On November 13, three days after an explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort killed 13 people, the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) arrested a 32-year-old cardiologist from Kanpur, Dr Mohammad Arif, in connection with the incident. Dr Arif was a first-year student in the Doctor of Medicine (Cardiology) program at the Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College.
Following this, several national media channels broadcast an image of the Delhi blast accused doctor while reporting on ATS’s arrest. Among the channels that ran a photo, allegedly of the accused Dr Mohammad Arif in a white medical apron, identifying him as the accused Republic World, News State Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand, Times Now Navbharat, News X, News Nation, ABP MAJHA, Punjab Kesari UPand inextlive.
Some pro-Right X-handles such as @RealBababanaras and @FrontalForce, too, shared the photo, while @Indian__doctor shared a video report by Times Now Navbharat fetauring the same image. We also found some YouTube channels sharing a video and claiming it was an old video of Dr Arif.
Alt News found that media outlets and others had actually misidentified the accused, Dr Mohammad Arif and shared the image of his namesake, who had no connection with the incident.
Dr Arif Mohammed, whose photograph was used by news channels, is a resident of Kerala who reached out to Alt News after seeing his image plastered on national television and digital media outlets claiming he was the one arrested in the Delhi blast case. He told us that the media had mistakenly published his photo in their reports without verifying it. He categorically stated that he had no connection to the incident or any of the individuals involved.
Dr Arif Mohammad A also told Alt News that he contacted several media outlets after his photo was mistakenly published in media reports. Some channels updated their reports or deleted the story, but many are yet to.
News 9 Live and News Nation, while apologising for the error of using the wrong image clarified in a video report that they used an incorrect image in connection with the arrest of Dr Arif, who was detained from Kanpur.
To sum up, several national media channels incorrectly circulated a photo of Dr Arif Mohammed A, a doctor from Calicut, Kerala, as the suspect detained from Kanpur in the Delhi bombings case. Dr Arif Mohammed A works as a consultant interventional cardiologist in Kerala and has no connection to the Delhi bombings or any investigation related to the incident.
An Australian author whose award-winning book about Israel’s military and surveillance industry has swept the world is scathing about a controversial Gaza transit company.
Antony Loewenstein, author of The Palestine Laboratory, a book about how Israel tests arms and surveillance technologies in the illegal occupation of Palestine, says the shadowy scheme carrying Palestinians to South Africa or other countries was waging “disaster capitalism”.
He said the Al-Majd Europe outfit that reportedly flew 153 people from Gaza to South Aftica could have been operating for weeks or months before being noticed.
The Palestine Laboratory author Antony Loewenstein in a previous Al Jazeera interview . . . “This is the concept of people making money out of other people’s misery.” Image: AJ screenshot APR
Commenting on this mysterious flight carrying people from Gaza that transited through Kenya’s capital Nairobi and ended up in South Africa, Loewenstein told Al Jazeera from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta that there had been rumours about companies making such flights.
He said such flights apparently “requires Israeli permission as well as other countries’ permissions”.
“South Africa was apparently the final destination, considering it is one of the most pro-Palestine countries on the planet,” he said.
Lowenstein said there were “no names or associations” on the “incredibly strange” company website, which “almost looks like it was created by AI”, calling what it does “disaster capitalism” – a theme of one of his earlier books.
‘Making money out of misery’
“This is the concept of people making money out of other people’s misery,” Loewenstein said.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry has warned against groups exploiting Gaza’s humanitarian crisis for human trafficking in the wake of the mysterious arrival of 153 people from Gaza in South Africa this week.
The ministry warned that “companies and entities that mislead our people, incite them to deportation or displacement or engage in human trafficking and exploit their tragic and catastrophic humanitarian conditions will bear the legal consequences of their unlawful actions and will be subject to prosecution and accountability.”
In a statement, the ministry also urged Palestinian families in Gaza “to exercise caution and avoid falling prey to human trafficking networks, blood merchants, and displacement agents”.
The departure of people from Gaza to South Africa was closely coordinated with Israeli authorities.
Everything started with an advertised post from the Al-Majd Europe organisation promising to safely evacuate Palestinian families outside the Gaza Strip, so many Palestinians filled in their applications and were waiting for a call from the organisation.
The situation in Gaza has pushed Palestinians to pay whatever they could to leave the Strip.
‘They lost everything’
“They have lost everything. They lost their houses, and they believe that they do not have any future here,” an Al Jazeera reporter said.
The television channel also said Gazans who used the transit company were forced to pay up to US$5000 to enable them to cross the so-called “yellow line” and be driven from Karem Abu Salem crossing to Ramon airport in southern Israel.
This is a risky move because at least 200 Palestinians have been killed since the October ceasefire for crossing the yellow line. So the operation would have required Israeli military cooperation.
The Gazans were then flown to Nairobi in Kenyan on a Romanian aircraft and transferred to a flight to Johannesburg where border officials held them for 12 hours because they reportedly did not have Israeli exit stamps in their passports.
While Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian children in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, the news broke in Aotearoa New Zealand that our government had been advised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in September to recognise a Palestinian State now — before it was too late forever.
“The tide of international thinking on Palestinian statehood has shifted markedly . . . Israel’s actions are rapidly extinguishing any prospect of realising a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict,” the draft paper read.
“This leaves recognition of Palestine as the only viable option to maintain New Zealand’s long-standard support for a two-state solution.”
This is what Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour were told by MFAT, but these politicians had predetermined they were going to suck up hard to US President Donald Trump and Israel.
Seymour had to be served and so did Peters, as Luxon did their bidding again.
The way to do it with as little local public backlash and media attention was to say it was “complicated” to the press and the public, to be very secretive and let NZ First staff write a cabinet paper of their own — with a couple of options in it, and then bury the Cabinet outcomes until Peters announced it at the UN General Assembly.
The horror of a nation’s collective groan as Winston Peters read that speech still echoes over this naked complicity with genocide and colonisation, making most people feel wild and revolted, laced with the way they were being ignored and trampled on back here at home.
Disgusting business
The horror of Aotearoa aligning itself with this disgusting business sickens many but it was only The Post which published the news last night because as per usual this sort of thing is never really news in our newsrooms.
How many New Zealanders know how many Palestinians Israel have killed since the ceasefire thanks to our media?
The way New Zealand backed Israel over the two-state solution for Palestine has weak leadership stamped all over it — and that is galling but it’s gaslighting the nation to then boast of a win over a photo op with Trump.
New Zealand companies complicit with Israel’s genocide in Gaza were highlighted in today’s pro-Palestinian rally in Auckland. Image: Asia Pacific Report
Gerard Otto is a digital creator, satirist and independent commentator on politics and the media through his G News column and video reports. This article is an excerpt from a G News commentary and republished with permission.
“Political and ego manoeuvring” is happening behind the scenes at COP30 in Brazil, as Australia and Türkiye wrestle to host the United Nations climate event next year.
Pacific Islands Forum’s climate adviser Karlos Lee Moresi, who is at the talks in Belém, said the negotiations for who would host COP31 was tough.
“We have Australia with the Pacific very adamant that we need — not only do we want — we need to have a COP in the Pacific. The Türkiye position is they’re not giving up,” Moresi said.
“In all honesty, there’s a bit of political and ego manoeuvring happening behind the scenes.”
Moresi said he thought Türkiye was trying to influence European countries to host the event.
He said as a last resort, and if COP is hosted in Türkiye, the Pacific would want something from Türkiye in response.
“It is not something that we’re really entertaining actively as an option to put forward on the table for now.”
10 years since Paris
COP30 began in Belém on Monday. It has been 10 years since the landmark Paris Agreement was signed.
In his opening speech at the conference, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) executive secretary Simon Stiell said the science is clear, temperatures can be brought back down to 1.5C after any temporary overshoot.
“The emissions curve has been bent downwards because of what was agreed in halls like this, with governments legislating and markets responding, but I’m not sugarcoating it, we have so much more to go.”
The Pacific’s position throughout each COP — “1.5C to stay alive” — has not changed, along with improving access to climate finance.
Unique to this year’s summit is that it is the first time the world’s top court, the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, can be used as a negotiating tool.
The advisory opinion found failing to protect people from the effects of climate change could violate international law.
“In the context of the phrase ‘everyone has an opinion’, but is it an informed opinion, what we are saying is the ICJ that’s in the highest court is the most informed opinion on this issue.”
Solutions for children
Save the Children New Zealand youth engagement coordinator Vira Paky said she wants to see different parties working together on solutions designed for children and young people.
“We know that children and young people are disproportionately affected by climate change and we want to be on the frontlines to advocate for children and youth voices to be considered.”
Faiesea Ah Chee, one of the youth delegates with Save the Children, wants climate finance to be more accessible for the Pacific.
“I’ve seen how severe weather impact has impacted us and how there’s a lack of funding to help with adaptation and mitigation projects back home in the islands. So, hoping to get a clear vision and understanding of where we can get access to all this climate finance,” Chee, who grew up in Samoa, said.
While world leaders are meeting, rescue workers in Papua New Guinea are scrambling to relocate about 300 people living on unstable earth.
Papua New Guinea’s Wabag MP office spokesperson Geno Muspak said they live around the site of a deadly landslide that flattened houses while people slept inside.
He said it is clear to him the climate crisis is to blame.
“As times are changing the weather is not good for us, especially for people who are living in the remote places,” Muspak said.
The pointy end of COP 30 is still a while off, with the conference running until the end of next week.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
OBITUARY:By Robert Luke Iroga, editor and publisher of Solomon Business Magazine
In June 2000, I travelled to Port Moresby for a journalism training course that changed my life in ways I did not expect. The workshop was about new technology—how to send large photo files by email, something that felt revolutionary at the time.
But the real lesson I gained was not about technology. It was about people. It was about meeting Bob Howarth.
Bob, our trainer from News Corp Australia, was a man whose presence filled the room. He was old school in his craft, yet he embraced the future with such excitement that it was impossible not to be inspired.
He was full of energy, full of stories, full of life. And above all, he was kind. Deeply kind. The sort of kindness that stays with you long after the conversation ends.
He had just returned from East Timor and knew what life was like in the developing world.
In just one week with him, we learned more than we could have imagined. It felt like every day stretched into a month because Bob poured so much of himself into teaching us. It was clear that he cared—not just about journalism, but about us, the young Pacific reporters standing at the start of our careers.
That week was the beginning of his love affair with the Pacific, and I feel proud to have been a small part of that story.
Before we closed the training, Bob called me aside. He gave me his email and said quietly,
“If anything dramatic happens in the Solomons, send me some photos.”
The Timor Post mourns journalist and media mentor Bob Howarth who died on Thursday aged 81. Image: Timor Post
I didn’t know then how soon that moment would come.
I returned home on Sunday, 4 June 2000. The very next morning, June 5th, as I was heading to work at The Solomon Star, Honiara fell into chaos.
The coup was unfolding. The city was under siege. I rushed to the office, helping colleagues capture the moment in words and images. And just as Bob had asked, I sent photos to him. Within hours, those images appeared on front pages across News Corp newspapers.
Bob wrote to me soon after, saying, “You’re truly the star of our course.”
That was Bob—always lifting others up, always encouraging, always giving more credit than he took.
From that week in PNG, we became more than just colleagues. We became friends—real friends. Over the years, whenever I travelled through Port Moresby, I would always reach out to him.
Sometimes we shared a drink, sometimes a long talk, sometimes just a warm hello from his home overlooking the harbour. But every time, it felt like reconnecting with someone who genuinely understood my journey.
Asia Pacific Report publisher David Robie’s tribute to Bob Howarth on Bob’s FB page.
Bob was the person I turned to for advice, for guidance, for perspective. He believed in me at a time when belief was the greatest gift anyone could offer. And he never stopped being that voice in my corner—whether I was working here in the Solomons or abroad.
This morning, I learned of his passing. And my heart sank.
It feels like losing a pillar. Like losing a chapter of my own story. Like losing someone whose kindness shaped the path I walked.
To his wife, his children, and all who loved him, I send my deepest condolences. Your husband, your father, your friend—he touched the Pacific in ways words can barely capture.
And he touched my life in a way I will never forget.
RIEP Bob. Thank you for seeing me when I was still finding my footing.
Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for being my friend.
Robert Luke Iroga is editor and publisher of Solomon Business Magazine and chair of the Pacific Freedom Forum. He wrote this tribute on his FB page and it is republished with permission.
Days after the first phase of voting in Bihar assembly elections, Alt News discovered that the names of at least three individuals were present in voter lists at multiple locations, and that they had voted from two different locations. This was revealed through their social media posts, in which they shared photos after voting in two separate locations. Notably, all three are associated with the BJP.
Case I: Prabhat Kumar
Prabhat Kumar, the social media coordinator of BJP Uttarakhand Kisan Morcha, posted a photo of himself on social media after casting his vote in the Bihar assembly elections. Surprisingly, he had previously posted a number of images of himself voting in the Uttarakhand municipal corporation elections, the Uttarakhand assembly elections, as well as the Lok Sabha elections. These visuals of him voting in polls from both states raise the question whether Kumar’s name was mentioned in the voter lists of both the states where he was photographed after casting his vote.
Kumar posted a photo on April 19, 2024, showing the voting ink mark on his finger. He wrote that he had voted for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. When we examined this photo, we noticed that the polling station visible in the background was labeled ‘Sanatan Dharma’, with the address below it being Race Course, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Again, he had also posted a photo with his mother on Facebook after casting his vote in the Bihar assembly elections on November 6, 2025. In this Facebook post, he listed the location as ‘Gangsara’ and had also tagged his mother, Neera Ramanand Singh.
Alt News came across a post from 2021 on Prabhat Kumar’s Facebook profile in which a user named Ranjeet Nirguni tagged him while paying respects to his father. The post lists BJP leader Prabhat Kumar’s father’s name as Ramanand Singh.
To verify his voter ID card, we looked for the details of Prabhat Kumar in the electoral rolls from Bihar using the Voter Search option on the Election Commission website. We found that his voter ID is active (EPIC No. LKB2414696) in Sarairanjan assembly constituency in Samastipur district, where his polling station was listed as ‘Madhya Vidyalaya Gangsara’.
Similarly, we looked for Prabhat Kumar’s details in the state of Uttarakhand and discovered that his voter ID (EPIC No. IBG1450394) was also active in the Dharampur assembly constituency of Uttarakhand, where his polling station was listed as ‘Sanatan Dharma Primary School, Dehradun’ with the Part name being ‘Race Course Road No. 17’.
These two details match the photos posted by Prabhat Kumar on social media. In one post, he mentions ‘Gangsara’ while casting his vote in Bihar. Furthermore, in the photo he posted of himself casting his vote in Uttarakhand, the polling station name is Sanatan Dharma Primary School, Race Course, Dehradun.
