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  • ‘Full sovereignty and independence’: FLNKS rejects France’s Bougival project

    By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk

    New Caledonia’s pro-independence front, the FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front), has formally confirmed its “block rejection” of the French-sponsored Bougival project, signed last month.

    The pact has been presented as an agreement between all parties to serve as a guide for the French Pacific territory’s political future.

    This follows the FLNKS’s extraordinary congress held at the weekend in Mont-Dore, near Nouméa.

    Statements made yesterday confirmed the pro-independence umbrella’s unanimous rejection of the document.

    At the weekend congress, FLNKS president Christian Téin (speaking via telephone from mainland France), had called on FLNKS to “clearly and unequivocally” reject the Bougival document.

    He said the document demonstrated “the administrating power’s [France] contempt towards our struggle for recognition as the colonised people”.

    However, he called on the FLNKS to “remain open to dialogue”, but only focusing on ways to obtain “full sovereignty” after bilateral talks only with the French State, and no longer with the opposing local political parties (who want New Caledonia to remain a part of France).

    He mentioned deadlines such as 24 September 2025 and eventually before the end of President Macron’s mandate in April 2027, when French presidential elections are scheduled to take place.

    Téin was also part of the August 13 media conference, joining via videoconference, to confirm the FLNKS resolutions made at the weekend.

    Apart from reiterating its calendar of events, the FLNKS, in its final document, endorsed the “total and unambiguous rejection” of the French-sponsored document because it was “incompatible” with the right to self-determination and bore a “logic of recolonisation” on the part of France.

    The document, labelled “motion of general policy”, also demands that as a result of the rejection of the Bougival document, and since the previous 1998 Nouméa Accord remains in force, provincial elections previously scheduled for no later than November 2025 should now be maintained.

    Under the Bougival format, the provincial elections were to be postponed once again to mid-2026.

    “This will be a good opportunity to verify the legitimacy of those people who want to discuss the future of the country,” FLNKS member Sylvain Pabouty (head of Dynamique Unitaire Sud-DUS) told reporters.

    Signatures on the last page of New Caledonia's new agreement
    Signatures on the last page of the now rejected Bougival project for New Caledonia’s political future. Image: Philippe Dunoyer/RNZ

    Five FLNKS negotiators demoted
    As for the five negotiators who initially put their signatures on the document on behalf of FLNKS (including chief negotiator and Union Calédonienne chair Emmanuel Tjibaou), they have been de-missioned and their mandate withdrawn.

    “Let this be clear to everyone. This is a block rejection of all that is related to the Bougival project,” FLNKS political bureau member and leader of the Labour party Marie-Pierre Goyetche told local reporters.

    “Bougival is behind us, end of the story. The fundamental aim is for our country to access full sovereignty and independence through a decolonisation process within the framework of international law, including the right of the peoples for self-determination.”

    She said that the FLNKS would refuse to engage in any aspect of the Bougival document.

    Part of this further Bougival engagement is a “drafting committee” suggested by French Minister for Overseas Manuel Valls aimed at coordinating all documents (including necessary bills, legal and constitutional texts) related to the general agreement signed in July.

    Anticipating the FLNKS decision, Minister Valls has already announced he will travel to New Caledonia next week to pursue talks and further “clarify” the spirit of the negotiations that led to the signing.

    He said he would not give up and that a failure to go along with the agreed document would be “everyone’s failure”.

    The Bougival document envisages a path to more autonomy for New Caledonia, including transferring more powers (such as foreign affairs) from France.

    It also proposes to augment its status by creating a “state” of New Caledonia and creating dual French/New Caledonia citizenship.

    Still want to talk, but with France only
    The FLNKS stressed it still wanted to talk to Valls, albeit on their own terms, especially when Valls visits New Caledonia next week.

    However, according to the FLNKS motion, this would mean only on one-to-one format (no longer inclusively with the local pro-France parties), with United Nations “technical assistance” and “under the supervision” of the FLNKS president.

    The only discussion subjects would then be related to a path to “full sovereignty” and further talks would only take place in New Caledonia.

    As for the timeline, the FLNKS motion states that a “Kanaky Agreement” should be signed before September 24, which would open a transitional period to full sovereignty not later than April 2027, in other words “before [French] presidential elections”.

    Goyetche also stressed that the FLNKS motion was warning France against “any new attempt to force its way”, as was the case in the days preceding 13 May 2024.

    This is when a vote in Parliament to amend the French constitution and change the rules of eligibility for voters at New Caledonia’s local provincial elections triggered deadly and destructive riots that killed 14 people and caused damage worth more than 2 billion euros (NZ$3.8 billion) due to arson and looting.

    “It seems as if the French government wants to go through the same hardships again”, Téin was heard saying through his telephone call at the Wednesday conference.

    “Don’t make the same mistake again,” Pabouty warned Valls.

    In his message posted on social networks on Sunday (August 10), the French minister had blamed those who “refuse the agreement” and who “choose confrontation and let the situation rot”.

    Reactivate the mobilisation
    At the same media conference yesterday, FLNKS officials also called on “all of pro-independence forces to do all in their power to peacefully stop the [French] state’s agenda as agreed in Bougival”.

    The FLNKS text, as released yesterday, also “reaffirms that FLNKS remains the only legitimate representative of the Kanak people, to carry its inalienable right to self-determination”.

    FLNKS recent changes
    Téin is the leader of the CCAT (field action coordinating cell), a group set up by Union Calédonienne late in 2023 to protest against the proposed French constitutional amendment to alter voters’ rules of eligibility at local elections.

    The protests mainly stemmed from the perception that if the new rules were to come into force, the indigenous Kanaks would find themselves a minority in their own country.

    Téin was arrested in June 2024 and was charged for a number of crime-related offences, as well as his alleged involvement in the May 2024 riots.

    He was released from jail mid-June 2025 pending his trial and under the condition that he does not return to New Caledonia for the time being.

    However, from his prison cell in Mulhouse (northeastern France), Téin was elected president of the FLNKS in absentia in late August 2024.

    At the same time, CCAT was admitted as one of the new components of FLNKS, just like a number of other organisations such as the trade union USTKE, the Labour party, and other smaller pro-independence movement groups.

    Some groups have joined, others have left
    Also late August 2024, in a de facto split, the two main moderate pillars of FLNKS — UPM and PALIKA — distanced themselves from the pro-independence UC-dominated platform.

    They asked their supporters to stay away from the riot-related violence, which destroyed hundreds of local businesses and cost thousands of jobs.

    UPM and PALIKA did not take part in the latest FLNKS meeting at the weekend.

    The two moderate pro-independence parties are part of the political groups who also signed the Bougival document and pledged to uphold it, as it is formulated, and keep the “Bougival spirit” in further talks.

    The other groups, apart from UPM and PALIKA, are pro-France (Les Loyalistes, Rassemblement-LR, Calédonie Ensemble, and the Wallisian-based Eveil Océanien.

    The FLNKS, even though five of their negotiators had also signed the document, has since denounced them and said their representatives had “no mandate” to do sign up.

    Reaction from two main pro-France parties
    Pro-France parties had carefully chosen not to comment on the latest FLNKS moves until they were made public. However, the formal rejection was met by a joint communiqué from Les Loyalistes and Rassemblement-LR.

    In a long-winded text, the two outspoken pro-France parties “deplored” what they termed “yet another betrayal”.

    They confirmed they would meet Valls along Bougival lines when he visits next week and are now calling on a “bipartisan” committee of those supporting the Bougival text, including parties from all sides, as well as members of the civil society and “experts”.

    They maintain that the Bougival document is “the only viable way to pull New Caledonia out of the critical situation in which it finds itself” and the “political balances” it contains “cannot be put into question”.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • John Hobbs: New Zealand’s shameful stance on Israel

    ANALYSIS: By John Hobbs

    Aotearoa New Zealand once earned praise for its “principled” and “independent” foreign policy. Think nuclear-free Pacific, for example.

    Yet that reputation doesn’t hold true when it comes to Gaza and the Palestinian desire and right to self-determination.

    Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, states must take positive steps to prevent genocide. The New Zealand government appears to be failing in this obligation.

    Researcher John Hobbs
    Researcher John Hobbs . . . “So far, our ministers have chosen carefully crafted diplomatic language buried under joint country statements to influence the situation in Gaza.” Image: John Hobbs

    So far, our ministers have chosen carefully crafted diplomatic language buried under joint country statements to influence the situation in Gaza, while at the same time protecting relationships with allies, particularly the US.

    An example of these was a statement issued last month, in which New Zealand joined a group of 28 “concerned” countries to express horror at the “suffering of civilians in Gaza”, which, it says, “has reached new depths”. The statement calls for the lifting of restrictions on the “flow of aid” and demands “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire.”

    Just to be clear, the “flow of aid” is the life-saving food and water that’s needed to prevent the mass starvation of Palestinians as famine driven by Israel deepens.

    Demands for a ceasefire have been made on numerous occasions in the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council, to no effect.

    Failure to sanction Israel
    Yet countries like New Zealand fail to sanction Israel for its non-compliance. Indeed, they do worse. These same countries continue to trade with Israel, and a number of them continue to provide weapons and arms.

    According to trade data, New Zealand in 2023 imported goods and services of US$191 million from Israel and exported US$16.4 million the other way.

    Most recently, New Zealand joined 14 other countries to “express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognise the State of Palestine, as an essential step towards the two-State solution.”

    The statement is heavily caveated by saying that “positive consideration” is one option — so it’s not clear if all, or indeed any, of the countries will end up recognising Palestinian statehood.

    By contrast, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has issued a separate statement, saying the UK would recognise the state of Palestine in September if Israel doesn’t agree to a ceasefire.

    Starmer’s concern for the starvation of civilians in Gaza hasn’t stopped the UK from sending military arms to Israel. But this is at least a clearer stance than New Zealand has been able to muster.

    More than 147 UN member states out of 193 formally recognise Palestinian statehood now.

    Level of solidarity
    And while recognition of statehood is largely symbolic, it does signal a level of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Inexplicably, New Zealand has been unwilling to take that step, while calling it a future option under “two-state” diplomacy.

    New Zealand has trundled out its support of the two-state solution since at least 1993, reinforced by its co-sponsorship, in 2015-16, of a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement expansion.

    That resolution declared settlements in occupied territories illegal under international law and urged member states to distinguish in its dealings between Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.

    Since then, Israel has continued to transfer its citizens to the West Bank and Gaza. More than 750,000 Israeli settlers are now living illegally in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — areas where a future Palestinian state would be located.

    Meanwhile, New Zealand has failed to take any meaningful action — sanctions or suspension of trade, for example — to implement the requirements of the Security Council resolution. That the government consistently frames its response as supporting a two-state solution beggars belief in light of such inaction.

    New Zealand’s refusal to sanction Israel is nothing but shameful.

    When foreign affairs minister Winston Peters expressed shock about the “intolerable situation” in Gaza, RNZ asked him whether New Zealand would entertain placing sanctions on Israel. He responded by saying that we are a “long, long way off doing that.”

    The genocide in Gaza is happening with the support of countries like New Zealand, through inaction and failure to implement sanctions.

    And statements about recognising statehood provide the appearance of supporting an end to the genocide, but change nothing in reality.

    John Hobbs has been a career public servant, working in a number of government departments (most recently the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet). He also worked for a number of ministers on secondment from government agencies. He is currently undertaking a PhD at the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Te Tumu School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies, Otago University. This article was first published by E-Tangata and is republished by Asia Pacific Report with the author’s permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • ‘If I die, I die steadfast … I bear witness … for the path of freedom for my people’ – Anas’ last testament

    Anas al-Sharif, killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza, last Sunday has triggered protests around the world, including journalists in Israel. He left behind a powerful farewell message — his final testament to his people, his family, and the world.

    Palestine Chronicle staff

    Palestinian journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qraiqea were killed last Sunday in an Israeli bombardment that struck a journalists’ tent near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital.

    Cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal also died in the attack, which was carried out by an Israeli drone. The Israeli army admitted targeting al-Sharif shortly after the strike.

    Al-Sharif, 28, from Jabaliya refugee camp, was an award-winning journalist who became a leading global voice from Gaza during the war. He inspired thousands.

    Protest and vigils have been held around the world from South Africa’s Cape Town to Manila in the Philippines and London in the UK to honour al-Sharif and his colleagues in condemnation of this targeted murder.

    Less than two weeks ago, the Committee to Protect Journalists had warned that his life was in “acute” danger due to repeated threats from an Israeli military spokesperson.

    Before his death, al-Sharif prepared a farewell message to be shared if he was killed. His family and colleagues posted it to his social media accounts after the news of his death.

    Below is the full English translation of that message.

    Anas al-Sharif’s final message
    “This is my will and my final message.

    “If my words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.

    “First, peace be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings.

    “God knows I gave all I had — strength and effort — to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys of Jabaliya refugee camp. My hope was to live long enough to return with my family and loved ones to our original town, Asqalan (al-Majdal), now under occupation.

    “But God’s will came first, and His decree is final.

    “I have lived pain in all its details and tasted loss many times. Yet I never stopped telling the truth as it is, without falsification or distortion — so that God may bear witness over those who stayed silent, accepted our killing, and did nothing to stop the massacre our people have endured for more than a year and a half.

    “I entrust you with Palestine — the jewel of the Muslim crown and the heartbeat of every free person in this world. I entrust you with its people and children, whose pure bodies have been crushed under Israeli bombs and missiles.


    Australian journalists protest over the killings.      Video: MEAA

    “Do not let chains silence you or borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland.

    “I entrust you with my family: my beloved daughter Sham; my dear son Salah; my mother, whose prayers were my fortress; and my steadfast wife Bayan (Umm Salah), who carried the responsibility in my absence with strength and faith. Stand by them after God.

    “If I die, I die steadfast in my principles. I bear witness that I am content with God’s decree, certain of our meeting, and convinced that what is with God is better and everlasting.

    “O God, accept me among the martyrs, forgive me my sins, and make my blood a light that illuminates the path of freedom for my people. Forgive me if I fell short, and pray for me with mercy, for I have kept my pledge and never changed.

    “Do not forget Gaza… and do not forget me in your prayers.”

    Anas Jamal al-Sharif

    April 6, 2025

    Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif with his daughter Sham and his son Salah
    Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif with his daughter Sham and his son Salah. Image: via social media

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Did India’s army chief ‘admit’ to losing 6 jets & 250 soldiers in Op Sindoor? No, viral video is digitally altered

    A 40-second clip of the Indian Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Upendra Dwivedi ‘admitting’ that India lost six jets and 250 soldiers was widely shared on social media with claims that the COAS was referring to losses during Operation Sindoor.

    In the clip, COAS Dwivedi was heard saying, “Non-kinetic quadrant is something which you can start today and the next war, that we are looking at, and it may happen soon. We have to prepare accordingly, as already brought out by the director. In this, we have to fight this battle together; non-kinetic has to be fought together. We have already lost six jets and 250 soldiers, but we will never give up, we will learn, and we have some deductions. So, what are the deductions? — As far as the whole of the nation approach, we will be there for the next war; it is not the military alone which will be fighting.  Let me assure you very clearly on this issue. As far as the grey zone is concerned, it’s ever-present and this will remain”.

    X user The Whistle Blower (@InsiderWB) shared the clip with the caption: “Breaking: Indian Army Chief admits losing 6 jets and 250 soldiers in war against Pakistan.” The post has received over 145,000 views and was reshared over 200 times. (Archive)

    Several other users, such as @PakArmyc and @javedeqbalpk1, also shared the viral clip claiming COAS Dwivedi admitted to losing six jets and 250 soldiers.

    Click to view slideshow.

    Fact Check

    While verifying the claim, we noticed that the part where the COAS is heard saying ‘India lost six jets and 250 soldiers’, his voice sounds different than the rest of the video and the lip movements do not match. We have added a comparison below to bring out the difference clearly:

    We then found the full speech by the army chief on the ADGPI-INDIA ARMY YouTube channel, posted on August 9, 2025. The COAS made this speech at IIT Madras. The video is 48 minutes long, and the part that is now viral, begins at the 10:59-minute mark.

    Here, the COAS mentions the non-kinetic quadrant and the possibility of war, which we also hear in the viral clip. However, he does not say anything about India losing jets or soldiers. Below is a transcript from the relevant portion of his speech:

    “Non-kinetic quadrant is something which you can start today, and the next war, that we are looking at, and it may happen soon. We have to prepare accordingly, as already brought out by the director. In this, we have to fight this battle together; non-kinetic has to be fought together. So, what are the deductions? — As far as the whole of the nation approach, we will be there for the next war; it is not the military alone which will be fighting.  Let me assure you very clearly on this issue. As far as the grey zone is concerned, it’s ever-present and this will remain”.

    We also ran a relevant keyword search to check if any news outlets covered the COAS’s statement on India losing six jets and 250 soldiers, but found none. Considering the significance of the statement, it was unlikely that no media covered it. This raised doubts that the audio used in the video was generated artificially and imposed on the video.

    When we used an AI-generated content detector tool — HIve Moderation — and found a 98.9% likelihood of that the video had AI or deepfake content.

    A fact check by PIB also said that the COAS made no such statement and that part of the video was an AI-generated deepfake.

    Therefore, it was clear that the viral clip was a digitally altered version of COAS Upendra Dwivedi’s original speech at IIT Madras, with the line: “We have already lost six jets and 250 soldiers, but we will never give up, we will learn, and we have some deductions” added to it. The COAS did not say that in his speech.

    The post Did India’s army chief ‘admit’ to losing 6 jets & 250 soldiers in Op Sindoor? No, viral video is digitally altered appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Oishani Bhattacharya.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Israel has ‘deliberate strategy’ of killing Palestinian journalists like Anas al-Sharif, warns UN expert

    Democracy Now!


    AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

    Global condemnation is mounting over Israel’s assassination of one of the most prominent journalists in Gaza, the Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, along with four of his colleagues at the network and another freelance journalist.

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres is calling for an independent investigation after the five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in a targeted Israeli strike outside Al-Shifa Hospital in a tent clearly marked in Gaza City. European Union officials and international press freedom groups have also denounced the assassinations.

    The sixth journalist, freelance reporter Mohammed al-Khalidi, was also killed in the same strike. Minutes before the strike, al-Sharif posted to X, “If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.”

    On Monday, crowds of mourners gathered for a funeral procession for al-Sharif and his colleagues, marching from Al-Shifa to Sheikh Radwan Cemetery in central Gaza, carrying the journalists’ bodies wrapped in white sheets.

    A dark blue flak press jacket and a Palestinian flag were placed on al-Sharif’s remains. People embraced as they decried Israel’s relentless targeting of journalists in Gaza.

    Meanwhile, at rallies and vigils worldwide, people are demanding accountability for the attack on journalists, including in Tunisia, Belfast, Dublin, Berlin, London, Oslo, Stockholm and Washington, DC.

    For more, we go to Geneva, Switzerland, where we’re joined by Irene Khan, UN special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression. She served as secretary-general of Amnesty International from 2001 to 2009.

    Irene Khan, welcome back to Democracy Now! In late July, you publicly denounced Israel’s threats against Anas al-Sharif. Can you talk about what you understood at that time, and then this young 28-year-old reporter’s response to your press statement?

    IRENE KHAN: Yes, well, Anas actually contacted me, and Al Jazeera contacted me to tell me of this impending threat on his head. They had seen it before. He’s not the first one, as you know.

    There are some — anything between 26 to 30 journalists — who have been targeted in this campaign of assassination. And Anas wanted me to go public, he wanted others to go public, to stop what Israel was doing.

    But at the same time, he thanked me for my support, and then he said nothing would stop him from speaking the truth. And in a way, he signed his own death warrant by that, because, as you know, he and the others, Al Jazeera’s entire team in northern Gaza, were killed, murdered, just as Israel ramps up its military action on the city, Gaza City.

    So, there is a clear pattern here of killing journalists to clear the path, to silence voices, to stop the international, global opinion from being informed of the genocide in Gaza.


    Assassination: Israel’s killing of Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif   Video: Democracy Now!

    JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Irene Khan, the number of journalists — so, more than 200 have been killed in Gaza. That’s more than all the journalists killed in World War I, World War II, Korea, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War combined.

    Your sense of the Israeli impunity here in being able to basically kill the corps of journalists that are still able to report from Gaza?

    IRENE KHAN: Well, you also have to take into account that Israel has refused to give access to international media. So these are all local Gazan journalists who are putting their lives on the line to keep the world informed. Many of them — you named some 200 — many of them, of course, have been killed in the intensity of the battle. Many of them have been killed while asleep in their own apartments. But these cases, the cases of Anas now, and his colleagues, and a number of other cases of targeted killing, is really murder.

    It is not killing in the context of war. It is a deliberate strategy to stop independent voices reporting. So it’s as much a threat to independent journalism as it is to the journalists themselves, as well as a blatant attempt by the Israelis to stop the world witnessing what they are doing.

    JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And these killings also came as the Israeli government announced they’re unleashing a new operation in the area of Gaza. Who will be left to document this operation now?

    IRENE KHAN: Well, absolutely. And that is why Anas got in touch with me, because he realised what was happening. You know, from his message on LinkedIn and from his message that he has sent to me and to others, it was very, very clear.

    He has been there on the ground since October 2023. He could see the pattern. He could see what was happening. He knew they were coming for him.

    And that is why it is incumbent on all of us now not to just condemn, but actually to act, before independent media is totally obliterated from Gaza.

    AMY GOODMAN: Irene Khan, I want to ask what you’re calling for, and the significance of Netanyahu holding this news conference on Sunday and saying — he has now said that the Israeli military can bring in journalists, but they’re most concerned about protecting their safety.

    A few hours later is when Israel assassinated these six journalists. Now, it is the first time, NPR reports, since October 2023 that Israel so quickly took responsibility for their assassination.

    You know, compare it to Shireen Abu Akleh, May 11, 2022, when Israel said it was not clear, and then, you know, so many studies were done, but it became very clear. Talk about what you are calling for at this point.

    IRENE KHAN: It’s not actually an admission of taking responsibility, because there is no accountability in it. It’s actually a brazen attempt to show the world that the Israeli army can work as it wishes, regardless of international humanitarian law that protects journalists as civilians.

    Now, what I’m calling for is, of course, independent investigation, truly independent investigation. But I’m also calling for protection of journalists on the ground and for access to international journalists.

    Israel always covers these assassinations and murders with allegations and smear campaigns — the journalists are simply agents of Hamas or members of Hamas — and that kind of gives Israel a veil of impunity.

    It’s important for international journalists to be on the ground so they can actually investigate and expose this false story and the string of assassinations that Israel is carrying out.

    And I think we need to remember the message that Israel’s action is sending to the rest of the world, because there are other spots, other conflict areas, where also others are learning that you need to be just brazen and go ahead and kill journalists, and you can get away with it.

    AMY GOODMAN: Irene Khan, we’re speaking to you in Geneva, Switzerland — Geneva, the Geneva Conventions. Can you talk about how the conventions specifically protect journalists?

    IRENE KHAN: Well, the convention gives journalists civilian status, which means that, like all other civilians, they should not be targeted during the war.

    The problem is the journalists are not just civilians. They are the kind of civilians that have to go to the frontline and not run away somewhere else. You know, they are not like women and children, who can move and seek shelter elsewhere.

    They have to be where the fighting is. And that exposes them. They are much more like humanitarian workers. And journalists need to be recognised as humanitarian workers. There needs to be — I believe there needs to be additional protection given to them, because it shows how vulnerable they are, on the one hand, to attacks, and, on the other hand, how important their work is to the rest of the world, to any peace process, to any attempt to have accountability and justice for the victims.

    JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Last month, the union representing reporters at the French press agency AFP warned that the agency staff were in danger of starving to death, and they issued an open letter condemning what Israel was doing in terms of denying food, not just to the population in general, but also to journalists, as well.

    Your response?

    IRENE KHAN: Well, absolutely. These journalists are local journalists, as I said, so they have faced all the problems that the population is facing. They’ve had their own families killed. They have to hunt for food, even as they hunt for news.

    So, they have been put in a terrible situation. And that’s why Israel has to open the gates, not under military protection, but allow journalists independently to come and investigate. It has to stop the starvation, the blockade. It has to allow humanitarian assistance to come in. And it has to agree to a ceasefire and, of course, stop the genocide.

    AMY GOODMAN: I want to end with the words of Anas al-Sharif himself. Anticipating his own murder by Israeli forces, he wrote a preprepared message that was posted on his X account after his death. Al Jazeera read part of his message on air.

    AL JAZEERA REPORTER: “If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice, I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification, so that God may bear witness against those who stayed silent and accepted our killing.”

    He ends, “Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.”

    AMY GOODMAN: The words of Anas al-Sharif, posted after he was killed by the Israeli military along with five other journalists. Five of them were with Al Jazeera.

    Irene Khan, I want to thank you so much for being with us, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, speaking to us from Geneva, Switzerland. To see our interview with the managing editor of Al Jazeera, go to democracynow.org.

    Democracy Now! is produced with Mike Burke, Renée Feltz, Deena Guzder, Messiah Rhodes, Nermeen Shaikh, María Taracena, Nicole Salazar, Sara Nasser, Charina Nadura, Sam Alcoff, Tey-Marie Astudillo, John Hamilton, Robby Karran, Hany Massoud, Safwat Nazzal. Our executive director is Julie Crosby.

    I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, for another edition of Democracy Now!

    The original content of this programme is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States Licence.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Nagasaki Day and Aro Valley Peace Talks recall nuke-free heyday

    Asia Pacific Report

    It was a bit like the old days — the heyday of Aotearoa New Zealand’s nuclear-free movement in the 1980s, leading up to the Rarotonga Treaty for a nuclear free Pacific zone that was signed on 6 August 1985 just weeks after the Rainbow Warrior bombing.

    The New Zealand nuclear-free law followed a couple of years later.

    But the mood at the Aro Valley Peace Talks last weekend yearned for those past vibes and optimism.

    Mike Smith got the packed audience on track, introducing himself.

    “I’m a member of a peace group calling ourselves Just Defence,” he said. “We’ve been helping Aro Valley resident Tim Bollinger’s initiative to establish this community event.

    “Today we have been invited by Tim to reflect on the anniversary of the destruction of Nagasaki in japan by the second use of a nuclear weapon in this event.

    “Our very great thanks are due to Tim for creating this opportunity to reflect on those horrific events 80 years ago. This is all the more crucial because most people are not aware that right now the world is at a moment as dangerous as the 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis.

    “The anti-nuclear peace movement has lost its salience in our community.”

    Nuclear-free heritage
    Smith reminded the audience — if they needed to be — of Aotearoa New Zealand’s nuclear-free heritage.

    “We are proudly nuclear-free because nearly 50 years ago we rejected the entry of US warships that would not declare they were nuclear-free.

    “That was a bold and courageous decision,” he continued. “But it was only possible because Kiwi citizens the length and breadth of our country declared their communities nuclear-free, town-by-town and city-by-city, due to the work of tireless activists such as Larry Ross.

    “Some of their symbols are on display today.”

    And then came the pièce de résistance.

    Aro Valley Peace Talks musician and event coordinator Tim Bollinger
    Aro Valley Peace Talks musician and event coordinator Tim Bollinger . . . “A lot has been stolen from us over the past decades.” Image: APR

    “Today, I would like to offer a dedication, that we who are assembled here now declare Aro Valley ‘nuclear free’.

    “Great things can come from small beginnings, and it is once again time that we raise the demand for a world free from the threat of nuclear devastation.”

    An eclectic day
    And so be it declared, judging by the enthusiastic applause greeting Mike Smith’s remarks.

    It was an eclectic day of contributions, but mostly to the already converted.

    First speaker on the main programme was activist and peace movement historian Maire Leadbeater who spoke about her recent book The Enemy Within and a century of state surveillance in Aotearoa that had penalised activists for social change.

    She was followed by historian and writer Mark Derby, co-editor with the late May Bass of Peacemonger: Owen Wilkes: International Peace Researcher, who outlined the life and multi-talents of one of New Zealand’s most extraordinary peace activists.

    Former local council politician Helene Ritchie spoke of the campaign to declare Pōneke Wellington a nuclear weapons-free zone in 1982.

    She was followed by former trade unionist Graeme Clark detailing how the union movement played a key role in opposing nuclear ship visits and its influence on the anti-nuclear policies of the NZ Labour Party.

    Posters from the nuclear-free exhibition at the Aro Community Centre
    Posters from the nuclear-free exhibition at the Aro Community Centre. Image: APR

    Pacific coverage
    The afternoon session kicked off with a “conversation” between journalists and activists Jeremy Rose, formerly of RNZ and who now writes a substack blog Towards Democracy, and David Robie, retired media academic who now publishes Asia Pacific Report and Café Pacific. They discussed issues raised in David’s new book, Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior, and the weak Pacific coverage in mainstream media.

    Doctor and activist Karl Geiringer spoke about his documentary on the role of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War’s bid to have nuclear weapons ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice, and the contribution of his peace activist father Dr Erich Geiringer.

    Glenn Colquhoun and Inshirah Mahal offered inspiring poems.

    Peace activist Valerie Morse gave an overview of 25 years of Peace Action and Sonya Smith, an activist and spokesperson for the Wairoa-based group Rocket Lab Monitor, gave an update on their campaign.

    An important day but short on plans for the future. As at least one participant noted: “Our talks have been mainly about success of the past – but what about our action plans for the present and future?”

    More posters from the nuclear-free exhibition
    More posters from the nuclear-free exhibition. Image: APR

    ‘Working for peace’
    A flyer for Just Defence, with the slogan “Work for peace — not war” with a call to action saying what is needed in New Zealand is:

    • A genuinely independent foreign policy for Aotearoa New Zealand;
    • Defence that is just — not for aggression against other people or nations;
    • A smart, well-paid defence force designed for our real needs — patrolling our waters, carrying out UN peacekeeping missions, responding to civil defence emergencies here and in our Pacific neighbourhood;
    • Affirmation of our nuclear-free status and our support for a nucear-free Pacific; and
    • Building our reputation for promoting peace through dialogue.

    And the flyer flagged a reality check: “China is not our enemy.”

    A couple of days after the event, coordinator Tim Bollinger emailed all participants promising some important developments, including deciding on a draft Nagasaki Day resolution.

    “The time has never been more important for the exchange of ideas and experiences with those whose land and planet we share — to counter apathy and ignorance with the rich legacy of learning and ideas we each have to give,” Bollinger said.

    “A lot has been stolen from us over the past decades . . .

    “The victories of the past have been deliberately underplayed, undervalued, undermined and clawed back by those who never believed in them in the first place.”

    Bollinger promised a community pushback and the resolution would be a first step. Along with a batch of audio and video recordings from the weekend as an action resource.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Israeli PM has ‘lost the plot’, says NZ’s Christopher Luxon

    By Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira, RNZ Māori news journalist in Parliament

    New Zealand’s Prime Minister says the war in Gaza is “utterly appalling” and Israeil Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost the plot”.

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s comments came on a tense day in Parliament today, where the Green Party’s co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was “named” for refusing to leave the House following a heated debate on the government’s plan to consider recognising Palestinian statehood.

    Speaking to media, Luxon said Netanyahu had “gone too far”.

    “I think he has lost the plot and I think that what we’re seeing overnight — the attack on Gaza City — is utterly, utterly unacceptable,” he said.

    Luxon said Israel had consistently ignored pleas from the international community for humanitarian aid to be delivered “unfettered” and the situation was driving more human catastrophe across Gaza.

    “We are a small country a long way away, with very limited trade with Israel. We have very little connection with the country, but we have stood up for values, and we keep articulating them very consistently, and what you have seen is Israel not listening to the global community at all,” Luxon said.

    “We have said a forcible displacement of people and an annexation of Gaza would be a breach of international law. We have called these things out consistently time and time again.

    “You’ve seen New Zealand join many of our friends and partners around the world to make these statements, and he’s just not listening,” the Prime Minister said.

    Considering statehood
    The government is considering whether it will join other countries like France, Canada and Australia in recognising Palestinian statehood at a UN Leader’s Meeting next month.

    Luxon said recent attacks could “extinguish a pathway” to a two-state solution.

    “I’m telling you what my personal view is, as a human being, looking at the situation, that’s how I feel about,” he said.

    Opposition Labour Leader Chris Hipkins has called the war an “unfolding genocide”, echoing the comments made by former prime minister Helen Clark, who visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian territory this week. as part of The Elders’ delegation.

    “She’s used the words ‘unfolding genocide’, and yes, I do agree with that. That’s a good description of the situation at the moment.”

    Hipkins said calling it an “unfolding genocide” meant that New Zealand was not “appointing ourselves judge and jury” because there was still a case to be heard before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

    “Recognising that there is an unfolding genocide in Gaza is an important part of the world community standing up and saying, we’re not going to tolerate it.

    “We should recognise that there is now a growing acknowledgement around the world that there is an unfolding genocide in Gaza, and I think we should call that for what it is, and the world community needs to react to that to prevent it from happening,” Hipkins said.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Israel deliberately obstructing aid, says former PM Helen Clark

    By Niva Chittock, RNZ News WorldWatch presenter/producer

    Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark says she has witnessed Israel deliberately obstructing life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza.

    Together with former Irish president Mary Robinson, Clark visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian territory this week.

    The two former world leaders are part of The Elders, an independent, non-government organisation of global leaders working together for peace, justice, human rights and sustainability.

    The group has regularly spoken out about the situation in Gaza since Israel announced war on Hamas in October 2023.


    Their joint statement said they saw evidence of food and medical aid being denied entry to Gaza, “causing mass starvation to spread”.

    “What we saw and heard underlines our personal conviction that there is not only an unfolding, human-caused famine in Gaza, there is an unfolding genocide,” the statement said.

    “The deliberate destruction of health facilities in Gaza means children facing acute malnutrition cannot be treated effectively.”

    At least 36 Palestinian children starved to death last month, they said.

    Israel has repeatedly denied famine and genocide were happening in Gaza.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that if his army had a policy of starvation “no one would be alive two years into the war”.

    Figures disputed
    Israel also disputed the figures provided by authorities in the Palestinian territory, but had not provided its own.

    No shelter materials had entered Gaza since March this year, the statement said, leaving families already displaced multiple times without protection.

    Former Irish President Mary Robinson and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark visiting the Rafah border crossing.
    Former Irish president Mary Robinson and former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark have visited the Rafah border crossing. Image: The Elders/RNZ

    “Many new mothers are unable to feed themselves or their new-born babies adequately, and the health system is collapsing,” Clark said.

    “All of this threatens the very survival of an entire generation,” she said.

    ‘Truth matters’
    “The uncomfortable truth is that many states are prioritising their own economic and security interests, even as the world is reeling from the images of Gazan children starving to death,” Robinson said.

    “Political leaders have the power and the legal obligation to apply measures to pressure this Israeli government to end its atrocity crimes.”

    “This is all the more urgent in light of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Gaza City takeover plan. President Trump has the leverage to compel a change of course. He must use it now,” she said.

    Hamas authorities said Israeli air attacks had increased in recent days as the Israel Defence Force (IDF) prepared to take over Gaza City, home to some one million Palestinians.

    Netanyahu had defended his plan, saying the best option to defeat Hamas was to take the city by force.

