ARLINGTON  –  A wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery turned contentious when former President Donald Trump’s campaign staff got into an “altercation” with cemetery staff over filming at the burial site for military members.

Cemetery officials publicly offered few details beyond saying “there was an incident” and a “report was filed”.

The incident, first reported by NPR, occurred when a campaign staffer attempted to film in a restricted area and a cemetery employee tried to stop them.

The Trump campaign denied the allegations and said they received permission from families of fallen service members to film, though federal law prohibits political campaign activity on the grounds of military cemeteries.

Trump was at the memorial to honour the 13 US military service members who were killed during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago.

An unnamed source told NPR that Trump staffers were attempting to film and photograph a section of the cemetery where the recent US casualties are buried.

Federal law restricts recording there. Trump staffers were told beforehand that they could not photograph or film that part of the grounds, cemetery officials said.

When the cemetery employee tried to stop the campaign from entering that section, campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the official aside, the unnamed source told NPR.

Defense officials told CBS, the BBC’s US news partner, that some Trump campaign staff were unprofessional and both verbally and physically aggressive towards the cemetery official.

Trump’s campaign has denied NPR’s version of the story.

Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesperson, disputed that there was a physical altercation and said the campaign is prepared to release video to confirm their account.

“The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony,” he said in a statement.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared a statement from family members of the fallen soldiers honoured at the event, expressing their approval.

“We had given our approval for President Trump’s official videographer and photographer to attend the event, ensuring these sacred moments of remembrance were respectfully captured and so we can cherish these memories forever,” the families said in Trump’s Truth Social post.

But that goes against federal policy, an Arlington National Cemetery spokesperson told the BBC.

Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities on the grounds of military cemeteries, including photographers, content creators or anyone directly supporting a partisan political candidate’s campaign, the cemetery spokesperson said. (BBC)…[+]

GAZA – The World Food Programme (WFP) is freezing employee movement in Gaza after one of its vehicles was targeted with repeated gunfire just meters from an Israeli checkpoint, according to a statement by the humanitarian agency. “Despite being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach, the vehicle was directly struck by gunfire as it was moving toward an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) checkpoint,” the statement by the agency read.

The armored vehicle was one of two returning from a mission escorting humanitarian aid through the Palestinian enclave. A photo released by the WFP showed multiple bullet marks in the driver’s side window; at least 10 bullets hit the vehicle, according to the agency. One of the employees onboard was physically harmed, it said.

The WFP is the UN’s main food relief agency, and a key pillar of the humanitarian aid network in besieged Gaza, distributing food throughout the devastated territory, where famine has been spreading for months. But ongoing airstrikes and repeated evacuation orders by Israeli forces have forced many of the agency’s food warehouses and community kitchens to shutter, according to the WFP. The IDF-designated “humanitarian zone” in Gaza is also steadily shrinking; in the past month alone, the IDF has reduced this zone by 38% – with the remaining space making up just over a tenth of Gaza’s total area, according to a CNN analysis.

Humanitarian workers typically coordinate their routes with Israeli forces in order to move with relative safety. “As last night’s events show, the current deconfliction system is failing and this cannot go on any longer,” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said in the statement. In April, aid workers from another hunger relief group, the World Central Kitchen, were killed in an Israeli attack while traveling through Gaza by car, despite coordinating with Israeli authorities on their route and itinerary. The airstrikes hit three cars in their convoy, killing three Britons, a Palestinian, a US-Canadian dual citizen, an Australian, and a Pole.

In a press briefing Wednesday, the UN Secretary General’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the WFP aid vehicle that was shot had been clearly marked, describing the WFP logo as “probably one of the most recognizable in the world” in conflict zones. He said the UN had formally protested to Israel over the incident and emphasized the responsibility of United Nations member states to protect UN aid workers, who serve populations in some of the world’s most dangerous places. (CNN)…[+]

BEIJING – Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, started a new round of China-U.S. strategic communication with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that delivering on the common understandings reached by the two heads of state in San Francisco is the main task of the new round of China-U.S. strategic communication.

Wang welcomed Sullivan’s visit to China, noting that the bilateral ties are crucial to both countries and have global implications.

In the past few years, the relationship between China and the United States has been full of twists and turns, Wang said, adding that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden, the two countries have achieved returning to what was agreed at the Bali summit and embarking on the journey to San Francisco.

Wang said that experience is worth summarizing and lessons need to be learned, stressing that the key is to anchor the general direction of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

It is the common responsibility of both China and the United States to implement the common understandings reached by the two heads of state in San Francisco, Wang said, noting that he looks forward to in-depth communication with the U.S. side over the next two days.

Wang said it is hoped that this communication will be strategic and substantive as always, and also more constructive. The two sides should overcome disturbances and remove obstacles in order to promote China-U.S. relations toward the San Francisco vision, truly achieving stable, healthy and sustainable development of bilateral ties.

Sullivan said he was pleased to be in China for his first visit as U.S. National Security Advisor, and thanked the Chinese side for the thoughtful arrangements.

President Biden is committed to managing the U.S.-China relationship responsibly, and ensuring that competition does not turn into conflict and that the two sides find ways to work together where common interests align, he added.

Sullivan said he looks forward to having a productive dialogue with the Chinese side on a wide range of issues through this strategic communication and implementing the common understandings reached by the two heads of state. (Xinhua)

Photo: Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, holds a new round of China-U.S. strategic communication with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)…[+]