Case II: Santosh Ojha
Santosh Ojha, the president of the Purvanchal Morcha of the Delhi BJP, posted a photo of himself on social media after voting in the Bihar assembly elections on November 6, 2025. A polling station is visible in the background, with the words ‘Nehru Smarak Uchch Vidyalaya, Buxar’ written on it. Previously, after casting his vote in the Delhi assembly elections on February 5, 2025, he had posted a photo on social media, in which a board at the polling station in the background read ‘Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya’. (Ojha later made the November 6, 2025 photo private on his Instagram account or deleted it.)
To verify Ojha’s voter ID, we looked for Santosh Ojha’s details in the state of Bihar using the Voter Search option on the Election Commission website, and found that his voter ID was active in the Buxar assembly constituency of Bihar (EPIC No. WJJ2636066), where his polling station was listed as “Nehru Smarak Uchch Vidyalaya, Buxar.”
Similarly, when we looked for his details in the state of Delhi, we found that his voter ID (EPIC No. NEC2789717) was also active in the Greater Kailash assembly constituency of Delhi, where his polling station was ‘Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya’.
Both of these details are in line with the photos posted on social media by Ojha himself. In one post, he shared a photo of himself casting his vote in Bihar, with the Nehru Memorial High School in Buxar in the background. In the other image he posted of himself casting his vote in Delhi, the name, Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, is visible in the background.
Case III: Nagendra Pandey
Delhi BJP worker Nagendra Kumar also posted a photo of himself on social media after voting in the Bihar assembly polls on November 6, 2025, with a polling station in the background marked as ‘Government Middle School, Guthani, Siwan’. He previously posted a photo on social media after voting in the Delhi assembly elections on February 5, 2025. In this photo, he is seen wearing an ID card around his neck, which is often provided to booth-level representatives of political parties. (Pandey later made the November 6, 2025, photo private on his Facebook account or deleted it.)
The cover photo on Nagendra Kumar’s Facebook profile is a picture of a pamphlet of I&S Buildtech Pvt Ltd. We also came across a Facebook page created for this company, and under the ‘Details’ section, a mobile number and an email address belonging to Kumar can be seen.
We found the same phone number listed on the Delhi Election Commission website under the name Nagendra Pandey, stating that he was a BJP booth-level representative from Part No. 157 of assembly constituency No. 33 – Dwarka. This confirms that Nagendra Kumar’s official name is Nagendra Pandey. The company whose photo appears in his profile header also lists Kumar’s phone number and email address.
To verify his voter ID card, we looked for Pandey’s details in the state of Bihar using the Voter Search feature on the Election Commission website, and found that his voter ID was active (EPIC No. HZD4648150) in the Darauli assembly constituency of the Siwan district in Bihar, where his polling station was listed as Government Middle School, Bangara.
Similarly, we dug out his details in Delhi and discovered that his voter ID (EPIC No. RBI6602254) was active as Serial No. 107 of Part No. 157 in Delhi’s Dwarka assembly constituency, where his polling station was ‘GBSS School’.
Like in the first two cases, Nagendra Kumar alias Nagendra Pandey’s details, too, align with the photos posted by BJP leader Nagendra Pandey on social media. In one post, he shared a photo of himself casting his vote in Bihar, with Government Upgraded Middle School, Guthani, in Siwan in the background. He had also posted a photo of himself casting his vote in Delhi, where he was wearing an ID card. His name and mobile number appear on the Delhi Election Commission’s website as a BJP booth-level representative from Dwarka. And importantly, his voter ID card’s details, including the assembly constituency, Part No., and other information, match the details of the constituency from where he was a BJP booth-level representative.
A day after a car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort claimed 13 lives, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that a cache of explosives was seized from a house in Faridabad’s Sector 56 area amid an ongoing probe to track down the perpetrators. (Archive)
After the explosion rocked the national capital, the police filed charges under Sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act. The Ministry of Home Affairs also handed over the investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on November 11. The following day, the government officially labelled the blast a ‘terrorist incident’.
VIDEO | Faridabad, Haryana: A day after 12 people were killed in the Delhi blast, a massive cache of explosives has been seized from a rented house in Sector 56. Authorities have launched a detailed investigation into the matter.
After PTI’s X post, News18 also published a video report that the police recovered 50-60 kgs of explosives, and the crime branch arrested two persons from Sector 56 of Faridabad in Haryana. The video also showed footage of a police officer examining packages. (Archive)
The same day as PTI’s X post, the Faridabad police’s official handle clarified that reports claiming 50-60 kgs explosives were found are false. They said that the material found was firecrackers used for celebratory occasions. People’s Police – Faridabad Police (@FBDPolice) wrote on X: “A misleading news story is being circulated in the media that explosive material has been found in the Sector 56 Faridabad area. This material is firecrackers used in weddings and marriages, and their raw material; it has no connection with terrorist activities. The Faridabad Police refutes this, do not spread misleading propaganda”.
मीडिया में एक भ्रामक खबर प्रचारित हो रही है कि से० 56 फरी० क्षेत्र में विस्फोटक सामग्री मिली है
यह सामग्री शादी विवाह में चलने वाले पटाखे व उसका रॉ मैटेरियल है, इसका आतंकवादी गतिविधियों से कोई संबंध नहीं है। फरीदाबाद पुलिस इसका खंडन करती है, भ्रामक प्रचार ना करें@police_haryana
Hours before the November 10 Delhi blast, the Jammu & Kashmir police had made seven arrests, busting an “inter-State and transnational terror module” linked with terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH). The J&K police also seized 2,900 kilograms of improvised explosive device (IED) making material in the past 15 days. At present, investigators are looking into possible links between this ‘terror module’ and the Delhi blast.
Among those arrested by the J&K police were two doctors — Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, also known as Musaib, a resident of Koil, Pulwama, and Adeel, a resident of Wanpora, Kulgam. The other accused are Arif Nisar Dar, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar, all residents of Nowgam, Srinagar; Zameer Ahmad Ahanger, alias Mutlasha, of Ganderbal; and Irfan Ahmad, a maulvi from Shopian. Further, on November 11, a woman identified as Shaheen Saeed was arrested.
Ganaie was the first to be arrested in this case; he taught at the Al Falah Hospital in Faridabad and was apprehended in a joint operation between the J&K and Faridabad police 12 days ago. Police said they seized 358 kg of explosives from his rented home in Faridabad’s Dhauj village.
The connection to Faridabad in the ‘terror module’ bust may have led to confusion when a large quantity of materials required for making fireworks was recovered from another area in Faridabad. However, it was debunked by the Faridabad police that this recovery was completely independent of the investigation regarding the blast or the ‘terror module’ bust.
Palau’s leader says the world needs to be working toward reducing emissions and “not dropping targets”, in response to New Zealand slashing its methane reduction goals.
Last month, the New Zealand government announced it would cut biogenic methane reduction targets to 14-24 percent below 2017 levels by 2050. The previous target was a reduction of 24-47 percent.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr, who is in Brazil for the annual United Nations climate change conference, COP30, said more work needed to go into finding solutions.
“[It’s] unfortunate because we all need to be working toward reduction, not dropping targets,” Whipps said.
“Countries struggle because it’s about making sure that their people have their jobs and maintain their industry. I can see the reason why maybe those targets were dropped, but that means we just need to work harder.”
Whipps said it probably meant the government needed to “step up” and help farmers reduce emissions.
Tuvalu’s climate minister also told RNZ Pacific he was disheartened by the new goal.
New Zealand Climate Minister Simon Watts previously told RNZ Pacific in a statement that methane reduction was limited by technology and the only alternative would have been to cut agriculture production.
“New Zealand has some of the most emissions-efficient farmers in the world, and we export to meet global demand,” Watts said.
“If we cut production to meet targets, we risk shifting production to countries who are not as emissions-efficient, which would add to global warming and have a greater impact on the Pacific.”
NZ ‘doesn’t care about Pacific’ – campaigner Pacific Islands Climate Action Network campaigner Sindra Sharma said she wanted to know what scientists Watts spoke with.
“I’d like to see what the data is behind New Zealand having the most emissions-efficient farmers. It blows my mind that that is something he would say.”
Sharma said it was especially disappointing given New Zealand was a member of the Pacific Islands Forum.
“I think the signal that sends is extremely harmful. It shows we don’t care about the Pacific.”
Speaking to RNZ Morning Report on Thursday, Watts said the country had not weakened its ambitions on climate change.
“We’ve actually delivered upon what has been asked of us. We’ve submitted our NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) plan for 2035 on time,” he said.
“We’ve done what we believe is possible in the context of our unique circumstances.
“We’ve taken a position around ensuring that we are ambitious with balancing that with economic challenges.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
A video of the Chief of Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, making controversial remarks about the Indian Army and claiming that by 2028, the number of non-Hindu soldiers would be cut by half is viral on social media. Users have circulated the video, alleging that this is an attempt to purge the Indian Army of those who don’t fit into the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy.
The full speech, as can be heard in the viral clip, reads: “Recently, our ranks have been debated whether non-Hindu castes should remain in the Indian Army. I’ve brought this concern to the Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, and his response was unambiguous. By 2028, non-Hindu soldiers must be reduced by over 50%. We have begun selecting out those who refuse to embrace Hinduism. If anyone wishes to convert, they may receive a five-year extension. But we will judge their sincerity before granting promotions. Indian Army, we are told, is for Hindus – not for outsiders, or descendants of so-called invaders. This policy is not about merit or loyalty, it’s about purging diversity. As soldiers, we are being told to trade our oath for an ideology. History will remember what is being done in these halls.
X user @Baba_Thoka posted the video on November 4, writing: “Non-caste Hindus in the Army to be shown the door by 2028 because apparently, patriotism now comes with a gotra certificate.” (Archive)
Breaking News:
Hindutva in India finally takes its “One Nation, One Caste” dream to the barracks!
Non-caste Hindus in the Army to be shown the door by 2028 because apparently, patriotism now comes with a gotra certificate. pic.twitter.com/ebCdpPovZk
The video, with the accompanying claim, was also viral on WhatsApp. Alt News received several requests on our helpline ( to verify the clip.
Fact Check
Recently, several manipulated videos of defence officers, including Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai and Colonel Sofia Qureshi, making controversial claims regarding the Indian Army had gone viral too; Alt News had debunked them at the time. However, that made us doubt the authenticity of the video featuring COAS General Upendra Dwivedi as well.
We conducted several relevant keyword searches to see if the speech had been reported on by any reliable news outlet, but found none.
Thereafter, we broke the viral clip down into keyframes. A reverse image search on one such keyframe led us to this video, uploaded by ANI on November 1.
#WATCH | Rewa, Madhya Pradesh | Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi says, “Coming to TRS College was a great privilege for me, as I’ve been around this building since 1973, but I never entered. It was a huge source of inspiration for me… I was deeply inspired to… pic.twitter.com/AsA9uCugeM
The clip shows General Upendra Dwivedi giving a press byte at the TRS College in Madhya Pradesh, where he speaks about the lessons learnt from Operation Sindoor and lauded qualities like confidence, courage, collaboration, change, and clarity.
We went through the whole video to check if General Dwivedi had made the controversial remarks, but found that no such thing was said.
We then checked the viral video again and found the lip movements slightly inconsistent with the audio in some parts. This indicated the possibility that the viral video too was a deepfake, like the ones of Col Qureshi and LG Ghai.
To be sure, we ran the viral video through HIVE’s AI detection tool, which showed a 91.5% possibility of the clip containing AI-generated content.
Based on these findings, we could conclude that the viral video, which apparently shows the Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, claiming that the Indian Army has decided to reduce non-Hindu soldiers enlisted in the Army by 50% by the year 2028 is AI-generated and not genuine.
I sat in a cafe listening to one man telling another how to get more out of his workers — “his team”, kind of the way people talked about workhorses until some of us read Black Beauty and learned that sentient creatures have feelings, both animals and people.
I hope that people will wake up to the need to unite, to pull together. The best decluttering is decolonising.
Maybe Zohran Mamdani’s win is a sign that will herald a new era, an era when socialists can beat “the money men”. Maybe it’s time when we will all wake up to a different possibility. Maybe other values will be recognised.
Virtues do not come from wealth. Capital, capitalism (the key is in the word) is a system of exploitation. It was designed by merchants to make some rich and keep others poor. That’s the system.
Maybe you were not taught that? Of course you were not taught that. Think about it.
I listened to William Dalrymple being interviewed by Jack Tame last Sunday and I thought Jack — who I used to respect a lot before he failed to tackle genocide with Israel’s representative for genocide here in Aotearoa — I thought he, Jack, looked like a possum in the headlights when Dalrymple said that Donald Trump had a precursor in Benjamin Netanyahu and called genocide a genocide.
I like to think Jack and others like him (because I have been like them too) will learn to learn about the history of all people and not view history as an inevitable story of winners and losers.
Winners are exploiters
The winners are exploiters and if we want to save the planet we need a massive game change.
The legacy of colonisation. Video: TVNZ Q&A
Look at the stats of the land that was taken for expansion and how that expansion was used to justify the extermination of one people to prop another people up. The stats, the real statistics show who was there before, show people lived on the land with the land and the waters.
Capitalism is a system of expansion and exploitation. It flourished for a while on slavery and it flourished for a while on settler colonialism, and it flourished for a while on keeping workers believing the story that they were working for greater glory when their take home pay did not equal the value of their labour.
And there is a difference between guilt and remorse. We can learn from the latter. The former, guilt, stagnates, it leads to defence and offence.
We need to recognise that we don’t need to prop up a dying system that flourishes on making some weak and others stronger.
We need to learn to change — those of us who were wrong can admit it and go forward differently. We can realise that they system was designed to make us fail to see the threads that connect all people. We can wake up now and smell the manure among the roses.
Good shit helps things grow, bad shit is toxic contaminated waste that turns things inwards, makes them gnarly.
Monsters are connected
Unfortunately, those who behave like monsters are connected not just to some of us but all of us.
We need to open our minds and our hearts to a different our value system. We need to decolonise our senses.
If you defend a bad system because right now you are one of the few on a decent pay scale then you are part of the problem. You are the problem. You have been conned. A system is only fair if it is fair for all people.
Learning history gives us a map said Dalrymple (author of The Golden Road which tells the story of how great India was BEFORE it was stolen by Britain — how that country gave the world numbers and so much more) and we need to learn how the map was drawn.
As someone who reads history to write history, I encourage us all to read widely and deeply and to research so that we do not stop thinking and analysing, and so we can tell wrong from right.
Do not be neutral about wrongs as some historians would suggest. It is more than OK to call a wrong a wrong. In fact it is vital. Take a new lens into viewing history, not the one the masters have given you.
We miss seeing the world if we look fail to think about who drew the map, how it was drawn up by men who carved up the world for the Empires intent on creating a golden age by enslaving most of the people to prop up those at the top.
World map’s curling edges
We need to look under the curling edges of the world map drawn up by the exploiter. We need to find find the stories of those who were exploited and who had been part of the creation story of this planet before they were exploited.
Those of us who are descendants of colonisers also — many of us — descend from those who were exploited.