    The plan has been heavily criticised by Israelis, Palestinians, international organisations and other countries.

    Israel has repeatedly denied famine and genocide were happening in Gaza.
    Israel has repeatedly denied famine and genocide were happening in Gaza. Image: The Elders/RNZ

    ‘Re-engage’ ceasefire talks
    Robinson and Clark urged Hamas and Israel to re-engage in ceasefire talks and immediately release Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinian prisoners, and for Israel to immediately open all border crossings into Gaza.

    They also called for states to suspend existing and future trade agreements with Israel, as well as the transfer of arms and weapons to Israel, urging the world to follow the lead of Germany and Norway.

    Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund divested from Israeli firms linked to violations of international law this week, while Germany’s chancellor suspended exports of arms to Israel.

    “We call for recognition of the State of Palestine by at least 20 more states by September, including G7 members, EU member states and others,” their joint statement said.

    Australia was the latest to announce it would made the decree at a UN General Assembly next month if its conditions were met, following in the footsteps of Canada, France and the UK.

    At least 20 countries had on Wednesday called for aid to urgently be released into Gaza, saying suffering in the Palestinian territory had reached “unimaginable” levels.

    New Zealand was not among them, and had not yet made any pledge to recognise a Palestinian state, but the government said it was a matter of “when not if” it would.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • MEAA condemns targeted attacks on Gaza journalists as a war crime

    Pacific Media Watch

    Australia’s Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance has condemned the continued targeted killing of media workers in Gaza and the baseless smearing of working journalists as “terrorists”, following the deaths of five Al Jazeera staff over the weekend.

    Al Jazeera journalists Anas Al Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and assistant Moamen Aliwa were killed on Sunday when Israel bombed a tent housing journalists in Gaza City, near Al-Shifa Hospital.

    Shockingly, the Israeli military confirmed the targeted killing on social media, with a post to X accompanied by a target emoji.

    The latest deaths come after Israel had conducted a long smear campaign of unsubstantiated allegations against Al Sharif and other journalists, labelling them “Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists”, which the International Federation of Journalists has condemned.

    As Al Jazeera has said, this was a “dangerous attempt to justify the targeting of journalists in the field”.

    “Tragically, these warnings have now come to fruition,” the MEAA said in a statement.

    “The targeting of journalists is a blatant attack on press freedom, and it is also a war crime.

    “It must stop.”

    Call for ‘unfettered coverage’
    MEAA also said the Israeli ban preventing the world’s media from accessing the region and providing unfettered coverage of the worsening humanitarian crisis must stop.

    The silencing of Palestinian journalists via a rising death toll that the Gaza Media Office puts at 242 must also stop, the union said.

    “In his final words, Al-Sharif said he never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is — without distortion or falsification,” said MEAA

    “His reports brought to the world the reality of the horrors being inflicted by the Israeli government on the civilians in Gaza.

    “He asked the world to not forget Gaza and to not forget him.”

    MEAA said it stood up against attacks on press freedom around the world.

    • Pacific Media Watch says there has been no equivalent condemnation by New Zealand journalists, who have mostly remained silent during the 22 months of Israel’s war on Gaza.


    This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • RSF calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting after targeted Israeli strike kills six media professionals

    Pacific Media Watch

    The Paris-based media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the Israeli military’s “disgraceful tactic” to cover up war crimes in the wake of the killing of six journalists in Gaza on Sunday.

    It has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to stop the massacre of journalists, RSF said in a statement.

    The August 10 Israeli strike killed six media professionals in Gaza, five of whom currently work or formerly worked for the Qatari television network Al Jazeera and one freelance journalist.

    The strike, which has been claimed by the Israeli army, targeted Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif, whom it accused, without providing solid evidence, of “terrorist affiliation”.

    RSF said the military had repeatedly used this tactic against journalists to cover up war crimes, while the army has already killed more than 200 media professionals.

    “RSF strongly condemns the killing of six media professionals by the Israeli army, once again carried out under the guise of terrorism charges against a journalist,” said RSF’s  director-general Thibaut Bruttin.

    “One of the most famous journalists in the Gaza Strip, Anas al-Sharif, was among those killed.

    “The Israeli army has killed more than 200 journalists since the start of the war. This massacre and Israel’s media blackout strategy, designed to conceal the crimes committed by its army for more than 21 months in the besieged and starving Palestinian enclave, must be stopped immediately.

    “The international community can no longer turn a blind eye and must react and put an end to this impunity.

    “RSF calls on the UN Security Council to meet urgently on the basis of Resolution 2222 of 2015 on the protection of journalists in times of armed conflict in order to stop this carnage.”

    Targeted strike on tent
    The Israeli army killed Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif in a targeted strike on a tent housing a group of journalists near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

    The strike, claimed by Israeli authorities, also killed five other media professionals, including four working or having worked for Al Jazeera — correspondent Mohammed Qraiqea, video reporter Ibrahim al-Thaher, Mohamed Nofal, assistant cameraman and driver that day, and Moamen Aliwa, a freelance journalist who worked with Al Jazeera — as well as another freelance journalist, Mohammed al-Khaldi, creator of a YouTube news channel.

    The attack also wounded freelance reporters Mohammed Sobh, Mohammed Qita, and Ahmed al-Harazine.

    This attack, claimed by the Israeli army, replicates a tactic previously used against Al Jazeera journalists. On 31 July 2024, the Israeli army killed reporters Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Rifi in a targeted strike, following a smear campaign against the former, who, like Anas al-Sharif, was accused of “terrorist affiliation”.

    Hamza al-Dahdouh, Mustafa Thuraya and Hossam Shabat, who also worked for the Qatari media outlet, are among the victims of this method denounced by RSF.

    As early as October 2024, RSF warned of an imminent attack on Anas al-Sharif following accusations by the Israeli army.

    The international community, led by the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, ignored these warnings.

    Under Resolution 2222 of 2015 on the protection of journalists in armed conflict, the UN Security Council has a duty to convene urgently in response to this latest extrajudicial killing by the Israeli army.

    Since October 2023, RSF has filed four complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) requesting investigations into what it describes as war crimes committed by the Israeli army against journalists in Gaza.

    The New Zealand-based Pacific Media Watch collaborates with Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • When devotion takes a violent turn: 2025 Kanwar Yatra marred by cases of vandalism, assault as cops look on

    The Kanwar Yatra, which takes place during the auspicious Hindu month of ‘Shravan’ or ‘Saavan’, is a crucial pilgrimage for Hindus who worship the deity Shiva. However, the arduous yatra undertaken by these devotees, symbolising reverence, restraint and penance, has been marred by incidents of violence and vandalism over the past few years. 

    During this pilgrimage, ‘Kanwariyas’ or devotees carry water from the Ganges on a pole (called Kanwar) and offer it to the Shiva deity. They often fast and undertake the journey barefoot. The Kanwar these pilgrims carry is a bamboo or wooden stick decorated with fabric, threads and flowers. At both ends are urns filled with water from the holy river, which Kanwariyas carry for several kilometres on foot. Their yatra or pilgrimage is deemed complete after they offer this water to the Shiva deity. The Kanwar is considered sacred and the urns must be kept off the ground and away from anything deemed impure. If the Kanwar touches the ground, the water is no longer sacred and the whole yatra turns futile. Kanwariyas then have to fetch water and walk barefoot all over again. This is one reason why devotees lose their temper when something inadvertently touches the Kanwar.

    However, this year, numerous videos from across the country, such as Mirzapur, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Rishikesh, Haridwar and Muzaffarnagar, have surfaced wherein Kanwariyas were seen beating people up, vandalising public property and causing a ruckus over seemingly insignificant issues. In one instance, they blocked an entire highway over a minor collision and vandalised bikes, cars, and buses. Elsewhere, they attacked security forces or damaged police vehicles. Surprisingly, many such incidents took place despite police presence; local administration and security forces seemed to have little control over things. Such incidents exposed a rather aggressive side of Kanwariyas, overshadowing notions of piety associated with them and the pilgrimage. In this report, Alt News will try to document some of these instances from this year’s yatra.

    Haridwar: Dispute Takes Communal Turn

    A few days before Saavan, an alleged incident of communal violence by Kanwariyas came to light from the Manglaur area of ​​Haridwar. A car carrying a Muslim family, including women and children, accidentally collided with Kanwariyas walking on the road. According to reports, the incident, which started as a minor dispute, took a violent turn after Kanwariyas found that the car was being driven by a Muslim. Some Kanwariyas reportedly also misbehaved with the Muslim woman in the car and beat up another individual.


    Mirzapur: A CRPF Jawan Attacked

    Even Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were not spared. On July 18, a group of Kanwariyas brutally beat up a CRPF personnel at the Mirzapur railway station. The CRPF personnel, Gautam, was travelling from Mirzapur to Manipur with his son and a companion and was waiting for the Brahmaputra train. At the station platform, he got into an argument with some Kanwariyas, who soon threw him on the ground and beat him up. A video of the incident went viral on social media. While the fight ensued, many looked on, but no one came to help or save him. In the video, the CRPF jawan’s son was seen handling his father. After the matter escalated, a case was filed at the RPF post Mirzapur and seven Kanwariyas were arrested. A search was launched for others. Four of those arrested were minors.

    Kanpur: Police Station Attacked

    On July 14, a group of more than three dozen Kanwariyas from Auraiya in Kanpur were headed to Shivrajpur Khereshwar (the site of a Shiv temple) from Bithoor on bikes carrying water from the Ganges. The group was crossing the Shivrajpur police station when one of the youths slipped and fell on the ground. A scout guide, Vishwajeet, and a home guard, Umashankar, from the police station standing nearby, helped him get him. However, suddenly, there was a ruckus and the youths clashed with the duo, accusing them of charging with sticks. The home guard was beaten up and his uniform torn. There was a lot of ruckus at the Shivrajpur police station but police personnel seemed helpless.

    According to reports, Kanwariyas broke the glass of the women’s help desk and the windows of the police response vehicle, besides damaging other vehicles parked in the police station premises. CCTV cameras at the police station and nearby roads captured the whole incident. Based on the footage, police identified 20 suspects involved in the violence and registered an FIR against them. Five of those accused were arrested and sent to jail.

    Basti: Police Vehicle Pelted with Sticks

    On July 21, at the Kaptanganj crossing in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district, Kanwariyas not only blocked the national highway, but also accused a youth from a different community of making objectionable comments about a temple. These Kanwariyas charged at police vehicles with sticks. They also destroyed police barricades and uprooted the hoardings, setting them on fire. Although the police force was present at the scene, they did little to curb the ruckus. At one point, Kanwariyas also targeted an ambulance and were seen entering it.

    As the situation got out of hand, the superintendent of police (SP) took charge and appealed to Kanwariyas to remain calm. However, even as he was making this appeal, someone from the crowd threw a stone towards him. The stone hit a policeman who was with the SP, resulting in him bleeding profusely. Despite this, the SP tried reasoning with the Kanwariyas as fellow policemen also pleaded with folded hands.

    Meerut: School Bus Windows Broken

    On July 14, a group of Kanwariyas vandalised a school bus in Meerut’s Sadar Bazaar police station area and broke its windows. They alleged four to five Kanwariyas had been injured and their Kanwars broken as a result of a collision with the bus. Following this, some Kanwariyas quarrelled with the bus driver and abused him. They also threatened to kill him and vandalised the bus.

     

    Kasganj: Angry Kanwariyas Vandalise Bus

    Similarly, another incident of violence at the hands of Kanwariyas came to light from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh. On July 24, near Nadarai village on the Mathura-Bareilly highway in the Kasganj district, angry Kanwariyas created a ruckus and vandalised a bus after their Kanwar, kept on the roadside, allegedly broke due to the bus. The police tried to pacify Kanwariyas and took them to the Lahara Ganga ghat in a government vehicle to refill their pitchers and brought them back.

    Bareilly: Vandalism in Presence of Police

    Some videos also emerged from Bareilly in which a group of devotees attacked and vandalised a car in the presence of police after a vehicle allegedly hit a Kanwariya.

