries by using the local dialect,” she added, before making them trilingual with Hindi and English.At the Kuwadi Nichala Fala School, a spartan concrete building on a dusty hill, 13 first graders — aged around five to six — leaf through the dictionary every schoolday.It is a far cry from the other side of India’s education system — the ultramodern technology institutes whose prize pupils are snapped up by Californian tech giants.In the sweltering heat, the top student deciphers a few lines.He is still far from mastering reading in his native Wagdi — a language with more than three million speakers, according to the last census.But he is making great progress, like all the students in his class, according to his teacher.”They can now read words,” Lakshmi Kumari Patel said.”At this age, it takes time for a child to be confident, to actively participate,” she added. “Now they are more expressive… engaging in conversations without hesitation.”-  ‘Abysmal’ schooling – Parents are now more involved too.Since they speak the language being taught, it’s up to them to support their children by having them read and telling them stories.Lalita Parmar, 62, understands the benefits that her grandchildren’s education can bring.”They will be able to get a job, then they will earn and eat,” she said. “If one gets a job, the whole family will benefit.”The state government, UNICEF and a local partner have given themselves two years to succeed and, if necessary, to expand.”Through the programme in Rajasthan, we have seen an improvement in children’s attendance at school… teachers are more structured, more planned in using the learning materials available in the classrooms, parents are getting more involved in schools,” said Panday from UNICEF.”We expect children to have better learning outcomes.”The future of India and its economy depends on it, writes economist Ashoka Mody in his recent book, “India is Broken.””The quality of school education in India remains abysmal,” Mody wrote, noting how competitors were progressing.”India’s attempt to make progress on the cheap by unconscionably delaying these investments in education, health and cities has taken its toll.”

Outrage at Israeli shots as diplomats tour West Bank

Several nations that have backed Israel voiced outrage Wednesday after Israeli troops fired what they called “warning shots” as foreign diplomats visited the occupied West Bank.The Palestinian Authority accused troops of “deliberately” shooting at the delegation near the flashpoint city of Jenin. The Israeli military, already under pressure over its tactics in the Gaza war, said it regretted the “inconvenience”.AFP footage from Jenin — a frequent target of Israeli military raids — showed the delegation and accompanying journalists running for cover as shots were heard.A European diplomat said the envoys went to the area to see the destruction caused by Israeli military raids since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023.The Israeli military said the diplomatic convoy strayed from the approved route and entered a restricted zone.Troops fired “warning shots” to steer the group away, it said, adding that no one was wounded and expressing regret for the “inconvenience caused”.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesman called the incident “unacceptable”.”Diplomats who are doing their work should never be shot at, attacked in any way, shape or form. Their safety, their viability, must be respected at all times,” the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters.”These diplomats, including UN personnel, were fired at, warning shots or whatever… which is unacceptable.”- Countries condemn shooting -Several countries that had representatives in the group voiced outrage and demanded an investigation.European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged Israel to hold those responsible “accountable”.Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay summoned Israel’s ambassadors or said they would raise the issue directly.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the incident “totally unacceptable” and pressed for an “immediate explanation”.Carney added that Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand has summoned Israel’s ambassador to Ottawa.Egypt denounced the shooting as a breach of “all diplomatic norms”, while Turkey demanded an immediate investigation.Turkey’s foreign ministry said: “This attack must be investigated without delay and the perpetrators must be held accountable.”Ahmad al-Deek, political adviser for the Palestinian foreign ministry who accompanied the delegation, condemned “this reckless act by the Israeli army”.”It has given the diplomatic delegation an impression of the life the Palestinian people are living,” he said.Palestinian news agency Wafa reported the delegation included diplomats from more than 20 countries including Britain, China, Egypt, France, Japan, Jordan, Turkey and Russia.Japan’s government confirmed Thursday that its diplomatic staff participated, adding that it “deeply regrets” the incident.”The Japanese government has protested to the Israeli side and requested an explanation and the prevention of a recurrence,” government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said in Tokyo.- ‘Painful’ Gaza plight -The incident came as anger mounted over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Palestinians are scrambling for basic supplies after weeks of near-total isolation.A two-month Israeli aid blockade on Gaza has been partially eased this week.Israel stepped up its military offensive at the weekend, vowing to defeat Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.Israel has faced massive pressure, including from its allies, to halt its intensified offensive and allow aid into Gaza.European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday ordered a review of the EU cooperation accord with Israel.Sweden said it would press the EU to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers, while Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador.Pope Leo XIV described the situation in Gaza as “worrying and painful” and called for “the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid”.Hamas’s 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.Gaza’s health ministry said at least 3,509 people have been killed since Israel ended a ceasefire and resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,655, mostly civilians.burs-stu/rsc

Republicans eye Thursday vote on Trump’s tax cut mega-bill

Republicans announced Wednesday they will vote early Thursday on US President Donald Trump’s sprawling domestic policy mega-bill pairing tax relief with spending cuts that critics say would decimate health care while ballooning the debt.The “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” would usher into law Trump’s vision for a new “Golden Age,” achieved through cuts to public services to pay for a 10-year extension of his 2017 tax cuts.But it is dangling by a thread, with independent analysts warning it will increase the deficit by as much as $4 trillion over a decade, rattling fiscal hawks who say the country is careening toward bankruptcy.The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted it would boost the incomes of the richest 10 percent while making the bottom 10 percent poorer, through hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to health care and food aid.House Speaker Mike Johnson set a May 26 — Memorial Day — deadline for passing the package but is anticipating attendance problems at the back end of the week and set a rare overnight vote, expected around 4:30am (0830 GMT).The White House Council of Economic Advisors has made hugely ambitious projections, well outside the mainstream consensus, that the package will spur growth of up to 5.2 percent.And Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the bill “does not add to the deficit,” and would actually save $1.6 trillion through spending cuts.But investors were unconvinced as the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note surged to its highest level since February on Wednesday amid worries over the budget-busting bill’s bottom line. Major US markets tumbled well over one percent. “My concern about the deficit and the debt is tremendous,” Texas congressman Keith Self, a Republican, told CNN.”This bill in its entirety, the way it was written: we would go from $36 trillion now in debt to $56 trillion minimum in 10 years.”- ‘Devastating’ -Democrats have called the bill “devastating” for the US middle class, needling Republicans on multiple aspects of the giant package.Its fate in the House of Representatives could reveal the limits of Trump’s sway over the party’s quarrelsome and deeply polarized lawmakers.The president pressured the party to back the package in a rare Capitol Hill visit Tuesday after it hit a series of roadblocks pitting conservative fiscal hawks against moderate coastal Republicans. Speaker Johnson can lose just three members in a vote of the full House. Initially multiple conservatives appeared ready to reject the bill but a follow-up meeting with Trump on Wednesday — this time at the White House — appeared to have persuaded some of the holdouts to fall into line.Its fate remains uncertain, however, with fiscal hawks unhappy that proposed cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program were not deeper — a red line for moderates and possibly for Trump, who told the party in coarse terms not to touch the social safety net.To appease his right flank, Johnson moved up the enforcement of work requirements for Medicaid recipients by two years to the end of 2026 and offered to phase out clean energy tax credits earlier.Meanwhile a group of moderate northeastern Republicans pushing for huge increases in the state and local tax (SALT) write-off secured a compromise of a four-fold hike, from $10,000 to $40,000.If Johnson can pull off passing the mega-bill through the House, it is likely to undergo significant rewrites in the Senate, which plans to get the package to Trump’s desk by July 4. “It’s no secret how awful the Republican tax bill is,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech.”For weeks, we’ve said their bill shows that billionaires win, American families lose.”