The stories of British workhouses, of the system of exile via banishment, of the theft of women’s rights, of the extreme brutal forms of punishment, the stories of the way the top class pushed down and down on the people of the fields and forests and forced them to serve and serve, these real stories are less well known than the myths.
Myths like the story of King Arthur are better known.
Some myths have been created as a form of propaganda. We need to unpick the stories that were told to keep us stupid, to keep us ignorant.
It is time to stop following the trail of crumbs to Buckingham Palace, or at least to see where the trail really leads — to pedophiles who preyed on others, to predators — not just one but many, to people brilliant at reconstructing themselves — creating some fall guys and some good guys and making some people villains.
That story is a lie that protects and processes dysfunction.
Acting on the truth
Blaming one part of the system prevents us from realising and acting on the truth that the whole system is one of exploitation.
This was always a horror story disguised as a fairy story. One crown could save so many poor. The monarchy is not a family that produced one disfunctional person it is the disfunction.
It promotes the lie that one group of people deserve wealth because they are better than another. What a sick joke.
So let’s back away from societies made by men who want to profit from others and get back to nature.
Let’s look on nature as a sister or mother — a sister or mother you love.
Let’s look at the so called natural disasters like climate change. Look at how they have been created by “noble men” and “noble women” and ignoble ones as well. Disasters that can be averted, prevented.
Who suffers the most in a natural disaster? Not the rich.
How do we heal?
So how do we hope and how do we heal? We see the change. We be the change.
Personally, for my mental and physical health I’ve been sea bathing, dipping in the sea. I join a group of mainly women who all have stories, and who plunge into nature for release and relief, to relieve ourselves from the debris. Uniting in nature.
I’ve learned that every day is different. The sea is always changing. No two waves are the same and they all pull in the same direction.
We are part moon, part wave, part light, part darkness. We are the bounty and the beauty.
I do have hope that we will all unite for common good. Sharing on common ground. The word Common is so much better than Capital.
If you are working for the kind of people that are discussing how to get more out of you for less, then unite.
And if you know people who are being exploited in any way at all unite with them not the exploiter. Be the change.
By helping each other we save each other. And that includes helping our friend and exploited lover: Nature.
Saige England is an award-winning journalist and author of The Seasonwife, a novel exploring the brutal impacts of colonisation. She is also a contributor to Asia Pacific Report.
A 37-second-long clip, seemingly CCTV footage, where a man is seen shooting a woman, is viral on social media with communal claims that a girl was attacked by a ‘Muslim terrorist’ for refusing his advances.
In the clip, which shows a view of a street, the man is seen standing next to his bike on one side of the street. A few seconds later, three women enter the frame, walking on the other side of the street. The man then crosses the street and points the gun at one of the women, shoots her and then flees on the bike. Social media users claimed that the 19-year-old girl was returning from her coaching classes when the incident took place.
X user VINI (@Vini___007) posted the above-mentioned clip on November 6 and wrote, “Hindus need to keep proper watch and security over their sisters and daughters.. The Hindu community must stay united. Watch their every movement, and if they have friendship or conversation with people of other religions, immediately break it off. Otherwise, face terrible consequences”. (Archive)
A few other users also posted the viral clip with communal claims. Below are some instances.
To verify the authenticity of this claim, we broke down the viral clip into multiple keyframes and ran a reverse image search on a few of them. This led us to a news report by The Hindu from November 6, which featured a still from the video. The report said that the victim, a 17-year-old Class 12 student, was on her way back home from the library when she was attacked in Faridabad’s Shyam Colony on November 3. She was shot at point-blank range — one bullet struck her shoulder while another grazed her abdomen.
The report also stated that the victim was stable, and an FIR was registered at the City Ballabgarh police station. The police have also arrested one Mr Mangla, a resident of Sarmathla village near Sohna in Gurugram, on November 5.
We came across another report by Times of India, where the accused’s full name was mentioned as Jatin Mangla.
Alt News reached out to inspector Shamsher Singh, the station-in-charge at the Ballabgarh police station, who rubbished the claim that the perpetrator was Muslim. “Both the victim and the accused are Hindu; there is no communal angle”, inspector Singh said.
Therefore, claims that the attacker in the Faridabad shooting case is Muslim are completely baseless. Both the attacker and the victim were Hindu as clarified by the police and news reports.
Greenpeace has heralded the Cook Islands delay on a decision over whether seabed mining can go ahead until at least 2032 as “evidence of the growing opposition” to the destructive industry in the Pacific.
Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Juressa Lee said the decision was “a win for the moana and the Pacific Peoples” and communities fighting against this emerging threat that would risk their way of life.
Resistance to seabed mining in the Cook Islands was strong and persistent, she said in a statement today.
“We are pleased to see that the government is feeling the pressure and acknowledging that a five-year exploration period is nothing more than tokenistic when it comes to understanding this industry’s impacts.
“There is no version of seabed mining that is sustainable or safe.
Lee said that alongside Greenpeace’s allies who wanted to protect the ocean for future generations, the environmental movement would continue to say “a loud and bold no to miners who want to strip the seafloor for their profit”.
The decision that companies wanting to mine in Cook Island waters would now have to apply for a five year extension to their exploration licences was announced today by the Seabed Minerals Authority, the government agency in charge of seabed mining in the Cook Islands.
Current licences expire in 2027.
Raising alarm for years
For years, multiple civil society groups in the Cook Islands have been raising the alarm about rushing into seabed mining.
Four protesters in kayaks met the ship, holding banners that read: “Don’t mine the moana”.
In September 2024, civil society groups came together to peacefully demonstrate community opposition to deep sea mining, with 150 people paddling out into Avarua port and floating a giant banner reading “Protect our ocean”.
Greenpeace is calling for a ban on deep sea mining.
“The current Cook Islands government is pushing seabed mining but we know that many people oppose this emerging industry that risks irreversible damage to ocean life,” said Lee.
“We’ve already seen evidence from a test mining site in the Atlantic Ocean that was mined in the 1970s and has never fully recovered.
Not be silenced
“Pacific Peoples will not be sidelined or silenced by corporations and powerful countries that continue to try and impose this new form of extractive colonialism where it is not wanted.
“Seabed mining is not welcome in the Cook Islands or the Pacific and we will resist.”
Seabed mining is an emerging extractive industry that has not yet started on a commercial scale anywhere in the world. Miners want to extract polymetallic nodules from the seafloor to extract metals.
Three companies — Moana Minerals Limited (a subsidiary of US company Ocean Minerals), Cobalt (CIC) Limited, and CIIC Seabed Resources Limited (a partnership between Cook Islands government and Belgian company GSR) — currently hold licences for seabed mining exploration in the Cook Island waters.
This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese talks to journalist Chris Hedges about her new report that examines how 60+ countries are complicit in Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity demonstrated to the world in a “livestreamed atrocity”.
INTERVIEW:The Chris Hedges Report
After two years of genocide, it is no longer possible to hide complicity in Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians. Entire countries and corporations are — according to multiple reports by UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese — either directly or indirectly involved in Israel’s economic proliferation.
In her latest report, Gaza Genocide: a collective crime, Albanese details the role 63 nations played in supporting Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians. She chronicles how countries like the United States, which directly funds and arms Israel, are a part of a vast global economic web.
This network includes dozens of other countries that contribute with seemingly minor components, such as warplane wheels.
Rejection of this system is imperative, Albanese says. These same technologies used to destroy the lives of Palestinians will inevitably be turned against the citizens of Israel’s funders.
“Palestine today is a metaphor of our life and where our life is going to go,” Albanese warns.
“Every worker today should draw a lesson from what’s happening to the Palestinians, because the large injustice system is connected and makes all of us connected to what’s happening there.”
The transcript: Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine, in her latest report, Gaza Genocide: a collective crime, calls out the role 63 nations have in sustaining the Israeli genocide. Albanese, who because of sanctions imposed on her by the Trump administration, had to address the UN General Assembly from the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa, slams what she calls “decades of moral and political failure.”
“Through unlawful actions and deliberate omissions, too many states have harmed, founded and shielded Israel’s militarized apartheid, allowing its settler colonial enterprise to metastasize into genocide, the ultimate crime against the indigenous people of Palestine,” she told the UN.
The genocide, she notes, has diplomatic protection in international “fora meant to preserve peace,” military ties ranging from weapons sales to joint trainings that “fed the genocidal machinery,” the unchallenged weaponization of aid, and trade with entities like the European Union, which had sanctioned Russia over Ukraine yet continued doing business with Israel.
The 24-page report details how the “live-streamed atrocity” is facilitated by third states. She excoriates the United States for providing “diplomatic cover” for Israel, using its veto power at the UN Security Council seven times and controlling ceasefire negotiations. Other Western nations, the report noted, collaborate with abstentions, delays and watered-down draft resolutions, providing Israel with weapons, “even as the evidence of genocide … mounted.”
The report chastised the US Congress for passing a $26.4 billion arms package for Israel, although Israel was at the time threatening to invade Rafah in defiance of the Biden administration’s demand that Rafah be spared.
The report also condemns Germany, the second-largest arms exporter to Israel during the genocide, for weapons shipments that include everything from “frigates to torpedoes,” as well as the United Kingdom, which has allegedly flown more than 600 surveillance missions over Gaza since war broke out in October 2023.
At the same time, Arab states have not severed ties with Israel. Egypt, for example, maintained “significant security and economic relations with Israel, including energy cooperation and the closing of the Rafah crossing” during the war.
Francesca Albanese talks to Chris Hedges Video: The Chris Hedges Report
The Gaza genocide, the report states, “exposed an unprecedented chasm between peoples and their governments, betraying the trust on which global peace and security rest.” Her report coincides with the ceasefire that isn’t. More than 300 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israel since the ceasefire was announced two weeks ago.
The first major ceasefire breach on October 19 led to Israeli air strikes that killed 100 Palestinians and wounded 150 others. Palestinians in Gaza continue to endure daily bombings that obliterate buildings and homes. Shelling and gunfire continue to kill and wound civilians, while drones continue to hover overhead broadcasting ominous threats.
Essential food items, humanitarian aid and medical supplies remain scarce because of the ongoing Israeli siege. And the Israeli army controls more than half of the Gaza Strip, shooting anyone, including families, who come too close to its invisible border known as the “yellow line”.
Joining me to discuss her report, the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the complicity of numerous states in sustaining the genocide in Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine.
Before we get into the report, let’s talk a little bit about what’s happening in Gaza. It’s just a complete disconnect between what is described by the international community, i.e. “a ceasefire”, the pace may have slowed down, but nothing’s changed.
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Yes, thank you for having me, Chris. I do agree that it seems that there is a complete disconnect between reality and political discourse. Because after the ceasefire, the attention has been forced to shift from Gaza elsewhere.
I do believe, for example, that the increased attention to the catastrophic situation in Sudan, which has been such for years now, all of a sudden is due to the fact that there is a need for, especially from Western countries and the US, Israel and their acolytes to focus on a new emergency.
‘There is the pretence that there is peace, there is no need to protest anymore because finally, there is peace. There is no peace.’
There is the pretence that there is peace, there is no need to protest anymore because finally, there is peace. There is no peace. I mean, the Palestinians have not seen a day of peace because Israel has continued to fire, to use violence against the Palestinians in Gaza. Over 230 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire, 100 of them in one day in 24 hours, including 50 children.
And starvation continues. Yes, there has been an increase in the number of trucks, but far, far below what is needed with much confusion because it’s very hard to deliver aid. All the more, Israel maintains a control over 50 percent of the Gaza Strip while the entire Gaza population is amassed in small portions, guarded portions of the territory.
So there is no peace. Meanwhile, while the Security Council seems to be ready to approve a Security Council resolution that will create a non-acronistic form of tutelage, of trusteeship over Palestine, over Gaza, the West Bank is abandoned to the violence and the ethnic cleansing pushed by armed settlers and soldiers while Israel jails continue to fill up with bodies to torture of adults and children alike. This is the reality in the occupied Palestinian territory today and so it makes absolutely no sense where the political discourse is.
CHRIS HEDGES: Two issues about Gaza. One, of course, Israel has seized over 50% or occupies over 50 percent of Gaza. And as I understand it, they’re not allowing any reconstruction supplies, including cement, in.
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: This is also my understanding. They have allowed in food, water and some essential materials needed for hospitals, mainly camp hospitals, tents. But anything related to sustainability is prohibited.
There are many food items that are also prohibited because they are considered luxurious. And the question, Chris, is, and this is why I harbor so much frustration these days toward member states because in the case of genocide, you have heard yourself the argument, well, the recalcitrance of certain states to use the genocide framework saying — and it’s pure nonsense from a legal point of view — but saying, well, the International Court of Justice has not concluded that it’s genocide.
Well, it has concluded already that there is a risk of genocide two years ago, in January, 2024. But however, even when the court does conclude on something relevant like in July, 2024, that the occupation is illegal and must be dismantled totally and unconditionally, this should be the starting point of any peace related or forward-looking discussions.
Instead of deliberating how to force Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territory, member states continue to maintain dialogue with Israel as Israel has sovereignty over the territory. See, so it’s completely dystopic, the future they are leading Palestinians out of despair into.
But they are also forcing the popular movement, the global movement that has formed made of young people and workers to stop. Because look at what’s happening in France, in Italy, in Germany, in the UK — any kind of attempt at maintaining the light turned on Palestine from Gaza to the West Bank is assaulted. Protests, conferences, there is a very active assault on anything that concerns Palestine.
So this is why I’m saying we are far, far beyond the mismanagement of the lack of understanding, I mean the negligence in approaching the question of Palestine, it’s active complicity to sustain Israel in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
CHRIS HEDGES: Which, as you point out in your report, has been true from the beginning despite a slight change in rhetoric recognising the two-state solution. The UK did this while only cutting back on shipments by 10 percent.
But I want to ask before we get into the report, what do you think Israel’s goal is? Is it just to slow-walk the genocide until it can resume it? Is it to create this appalling, uninhabitable, unlivable ghetto? What do you think Israel’s goal is?
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: I think that now more than ever it is impossible to separate and distinguish the goals of Israel from the goals of the United States. We tend to have a fragmented view of what happens, analysing for example the relationship between Lebanon and Israel, between Iran and Israel, or between Israel and the Palestinians.
‘One of the things that Palestine has made me realise is the meaning of “Greater Israel” because I do believe that what the current leadership in Israel has in mind and it’s supported by many willing or not in the Israeli society, many who are fine with the erasure of the Palestinians.’
In fact, do, I mean, one of the things that Palestine has made me realise is the meaning of “Greater Israel” because I do believe that what the current leadership in Israel has in mind and it’s supported by many willing or not in the Israeli society, many who are fine with the erasure of the Palestinians.
But there is this idea of Greater Israel and for a long time I have been among those who thought, who were wondering what it is, this “Greater Israel” because of course you look at the map by Israeli leaders in several occasions with this Greater Israel going from the Nile to the Euphrates and you say come on they cannot do that, they cannot occupy Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq.