     

    Ghaziabad: Driver Brutally Beaten 

    In Ghaziabad’s Modinagar, a vehicle allegedly hit a Kanwariya. Following this, the angry Kanwariyas vandalised the vehicle and beat the driver brutally, leaving him in a near-dead state.

    Muzaffarnagar: Biker Beaten

    On July 8, in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, a group of Kanwariyas started beating a local bike rider with sticks, accusing him of breaking a Kanwar. According to one report, the youth turned towards the group of Kanwariyas with his bike while crossing the road, resulting in the two brushing against each other. Despite the minor collision, Kanwariyas surrounded the apologetic youth and started beating him with sticks.

    In the video, the youth is seen trying to save himself. However, the anger of the Kanwariyas reached a feverish pitch as the crowd kept attacking him and trying to burn his bike. Though police personnel arrived at the scene, they struggled to save the youth and his vehicle.

    In Muzaffarnagar, Kanwariyas also created ruckus at an eatery over food and broke chairs and furniture. A video of this incident was viral on social media. On July 7, Kanwariyas had reached Shri Siddh Baba Balak Nath Dhaba on NH-58, within the Purkaji police station area of ​​Haryana, to eat food, where they allegedly accused the Dhaba of serving food with onions and argued with the Dhaba owner and employees and vandalised the place. Kanwariyas do not consume meat, onion and garlic during this pilgrimage.

    According to reports, the Dhaba owner and workers repeatedly explained that the Kanwariyas were not served dishes with onion, but despite this, the devotees continued to knock things over. On receiving information about this, the police reached there and tried to pacify the Kanwariyas and send them to their destination. The eatery manager claimed the police was there, but did little to help and instead asked him to spare the Kanwariyas. “They are innocent and devotees. My request is that you understand… everyone makes mistakes.”

    Roorkee: Car Driver Assaulted

    Kanwariyas accused a car driver of breaking a Kanwar near the Belda village on the Haridwar-Roorkee highway in Uttarakhand and beat him up, smashing the car to pieces.

    In Roorkee, again, some Kanwariyas alleged that their Kanwar was damaged by an e-rickshaw and then vandalised the vehicle in front of cops.

    Haridwar: Several Incidents as Kanwariyas Chaos

    In Haridwar’s Bahadarabad, when a Kanwar was broken due to a collision with a car, Kanwariyas damaged the vehicle with sticks and stones. The Haridwar police registered a case and detained three miscreants.

    Some Kanwariyas also vandalised a spectacle shop in Haridwar after a dispute with the shopkeeper. Later, police officials from the Kotwali police station arrested two Kanwariyas.

    In another case in Haridwar, Kanwariyas blocked the road by placing water from the Ganges on the road and created a ruckus. The police wanted to send the Kanwariyas from Haridwar to UP, Delhi, Haryana via the Ganganahar route, but the Kanwariyas were adamant on going via the Delhi-Dehradun highway. Later, the police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd forcefully.

    When a Kanwar broke near rge Bahadrabad toll plaza in Haridwar, Kanwariyas pelted stones on a bus and a police vehicle and damaged public property.

    Later, the Uttarakhand police took control of the situation and restored traffic. After registering an FIR, they seized the vehicle and arrested two people.

    In Haridwar, the pilgrims played loud music with DJs on the road, causing traffic jams. When policemen tried to disperse them, Kanwariyas attacked them.


    Taking Law Into Their Hands

    The string of incidents outlined above demonstrates how Kanwariyas almost took the law into their hands, resorted to violence over minor issues and even ignored police presence at the scene. On several occasions, police appeared helpless as a rowdy crowd of devotees destroyed public property and vehicles.

    All of this while uniformed police officers indulged in preparing a feast for the Kanwariyas and massaging their feet.

    These incidents raise several questions. Does law and order take a back seat when it comes to devotion and faith? Why do such incidents happen despite police presence? Have we blurred the line differentiating between a devotee and a vandal? Why are such incidents increasing year after year?

    The post When devotion takes a violent turn: 2025 Kanwar Yatra marred by cases of vandalism, assault as cops look on appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Pawan Kumar.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick barred from NZ Parliament for rest of week after fiery Gaza speech

    By Craig McCulloch, RNZ News acting political editor

    New Zealand Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has been ejected from Parliament’s debating chamber and told to leave for the rest of the week after a fiery speech about the war in Gaza.

    The incident occured during an urgent debate this afternoon which was called after the coalition government’s announcement that it would come to a formal decision in September over whether to recognise the state of Palestine.

    As Swarbrick came to the end of her contribution, she challenged coalition MPs to back her member’s bill allowing New Zealand to apply sanctions on Israel “for its war crimes”.

    Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick asked to leave Parliament after Gaza speech   Video: Parliament TV

    “If we find six of 68 government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,” Swarbrick said.

    Almost immediately, Speaker Gerry Brownlee condemned the remark as “completely unacceptable” and demanded she “withdraw it and apologise”.

    Swarbrick shot back a curt — “no” — prompting Brownlee to order her out of the chamber for the remainder of the week.

    “Happily,” Swarbrick said, as she rose to leave.

    Green Party whip Ricardo Menéndez March later stood to question the severity of punishment, saying Parliament’s rules suggested Swarbrick should be barred for no more than a day.

    Brownlee later clarified that Swarbrick could come back to the debating chamber on Wednesday, but only if she agreed to withdraw and apologise.

    “If she doesn’t, then she’ll be leaving the House again,” he said.

    “I’m not going to sit in this chair and tolerate a member standing on her feet . . .  and saying that other members of this House are spineless.”

    ‘What the hell is the point?’ — Swarbrick
    Speaking outside the debating chamber, Swarbrick described the ruling as “ridiculous” and the punishment excessive.

    “As far as the robust debate goes in that place, I think that was pretty mild in the context of the war crimes that are currently unfolding.”

    She drew a comparison with comments made by former prime minister Sir John Key in 2015 when he challenged the opposition to “get some guts”.

    Swarbrick said she was tired and angry at the massacre of human beings.

    “What the hell is the point of everything that we do if the people in my place, in my job don’t do their job?” she said.

    “If we allow other human beings to be just mercilessly slaughtered, to be shot while waiting for food aid, what hope is there for humanity?”

    Swarbrick was not the only MP to run afoul of the Speaker during today’s debate.

    Earlier, Labour MP Damien O’Connor was told to either exit the chamber or apologise after interjecting while Foreign Minister Winston Peters was speaking. O’Connor stood and left.

    Brownlee also demanded ACT MP Simon Court say sorry — which he did — after Court accused Swarbrick of “hallucinating outrage”.

    Government urges caution, opposition demands action
    In his speech, Court said any recognition of a Palestinian state must be conditional on all Israeli hostages being returned and Hamas being disarmed and dismantled.

    “Security must come before politics,” he said.

    No National MPs spoke during the urgent debate.

    Peters — who is also NZ First leader — told MPs the matter of Palestinian statehood was not a straightforward or clear-cut issue.

    “There are strong opinions on both sides,” he said. “That is why we are approaching this issue carefully, judiciously and calmly.”

    Peters also took umbrage with the opposition’s complaints, pointing out Labour never moved on the matter when it was in government.

    In a 10 minute speech, Labour foreign affairs spokesperson Peeni Henare said New Zealand was being left behind as the coalition walked into a “sunset of denial”.

    “How many more people will suffer and how many more people will die?”

    ‘Despicable’ justifications
    Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer told MPs it was “despicable” to hear the justifications for another month’s delay.

    “What will be left? Rubble? Martyred spirits? What is that you want to have left in a month’s time?” she said. “I have never been more ashamed to be in the House than I am today.”

    In her speech, Swarbrick told MPs libraries of evidence demonstrated that the events unfolding in Palestine were “ethnic cleansing… apartheid [and]… genocide”.

    “We are a laggard, we are an outlier,” she said. “We are one of the very few countries in the world who so far refuse to acknowledge the absolute bare minimum.”

    Earlier, during Parliament’s Question Time, ACT leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour objected to Swarbrick having a Palestinian scarf, or keffiyeh, draped across her seat.

    “I invite you to consider what this House might look like if everybody who had an interest in a global conflict started adorning their seats with symbols of one side or another of a conflict,” he said.

    “I think that would bring the House into disrepute and no member should be allowed to do such a thing.”

    Brownlee said Seymour raised a good point, only for Swarbrick to then wrap the scarf around her neck.

    “Oh, here we go,” he said. “Well, stay warm. We’ll move on now.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Assam Tribune rejects column critical of BJP & Himanta, asks veteran journalist to ‘focus only on Meghalaya’

    Within hours of sending in her bimonthly column to The Assam Tribune on the violation of human rights and ‘dehumanization’ of Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, veteran journalist Patricia Mukhim was told by the paper on August 6 that the management had decided not to carry the piece. She was also instructed to concentrate only on Meghalaya.

    Patricia, who has been the editor of The Shillong Times for almost two decades now, started contributing to the Assam Tribune, one of the largest-selling English dailies in the northeast, around 2014. On Wednesday, she sent in her piece to the Tribune which was to be published the next day, August 7. Soon after being informed about the rejection, the Padma Shri-winning journalist decided to cut off her ties with The Assam Tribune and not contribute to the paper henceforth. This, she announced in a Facebook post.

    ‘Concentrate Only on Meghalaya’

    Expressing her disappointment at the development, the Meghalaya-based journalist wrote on the social media platform, “To be told what to write on and how to write are the marks of an authoritarian regime. It’s better to be a free spirit than be tied in knots and have your thoughts imprisoned.”

    On August 6, an Assam Tribune staffer sent a text message to Patricia, saying “Management has gone through your article — ‘Needed a political catharsis’ — and instructed me not to carry it. From now on, therefore, you are humbly requested to focus only on Meghalaya.” They also said they were “simply conveying” to the journalist “what the management said” — that she should “concentrate only on Meghalaya”. “For any query in this regard, you may talk to the executive editor,” the text message added.

    Patricia said when she started contributing to the paper around 2014, she was not given any such instruction on what she should or should not write on. “I travel the region and am a keen observer of its socio-political and geo-strategic twists and turns.”

    “Then I realised that the inevitable had happened.. Anything that runs contrary to the current regime will not be entertained by the mainstream media barring a few brave ones that continue to stand their ground and have refused to become lapdogs of the ruling regime,” she says in her Facebook post.

    ‘Relentless Drive to Dehumanize Bengali-speaking Muslims’

    The ‘rejected’ opinion piece, published two days later by Scroll, draws attention to how “the relentless drive to dehumanize Bengali-speaking Muslims, thousands of whom are now homeless and without a country, has crossed out “human rights” from the political discourse” in Assam. Referring to former US President Ronald Reagan’s inaugural address in 1981 in which he had famously remarked, “In the present crisis, government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem,” Patricia writes that Assam today has a “a one-man government”.

    “We don’t hear voices that will calm the chaos. It’s as if the chief minister alone has taken upon himself the sole right of addressing the media. Assam society today is completely divided between Bengali Muslims and Bengali Hindus,” she adds.

    It is relevant to add here that under chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, communal polarization in Assam has reached an unprecedented peak with incidents of hate and violence against Bengali-speaking Muslims rising exponentially. In July, Sarma justified the ‘fight’ against minorities even if they are not ‘foreigners’, when he wrote in an X post, “Just do not stop us from fighting for what is ours. For us this is our last battle of survival.”

    Earlier in May, the Himanta-led Cabinet brought in a scheme to give gun licenses to ‘indigenous people’ living in Muslim-majority areas. Justifying the move, Sarma has said, “A gun is essential. Without a gun, how will you live in places like South Salmara and Mankachar? You will understand when you go there…”

    About 95% of the population in Salmara-Mankachar district are Muslims. In other words, Sarma, the constitution head of the state, made no bones about the fact that he felt guns were needed by Hindus to defend themselves against Muslims.

