Indian-American presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy attacked by rivals over Ukraine
Washington (PTI): Indian-American Republican presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy has infuriated his Republican primary rivals when he said that he will not back Ukraine in its war against Russia, aligning himself with former president Donald Trump who wants to abandon critical support of Kyiv.
"We have to level with the American people on this issue," the 38-year-old multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur said.
"Just because (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is an evil dictator does not mean that Ukraine is good. This is a country that has banned 11 opposition parties, that has actually...," Ramaswamy said during the second Republican presidential primary at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, on Wednesday.
Ramaswamy's isolationist tilt drew major blowback from former vice president Mike Pence, former governor of New Jersey Chris Christie and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.
Haley, who is also of Indian origin, was the first to jump in and oppose such a move by Ramaswamy.
"A win for Russia is a win for China," she said.
Ramaswamy disagreed.
"China is the real enemy. We are driving Russia further into China's arms. We need a reasonable peace plan to end this, this is a country whose president just last week was hailing a Nazi in his own ranks," he said.
Pence joined Haley in slamming Ramaswamy for his comments.
"Vivek, if you let Putin have Ukraine, that's a green light to China to take Taiwan. Peace comes through strength," he said. "We need a reasonable plan to peace. We need a reasonable plan to peace," Ramaswamy responded.
Christie too slammed Ramaswamy.
"The Chinese are paying for the Russian war in Ukraine. The Iranians are supplying more sophisticated weapons, and so are the North Koreans now as well, with the encouragement of the Chinese," he said.
"The naivete on this stage from some of these folks is extraordinary," Christie said.
"Look, I understand people want to go and talk to Putin. Guess what? So did George W. Bush. So did Barack Obama. So did Donald Trump. And so did Joe Biden, when he said a small invasion wouldn't be so bad. Every one of them has been wrong," he said.
"The fact of the matter is, we need to say right now that the Chinese-Russian alliance is something we have to fight against. And we are not going to solve it by going over and cuddling up to Vladimir Putin. Look, Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin was brilliant and a great leader. This is the person who is murdering people in his own country. And now, not having enough blood, he's now going to Ukraine to murder innocent civilians and kidnap 20,000 children," he said.
"And let me tell you, if you think that's where it's going to stop, if we give him any of Ukraine, next will be Poland," Christie said.
In an email to his supporters after the debate, Ramaswamy said that he was once again the number one target of his fellow Republican candidates.
"Nikki Haley said she felt "dumber" when I spoke. Tim Scott came after my business record. Ron DeSantis' Super PAC wouldn't stop tweeting about me. While they launched their attacks on my platform last night, I focused on the Truth," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Mirabai carries Indian weightlifting as juniors rise but doping woes persist in 2025
New Delhi (PTI): Indian weightlifting once again revolved around the enduring brilliance of Mirabai Chanu, whose World Championships silver was the single biggest achievement for the sport in a year marked by doping concerns and senior-level stagnation.
Returning after an injury-forced hiatus of over a year, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist claimed Commonwealth Championships gold on home soil.
She then added a World Championships silver in the 48kg category, reaffirming her status as the sport's flag-bearer even as the elusive 90kg snatch lift remained out of reach for her.
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Mirabai Magic
Chanu, who had been side-lined since the Paris Games in 2024, marked a successful return to competition by claiming the gold at the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad in August, albeit against a weak field.
She sustained the momentum by adding a third World Championships medal to her glittering trophy cabinet.
The silver at Forde, Norway was achieved with a total lift of 199kg, 84kg in the snatch and 115kg in the clean and jerk section.
However, not only did the coveted 90kg snatch continue to elude her, the Manipuri lifter failed to even improve her personal best performance.
"In the context of Mirabai, this year has been good. She came to competition after a long time, and won a silver medal at the World Championships which was uplifting after the failure of Paris Olympics," chief coach Vijay Sharma told PTI.
In what can be construed as a fresh challenge for her, the International Weightlifting Federation changed the Olympic weight categories for the second time in a year.
In the latest reshuffle, Chanu's current 48kg category was dropped from the Olympic programme.
As a result, she will eventually have to move up to the 53kg class, the lowest women's category at the Los Angeles Games.
For now, she will continue competing in the 48kg division, with an eye on the Asian Games scheduled for next year, an event where a medal has remained out of her grasp.
Beyond Chanu, there were no other standout performances from the senior lifters during the season.
While Indians managed medals at the Commonwealth Championships against an inferior field, none of the performances came close to world-class standards.
At the Asian Championships too, Nirupama Devi finished fourth in the women's 64kg while Dilbag Singh was ninth in the men's 96kg category competition, reflecting that the Commonwealth level remains the only arena where India can consistently assert dominance.
Dope cheats galore
The persistent menace of doping once again cast a long shadow over Indian weightlifting.
India was flagged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as the worst doping offender for the third consecutive year, based on 2024 data, with weightlifting accounting for the second-highest number of violations.
The gravity of the situation was evident at the Khelo India University Games earlier this month, where several lifters reportedly went missing in action after entering their names.
The competition witnessed a spate of DNSs (Did Not Start) entries following the arrival of anti-doping officials.
Juniors make a mark
Amid the gloom, the rise of junior and youth lifters offered genuine hope as Indian weightlifting headed into a crucial year with the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games scheduled next season.
"The second line is developing well. The juniors did very well at the Commonwealth Championships.
"There were youth world records and their totals were very good, equal to what the senior national champions are lifting," Sharma said.
Koyel Bar set two youth world records at the Commonwealth Championships on home soil in August, while Priteesmita Bhoi broke the youth world record in clean and jerk on her way to winning gold in the girls' 44kg category at the Youth Asian Games later in the year.