But then everything changes when you look at it from a non-territorial border expansion perspective. And if you think that in fact domination can be exerted, established, other than by expanding the physical borders and through military occupation, but through domination and financial control, control from outside, power domination, you see that the Greater Israel project has already started and it’s very advanced.
Look at the annihilation of Iraq, Libya, Syria, Lebanon. So all those who were historically considered not friends of Israel have been annihilated. And the other Arab countries that remain either do not have the capacity to confront Israel and perish the thought they explored the idea of unity among them or with others. And the others are fine with it.
Ultimately, I think that Greater Israel is the quintessential explanation of the US imperialistic design in that part of the world for which the Palestinians remain a thorn in the side not just for Israel but for the imperialistic project itself because the Palestinians are still there resisting.
They don’t want to go, they don’t want to be tamed, they don’t want to be dominated so they are the last line, the last frontier of resistance, both physically and in the imagination. And therefore, you see, the fierceness against them has scaled up, with the US now getting ready with boots on the ground to get rid of them. This is my interpretation of the general design behind Israel-United States, where Israelis are going to pay a heavy price like many in the region, not just the Palestinians.
CHRIS HEDGES:So you see the imposition of American troops in Gaza as another step forward to the depopulation of Gaza.
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Yes, yes, yes, I don’t trust any promise made to the Palestinians either by Israel or by the United States because what I’ve seen over the past two years shows me, demonstrates to all of us in fact, that they don’t care at all about the Palestinians. Otherwise, they would have seen their suffering.
‘The beginning of genocide has changed my perception of the world in a way, for me personally, it’s the end of an era of innocence when I really believed that the United Nations were a place where things could still be advanced in the pursuit of peace.’
It’s just not like people like us who can really divide their life. Is it pre-genocide? Does it happen to you as well? Are you talking of pre-genocide or after genocide? Because in fact, the beginning of genocide has changed my perception of the world in a way, for me personally, it’s the end of an era of innocence when I really believed that the United Nations were a place where things could still be advanced in the pursuit of peace.
Now I don’t think so, which doesn’t mean that I think that the UN is over, but in order not to be over, in order to make sense to the people, it is to be led by dignity, principles like dignity, equality and freedom for all. And we are absolutely far from that today.
CHRIS HEDGES: And what is it that brought you to this decision? Is it the acceptance of this faux ceasefire on the part of the UN, or was it before this moment?
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: No, it’s before. It’s before. It’s the fact that for two years most states, primarily in the West, but with the acquiescence of other states in the region have supported the Israeli mantra of “self-defence”.
Sorry, it was a mantra because again, self-defence has a very, I’m not saying that Israel had no right to protect itself. Of course Israel had suffered a ferocious attack on October 7. Some say similar to the attacks it had inflicted on the Palestinians. Others say more brutal, say less brutal. It doesn’t matter.
Israel suffered a horrible, violent attack. Israeli civilians suffered a horrible attack on October 7th. But hey, this didn’t give the possibility to Israel to invoke Article 51 of the UN Charter, meaning the right to wage a war.
This is not legal. And on this I can say I’m surprised by how conservative are member states when it comes to the interpretation of international law, except on this, in the sense that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has already set the limits of the right of invoking self-defence for member states.
And it can only be done against states where there is a concrete threat that the state will attack which is not the case here. So yes, Israel could defend itself, but not wage a war. And while the war was clearly identifiable more for its crimes than not its tendency to avoid crimes, member states have continued to say nothing and it was very extreme violence against the Palestinians in Gaza but also against the Palestinians in the West Bank. And for two years they’ve not used their power to stop it.
So I’m convinced that in order to have a political shift vis-à-vis Israel, there must be a political shift at the country level, because governments are completely subdued to the dictates of the US. Of course, if the US wanted, this would stop, but the US with this constellation of figures in the government is not going to stop.
And plus look at how the West in particular has contributed to dehumanise the Palestinians. Even today you hear people saying yes, Palestinians have been killed in these numbers because they’ve been used as human shields when the only evidence that they’ve been used as human shields is against Israel because Israel has used Palestinians as human shields in the West Bank and in Gaza alike.
You see Palestinians have returned to be wrapped into this colonial tropism of them being the savages, the barbarians, in a way, they have brought havoc upon themselves. This is the narrative that the West has used toward the Palestinians. And by doing that, it has created, they have created the fertile ground for Israel’s impunity.
CHRIS HEDGES: Let’s talk about the nations that you single out in your report that have continued to sustain the genocide, either through weapons shipments, but also the commercial interests. I think your previous report talked about the money that was being made off of the genocide. Just lay out the extent of that collaboration and to the extent that you can, the sums of money involved.
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Yeah, yeah, let me start with introducing generally two components, the military component and the trade and investment ones, which are quite interrelated. And states have, in general, I name 62 states, primarily Western states, but with substantive collaboration of states from the Global South, global majority, including some Arab states.
So they have altogether ignored, obscured and somewhat even profited from Israel’s violations of international law through military and economic channels. So military cooperation through arms trades or intelligence sharing has fueled Israel’s war machine during the occupation, the illegal occupation, and especially during the genocide while the United States and Germany alone have provided about 90 percent of Israel’s arms export.
At least 26 states have supplied or facilitated the transfer of arms or components, while many others have continued to buy weapons tested on the Palestinians. And this is why in my previous report, the ones looking at the private sector, I was shocked to see how much the Israeli stock exchange had gone up during the genocide.
And this is particularly because of a growth in the military industry. On the other hand, there is the trade and investment sector. Both have sustained and profited from Israel’s economy. Think that between 2023, 2024, actually the end of 2022 and 2024, exports of electronics, pharmaceuticals, energy minerals and what is called the dual-use have totaled almost US$500 billion, helping Israel finance its military occupation.
Now one third of this trade is with the European Union while the rest is complemented by North American countries, the US and Canada, who have free trade agreements with Israel and several Arab states that have continued to deepen economic ties.
Only a few states have marginally reduced trade during the genocide, but in general the indirect commercial flows, including with states that have supposedly no diplomatic relations with Israel, have continued undisturbed.
It’s a very grim picture of the reality. But let me add just one extra element. I do believe that in many respects, the problem is ideological. As I said, there is a tendency to treat Ukraine, for example, vis-a-vis Russia, in a very different fashion than Palestine versus Israel. And this is why I think there is an element of Orientalism that accompanies also the tragedy of the Palestinian people.
CHRIS HEDGES:Talk a little bit about the kinds of weapons that have been shipped to Israel. These are, and we should be clear that, of course, the Palestinians do not have a conventional army, don’t have a navy, they don’t have an air force, they don’t have mechanized units, including tanks, they don’t have artillery, and yet the weapons shipments that are coming in are some of the most sophisticated armaments that are used in a conventional war.
And as a leaked Israeli report, I think it was +972, provided, 83 percent of the people killed in Gaza are civilians.
FRANCISCA ALBANESE: Yes, yes. First of all, there are two things that are weapons, what is considered conventional weapons and dual-use. And both should have been suspended according to the decision of the International Court of Justice concerning Israel in the Nicaragua v. Germany case.
Meanwhile, there are two things: there is the transfer of weapons directly to Israel, and this includes aircraft, materials to compose the drones, because Israel doesn’t produce anything on its own, it requires components — artillery shells, for example, cannon ammunition, rifles, anti-tank missiles, bombs.
So these are all things that have been provided primarily by the United States. Germany, which is the second largest arms exporter to Israel has supplied a range of weapons from frigates to torpedoes.
And also, and then there is Italy, which has also provided spare parts for bombs and airplanes and the United Kingdom, who has played a key role in providing intelligence. And there is also the question of the UN. Not everything is easy to track because the United States have traveled … the United States are the prime provider of weapons, also because they are the assembler of the F-35 programme.
So there are 17 or 19 countries which cooperate and all of them say, well, you know, I mean, yes, I know that the F-35 is used in Israel, by Israel, but I only contribute to a small part. I only contribute to the wheels. I only contribute to the wings. I only provide these hooks or this engine.
Well, everything is assembled in the US and then sold or transferred or gifted to Israel. And it’s extremely problematic because this is why I say it’s a collective crime, because no one can assume the responsibility on their own but eventually all together they contribute to make this genocide implicating so many countries.
CHRIS HEDGES: So Francesca, Israel is the ninth largest arms exporter in the world. To what extent do those relationships have? I mean, I think one of the largest purchasers of Israeli drones is India. We’ve seen India shift its position vis-a-vis Palestine.
Historically, it’s always stood with the Palestinian people. That’s no longer true under [Narendra] Modi. To what extent do those ties affect the response by the 63 some states that you write about for collaborating with the genocide.
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: So let me first expand on this. Weapon and military technology sale is a core component of Israel’s economy. And since 2024, it has constituted one third of Israeli exports. And of course, there are two elements connected to this, is that these exports enhances Israel’s manufacturing capacity, but also horribly worsens the life of the Palestinians because Israeli military technology is tested on the Palestinians under occupation or other people under other Israeli related military activities.
Now, the fact that the arms export has increased of nearly 20 percent during the genocide, doubling toward Europe. And only the trade with Europe accounts for over 50 percent of Israeli military sales, selling to so many other countries, including in the Global South, the Asia and Pacific states in the Asia-Pacific region account for 23 percent of the purchase, with India being probably the major. But also 12 percent of the weapons tested on the Palestinians are purchased by Arab countries under the Abraham Accords. So what does it tell us?
It explains what you were hinting at in the question, the fact that this is also reflected in the political shift toward Israel that has been recorded at the General Assembly level. If you see how some African countries and Asian countries, including India, are behaving vis-a-vis Israel, it’s 180 degrees turn compared to where they were in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
This is because on the one hand, Israel is embedded in the global economy, but also it’s a global economy that is veering toward ultra liberal, I mean, it’s following ultra-liberalist ideologies and therefore capital and wealth and accumulation of resources, including military power, comes first.
‘It’s very sad, but this is the reality . . . since the end of the Cold War that there has been an increasing globalisation of the system where the common denominator is force.’
It’s very sad, but this is the reality. And it’s important to know because this is a long, as I was hinting before, my sense is that this is a long term trajectory that didn’t start on October 7, 2023. I mean, probably since the end of the Cold War that there has been an increasing globalisation of the system where the common denominator is force.
I mean, there is this, not a common denominator, but the unifying factor for many is force, how the monopoly of force that comes with weapons, capital and algorithms. And yeah, this is where the world is going.
CHRIS HEDGES: Well, we’ve seen these weapons systems which of course are tested. They’re sold as bad. say the term is battle tested without naming the Palestinians, but they are sold to Greece to hold back migrants coming from North Africa. They are used along the border in the United States with Mexico.
And it’s not just that these weapons are “battle tested” on the Palestinians and we haven’t even spoken about these huge surveillance systems, but the very methods of control, the way they’re used are exported through military advisors.
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Of course, because in fact, the Israeli population is made almost entirely of soldiers. Of course, there are those who do not enlist in the army for religious reasons or because they are contentious objectors, they’re a tiny minority. But the majority of the people of Israelis go through the army.
And then many of them transfer their know-how or what they have been doing into their next career steps. So the fact that Israel, as I was documenting in my previous report, Israel’s startup economy has a huge dark side to the fact that it’s connected to the military industry and to the surveillance industry.
There is a significant body of Israeli citizens who are going around providing advice, intelligence and training in the Global South both to mercenaries and states proper like Morocco. So there is an Israelisation and Palestinianisation of the international relations or rather of the relations between individuals and states.
And I think the interesting thing, this is why I’m saying Palestine is such a revealer, it’s because, as you say, eventually these tools of control and securitisation have concentrated in the hands of those who are fortifying borders at the expense of refugees and migrants.
So it’s really clear what’s happening here. There are oligarchs who are getting richer and richer and more and more protected in their fortresses where the state is providing the fertile ground to have it, but it’s not states that are benefiting from this inequality, because the majority of the people within states, look at the US, but also in Europe, are not benefiting from anything, in fact.
They’re victims. This is why you equally exploit it. This is why I’m saying it’s another degree of suffering, of course, than the Palestinians. But every worker today should draw a lesson from what’s happening to the Palestinians, because the large injustice system is connected and makes all of us connected to what’s happening there.
CHRIS HEDGES: Well, internally as well. I mean, with Sikh farmers who were protesting Modi were out on the roads, suddenly, over their heads were Israeli-made drones dropping tear gas canisters.
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: Yeah, exactly. Drones are one of the most exported devices from Israel’s technology and they are in use by Frontex to surveil the Mediterranean Sea, as you were saying, the US-Mexican border. But more and more, they’re getting into people’s lives.
Also look at the way certain technologies have been perfected across borders. I remember earlier this summer, this is very anecdotal, I’ve not done research on it, but I knew that we were seeing something quite and horribly revolutionary.
This year, this summer during the protests in Serbia, where students and ordinary citizens were taken to the streets against the government and have been protesting for one year now, people in Serbia. I saw the use of these sound weapons, oxygen-fed weapons.
So there are bombs that produce such a pain in the body who finds itself in the wave that it’s excruciating. And then of course people try to flee, but they also lose senses, et cetera. And I’ve seen this in Serbia.
And now I understand that it’s being used in Gaza as well, where the bomb doesn’t produce fire, it produces a movement of air that causes pain to the body and even to internal organs. It’s incredible. And these are weapons that have been perfected through testing here and there, and Serbia keeps on selling and buying military technology to and from Israel.
CHRIS HEDGES: I just want to close with, I mean, I think your reports, the last two reports in particular, show the complete failure on the part of governments as well as corporations to respond legally in terms of their legal obligations to the genocide. What do we do now? What must be done to quote Lenin?
How, because this, as you have pointed out repeatedly, really presages the complete breakdown of the rule of law. What as citizens must we do?
FRANCESCA ALBANESE: I think that we have passed the alarm area. I mean, we are really in a critical place and I sense it because instead of correcting itself, the system led by governments is accentuating its authoritarian traits. Think of the repressive measures that the UK government is taking against protesters, against civil society, against journalists standing in solidarity with Palestine, for justice in Palestine.
In France and in Italy at the same time, conferences academic freedom is shrinking and in the same days, conferences of reputable historians and military and legal experts have been cancelled owing to the pressure of the pro-genocide groups, pro-Israel groups in their respective countries. People, including in Germany, are being persecuted, including academics, for their own exercise of free speech.
This tells me that there is very little pretense that Western states, so-called liberal democracies, the most attached to this idea of democracy are ready to defend for real. So in this sense, it’s up to us citizens to be vigilant and to make sure that we do not buy products connected or services connected to the legality of the occupation, the apartheid and the genocide.
And there are various organisations that collect lists of companies and entities, including universities that are connected to this unlawful endeavor. BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] is one, don’t buy into the occupation who profits profundo, but also students associations.
‘There is a need to speak about Palestine, to make choices about Palestine and not because everything needs to revolve around Palestine, but because Palestine today is a metaphor of our life and where our life is going to go is clearly evident in this.’