    It is interesting to note that on August 11, the Assam chief minister’s office shared an Assam Tribune report on X which quotes Sarma justifying the gun policy by saying that gun is essential in vulnerable areas. The report says, “The Chief Minister stated the new policy is strictly limited to areas where national security concerns are pronounced, particularly along Assam’s international border with Bangladesh. Among the immediate areas being considered for arms licence issuance are Dhubri, South Salmara, Barpeta, Morigaon, and Nagaon.”

    Fact is, neither Barpeta, not Morigaon, nor Nagaon shares international border with Bangladesh. However, all three are Muslim-majority districts. The report in The Assan Tribune chooses to ignore that.

    In her article, Patricia does note how the media has joined the BJP government in Assam in polarizing the society. “Today, politics is driven purely by divisiveness and hatred. Day after day, TV channels and YouTubers carry out a vicious campaign against Muslims as if they do not deserve to live. Thousands of them are reduced to a life that hangs by a thread in what is the most inhuman treatment meted out to them.”

    It is crudely ironic that in the piece itself, Patricia repeatedly refers to the shrinking space for questioning the powers that be. “Today we have reached a point in this country when asking hard questions from the ruling establishment turns you into a Pakistan sympathiser or an “anti-national”. Never in the past, not even during the Emergency, did we feel this sense of repression that we feel today.”

    Things have come to such a passe, Patricia notes, that the Assam chief minister “is hell-bent on bringing to its knees the University of Technology and Management”, an institute located not in his state but in Meghalaya, “simply because its chancellor and founder is a Muslim”.

    I Sense a Caste Bias Here: Patricia Mukhim

    Speaking to Alt News, the senior journalist who is considered one of the most representative voices from the northeast, said that around 2014, it was “a personal approach” by the then executive editor, PJ Baruah, which started her association with The Assam Tribune. “He asked me to give a name to my column. I called it Rough & Tumble. He allowed me complete freedom and we never once had any complaints.”

    About the manner in which the present editorial team treated her, Patricia said she could sense a caste bias at play here. “After having contributed to The Assam Tribune for over a decade the communication for not carrying my article was being conveyed by a junior staff of the newspaper. I can sense a caste bias here since I am a tribal and therefore am not supposed to comment or write on issues pertaining to the Assamese people, who until 1971 ruled over Meghalaya and other northeastern states before we were considered politically mature to manage our own affairs.”

    Patricia referred to the historical reluctance of the Assamese gentry to grant autonomy to the tribes while explaining why she thought that the way the paper treated her was as problematic as the response itself. “The debates in the Constitution-making body when the tribes of Meghalaya demanded the Sixth Schedule as a protective cover for tribal customary practices and governance must be re-read to understand the views of the Assamese gentry at the time. They were against granting the Sixth Schedule to the tribes lest it lead to secessionism. It is against these backgrounds that the relations between the Assamese and the tribals continues till date. The equations have always been unequal.”

    Senior Journalists Express Anger; Stand by Patricia

    Reacting to the development, veteran journalist and author Paranjoy Guha Thakurta said he was “angry and deeply saddened” by the decision of The Assam Tribune to not carry Patricia Mukhim’s opinion article on the religious polarisation in Assam, Meghalaya and other parts of the northeast.

    “If the owner of the publication is responsible for “killing” Patricia’s story, it cannot be justified under any circumstances. And if the concerned person has acted at the behest of the chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, it indicates how subservient a large section of the media has become in Assam and elsewhere. The chief minister seems to be following the playbook of his mentors in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. More strength to Patricia!” he added.

    Columnist, author and former editor of The Times of India Bachi Karkaria, who has known Patricia closely, told Alt News, “It must have been a difficult decision to let go of a platform with such huge reach in the north east. But she would have betrayed all that she has stood for if she had continued.” Bachi called Assam Tribune’s response ‘pitiable’.

    “I am sure Assam Tribune gave her the column in 2014 as much for her strong voice as for her deep understanding of the people, culture and politics of the northeast. For them to stop just because it went against the ruling party at the Centre and the state was pitiable. To do it with such lack of grace makes it doubly so.”

    “I have come to know, admire and respect Pat from our common membership of South Asian Women in Media (SWAM). She has always led from the front to defend the freedom of journalists. When her own rights were muzzled, to have quietly continued with Assam Tribune would have been hypocritical. Pat is neither hypocritical nor quiet,” Bachi noted.

    Alt News has written to The Assam Tribune seeking a response to Patricia Mukhim’s remarks. This story will be updated if the paper gets back to us.

    The post Assam Tribune rejects column critical of BJP & Himanta, asks veteran journalist to ‘focus only on Meghalaya’ appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Indradeep Bhattacharyya.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • NZ can’t talk about homelessness without tackling poverty, says advocate

    RNZ Pacific Waves

    In Aotearoa, a Pacific advocate for youth homelessness says the country must address poverty and systemic inequities to fix the housing affordability crisis.

    Research from the Salvation Army last month showed one in 1000 people in the country are without shelter. Youth were reportedly disproportionately affected.

    Overall, Pasefika communities were also over-represented in the country’s hardship figures. For example, the latest government figures showed the Pacific unemployment rate was 12.1 percent – more than double the national average.

    Brooke Stanley, of youth homelessness collective Manaaki Rangatahi, told RNZ Pacific Waves “successive government choices and policies” had failed to prioritise people’s housing needs.

    That had led to rising homelessness, she said.


    Homelessness reaches crisis point                Video: RNZ

    “I think that those policy choices and decisions are actually underpinned by a certain set of values that don’t recognise housing as being a human right,” Stanley said.

    “We’re looking at a politics of ego, of competition, of division, of greed and profit.”

    Pasefika bearing brunt
    Stanley also said the current government’s policies were making things worse, and Pasefika communities were bearing the brunt of it.

    High rents, lack of public housing and affordable housing, as well as socio-economic status all contributed to Pasefika being disproportionately affected by the housing affordability crisis.

    Tougher rules from Kāinga Ora — the government’s public housing agency — also painted a bleak picture.

    For example, in Manurewa and Porirua, Pacific families were reportedly being kicked out of public housing at disproportionate rates. The pattern was identified in tenancy enforcement data by PMN.

    In Manurewa, Pacific families represented about half of the agency’s tenants, but made up three-quarters of enforcement action. In Porirua, Pacific people represented about the same proportion of Kāinga Ora tenants but made up two-thirds of enforcement action.

    Enforcement action included tenancy terminations.

    Kāinga Ora has previously said it applied its policies in “a fair and consistent way in communities around the country”.

    Ending tenancies
    Kāinga Ora spokesperson Nick Maling said the decision to end a tenancy was never made lightly, especially when children and young people were involved.

    Associate Minister for Housing Tama Potaka has said the government is working to address homelessness.

    “There’s a number of things that this government is doing, whether or not it’s the build programme — making sure we build another 500 social homes in Auckland, Māori housing, Kainga Ora… resetting the housing system,” he told RNZ Morning Report in July.

    He has also said that rebuilding the economy to create more jobs and get people into work was part of the government’s solution to homelessness.

    Stanley believed New Zealand’s policymakers needed to shift their approach to housing and homelessness completely.

    “We can’t talk about ending homelessness unless we also talk about ending poverty,” she said.

    “I think we need to look at the different contributing factors . . .  [and the] the structural inequities that also contribute to homelessness.

    “I think it’s really important that our leaders just not only talk about these things, but also have the actions and policies that reflect those values.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Why Israel’s assassination of Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif and crew threatens all journalists

    By David Robie, convenor of Pacific Media Watch

    I never knew Anas al-Sharif personally. But somehow he seemed to be part of our whānau.

    We watched so many of his reports from Gaza that it just appeared he would be always around keeping us up-to-date on the horrifying events in the besieged enclave.

    Although he actually worked for Al Jazeera Arabic, the 28-year-old was probably the best known Palestinian journalist in the Strip and many of his stories were translated into English.

    It is yet another despicable act by the Israeli military to assassinate him and four of his colleagues on the eve of launching their new mass crime to seize and demolish Gaza City with a population of about one million as part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to occupy the whole of Gaza.

    In many ways the bravery of al-Sharif — he had warned several times that he was being targeted — was the embodiment of the Palestinian courage under fire when UNESCO awarded the 2024 World Press Freedom Award collectively to the Gazan journalists.

    But it wasn’t enough just to “murder” him and his colleagues — as the Al Jazeera channel proclaimed in red banner television headlines — Israel attempted unsuccessfully to try to smear him in death as a “Hamas platoon leader” without a shred of evidence.

    The drone attack late on Sunday night hit a journalists’ work tent near the main gate of Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, killing seven people. Among those killed beside al-Sharif were fellow Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed Noufal.

    Call for UNSC emergency session
    Al Jazeera later said a sixth journalist, freelancer Mohammad al-Khaldi, was also killed in the strike. Reporters Without Borders said three more journalists had been wounded and called for a UN Security Council emergency session to discuss journalist safety.

    In a statement, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera Media Network condemned in “the strongest terms” the killing of its media staff in “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom”, noting that the Israeli occupation force had “admitted to their crimes”.

    “This attack comes amid the catastrophic consequences of the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, which has seen the relentless slaughter of civilians, forced starvation, and the obliteration of entire communities,” Al Jazeera said.

    “Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people.”

    Five Al Jazeera journalists killed in Gaza by Israel’s “psychopathic liar” — Marwan Bishara Video: Al Jazeera

    Ironically, the killings came hours after Netanyahu told media he had decided to “allow” some foreign journalists into the Gaza Strip.

    “In fact, we have decided, and I’ve ordered, directed the military, to bring in foreign journalists, more foreign journalists,” Netanyahu told a news conference in Jerusalem.

    Israeli authorities have in the past barred any foreign media from entering the Gaza Strip, while it has been deliberately targeting and killing local Palestinian journalists.

    Other attacks on Al Jazeera
    The deadly strike on Anas al-Sharif and his four colleagues is not the first attack on Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza since the start of Israel’s current war on the Palestinian territory in October 2023

    Israeli forces have previously killed five Al Jazeera journalists: Samer Abudaqa, Ismael al-Ghoul, Ahmed al-Louh, Hossam Shabat and Hamza Dahdouh, son of Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, Wael Dahdouh, as well as many of the family members of Al Jazeera journalists.

    The Israeli military has been systematically killing journalists, photographers and local media workers in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war in an attempt to silence their reports.

    The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has verified the killing of at least 186 journalists since October 7, 2023. At least 90 journalists have been imprisoned by Israel.

    But some media freedom groups put the casualty figure even higher. The Government Media Office in Gaza, for example, reports that 242 journalists have been killed.

    The Israeli military have frequently accused journalists of being “terrorists” without evidence.

    According to Muhammad Shehada, a writer and analyst from Gaza, Anas al-Sharif was a “loved by everyone, by his entire community”.

    ‘Enormous influence’
    “He’s held enormous influence there, and that’s precisely why Israel murdered him.

    Shehada told Al Jazeera he had “looked into the allegations” that Israel produced, trying to smear him as a Hamas militant, adding that “the allegations were completely contradictory.” He added:

    “There’s zero evidence that al-Sharif took part in any hostilities, in any armed actions, aided or abetted any kind of these hostilities. None at all. His entire daily routine was standing in front of a camera from morning to evening.”

    An early Instagram report of the killing of the Gazan journalists
    An early Instagram report of the killing of the Gazan journalists . . . later updated to five Al Jazeera staff and a sixth journalist. Image: AJ

    Reporting from Amman, Jordan, because Israel banned Al Jazeera from reporting from inside Israeli territory and the occupied West Bank, Hoda Abdel-Hamid said: “When you read the statement issued by the Israeli army, which was well prepared before all this happened, it’s almost as if it is bragging about it.”

    It had been alleged by Israel that Anas al-Sharif was a member of the military wing of Hamas, and the army claimed that it had found documents in Gaza that proved their point.

