A televised debate Wednesday between American Republican presidential hopefuls spiraled into the ‘Battle of the Heels, Part 2’ after businessman and political novice Vivek Ramaswamy lobbed a personal insult at ex-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, the only female candidate on stage.

The two (plus Florida Governor RonDeSantis and two others) were involved in a heated exchange on US foreign policy – that news agency AFP slyly called a “first in Republican debates” – when the Indian-origin Vivek Ramaswamy branded Nikki Haley a “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels“.

Ms Haley – who also exchanged ‘heel’ swipes with Mr DeSantis last week, amid talk he wears lifts to seem taller – snapped, “(I wear) five-inch heels… and I don’t wear them unless you can run in them.”

An apparently unapologetic Mr Ramaswamy also posted a video of his comment on X.

The choice should be clear: We can elect a president who will keep us out of World War III or we can elect a Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels. Because there are two of them on stage with me tonight. @RonDeSantis @NikkiHaley pic.twitter.com/i21U4tErmU

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) November 9, 2023

The incendiary back-and-forth came in the first 20 minutes of the debate and as Mr Ramaswamy held forth on Israel’s war on the Palestinian people and the Hamas’ terror attack last month; on this subject all Republican challengers appear united and Ms Haley said she would “finish” Hamas.

“… Israel has the right and the responsibility to defend itself. I would tell him (Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) to smoke those terrorists on his southern border…” Mr Ramaswamy thundered, “(if elected President) I will smoke the terrorists on our southern border.”

READ | “Smoke Those Terrorists”: Vivek Ramaswamy’s Message To Israel Amid War

“(Do the voters want a) leader from a different generation – who is going to put this country first or do you want Dick Cheney in three-inch heels. We’ve got two of them on stage tonight,” he said.

“They’re not a fashion statement, they’re for ammunition,” Ms Haley hit back.

The reference to former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney was part of criticism of his rivals’ foreign policy stance; this includes Ms Haley backing funding for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The attack on Nikki Haley was also a reference to her leaving public office to accept a position on the board of American aerospace giants Boeing; she stepped down in March 2020, less than a year later, in opposition to federal support for the company during the global coronavirus crisis.

Mr Ramaswamy’s crass jab was followed by an even tenser (and still more personal) exchange with Ms Haley, in which he called her a hypocrite in their scrap over TikTok – a Chinese video-sharing platform.

READ | “Leave My Family Out”: Nikki Haley Attacks Vivek Ramaswamy On Debate Stage

While other Republican Presidential hopefuls – Ms Haley, Mr DeSantis, Senator Tim Scott and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie – have also backed Israel’s war against Hamas, Mr Ramaswamy has dismissed them as ‘neocons’ as he positions himself as an ‘America First’ candidate.

‘Neocon’ refers to Neoconservatism – a foreign policy supporting democracy as well as intervention in international affairs. Neocons are seen as taking the ‘peace through military strength’ route.

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With input from agencies

This week on Koffee With Karan, Bollywood actresses Sara Ali Khan and Ananya Panday share the graffiti-patterned couch. Episode 3 featured the film industry contemporaries dish about everything from public validation to shared romances. But that wasn’t the only source of heat in the room. Both, Sara and Ananya chose monochrome outfits to share space on the coveted sofa but it was their makeup looks that really stood out.

(Also Read: Karan Johar “Brews” Retro Style In A Freshly Roasted Oversized Pantsuit And Aviators)

Sara Ali Khan worked dark-rimmed eyes in a copper coloured smoked-out style. Her dark brows and contoured cheeks accompanied the look and came together with a mauve toned lip. Sporting the hottest hairstyle of the season, Miss Ali Khan’s shoulder-grazing locks were styled in waves and parted down the centre. She wore a red strapless dress and pink frill detail with pointed pumps for the appearance.

Ananya Panday also went the monotone route in a black corset gown with a slit and sheer panels. Her face was radiant as ever with bronze toned makeup and maybe her recent Maldives vacation added to it too. Ananya’s metallic lids and short brows were paired with sunkissed cheeks and a glossy coral coloured lip. Her tresses, like Sara’s, were also centre-parted and styled in waves.

Besides just their phenomenal makeup, it was their truth bombs that raised the temperature on the latest episode of Koffee With Karan. Sara and Ananya spoke tongue-in-cheek about their current relationships and past flings as well as about their careers in the movie industry and relevancy in the changing face of it.

This season, the Koffee With Karan couch is where beauty and fashion trends seem to be set.

(Also Read: Janhvi Kapoor And Sara Ali Khan Are Twice As Stylish In Chic Party Dresses)

The deepening of the security cooperation and partnership between the US and India will be among many topics that will be discussed during the 2+2 ministerial dialogue between them in New Delhi on Friday, the State Department has said ahead of the crucial meeting of foreign and defence ministers from the two nations.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will host their American counterparts Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on November 10.

“India is a country that we have a deep partnership (with). He (Blinken) will be going for the 2+2 security dialogue with Secretary of Defence Austin, so I expect, of course, that deepening the security cooperation and partnership will be one of the many topics that are discussed,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at his daily news conference on Wednesday.

“It was something that was obviously raised during Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s state visit earlier this year, and I know the Secretary looks forward to being there and engaging directly with his counterparts on this,” Mr Patel said in response to a question.

Earlier, a senior State Department official said India and the US share the goal of preventing the spread of the current conflict in the Middle East, underlining that this would be an important topic of discussion during the 2+2 ministerial meeting in New Delhi.

The two sides would also discuss the Indo-Pacific region, Russia and Ukraine along with the bilateral issues.

“They will be travelling to India for the annual 2+2 Dialogue, in which they have extended discussions with their ministerial counterparts. The 2+2 Dialogue was created in 2018,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu told reporters on November 1.

“(The 2+2 dialogue) allows our two countries to have high-level discussions about strategic and defence issues. In addition, the Secretary will hold meetings with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and other senior Indian officials,” Mr Lu said.

Responding to a question, Mr Lu acknowledged that China would be one of the topics of discussion.

“Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in terms of our efforts to support a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific is very much formally on the agenda. I think we will be interested to hear how India’s discussions with China are going related to border issues, and I’m sure our Indian counterparts will be very interested to hear about Wang Yi’s visit to the United States and the announced meeting between President (Joe) Biden and President Xi (Jinping) at the APEC Summit,” he said.

Mr Biden and Mr Xi are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held in San Francisco next week.