And this is something that has taught me, it’s very touching because it’s really the work of students, faculty members and staff that has mapped what each university does. And I think it gives the possibility to act, everyone in our own domain. Then of course there is a need to speak about Palestine, to make choices about Palestine and not because everything needs to revolve around Palestine, but because Palestine today is a metaphor of our life and where our life is going to go is clearly evident in this.
But also we need to make sure that businesses divest. Either through our purchase power, people have to step away and stop using platforms like Airbnb or Booking.com. I know that Amazon is very convenient, but guys, we might also return to buy books in libraries, ordering books through libraries.
Of course, not all of us can, but many do, many can. On the way to work, buy a book in a library, order a book in a bookstore. We need to reduce our reliance on the tools that have been used, that have been perfected through the slaughter of the Palestinians. And of course, make government accountable. There are lawyers, associations, and jurists who are taking government officials to court, businesses to court. But again, I do not think that there is one strategy that is going to be the winning one.
It’s the plurality of actions from a plurality of actors that is going to produce results and slow down the genocide and then help dismantle the occupation and the apartheid. It’s a long trajectory and the fight has just started.
CHRIS HEDGES: Thank you, Francesca, and I want to thank Thomas [Hedges], Diego [Ramos], Max [Jones] and Sofia [Menemenlis], who produced the show. You can find me at ChrisHedges.Substack.com
Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning author and journalist who was a foreign correspondent for 15 years for The New York Times. This interview is republished from The Chris Hedges Report.
Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão has paid tribute to the “courageous and determined” contribution of Australian journalist Robert Domm to the struggle of the Timorese people in gaining independence from Indonesia. He died last Friday.
Domm was remembered for meeting in secret with the then Timorese resistance leader Gusmão in an exclusive interview.
“The government and people of East Timor are deeply saddened by the passing of Robert Domm, whose courage and determination helped bring to the world the truth of our fight for self-determination,” Gusmão’s statement said.
“In September 1990, when few in the world were aware of the devastation in occupied East Timor, or that our campaign of resistance continued despite the terrible losses, Robert Domm made the perilous journey to our country and climbed Mount Bunaria to meet with me and the leadership from FALINTIL.
“He was the first foreign journalist in 15 years to have direct contact with the Resistance.
“Your interview with me, broadcast by the ABC Background Briefing programme, broke the silence involving Timor-Leste since 1975.
“He conveyed to the world the message that the Timorese struggle for self-determination and resistance against foreign military occupation was very much alive.
Merchant seaman
“Robert Domm visited East Timor in the 1970s, then under Portuguese colonial control, as a merchant seaman on a boat crossing between Darwin and Dili, transporting general cargo and fuel.
“He returned in 1989, when Indonesia allowed tourist entry for the first time since 1975.
“He returned in 1990, allegedly as a “tourist”, but was on a secret mission to interview me for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.
“Robert Domm’s journey to find me took extraordinary courage. His visit was organised by the Timorese resistance with, as he later recalled, “military precision”. He involved more than two hundred people from Timore who guided him through villages and checkpoints, running great risk for himself and the Timore people who helped him.
“He was a humble and gentle Australian who slept next to us on the grounds of Mount Bunaria, ate with us under the protection of the jungle and walked with our resistance soldiers as a comrade and a friend. I am deeply moved by your concern for the people of Timore.
He risked his own life to share our story. His report has given international recognition to the humanity and the resolve of our people.
“Following the broadcast, the Indonesian military carried out large-scale operations in our mountains and many of those who helped them lost their lives for our freedom.
Exposed complicity
“Robert continued to support East Timor after 1990. He spoke out against the occupation and exposed the complicity of governments that have remained mute. He was a co-author, with Mark Aarons, of East Timor: A Tragedy Created by the West, a work that deepened the international understanding of our suffering and our right to self-determination.
“He remained a friend and defender of East Timor long after the restoration of independence.
“In 2015, twenty-five years after his maiden voyage, Robert returned to East Timor to commemorate our historic encounter. Together, we walked to Mount Bunaria, in the municipality of Ainaro, to celebrate the occasion and remember the lives lost during our fight.
“The place of our meeting has been recognised as a place of historical importance.
“In recognition of his contribution, Robert Domm was awarded the Order of Timor-Leste in August 2014. This honour reflected our nation’s gratitude for its role in taking our struggle to the world. Robert’s contribution is part of our nation’s history.
“Robert’s soul now rests on Mount Matebian, next to his Timorese brothers and sisters.
“On behalf of the government and people of East Timor, we express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Robert Domm. His courage, decency and sense of justice will forever remain in the memory of our nation.”
Journalist Robert Domm with Timorese resistance leader Xanana Gusmão, now Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, in a jungle hideout in 1990. Image: via Joana Ruas
Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão has paid tribute to the “courageous and determined” contribution of Australian journalist Robert Domm to the struggle of the Timorese people in gaining independence from Indonesia. He died last Friday.
Domm was remembered for meeting in secret with the then Timorese resistance leader Gusmão in an exclusive interview.
“The government and people of East Timor are deeply saddened by the passing of Robert Domm, whose courage and determination helped bring to the world the truth of our fight for self-determination,” Gusmão’s statement said.
“In September 1990, when few in the world were aware of the devastation in occupied East Timor, or that our campaign of resistance continued despite the terrible losses, Robert Domm made the perilous journey to our country and climbed Mount Bunaria to meet with me and the leadership from FALINTIL.
“He was the first foreign journalist in 15 years to have direct contact with the Resistance.
“Your interview with me, broadcast by the ABC Background Briefing programme, broke the silence involving Timor-Leste since 1975.
“He conveyed to the world the message that the Timorese struggle for self-determination and resistance against foreign military occupation was very much alive.
Merchant seaman
“Robert Domm visited East Timor in the 1970s, then under Portuguese colonial control, as a merchant seaman on a boat crossing between Darwin and Dili, transporting general cargo and fuel.
“He returned in 1989, when Indonesia allowed tourist entry for the first time since 1975.
“He returned in 1990, allegedly as a “tourist”, but was on a secret mission to interview me for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.
“Robert Domm’s journey to find me took extraordinary courage. His visit was organised by the Timorese resistance with, as he later recalled, “military precision”. He involved more than two hundred people from Timore who guided him through villages and checkpoints, running great risk for himself and the Timore people who helped him.
“He was a humble and gentle Australian who slept next to us on the grounds of Mount Bunaria, ate with us under the protection of the jungle and walked with our resistance soldiers as a comrade and a friend. I am deeply moved by your concern for the people of Timore.
He risked his own life to share our story. His report has given international recognition to the humanity and the resolve of our people.
“Following the broadcast, the Indonesian military carried out large-scale operations in our mountains and many of those who helped them lost their lives for our freedom.
Exposed complicity
“Robert continued to support East Timor after 1990. He spoke out against the occupation and exposed the complicity of governments that have remained mute. He was a co-author, with Mark Aarons, of East Timor: A Tragedy Created by the West, a work that deepened the international understanding of our suffering and our right to self-determination.
“He remained a friend and defender of East Timor long after the restoration of independence.
“In 2015, twenty-five years after his maiden voyage, Robert returned to East Timor to commemorate our historic encounter. Together, we walked to Mount Bunaria, in the municipality of Ainaro, to celebrate the occasion and remember the lives lost during our fight.
“The place of our meeting has been recognised as a place of historical importance.
“In recognition of his contribution, Robert Domm was awarded the Order of Timor-Leste in August 2014. This honour reflected our nation’s gratitude for its role in taking our struggle to the world. Robert’s contribution is part of our nation’s history.
“Robert’s soul now rests on Mount Matebian, next to his Timorese brothers and sisters.
“On behalf of the government and people of East Timor, we express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Robert Domm. His courage, decency and sense of justice will forever remain in the memory of our nation.”
Journalist Robert Domm with Timorese resistance leader Xanana Gusmão, now Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, in a jungle hideout in 1990. Image: via Joana Ruas
French Minister for Overseas Naïma Moutchou’s first visit to New Caledonia is marked by marathon political talks and growing concerns about the French Pacific territory’s deteriorating economic situation.
Moutchou arrived on Monday on a visit scheduled to last until tomorrow.
With a backdrop of political uncertainty and the economic consequences of the May 2024 riots, she has been meeting with a large panel of political and economic stakeholders over concerns about New Caledonia’s future.
French Overseas Minister Naïma Moutchou . . . growing concerns about the French territory’s economy and political future. Image: APR File
On Monday, she met a group of about 40 political, business and economic leaders.
All of them voiced their concerns about New Caledonia’s short-term future and what they term as a “lack of visibility” and fear about what 2026 could hold.
Some of these fears are related to a lack of financial support necessary for a proper recovery of the local economy, which was devastated by the 2024 riots and caused damages of over 2 billion euros (NZ$4 million) with an estimated drop of the local GDP by 13.5 percent, the destruction of hundreds of businesses and the subsequent loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
The French government last year unlocked a special loan of 1 billion euros, but it will now have to be reimbursed and has created a huge debt for the French Pacific archipelago.
Huge loan issue
A vast majority of economic and political leaders now seem to agree that the huge loan granted in 2024 should be converted into a non-refundable grant.
New Caledonia’s indebtedness rate, as a result, soared to 360 percent for debts that will have to be refunded as early as 2026, at a high interest rate of 4.54 percent.
“The urgency is about finding jobs for those 12,000 people who have lost their jobs”, employers’ association MEDEF-NC vice president Bertrand Courte told reporters after the meeting.
“We need to kick-start the economy with large-scale works and only the French State can do it”, he said, echoing a feeling of disappointment.
The fears are further compounded by looming deadlines such as the local retirement scheme, which is threatening to collapse.
A special scheme to assist the unemployed, which was extended from 2024, is also to come to an end in December 2025. There are pleas to extend it once again at least until June 2026.
“We do understand that now, from France’s point of view, it’s a give and take situation”, said Medium and Small Businesses president Christophe Dantieux.
Public spending cuts
“[France] will only give if we make more efforts in terms of reforms. But there have already been quite a few efforts made in 2025, especially 15 percent cuts on public spending, but it looks like it’s not enough.”
One of the scheduled large-scale projects was the construction of a new prison, which was announced in 2023 but has not started.
On the macro-economic scale, New Caledonia is also facing several crucial challenges.
Huge losses in terms of tax collection have been estimated to a staggering US$600 million, as well as a deficit of some US$500 million in public accounts.
Another obstacle to boosting investments or re-investments, since the 2024 riots, was that most insurance companies are continuing to exclude a “riots risk” clause in their new policies.
On the French national level, the much-disputed 2026 Budget for Overseas is scheduled to take place starting November 18 and this also includes threats such as the intention to scrap tax exemption benefits for French companies intending to invest in France’s overseas territories, including New Caledonia.
“There is an economic, financial and budget urgency”, New Caledonia government President Alcide Ponga said following the minister’s meeting with the whole Cabinet.
“The minister is well aware that our budget situation is catastrophic and she intends to help us”, Congress (Parliament) President Veylma Falaeo said after her meeting with Moutchou.
Yohann Lecourieux, mayor of the city of Dumbéa (near the capital Nouméa), also provided a telling example of the current hardships faced by the population: “Eight hundred of our students no longer eat in our schools’ canteens simply because the families can no longer afford to pay.”
Political talks: no immediate outcome On Tuesday, Moutchou focused on political talks with all parties on the local chessboard, one after the other.
The major challenge was to resume political discussions after one of the major components of the pro-independence movement, the FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front), mainly dominated by historic Union Calédonienne, decided to withdraw from a proposed consensual project signed in July 2025 in Bougival (in the outskirts of Paris) after a week-long session of intense talks fostered by Moutchou predecessor, Manuel Valls.
The Bougival text was proposing to create a “State of New Caledonia”, as well as a New Caledonian nationality and transfer of key powers (such as foreign affairs) from France.
Since FLNKS denounced its negotiators’ signatures, all of New Caledonia’s other parties have committed to defend the Bougival text, while at the same time urging FLNKS to come back to the table and possibly submit their desired modifications.
Since she was appointed to the sensitive portfolio last month, Moutchou, in Paris repeated that she did not intend to “do without” FLNKS, as long as FLNKS did not intend to “do without the other (parties)”.
Moutchou also said her approach was “listen first and then reply”.
Following a two-hour meeting on Tuesday between Moutchou and the FLNKS delegation, it maintained its stance and commitment to “sincere dialogue” based on a “clear discussion and negotiation method”.
‘We will not change course’ – FLNKS “We will not change course. This is a first contact to remind of the defiance and loss of trust from FLNKS with the [French] State since December 2021,” FLNKS spokesperson Dominique Fochi said.
He said the FLNKS still “wishes out of the French Republic’s fold in order to create solid ties with countries of the region or even with France”.
Saying the Bougival text was a “lure of independence”, FLNKS had previously also posed a pre-requirement that future negotiations should be held in New Caledonia and placed under the auspices of the United Nations, in a spirit of decolonisation.
Late October 2025, both Houses of the French Parliament endorsed, for the third time, that New Caledonia’s crucial provincial local elections (scheduled to be held before December 2025) should now take place no later than June 2026.
The postponement was validated by France’s Constitutional Council on November 6.
This was specifically designed to allow more time for political talks to produce a consensual agreement on New Caledonia’s political future, possibly a continuation or refining (by way of amendments) of the Bougival text.
Pro-France parties On the side of parties who want New Caledonia to remain part of France (and are opposed to independence), Les Loyalistes leader and Southern Province President Sonia Backès, said she and other pro-France parties also remained open to further discussions.
“But we’ve already made a lot of concessions in the Bougival agreement”, she said.
“[Moutchou] now has understood that New Caledonia is out of breath and that we now have to move forward, especially politically”, Rassemblement-LR leader Virginie Ruffenach said after talks with the French minister.
“We can no longer procrastinate, or else New Caledonia will not recover if we don’t have an agreement that carries prospects for all of our territory’s population,” Ruffenach said.
“We are still hopeful that, by the end of this week, we can move forward and find a way… But this cannot be the theory of chaos that’s being imposed on us.”
The ‘moderate’ pro-independence parties Two former pillars of FLNKS, now described as “moderates” within the pro-independence movement, the PALIKA (Kanak Liberation Party) and UPM (Progressist Union in Melanesia), who have distanced themselves from FLNKS since August 2024, after the riots, are now staunch supporters of the Bougival project.
“We are committed to (the Bougival) accord… Our militants said some improvements could be made. That’s what we told the minister and she said yes”, UNI Congress caucus president Jean-Pierre Djaïwé told local media after discussions with Moutchou.
He said those possible amendments could touch on the short-term handing over of a number of powers by France, but that this should not affect the Bougival project’s fragile “general balance”.
They say the text, although not perfect because it is a compromise, still makes full sovereignty achievable.
PALIKA held its important annual congress over the weekend and says it will announce its main outcomes later this week.