    “It includes some links to content that anyone could have printed,” she said. “This has been going on for a few weeks, ever since Anas started reporting on the starvation in Gaza, and he had such a huge impact on the Arab world.

    “Immediately after, a spokesman for the Israeli army in Arabic… posted a video on social media, accusing al-Sharif of being a Hamas member and threatening him.”

    ‘Knew he was at serious risk’
    Abdel-Hamid said she had been going through his X feed.

    “He knew his life was at serious risk, and he repeatedly wrote that he was just a journalist, and he wanted his message to be spread widely, because he thought that was a way to protect him.”

    Posted on his X account in case he was killed was his “last will” and final message. He wrote in part:

    “I entrust you with Palestine — the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world. I entrust you with its people, with its wronged and innocent children who never had the time to dream or live in safety and peace.

    “Their pure bodies were crushed under thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart and scattered across the walls.

    “I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland . . . “

    Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said that last October Israel had accused al-Sharif and “a number of other journalists of being terrorists without providing any credible proof”.

    “We warned back then that this felt to us like a precursor to justify assassination, and, of course, last month… we saw again, a repeated smear campaign”, she told Al Jazeera.

    “This is not solely about Anas al-Sharif, this is part of a pattern that we have seen from Israel… going back decades, in which it kills journalists.”

    Accusations repeated
    Al-Sharif had warned last month about the starvation facing journalists — “and we saw then the accusations repeated.

    “Of course, now we are seeing a new offensive, plans for a new offensive, in Gaza, the kind of thing that Anas has been reporting on for the best part of three years.”

    The medical director of al-Shifa Hospital said that Israel had killed the journalists to prevent coverage of atrocities it intended to carry out in its Gaza City seizure.

    “The [Israeli] occupation is preparing for a major massacre in Gaza, but this time without sound or image,” Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya told Turkiye’s Anadolu news agency.

    “It wants to kill and displace the largest number of Palestinians in Gaza City but this time in the absence of the voice of Anas, Mohamed, Al Jazeera and all satellite channels.”

    Assassinated Gazan journalist Anas al-Sharif
    Assassinated Gazan journalist Anas al-Sharif . . . “killed to prevent coverage of atrocities” Israel intends to carry out in its Gaza City seizure. Image: AJ screenshot APR

    ‘Fabrications don’t wash’
    Al Jazeera’s senior analyst Marwan Bishara warned that “Israel’s lies” about al-Sharif endangered journalists everywhere, saying that the “best response to the killing of our colleagues is by continuing to do what we do”.

    “I want to correct one thing [about Western media reports], and I need our viewers and readers around the world to pay attention:

    “It doesn’t matter whether what Israel said about al-Sharif is correct or not.

    “It’s an absolute fabrication. It’s wrong. But it doesn’t matter.

    “Because if every American journalist who served in Iraq and Afghanistan would have been killed because there’s a suspicion that they worked for the CIA; if every French and British journalist would be killed because they work for the MI5 or something like that, then I think there will be no Western journalists working in the Middle East.

    “It’s not OK to kill a journalist in a tent of journalists because you accuse him of something.

    “If you accuse him of something, you take him to court, you make a complaint, you follow certain procedures, with the network, with the [International Federation of Journalists], and so on and so forth.

    “You don’t kill a journalist who has been doing their job for months on, day in, day out, night and day, and claim later that they work for Hamas.

    “That doesn’t wash.

    “It’s wrong, it’s a lie, it’s a fabrication as usual, but this psychopathic liar should not get away with killing a journalist and simply attaching an accusation to it.

    “It doesn’t wash, because otherwise, every single Western journalist covering a war that a Western government is involved in is going to be a target.

    “Why?

    “Because Israel has done it.”

    In January 2024, three months into the war, I wrote an article for Declassified Australia about “Silencing the messenger” when I made the point that while “Israel killed journalists, the West merely censored them”.

    I wrote that it was time for journalists to take a moral stand for truth and justice, and although I expected a strong response, the feedback was merely tepid. It was as if Western journalists did not comprehend the enormity of the Gaza crisis facing the world.

    It is shameful that New Zealand journalists and media groups have not come out in the past 22 months with strong denunciations of Israel’s war on both journalists and truth – and the genocide against Palestinians.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • PSNA calls on Luxon to end ‘support’ for Israel as Australia plans backing for Palestine state

    Asia Pacific Report

    A leading advocacy group supporting Palerstine has called on the government to follow Germany’s lead and suspend New Zealand military support for Israel to continue its mass killing and mass starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.

    Germany and New Zealand were two of the countries to sign a letter yesterday condemning Israel’s plans to extend its war to Gaza City, displacing another million Palestinians.

    However, one of the other signatories, Australia, announced that it would go a step further by moving to recognise a state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly next month.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would work with the international community to make recognition a reality.

    “I have said it publicly and I said it directly to Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu: the situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world’s worst fears,” he said.

    “Far too many innocent lives have been lost. The Israeli government continues to defy international law and deny sufficient aid, food and water to desperate people, including children.”

    The decision rides on a condition that the Palestinian resistance group Hamas plays no role in its future governance.

    Letter condemns Israel
    New Zealand joined Australia, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy in signing a letter that said:

    “The plans that the government of Israel has announced risk violating international humanitarian law. Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law.

    It will aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the hostages, and further risk the mass displacement of civilians.”

    PSNA co-chair John Minto said in a statement that Israel had a long history of ignoring outside opinion because they never included accountabilities.

    “However, Germany has followed its condemnation with action. New Zealand needs to do the same,” he said.

    Minto says New Zealand should:

    • End approval for Rakon to export crystal oscillators to the US which are used in guided bombs sent to Israel for bombing Gaza;
    • Ban all Rocket Lab launches from Mahia which are used for Israel reconnaissance in Gaza; and
    • Launch an investigation by the Inspector-General of Security and Intelligence into the sharing of intelligence with the US and Israel which can be used for targeting Palestinians.

    “New Zealanders expect our government to end its empty condemnations of Israel and act to sanction this rogue, genocidal state,” Minto said.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Another Gaza injustice. Israel targets Anas in Al Jazeera media crew of 5

    COMMENTARY: By Saige England

    Another truth-teller targeted and killed in Gaza. I wish the journalists — some of whom I taught to master the skills of journalism, would look at this travesty and call it what it is: a genocide.

    I wish they would remember that journalists have a code of ethics, I wish they would remember to serve the people and not despotic governments.

    Good journalists are truth seekers and truth tellers.

    Like this man, Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif, targeted, murdered for revealing the truth that tens of thousands of children, women, and men are regarded as the enemy by a country that wants to take their land and expand.

    His Al Jazeera crew of five were wiped out yesterday.

    In 1982, I asked an Israeli what he thought of the (then) invasion into Lebanon. He replled that if the government in Tel Aviv had its way and some Israelis were not against invasion, the army would have invaded Turkey. Look at what has happened now.

    Massacre after massacre
    Far more Palestinians were killed in the year leading up to October 7, 2023, than Israelis killed on that day. Palestinians have faced massacre after massacre ever since the Nakba in 1948.

    They experience apartheid, they experience exile, they are not allowed to call Palestine their homeland, but it is their homeland.

    Britain swooped into that country and appropriated a religious myth that dated back thousands of years, but being anti anti semitism means ensuring that people are comfortable in their own land, it does not mean booting one people out to make a home for yourself.

    Settler colonisation continues to perpetuate the worst injustice. It just dealt another blow. Starving children and a good man, a truth teller, killed in cold blood.

    Saige England is an Aotearoa New Zealand journalist, author, and poet, member of the Palestinian Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA), and a contributor to Asia Pacific Report. This commentary was first published on England’s social media.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • CPJ condemns Israeli killing of Gaza journalist Anas al-Sharif and video crew of four

    Pacific Media Watch

    The Committee to Protect Journalists has made a statement today that it is appalled to learn of the killing of an Al Jazeera media crew of five, including journalists Anas Al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa by Israeli forces in Gaza.

    The journalists were killed in an attack on a tent used by media near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City during a targeted Israeli bombardment, according to Al Jazeera which has described the killings as “murders”.

    In a statement announcing the killing of Al-Sharif, Israel’s military accused the journalist of heading a Hamas cell and of “advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and [Israeli] troops”.

    Israel has a longstanding, documented pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing any credible proof.

    “Israel’s pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” said CPJ regional director Sara Qudah.

    “Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable.”

    Al-Sharif had been one of Al Jazeera’s best-known reporters in Gaza since the start of the war and one of several journalists whom Israel had previously alleged were members of Hamas without providing evidence.

    Reported on starvation
    Most recently, Al-Sharif had reported on the starvation that he and his colleagues were experiencing because of Israel’s refusal to allow sufficient food aid into Gaza.

    In a July 24 video, Avichay Adraee, an Israel Defence Forces spokesperson, accused Al-Sharif of having been a member of Hamas’s military wing, Al-Qassam, since 2013 and working during the war “for the most criminal and offensive channel”, apparently referring to Al Jazeera Arabic.

    Al-Sharif told CPJ in July: “Adraee’s campaign is not only a media threat or an image destruction — it is a real-life threat.”

    He said: “All of this is happening because my coverage of the crimes of the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip harms them and damages their image in the world.

    “They accuse me of being a terrorist because the occupation wants to assassinate me morally.”

    The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Irene Khan, said she was “deeply alarmed by repeated threats and accusations of the Israeli army” against al-Sharif.

    Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war on October 7, 2023, CPJ has documented 186 journalists having been killed. At least 178 of those journalists are Palestinians killed by Israel.

    However, other sources and media freedom groups put the death toll even higher. Al Jazeera reports the death toll as “more than 200” and the Gaza Media Office has documented 142 journalists.

    UNESCO awarded its 2024 World Press Freedom Prize to the Palestinian journalists of Gaza.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • France’s betrayal of Kanak hopes for independence, Rainbow Warrior, climate crisis and other issues

    Pacific Media Watch

    Pacific affairs and media commentator Dr David Robie reflected on the 1985 Rainbow Warrior mission to Rongelap atoll to help US nuclear refugees and the bombing of the Greenpeace campaign ship by French secret agents in a kōrero hosted by the NZ Fabian Society.

    His analysis is that far from the sabotage being an isolated incident, it was part of a cynical and sordid colonial policy that impacts on the Pacific until today.

    He also spoke on wide-ranging issues ranging from decolonisation in Kanaky New Zealand and Palestine to climate crisis and opposition to AUKUS in the livestreamed event on Friday evening.


    The Fabian Society and Just Defence spokeperson Mike Smith introducing journalist and author David Robie at the kōrero on Friday.

    Former professor David Robie has a passion for the Asia-Pacific region and he founded the Pacific Media Centre at Auckland University of Technology in 2007 which ran until 2020 when he retired from academic life.

    A journalist for more than 60 years, David has reported on postcolonial coups, indigenous struggles for independence and environmental and developmental issues in the Asia-Pacific.

    He was a journalist on board the Rainbow Warrior mission and his book Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior has recently been republished with an introduction by former NZ prime minister Helen Clark.

    On Saturday, he participated in the Nagasaki Day / Aro Valley Peace Talks where he and former RNZ journalist Jeremy Rose were in conversation analysing Pacific geopolitics and media coverage and challenges of the future.

    Dr David Robie speaking to the Fabian Society
    Journalist and author Dr David Robie speaking to the Fabian Society about environmental activism, decolonisation and Pacific geopolitics. Image: Del Abcede.APR

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • No, all Kukis did not come to Manipur under Congress rule in 1968 as refugees from Myanmar

    Claims that Manipur’s Kuki tribe are refugees from Myanmar, welcomed to the state by the Congress government in 1968 and now have the upper hand, as they enjoy the Scheduled Tribe status, are being shared widely on social media platforms. Those making these claims have also shared some correspondence between the then-deputy commissioner of Manipur, S C Vaish, and the state government under-secretary, Birender Singh, on the “re-settlement of Kuki refugees” in certain areas.