A strong faction within PALIKA is currently pushing for the “moderate” line (as opposed to the hard-line FLNKS) to be pursued and therefore a formal divorce with FLNKS should be made official.
On the “pro-Bougival” side, currently re-grouping all pro-France parties and the pro-independence moderates PALIKA and UPM, grouped into a “UNI” (Union Nationale pour l’Indépendance) caucus at the local Congress, some of the mooted possible future options could be to place all bets on the local referendum to be held early 2026 and its possible outcome pronouncing a vast majority for the July 2025 text.
They believe, based on the current party representation at the Congress, that this Bougival text could gather between 60 and 80 percent of local support.
Another party, Wallisian-based Eveil Océanien and its vice-president Milakulo Tukumuli told public broadcaster NC la 1ère on Sunday another option could be to just “agree to disagree” and base the rest of future developments on the outcomes of New Caledonia’s provincial elections.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
A day after a car-bomb explosion killed at least 13 people in the heart of the national capital, anti-Muslim graffiti saying “Muslims and dogs should not enter the premises” and “No dogs and Muslims” was found at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) campus in Kolkata.
The graffiti was found at the main boys’ hostel in the institute’s CV Raman Hall, which houses those pursuing graduation and postgraduation courses at ISI and is situated in Baranagar, about 30 km north of Kolkata. Founded by Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in Kolkata in 1931, ISI is among the premier higher education centres in the country and has been an ‘Institution of National Importance’ since 1959. It has branches in Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Tezpur.
On Tuesday, November 11, boarders woke up in the morning to find hateful graffiti targeting Muslims written on both sides of the main entrance door of the hostel. On one side of the door, the words “dogs should not enter the premises” were already written with black paint for years. Someone had added “Muslims &” on top of it with a white chalk. On the other side of the door, “No Muslim allowed” was written twice and just “No Muslim” once.
The words “the only place for Muslims” were found written on a dustbin kept on the north east corner of the second floor of the hostel.
That’s not all. The railing of the hostel’s east-wing staircase was defaced with the words, “No Dogs and Muslims”.
As is often the case with such incidents, various sketchy details about the blast trickled in till late on Monday night, triggering conflicting reports.
ISI hostel boarders Alt News spoke to said the graffiti on the main door was written some time between 6.30 and 7.30 am on Tuesday. “Our friends who went out for tea around 6.30 am did not notice the words. Many of us study all night before exams and go out for tea very early. However, those who got out a little late, around 7.30 in the morning, noticed the writings on the door.”
The images were posted on a common WhatsApp group (where students across disciplines and batches are members) on Tuesday morning itself. “Whoever did this was requested to own up and apologize. However, no one responded,” a student said.
Institute’s Response
Later in the day, students approached the administration with a verbal complaint. ISI Kolkata director Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, dean Biswabrata Pradhan and hostel warden Subhamoy Maitra, accompanied by a handful of students from the general affairs committee, inspected the graffiti. The director condemned the act publicly, students told Alt News.
The general affairs or GA committee of a hostel is the closest thing to a students’ body on the campus. There is no practice of student-union election at ISIs. Members of the GA committee are generally selected from the senior-most batch.
Later, a written complaint was also filed with the institute administration.
“We sought an investigation to find out who was behind the incident. There is a CCTV camera near the hostel gate which might have captured the perpetrator. We wanted to see the footage. This was denied by the administration, though they promised to look into the matter. They also said a sensitization programme could be organized with compulsory attendance for students,” a student told Alt News.
Alt News has also learnt from its sources that the director wanted the objectionable graffiti to be erased after the inspection, to which students objected.
On November 12, a group of 10 students comprising research scholars and UG-PG students met the dean, Biswabrata Pradhan, and sought an official response on the matter. “He spoke about holding seminars to sensitize students some time in January. And he also stressed that a guard had been placed at the hostel gate. This was all the steps the institute thought of taking in 36 hours following the inicident. When asked about a proper inquiry, he said only the director could take a call on that,” a student who was part of the team told Alt News.
The dean also promised that the institute would issue a statement. However, no such official statement was issued till the late evening of November 12.
When contacted by Alt News, Pradhan refused to comment on the matter. “Only the institute head can speak on this,” he said. Calls to director Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay went unanswered.
Alt News also spoke to Muslim students on the campus. All of them said they had never felt any discrimination at ISI on the basis of their faith. “There might be one or two who would pass an occasional comment, but that’s just a reflection of what is happening all over the country. But no collective feeling of hate. Never,” said one of them. While most of them sought the perpetrator to be punished, some said whoever did it needed to be counselled.
Alumni React with Shock
Reacting to the news with shock, ISI Kolkata alumnus and CPI(ML) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharyya said, “Even the government did not seem to be sure if the Lal Qila blast was an accident or an act of terror, and here is an institution of higher education and research linking the blast to a religious community. I know ISI is having to fight for its own autonomy, but these are disturbing signs of decay of a reputed organisation. I hope the ISI community takes note and overcomes it before it is too late.”
Srijan Sengupta, another ex-student who is an associate professor of statistics at North Carolina State University, said, “I am deeply shocked and horrified to see these hateful words defacing the walls of the ISI boys’ hostel. To me, this incident is a tragic reflection of how divisive and toxic narratives circulating in society are seeping into the minds of the young and bright, those from whom we expect intellectual curiosity, empathy, and critical thought.”
Sengupta urged the authorities to “respond with both seriousness and sensitivity. While identifying those responsible is important and necessary, in my opinion it is even more important to understand and address the social environment within the hostel that allowed such hatred to take root.”
The graffiti fiasco comes amidst a raging debate on the campus over the proposed ISI Bill, which has been seen by many as an attempt to curb the institute’s administrative and academic autonomy. On Wednesday, a meeting was held just outside the main gate of the campus in protest against the proposed Bill.
ISI Kolkata students and research scholars organized a meeting in protest against the proposed ISI Bill, outside the campus on B T Road on Wednesday. Photo: Special Arrangements
After iconic Bollywood actor Dharmendra was hospitalised on November 11, several major media outlets published obituaries and reported that the legend was no more. Several journalists, celebrities and social media users also rushed to express condolences on social media.
Among the channels that posted about Dharmendra’s death was India Today. The outlet said his team allegedly confirmed the news, but later deleted their X post. (Archive)
Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, part of the India Today group, claimed that the actor died at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai. Aaj Tak later deleted the post. (Archive)
Similarly, ABP News also posted that the actor died at the age of 89 and later deleted it. (Archive)
Apart from these, Zee Business, Business Standard, ABP English, Outlook and Hindustan Times also published similar reports on the actor’s death. However, these outlets later updated the reports; some turned them into ‘health updates’. News agency UNI ran a story on this in its Hindi edition, Univarta. Besides news outlets, journalist Chitra Tripathi, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and renowned lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar also shared condolences on X.
However, all of these obituaries and reports were published prematurely before the news of the actor’s death was even verified. In the rush to push out reports first, news outlets skipped the most crucial bit: to confirm whether the unfortunate news was true.
What the Family Said
While these posts were being shared on X, the actor’s family categorically denied the reports, calling it a hoax. They also called out media outlets for reporting irresponsibly on this. “How can responsible channels spread false news about a person who is recovering?” Dharmendra’s wife and BJP MP Hema Malini posted on X.
Dharmendra’s daughter, Esha Deol, wrote on her Instagram story that the media was on “overdrive” and “spreading false news”.She stressed that her father’s condition was stable and that he was recovering.
This is not the first time that Indian media outlets have carelessly published reports on an ailing celebrity’s death without verifying. Often, corrections and apologies aren’t issued either and the misinformation is clarified only after the family of those rumoured to be dead speaks up.
After 13 people were killed in a high-intensity blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on the evening of November 10, speculation about the plausible reasons behind the explosion flooded social media.
According to police, a slow-moving vehicle — a Hyundai i20 car — exploded near the Red Fort metro’s gate 1 around 6:52 pm. While there have been some reports linking the blast to a terror module, the police are still investigating. However, several social media users claimed that the blast was owing to a CNG cylinder explosion in the car and not a terror attack. Note that CNG vehicles are common in Delhi.
A post by X page @TeamSaath on November 10 said that it was a “tragic CNG cylinder explosion” and attributed the information to special commissioner of police (law & order) Ravindra Singh Yadav. “The high casualty figure is because the blast happened in a crowded pick-up zone right outside Red Fort Metro Gate 1 during evening rush and resultant fire spread to nearby vehicles. As confirmed by Special CP Ravindra Yadav (Law & Order),” the post read.
The post has now been deleted.
X account @azaadfactcheck claimed the news of a terror attack was “disinformation by an India-military–run X handle from the DPRO Lucknow office”. Sharing the image of a CNG cylinder, the post also said: “However, Azaad has obtained an image of the CNG cylinder that actually exploded, with Delhi Police standing next to it.”
At the time of writing this report, the post had over 38,000 views. (Archive)
Azaad Fact Check has identified the spread of disinformation by an India-military–run X handle from the DPRO Lucknow office, which falsely claimed that the blast in Delhi was a terrorist attack. However, Azaad has obtained an image of the CNG cylinder that actually exploded, with… https://t.co/uWFA42uQ50pic.twitter.com/Gzcqrzhd2r
News outlet Republic initially claimed that police sources had ‘confirmed’ that the blast was caused by a CNG cylinder.
BREAKING | Red Fort Explosion Updates
What We Know:
-NIA and NSG teams arrive at spot
-Eyewitness shares account from exact moment of explosion
-Police sources confirm CNG cylinder caused the blast
-Delhi NCR put on high alert
To verify this, we ran a keyword search to check if Special Commissioner of police (Law & Order) Ravindra Yadav actually issued such a statement. We did not find any news reports that quoted him saying so. No such statement — text, audio or video — was issued by the X handles of Yadav or the Delhi police either.
When Alt News reached out to Special CP (Law & Order) Ravindra Yadav’s office regarding the claims, they denied that Yadav made any such statement and called the claims fake.
Further, we also came across an X post from the Press Information Bureau’s fact-check handle (@PIBFactCheck) that Special CP (Law & Order) Ravindra Yadav did not issue any such statement.
Some social media accounts are claiming that Special CP (Law & Order) Ravindra Yadav has confirmed that the recent blast in #Delhi was caused by a CNG explosion.#PIBFactCheck
This claim is fake. No official from the Delhi Police has made any such statement.
On November 11, the Ministry of Home Affairs handed over the investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA’s involvement hints that the government considers the blast to be an act of terror. However, an official statement is still awaited. Meanwhile, claims that the police said the blast was caused by a vehicle’s CNG cylinder exploding are fabricated and false.
CCTV footage of a tiger pouncing on a man and dragging him away is viral on social media and is being shared as an incident from Brahmapuri, in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district.
According to the timestamp on the footage, the incident occurred on October 31, 2025, around 6:42 PM.
X user Himmu (@Himmu86407253) shared the video, claiming that the CCTV recording was from the Brahmapuri forest guest house. (Archive)
The video and the accompanying claim are also viral on WhatsApp. Alt News received requests to verify the clip.
Fact Check
A closer examination of the video revealed multiple inconsistencies, raising doubts over its authenticity.
First, we noticed that in several frames, the man and the tiger appear to blend unnaturally with the background. Visuals below:
The second inconsistency was that the tiger’s movement caused a cloud of dust, but the leaves scattered on the ground remained completely still.
Thirdly, we noticed that after the tiger attacked the man, the shadow cast by the fallen chair was facing the wrong way.
Further, we also found an X post by the district information office, Chandrapur, from on November 7, 2025, stating that the Brahmpuri tiger attack video was fake and had been generated with the help of artificial intelligence.
ब्रम्हपुरीत वाघाच्या हल्ल्याचा व्हिडीओ बनावट ब्रम्हपुरी वनविभागातील वनविश्रामगृह येथे एका इसमावर वाघाच्या हल्ल्याचा व्हिडीओ बनावट असून सदर व्हिडीओ कृत्रिम बुद्धिमत्तेच्या (Artificial Intelligence – AI) साहाय्याने तयार केला आहे.
More informationhttps://t.co/xXQg9woqRkpic.twitter.com/IDnFg9Kilb
— DISTRICT INFORMATION OFFICE, CHANDRAPUR (@InfoChandrapur) November 7, 2025
PIB Maharashtra also debunked the claim, clarifying that the viral video was not genuine CCTV footage, but AI-generated.
A video is being shared widely on social media claiming to be the CCTV footage from Brahmapuri, Chandrapur (Maharashtra) showing an incident inside a forest guest house.
To sum up, the viral CCTV footage showing a tiger pouncing on a man and dragging him away from the Brahmapuri forest guest house in Maharashtra does not depict an actual incident and is likely generated using artificial intelligence.
Israeli soldiers have revealed that Palestinian civilians were killed inside Gaza in a free-for-all at the wish of army officers amid a collapse of legal and military norms during Tel Aviv’s two-year brutal war on the besieged enclave, reports Anadolu Ajensi.
“If you want to shoot without restraint, you can,” Daniel, the commander of an Israeli tank unit, said in a documentary, Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, set to be aired in the UK on ITV on Monday.
The Israeli army has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded over 170,000 in Gaza and left the enclave uninhabitable since October 2023.
Israeli soldiers, some of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, said Palestinian civilians were used as human shields during the conflict, The Guardianreported.
Captain Yotam Vilk, an armored corps officer, said soldiers did not apply the long-standing army standard of firing only when a target had the “means, intent and ability” to cause harm.
“There’s no such thing as ‘means, intent and ability’ in Gaza,” he said. “It’s just suspicion – someone walking where it’s not allowed.”
Another soldier, identified only as Eli, said: “Life and death isn’t determined by procedures or opening fire regulations. It’s the conscience of the commander on the ground that decides.”
‘Hanging laundry’
Eli recounted an officer ordering a tank to demolish a building where a man was just “hanging laundry,” resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.
The documentary also presents detailed accounts of Israeli soldiers opening fire unprovoked on civilians running toward food handouts at militarized aid distribution points operated by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Film maker talks about Israeli ‘shoot to kill’ policies in Gaza Video: LBC
A contractor identified only as Sam, who worked at GHF sites, said he saw Israeli soldiers shooting two unarmed men running to get aid.
“You could just see two soldiers run after them,” he recalled. “They drop onto their knees and they just take two shots, and you could just see . . . two heads snap backwards and just drop.”
Sam also described a tank destroying “a normal car . . . just four normal people sat inside it.”
According to UN figures, at least 944 Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli fire near such aid points.
Extremist rhetoric
The film also highlights the spread of extremist rhetoric inside Israel, including statements from rabbis and politicians depicting all Palestinians as legitimate targets after the October 7 events.
“You hear that all the time, so you start to believe it,” Daniel said.
Rabbi Avraham Zarbiv, who served more than 500 days in Gaza, defended large-scale home demolitions by the Israeli army in Gaza.
“Everything there is one big terrorist infrastructure . . . We changed the conduct of an entire army.”
In September, a UN commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, where a ceasefire came into force on October 10 after two years of Israeli bombardment.
“I feel like they’ve destroyed all my pride in being an Israeli — in being an IDF (army) officer,” Daniel says in the programme. “All that’s left is shame.”
Israeli Minister Haskel speaks to RNZ on Pacific visit Video: RNZ
“It was an important message for our people and it was a great opportunity for me to thank them in person and to see how we can strengthen our friendship.”
The countries were “strategic allies” who worked together in the areas of agriculture, water technology and cybersecurity, Haskel said.
She pointed to the agricultural industry in PNG.
“They used to import almost all of their products, vegetables, fruits,” she said.
Agricultural help
“There are a few Israeli companies that went into the industry, developing a lot of the agricultural aspect of it to the point where all of the products they’re eating are local and they’re even exporting some of these products.”
Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on 17 September 2025. Image: RNZ Pacific/Fiji govt
Israeli farms there had also helped with the growth of the local dairy industry, she said.
“This is part of the collaboration that we want to do,” she said. “I came with a delegation of businessmen coming from those industries to see how can continue and develop it, it’s a win-win situation.”
Also while in Fiji, Haskel signed a memorandum of understanding on cybersecurity.
She said that came after three hacking attacks on the Fiji government’s system.
“[The MOU] starts a dialogue between our cybersecurity agency and between the proper agencies in Fiji as well,” she said.
Cybersecurity experience
““This is something that they’re starting to build, we’ve got a lot of experience with it and I think the dialogue can give them and lot of advice and also to connect them to quite a few Israeli companies.”
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel . . . “We have a lot of cybersecurity systems so it’s a start of a building of a relationship.” Image: RNZ/Nick Monro
A representative from Israeli defence and security company Elbit was among the delegation.
“They have a lot of cybersecurity systems so it’s a start of a building of a relationship,” Haskel said.
Israel’s relationships with PNG and Fiji had been going for many decades, and were not about the amount of aid given, she said.
“Israel is not a major economic power that has a lot of money to spend, especially during times of war,” she said.
“It’s not about the amount of money that we can invest but the quality and the things and how it affects the people.”
Commitments honoured
Asked about aid projects that had been cancelled, Haskel said Israel had honoured any commitments it made. It was not responsible for changes to United States policy that had seen trilateral agreements cut, she said.
“There were many projects that were committed in many different countries, together Israel and the Americans, some are continuing and some are cancelled,” she said.
“This is part of [US President Donald] Trump’s policy. We can’t predict that.”
Haskel also met with people from indigenous, Christian and farming communities while in Fiji and PNG and she said Israel is also hoping to become and observer of the Pacific Islands Forum next year.
The PNG government said it continued to regard Israel as a valuable partner in advancing shared development goals.
Meanwhile, Fiji’s government said the “historic” visit between the nations would foster continued cooperation, innovation and friendship.
‘Strategic step’
Prime Minister Rabuka said the cybersecurity agreement was “a strategic step forward to strengthen Fiji’s security framework and promote deeper cooperation across sectors”.
Oliver Nobetau, a Papuan development expert at the Australian Lowy Institute, told RNZ Pacific that Israel wanted to lock in UN support for the future.
“I think they have demonstrated their support, but also may have an ability to sort of sway between votes,” he said.
“We’ve seen it, between the switching from recognition from China to Taiwan. And this can be another instance now where they can be persuaded to vote in a different way.”
On aid, Nobetau said there would now be a hope that Israel increased its aid to the region.
“I would say there’s an expectation on Israel to carry on or fill in that funding gap,” she said.
“The question now falls on the Pacific governments themselves, if this is something that’s worth pursuing . . . they would prefer, if the USA are now is out of the picture, if Israel can continue to fill that.”
Nobetau expected Israel to look at bringing its military and intelligence services closer to the Pacific.
“From what I recall, when I was working with the government, there were institutional exchanges with the Mossad: internal capabilities to collect intelligence is something that’s that’s needed within Pacific countries,” he said.
“So I think that could be another area as well.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
Several barangays in Camarines Norte were heavily battered by the powerful winds and rains from Typhoon Uwan — Typhoon Fung-Wong — in the Philippines, destroying homes and downing power lines that also affected the power supply in the province.
In Darlene Cay’s report in “24 Oras” yesterday, Leonora Tumala emotionally shared her frustration after their homes in Daet were crushed by a tree that was uprooted by the strong winds.
“Siyempre malungkot, dalawang bahay ang nawala… Okay na rin buhay kaming mag-anak,” Tumala tearfully said. (Of course, we are really sad because we lost two homes … It’s okay, at least we are all alive.)
The weakening typhoon has departed the Philippines after killing at least 18 people, displacing 1.4 million, and destroying homes and roads across the country’s most populous island Luzon.
The typhoon – which packed winds of 185km/h and gusts up to 230km/h – made landfall on Aurora province on Sunday evening, unleashing heavy rains and knocking out power to thousands of people.
Evacuation centre Tumala and her family were staying at an evacuation center when the Daet accident happened.
They returned to their destroyed homes to check if they can still salvage some items that they could still use.
“Humihingi po ako ng tulong sa inyo para po magawa ng maliit man lang na kubo, para may matuluyan ang aking dalawang anak,” she said. (I’m asking for your help so we can build a small hut for my two children.)
Others braved the strong winds from Uwan just to repair the roofs of their houses.
GMA News video of the typhoon in Daet, Camarines Norte.
Jun Lladoc, for his part, collected parts of the roof from the auto repair shop that he works for.
“Hindi rin naman basta-basta makapag-operate, kasi wala pa naman kuryente eh,” he said. (We cannot still operate because we don’t have electricity yet.)
The powerful winds from Uwan knocked down the electric posts in Daet town — causing not just a power outage but blocked practically half of the road. There is no power supply in the entire province.
In Mercedes town, residents of Purok 1-A in Barangay 7 worked together in lifting a house that was tilted to one side by the strong winds.
Powerful surge
However, the situation in neighbouring Purok 1-B was worse as the powerful storm surge and winds downed and washed out almost all of the homes by the coast.
Arnel Dela Pacion was wounded after his home was washed away by the waves. He salvaged wood from what remained of his house which he could later use.
“Walang magagawa at malakas yung bagyo. Siyempre kabado din at iniisip mo ang tinitirhan mo,” he said. (I cannot do anything because the typhoon was so strong. But I was also worried because I kept thinking about my house.)
A seawall could have mitigated the impact of the destructive storm surges, but the seawall is still being constructed and unfinished when Uwan hit.
Unfortunately, the construction materials were swept away by the storm surge and out into the sea.
“Masakit talaga po. Itong, Nakita mo ang mga basura. Sino ang kailangan, paano kami?… Nasaan ang mga tulong?” said resident Ronaldo Butial. (It pains us so much. You can see the trash around. How about us now? Where is the help?)
The report said the Department of Public Works and Highways was already investigating the construction of the seawall.
Clearing operations are already ongoing in Camarines Norte.
Uwan (Fung-Wong) arrived mere days after Typhoon Kalmaegi tore through the Philippines’ central provinces and killed at least 224 people. Kalmaegi then struck Vietnam’s central and highland regions, leading to the deaths of at least five people.
Several barangays in Camarines Norte were heavily battered by the powerful winds and rains from Typhoon Uwan — Typhoon Fung-Wong — in the Philippines, destroying homes and downing power lines that also affected the power supply in the province.
In Darlene Cay’s report in “24 Oras” yesterday, Leonora Tumala emotionally shared her frustration after their homes in Daet were crushed by a tree that was uprooted by the strong winds.
“Siyempre malungkot, dalawang bahay ang nawala… Okay na rin buhay kaming mag-anak,” Tumala tearfully said. (Of course, we are really sad because we lost two homes … It’s okay, at least we are all alive.)
The weakening typhoon has departed the Philippines after killing at least 18 people, displacing 1.4 million, and destroying homes and roads across the country’s most populous island Luzon.
The typhoon – which packed winds of 185km/h and gusts up to 230km/h – made landfall on Aurora province on Sunday evening, unleashing heavy rains and knocking out power to thousands of people.
Evacuation centre Tumala and her family were staying at an evacuation center when the Daet accident happened.
They returned to their destroyed homes to check if they can still salvage some items that they could still use.
“Humihingi po ako ng tulong sa inyo para po magawa ng maliit man lang na kubo, para may matuluyan ang aking dalawang anak,” she said. (I’m asking for your help so we can build a small hut for my two children.)
Others braved the strong winds from Uwan just to repair the roofs of their houses.
GMA News video of the typhoon in Daet, Camarines Norte.
Jun Lladoc, for his part, collected parts of the roof from the auto repair shop that he works for.
“Hindi rin naman basta-basta makapag-operate, kasi wala pa naman kuryente eh,” he said. (We cannot still operate because we don’t have electricity yet.)
The powerful winds from Uwan knocked down the electric posts in Daet town — causing not just a power outage but blocked practically half of the road. There is no power supply in the entire province.
In Mercedes town, residents of Purok 1-A in Barangay 7 worked together in lifting a house that was tilted to one side by the strong winds.
Powerful surge
However, the situation in neighbouring Purok 1-B was worse as the powerful storm surge and winds downed and washed out almost all of the homes by the coast.
Arnel Dela Pacion was wounded after his home was washed away by the waves. He salvaged wood from what remained of his house which he could later use.
“Walang magagawa at malakas yung bagyo. Siyempre kabado din at iniisip mo ang tinitirhan mo,” he said. (I cannot do anything because the typhoon was so strong. But I was also worried because I kept thinking about my house.)
A seawall could have mitigated the impact of the destructive storm surges, but the seawall is still being constructed and unfinished when Uwan hit.
Unfortunately, the construction materials were swept away by the storm surge and out into the sea.
“Masakit talaga po. Itong, Nakita mo ang mga basura. Sino ang kailangan, paano kami?… Nasaan ang mga tulong?” said resident Ronaldo Butial. (It pains us so much. You can see the trash around. How about us now? Where is the help?)
The report said the Department of Public Works and Highways was already investigating the construction of the seawall.
Clearing operations are already ongoing in Camarines Norte.
Uwan (Fung-Wong) arrived mere days after Typhoon Kalmaegi tore through the Philippines’ central provinces and killed at least 224 people. Kalmaegi then struck Vietnam’s central and highland regions, leading to the deaths of at least five people.
Pacific nations are at the world’s biggest climate talks making the familiar plea to keep global warming under 1.5C to stay alive, as scientists say the world will now certainly surpass the limit — at least temporarily.
At the opening of the COP30 climate summit in Belém Brazil, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the same call that Pacific nations have for years.
“Let us be clear, the 1.5-degree limit is a red line for humanity. It must be kept within reach and scientists also tell us that this is still possible,” Guterres said.
“If we act now at speed and scale, we can make the overshoot as small, as short and as safe as possible.”
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) confirmed in its State of the Climate update that greenhouse gas emissions, which are heating the planet, have risen to a record high, with 2025 being on track to be the second or third warmest year on record.
“It will be virtually impossible to limit global warming to 1.5C in the next few years without temporarily overshooting this target,” WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo said.
“But the science is equally clear that it’s still entirely possible and essential to bring temperatures back down to 1.5C by the end of the century.”
Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) climate justice campaigner India Logan-Riley said the world was now in “deeply unstable territory” with the “very existence” of some Pacific communities now at risk.
COP31 – a Pacific COP? As this COP starts, there is still uncertainty over where COP31 in 2026 will be hosted.
Both Australia — in conjunction with the Pacific — and Türkiye have bid to host the event.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has written twice to his counterpart looking for a compromise to break the deadlock.
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr, who is in Belém, said it was important for Australia to be successful in its bid.
“We’re here in Brazil and the Amazon, and the focus next year needs to be a ‘Blue COP’, we need to focus on the oceans,” President Whipps said.
“One of the things I always tell people is, in some countries they only face droughts, or they may face a storm but in the Pacific we suffer from all of them; sea-level rise, storms, droughts, extreme heat.
“Other people, they can’t relate or they think it may be unreal.”
One of those people, US President Donald Trump, told the UN last month the climate crisis is “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”.
Palau has a particularly close relationship with the US as one of the Compact of Free Association (COFA) nations. The agreement gives the US military access to Palau, which in return is given financial assistance and for Palauans the right to work in the US.
Whipps said Trump’s comments were unfortunate, and more reason for COP to come to the Pacific.
“I would invite President Trump to come to the Pacific. He should visit Tuvalu, and he should visit Kiribati and Marshall Islands.”
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr, who is in Belém . . . the renewable energy transition “gives us energy independence”. Image: UN Photo
100% renewable Pacific
The Pacific is aiming to be the first region in the world to be completely reliant on renewable energy, a campaign which being led by Whipps.
“Leading the energy transition not only helps the planet by reducing our carbon footprint, but also gives us energy independence, [it] allows us to create jobs locally, and it keeps the money circulating.”
Whipps wants Palau to be running completely off renewable energy by 2032.
Meanwhile, the UN emissions gap report shows the world is on track for 2.3C to 2.5C global warming, if nations stick to Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
However, it is an improvement from last year’s report, which predicted 2.6C to 2.8C of warming.
Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN) policy advisor Sindra Sharma said the report laid bare the fact that global ambition is nowhere near where it needs to be.
“[The new forecast] still is quite unacceptable for vulnerable communities and small island states in particular, because we’ll feel the effects the fastest with crossing anywhere beyond 1.5 even 1.51 it’s going to have significant implications.
“We’ve always had all the solutions to be able to do so and it’s just a lack of political will. It’s a choice that’s being made consistently and that choice is going to affect every single one on this earth.”
Sharma is hopeful there will be positive outcomes at this year’s COP, despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, which are in part driven by it being hosted close to the Amazon Rainforest — often referred to as the lungs of the earth — and marking 10 years since the Paris Agreement was signed.
It is also the first time Pacific nations have confirmation from the world’s top court that failing to protect people from the effects of climate change could violate international law.
“The advisory opinion that we have now is the first time that we’re going into COP with this kind of legal clarity and the legal clarity is telling us that there’s due diligence in terms of limiting warming to 1.5C.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
The Freedoms Committee of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate says the Israeli occupation forces have killed 44 Palestinian journalists inside displacement tents in the Gaza Strip.
The committee said that these journalists were among 254 media workers who had been killed since the beginning of the Israeli assault on Gaza in October 2023 until the end of October 2025, reports Middle East Monitor.
According to the report, the attacks were systematic, targeting displacement tents located around hospitals and UNRWA shelters, in addition to direct sniper shootings inside displacement areas.
It added that the victims were working for local and international media outlets, and most of them were killed while covering the humanitarian situation in the displacement camps.
The syndicate affirmed that such targeting reflects a deliberate attempt to silence the Palestinian press and prevent the truth from reaching the world.
It also stressed the need to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes against journalists and to ensure international protection for media crews working in Gaza.
Israel’s audiovisual media bill ‘a nail in coffin of editorial independence’
Meanwhile, the Paris-based media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has sounded the alarm following the first reading of a bill sponsored by Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi that would strengthen the executive branch’s control over the audiovisual media, despite opposition from the Attorney General and the Union of Journalists in Israel.
The bill includes measures that RSF condemned a year ago.
Although the rest of the legislative process is likely to be difficult, Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, has managed to get a foot in the door. On the evening of November 3, around midnight, his media broadcasting bill was adopted after its first reading, as part of a voting pact with ultra-Orthodox MPs.
The bill calls for the creation of a Broadcast Media Authority largely composed of members appointed by the Communications Minister himself. His ministry would also be entrusted with calculating television audiences, a measure approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation a year ago that was condemned by RSF.
Legal and legislative barriers are already being put in place in response to this attempt to strengthen the Israeli government’s control over the media landscape.
Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, who is responsible for advising the government on legislative matters, is opposed to the bill, which has been deemed unconstitutional by the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament.
Two petitions against the bill have also been filed with the Supreme Court. One was submitted by the Union of Journalists in Israel, which represents around 3000 media professionals. The other was instigated by the NGO Hatzlacha (meaning “success” in Hebrew), which promotes social justice.
“This first reading vote is the first nail in the coffin of broadcast media’s editorial independence in Israel,” said RSF editorial director Anne Bocandé.
“Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi is openly attacking a pillar of democracy. Against a backdrop of war and an upcoming election campaign, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is seeking to silence voices that are critical of the far-right coalition in power.
“RSF reiterates the warning it issued a year ago: these legislative attacks will have lasting, negative consequences on Israel’s media landscape.”
Incorporating the ‘Al Jazeera’ ban on foreign broadcasters into common law In parallel with his legislative attack on the editorial independence of the country’s broadcast media, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi is also continuing his battle against international broadcasters operating in Israel.
Although his so-called “Al Jazeera law” — which allowed Israeli authorities to shut down any foreign broadcasters perceived as undermining national security and was condemned by RSF in April 2024 — expired on October 27 with the end of the state of emergency, the minister informed the National Security Council — which is attached to the Ministry of National Security — that he now intended to turn the measure into common law.
After the missile exchanges between Israel and Iran in June 2024, the Prime Minister’s party had already attempted to amend the “Al Jazeera law” in an attempt to give additional powers to the Minister of Communications to stop the broadcasting of foreign channels in the country.
This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.
Soon after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s press conference alleging massive voter fraud in the 2024 Haryana assembly elections, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya dismissed these charges, calling them laughable.
Dubbing it an ‘H Bomb’, Gandhi highlighted several discrepancies in voter lists, one of them being the same image used by 223 voters across two polling booths. He also claimed that a Brazilian model’s photo was apparently used 22 times across ten booths.
Mocking Gandhi, Malviya pointed out that if a woman voted 223 times across two booths, it would mean that she cast a vote every three minutes during the 11-hour polling period, which seemed unlikely to go unnoticed by officials. He said the remark reflected Gandhi’s ignorance and desperation for headlines ahead of Bihar’s polls, adding that such claims were a deliberate attempt to undermine public trust in democratic institutions like the Election Commission and the Supreme Court.
Rahul Gandhi’s press conferences on so-called Vote Chori are downright laughable.
Here’s one gem — he claimed that a woman voted 223 times across two booths.
Let’s do some simple maths: polling runs from 7 AM to 6 PM, an 11-hour window.
So, according to Rahul Gandhi, this woman…
Fact Check: Did Gandhi say a woman voted 223 times across two booths?
The short answer is no, he did not.
At the November 5 press conference, Gandhi spoke about the same image appearing against names of several voters on the electoral rolls at two booths in Haryana. Gandhi cited ‘the worst example’ and showed that one woman’s image was used against 223 different voter IDs.
The details appear at the 17:57-minute mark of the press conference above. Below is a transcript of what he says:
“This is the list of two polling booths. She appears 223 times in two polling booths. She can vote any amount of times she wants. Election Commission has the data on how many times she voted. We have a sense of it. Election Commission needs to tell us how many times this lady, whose name we don’t know, whose age we don’t know, but we know she occurs 223 times in two booths. In the Lok Sabha elections, she was there 223 booths in one booth — and then they decided to split it two booths.. right? So this is the reason Election Commission destroys CCTV footage because multiple times, the same person has the opportunity to vote. She can vote as Seema; she can vote as anything she wants. And this is not one example; this is the worst example. There are thousands.. of examples like this in Haryana. 200 votes, 50 votes, 100 votes, 150 votes.. Anybody can go and vote. Why are they doing it? Because they want to create space and what is the proof they are doing it, they are destroying CCTV records. If we ask for CCTV records of this booth, we will know 100% what happened in this booth.”
At no point did Rahul Gandhi claim that a single woman voted 223 times. His point was that these names acted as placeholder, fictitious or proxy voters, and that’s why the Election Commission was withholding CCTV footage. Gandhi argues that such voters, who likely never physically voted, were still being counted.
This stance was made clearer through a post made by Gandhi on X after the press conference. Citing the core points of the presser, he said,” एक ही फोटो के साथ 223 वोट एक बूथ में – नाम हर बार नया” (Translation: 223 votes in one booth with the same photo – a new name every time). As one can see, he does not explicitly say that the same woman voted 223 times in one day, as was misconstrued by Malviya.
वोट चोरी से हरियाणा में कांग्रेस की सरकार चोरी की गई है – और इसका ब्लैक एंड व्हाइट सबूत आपके सामने हैं।
– ब्राज़ील की एक मॉडल हरियाणा की वोटर लिस्ट में 10 बूथों पर 22 वोट – अलग-अलग नाम से
– एक ही फोटो के साथ 223 वोट एक बूथ में – नाम हर बार नया
– एक ही घर में 501 वोटर दर्ज – वो… pic.twitter.com/mCfNLc62P2
As it stands, it is not true that LoP Rahul Gandhi claimed that the same voter voted 223 times across two booths in Haryana during the assembly elections in 2024. He points out an anomaly, which he insinuates was done intentionally to commit voter fraud; BJP leader Amit Malviya’s remarks quoting Gandhi are misleading.
As the Iwi Chairs Forum fought fruitlessly to keep Te Pāti Māori together last week, spokesperson Bayden Barber offered a warning: a split tōtara is only good for the fire.
This is a party ousting a third of its caucus, citing “irreconcilable differences” and “serious breaches” of its constitution.
Fronting reporters today, co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi wished their former colleagues “all the best of luck” and waved them on their way.
“We had to bring this to a close, and we must move on.”
But that seems overly hopeful. Both Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris were quick to declare the move “unconstitutional” and are threatening to challenge it “in all respects”.
Waka-jumping provision
The party’s National Council has also yet to consider whether to invoke the waka-jumping provision and eject the MPs from Parliament altogether.
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders announce MPs’ expulsion Video: RNZ News
That would require agreement of the two other remaining MPs — Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke and Oriini Kaipara. It’s unclear yet where they stand in all this.
Either outcome is ugly. If the “rogue” MPs remain, they will serve as a constant reminder of division. If they are booted, two byelections loom, sure to be bitter and bruising.
At least a public contest might shed more clarity on what’s behind the weeks of infighting, with voters so far largely left in a cloud of smoke.
Asked to clarify on Monday exactly what the MPs had done to deserve expulsion, the co-leaders refused: “You’re not going to get that detail here in this press conference.”
From what has dripped out over the past six weeks, it seems the feud is driven more by personality than principle.
Party president John Tamihere has accused the two MPs of plotting a failed coup. Kapa-Kingi and Ferris have declared no confidence in Tamihere, with their supporters decrying toxic dictatorial leadership.
Past wave of unity
Supporters are right to feel aggrieved. A year ago, Te Pāti Māori was riding a wave of unity and purpose, as a driving force behind the historic Toitū Te Tiriti hikoi.
“Rogue” MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris . . . the roots of the recent crisis lie in Te Pāti Māori’s rapid expansion. Photo: RNZ/Liam K. Swiggs
It boasted its largest-ever caucus, having swept six of the seven Māori electorates in a dominant 2023 result.
Ironically, the roots of the recent crisis lie in that rapid expansion.
The co-leaders went from being a dynamic duo to overseeing a more assertive caucus and competing egos.
Tamihere, Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi are all dominant personalities, used to steering their own course.
But both Kapa-Kingi and Ferris regard themselves as electorate MPs first, answerable to their own people, not to the central hierarchy.
Add in the whānau ties on either side, and the conflict shifts from political to personal.
Party’s brand damaged
The co-leaders admit the recent disunity has damaged the party’s brand. The enthusiasm of a year ago has turned to disillusionment, with voters now forced to pick sides or to look elsewhere.
When Hone Harawira split from the Māori Party in 2011 to form Mana, both sides eventually vanished. Harawira was sent packing by voters in 2014, and the rest of the Māori Party followed in 2017.
For the wider opposition, there is good and bad here.
The Labour Party will see an opportunity to win over those disenchanted voters and to retake the Māori electorates amidst a more divided race.
But the wider picture is riskier. Centrist voters may well look at the turmoil on the left and decide to stick with the status quo.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has yet to publicly declare whether he would welcome Te Pāti Māori as part of a future Cabinet.
Those questions will only grow louder now — expanding to include the “rogues”. Where do they stand in any coalition calculation?
The Iwi Chairs Forum had arranged “peace talks” this week, bringing together the two factions at a Wellington marae.
Bayden Barber still thinks that would be beneficial and the co-leaders agree it could still go ahead. But few expect much to come of it now.
The next moment of reckoning may come on December 7, when members gather in Rotorua for the party’s AGM — and confront how Te Pāti Māori can piece itself together from the ashes.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
Pacific Media, a new regional research journal, made its debut today with a collection of papers on issues challenging the future, such as independent journalism amid “intensifying geostrategic competition”.
The papers have been largely drawn from an inaugural Pacific International Media conference hosted by The University of the South Pacific in the Fiji capital Suva in July last year.
“It was the first Pacific media conference of its kind in 20 years, convened to address the unprecedented shifts and challenges facing the region’s media systems,” said conference coordinator and edition editor Dr Shailendra Singh, associate professor in journalism at USP.
The cover of the first edition of Pacific Media. Image: PM
“These include pressures arising from governance and political instability, intensifying geostrategic competition—particularly between China and the United States—climate change and environmental degradation, as well as the profound impacts of digital disruption and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Topics included in the volume include “how critical journalism can survive” in the Pacific; “reporting the nuclear Pacific”; “Behind the mic” with Talking Point podcaster Sashi Singh, the “coconut wireless” and community news in Hawai’i,; women’s political empowerment in the Asia Pacific; “weaponising the partisan WhatsApp group in Indonesia; and “mapping the past to navigate the future” in a major Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) publishing project.
Other contributors include journalists and media academics from Australia and New Zealand featuring a “Blood on the tracks” case study in investigative journalism practice, and digital weather media coverage in the Pacific.
This inaugural publication of Pacific Media has been produced jointly by The University of the South Pacific and the New Zealand-based Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN), with Dr Amit Sarwal, one of the conference organisers, joining Dr Singh as co-editor.
APMN managing editor Dr David Robie welcomed the new publication, saying “this journal will carry on the fine and innovative research mahi (work) established by Pacific Journalism Review during a remarkable 30 years contributing to the region”.
Associate Professor Shailendra Singh (left) and Dr Amit Sarwal. Image: PM
The new journal will open up some new doors for community participation.
Both the PJR and PM research archives are in the public domain at the Tuwhera digital collection at Auckland University of Technology.
Khairaih A Rahman has been appointed by APMN as Pacific Media editor and her first edition with a collection of papers from the Asian Congress for Media and Communication (ACMC) conference in Vietnam last October will also be published shortly.
Published with permission from Asia Pacific Media Network.
Pacific civil society groups say 2025 has been a big year for the ocean.
Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) representative Maureen Penjueli said the Pacific Ocean was being hyper-militarised and there was a desire for seabed minerals to be used to build-up military capacity.
“Critical minerals, whether from land or from the deep ocean itself, have a military end use, and that’s been made very clear in 2025,” Penjueli said during the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) 2025 State of the Ocean webinar.
“They’re deemed extremely vital for defence industrial base, enabling the production of military platforms such as fighter aircraft, tanks, missiles, submarines.
“2025 is the year where we see the link between critical minerals on the sea floor and use [in the] military.”
PANG’s Joey Tau said one of the developments had been the increase in countries calling for a moratorium or pause on deep sea mining, which was now up to 40.
“Eight of which are from the Pacific and a sub-regional grouping the MSG (Melanesian Spearhead Group) still holds that political space or that movement around a moratorium.”
Deep-sea mining rules
Tau said it came as the UN-sanctioned International Seabed Authority tried to come to an agreement on deep-sea mining rules at the same time as the United States is considering its own legal pathway.
“It is a bad precedent setting by the US, we hope that the ISA both assembly and the council would hold ground and warn the US.”
He said unlike US, China spoke about the importance of multilateralism and it for global partners to maintain unity within the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) agreement which has not been ratified by the United States.
Also in February was the deep sea minerals talanoa, where Pacific leaders met to discuss deep sea mining.
“Some of our countries sit on different sides of the table on this issue. You have countries who are sponsoring and who are progressing the agenda of deep-sea mining, not only within their national jurisdiction, but also in the international arena,” Tau said.
In May, UN human rights experts expressed concern about the release of treated nuclear wastewater.
Japan’s government has consistently maintained the release meets international safety standards, and monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency shows there is no measurable impact beyond Japan’s coastal waters.
Legal and moral problem
However, Ocean Vision Legal’s Naima Taafaki-Fifita said as well as being an environmental issue, it was also a legal and moral problem.
“By discharging these radioactive contaminants into the Pacific, Japan risks breaching its obligations under international law,” she said.
“[The UN special rapporteurs] caution that this may pose grave risks to human rights, particularly the rights to life, health, food and culture, not only in Japan, but across the Pacific.”
Taafaki-Fifita said it was a “deeply personal” issue for Pacific people who lived with the nuclear legacy of testing.
In September, what is known as the “High Seas Treaty” received its 60th ratification which means it will now be legally effective in January 2026.
The agreement allows international waters — which make up nearly two-thirds of the ocean — to be placed into marine protected areas.
Taafaki-Fitita said it was important that Pacific priorities were visible and heard as the treaty became implemented.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
This claim is fake. No official from the Delhi Police has made any such statement.
The incident… 
ब्रम्हपुरी वनविभागातील वनविश्रामगृह येथे एका इसमावर वाघाच्या हल्ल्याचा व्हिडीओ बनावट असून सदर व्हिडीओ कृत्रिम बुद्धिमत्तेच्या (Artificial Intelligence – AI) साहाय्याने तयार केला आहे.
The video is AI-generated and not an actual CCTV recording.
(@PIBMumbai) 