    The claims have emerged amid a stormy Monsoon Session of the Parliament, wherein Opposition leaders criticised the Centre for not addressing ethnic clashes that have erupted in Manipur since 2023 owing to conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities. The northeastern state saw major violence and uneasy calm after the majoritarian Meitei community demanded their inclusion among the Scheduled Tribes. While this is the most recent trigger, the rift between the Kukis (primarily residing in the hills) and the Meiteis (valley residents) has been widening over decades. At present, Manipur is under President’s rule.

    Coming back to the viral claims. On July 29, 2025, a Facebook user (Hiren Hindu) shared two documents claiming that Kukis were refugees who were given shelter in Manipur by Congress in 1968. This user also provocatively suggested that “sheltering Rohingyas and Bangladeshis” will eventually lead to them “occupying your houses, just like they did in Kashmir yesterday and are doing in Manipur today.”

    The same documents and claims were also shared by X user (@Chhora_Up_Wala) on July 30.

    Alt News found that this was not the first time such claims went viral. In December 2024, X user @jpsin1 also shared these documents with similar claims to attack Congress. Note that this user has been called out on several occasions by Alt News for spreading communal misinformation.

    Below are more instances of similar historical correspondence surfacing on social media since 2023.

    Fact Check

    The Kukis form an ethnic group that inhabits not just Manipur but several neighbouring northeastern states, such as Mizoram, Assam and Nagaland. They also inhabit certain regions of  Bangladesh and Myanmar. Due to the proximity and porous borders they share with neighbouring states and countries, as well as the overlaps they have with tribes in these regions, many Kukis have often been accused of being “outsiders” in Manipur. Also, Kukis are not a unified tribe but comprise several subgroups, such as Aimol, Anal, Chawte, Chiru and Kolhen, among others. The name Kuki, too, was likely prescribed during British colonial rule.

    Their historic origins and how they came to be settled during colonial rule in India require a much longer and detailed scholarly analysis, which we will not get into here. But historical records indicate that Kukis have been part of Northeast India and modern-day Manipur for hundreds of years.

    One of the early records on Kukis was in a monograph by British officer Lt Col. John Shakespear in the book The Lushei Kuki clans, published in 1912 by Macmillan. Here, he says that records of appearances of “Old Kukis” in Manipur date as far back as the 16th century. He also said that they appeared in vast numbers in the Cachar region (now Assam) around 1800.

    These findings have also been backed by other scholars as well as in publications by other British officers in the 19th century. (See this and this.)

    Shakespear identifies the clans Aimol, Anal, Chawte, Chiru, Kolhen, Kom, Lamgang, Purum, Tikhup, and Vaiphei as Kukis found in hills bordering the Manipur valley. From the book:

    “In the Manipur chronicle the Chiru and Anal are mentioned as early as the middle of the sixteenth century, while the Aimol make their first appearance in 1728.”

    Additionally, Kukis also led a rebellion against the British between 1917 and 1919. Known as the Kuki Rising or the Anglo-Kuki War, the uprising was sparked, to some degree, due to the ‘forcible’ recruitment of Kukis as labour for World War I. As scholars Jangkhomang Guite and Thongkholal Haokip write in The Anglo-Kuki
    war, 1917–1919 (Routledge, 2019), the “active warfare and counterinsurgency operation” that began in March 1917 went on for till May 1919, “suspending two agriculture seasons and ending with the systematic destruction of villages, properties and all sources of livelihood.”

    Kukis were granted the ST status in Assam and Tripura in 1950 and 1956 under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

    All of this makes it amply clear that Kukis inhabited the Northeast and Manipur far before 1968, unlike what the viral claims suggest.

    What are the Viral Letters About?

    On investigating further, we found that in 1967, the then-Burmese government had launched Operation Khadawmi to oust non-Burmese residents. As a result, thousands of villagers were pushed out of their homes because they were unable to furnish a national identity card. Among those pushed out were Kukis who migrated to the northeastern state of Manipur. Some scholars also claim that the Kukis who were pushed out of Burma in the 1960s had migrated there from the northern hills in Manipur in the late 1950s when the Naga movement started gaining momentum and several leaders of the Kuki clan began being killed.

    In 2021, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) had clarified that the Indian government had offered humanitarian aid to Kukis who fled to Manipur from Burma and that the now-viral letters were used to wrongly suggest that all Kukis were refugees.

    “In 1967 during the Khadawmi operation in Burma, between Christmas and the New year, a small population of Kukis were forced to flee to Manipur. The hapless people, treated as refuges, were given humanitarian aid by the Indian Government. Government Notification (D.O. No. B-R/67/DC/1314-6, dated June 6 1968) to this effect was issued by District Commissioner Manipur. Suisa Tangkhul was the Member of Parliament from Outer Manipur at the time. The unfortunate event has been misrepresented to suggest all Kukis are refugees!” the KNO’s statement to The Frontier Manipur read.

    Alt News reached out to a senior journalist from Manipur, Pradip Phanjoubam, to understand the context of these letters. Phanjoubam told us that while little is known about why some Kukis came to Manipur that year, the most likely explanation is that it was triggered by the anti-purge operation led by then Myanmar chief general Ne Win in 1967. While he said that there are some gaps in this explanation, it was most plausible.

    This suggests that the letters exchanged between the then-deputy commissioner of Manipur, S C Vaish, and the state government under-secretary, Birender Singh, were possibly regarding the resettlement of these refugees from Myanmar, driven out due to the political situation there, in the Kongkhanthana area of Ukhrul in Manipur.

    To sum up, while the issue of migration and repatriation of Kukis from Myanmar and their ethnicity is complex and layered, claims that all Kukis were refugees who were welcomed to Manipur in 1968 by Congress are far from true. While the documents shared by social media users do mention Kuki refugees from Myanmar settling in certain regions in Manipur (Kongkhanthana), they do not say all Kukis living in Manipur are refugees. Moreover, our findings indicate the correspondence may be referring to Kukis driven out from Myanmar in the mid-1960s amid Operation Khadawmi.

    The post No, all Kukis did not come to Manipur under Congress rule in 1968 as refugees from Myanmar appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Diti Pujara.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Several irregularities in UP poll panel chief’s response to Rahul Gandhi’s voter list anomalies ‘exposé’

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a press conference on August 7 in New Delhi in which he made serious allegations of voter list manipulations in at least one Karnataka constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and accused the Election Commission of ‘vote theft’ and ‘criminal fraud’.

    During his presentation, he showed that the names of two persons—Aditya Srivastava and Vishal Singh—were also on the voter list of other states, including Uttar Pradesh. To make his point, he shared screenshots of this, taken on March 16, 2025, from the Election Commission website and questioned how the same voter featured in voter lists of more than one state.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi makes a presentation on alleged voter list manipulations in Karnataka in front of India Bloc leaders in New Delhi on August 7, 2025. | Photo courtesy: Facebook/ @IndianNationalCongress

    The screenshot shared by the Opposition leader shows Aditya Srivastava (with voter id or EPIC number FPP6437040) present in the voter list of two booths of the Mahadevpura constituency in Karnataka. The same name with the same EPIC number was also present in the voter lists of Jogeshwari East constituency in Maharashtra and Lucknow East in Uttar Pradesh.

    He also shared a screenshot of a Vishal Singh (EPIC number INB2722288) whose name also appeared in voter lists of two booths of Mahadevpura assembly in Karnataka. His name was also present in the voter list of Varanasi Cantt assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh with the same EPIC number.

    Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh issued a statement on August 7, 2025, denying Aditya Srivastava Vishal Singh were in the state’s voter lists.

    The statement said that on searching for Aditya Srivastava (EPIC number FPP6437040), son of S P Srivastava,  and Vishal Singh (EPIC number INB2722288), son of Mahipal Singh, on the Election Commission website it found that Srivastava’s name at serial number 1265 in the voter list of Mahadevpura’s booth number 458  Bengaluru Urban. Meanwhile, Vishal Singh’s name was present at serial number 926 in the voter list of booth 513 of Mahadevpura assembly of Bengaluru Urban. Refuting Gandhi’s claims, the UP CEO said that the names of these two voters were not part of voter lists of UP’s Lucknow East and Varanasi Cantt constituencies.

    What is the Truth?

    Firstly, the screenshot shared by Rahul Gandhi from the Election Commission website is from March 16, 2025, but the statement issued by the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh is based on the EPIC search on the Election Commission website on August 7, 2025.

    To verify the statement by the Uttar Pradesh CEO, we searched the names and EPIC numbers shared by Rahul Gandhi in the Draft Roll-2025 published by the Election Commission on 29 October 2024 and Final Roll-2025 published on 7 January 2025 for Lucknow East and Varanasi Cantt constituencies. We found that the names of Aditya Srivastava and Vishal Singh were present in these lists. The EPIC numbers of both match the screenshot shared by Rahul Gandhi. The UP CEP’s statement does not match the information in the Draft Roll-2025 and Final Roll-2025 available on the Election Commission website that we accessed. Their statement appears to be misleading and false.

    The links to download the full Draft Roll-2025 and the Final Roll-2025, published by the EC on October 19, 2024, and January 7, 2025, respectively for Lucknow East and Varanasi Cantt constituencies have been added below.

    Assembly Constituency Draft Roll-2025
    Final Roll-2025
    173 – Lucknow East https://archive.org/download/2025-erollgen-s-24-173-draft-roll-revision-1-hin-84-wi/2025-EROLLGEN-S24-173-DraftRoll-Revision1-HIN-84-WI.pdf
    390 – Varanasi Cantt. https://archive.org/download/2025-erollgen-s-24-390-draft-roll-revision-1-hin-82-wi/2025-EROLLGEN-S24-390-DraftRoll-Revision1-HIN-82-WI.pdf

     

    A Hurried Response?

    A careful reading of the UP CEO’s statement revealed more errors.

    For instance, the statement says that on searching on the Election Commission website, the name of Aditya Srivastava, son of S P Srivastava (EPIC number FPP6437040), appears at serial number 1265 in the voter list of booth number 458 of Mahadevapura Assembly constituency 174, Bengaluru Urban.

    However, when we searched with Aditya Srivastava’s EPIC number in the voter list of the Mahadevpura constituency, the voter details were different from the UP CEO’s statement. The voter details do not show Aditya Srivastava’s father’s name but the name of a relative — Rithika Srivastava.

    Moreover, when we tried to look for Aditya Srivastava based on the information in the screenshot shared by Rahul Gandhi under the ‘Search by Details’ option on the Election Commission’s website, we found the name Aditya Srivastava, the son of S P Srivastava (as mentioned in the UP CEO’s statement), in the voter list of Lucknow East assembly seat. However, in a strange twist, the EPIC number against his name is different now.

    We cross-checked his details with the Final Roll-2025 published by the Election Commission and found that most of these details such as the polling station, serial number and age of the voter (Aditya Srivastava, son of SP Srivastava) matched except the EPIC number. The EPIC number FPP6437040 has been changed to RXM4728275.

     

    The discrepancies in our findings and the UP CEO’s indicate that the claims made by the electoral officer are misleading and likely issued hurriedly and without adequate research.

    The post Several irregularities in UP poll panel chief’s response to Rahul Gandhi’s voter list anomalies ‘exposé’ appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Abhishek Kumar.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • [Joint Statement] APF’s removal of junta-controlled Myanmar National Human Rights Commission is a principled step forward, SEANF must follow suit

     [7 August 2025] The CSO Working Group on Independent National Human Rights Institution (Burma/Myanmar) (Working Group) and the Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) acknowledge that the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions’ (APF) has decided to expel the junta-controlled Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) from its network.

    The APF’s decision is a principled step in the right direction.

    We call on the Southeast Asia National Human Rights Institution Forum (SEANF) to follow suit and immediately remove the MNHRC from its human rights network.

    What happened

    In May 2025, the APF officially removed the MNHRC from its regional human rights network, following the removal of its accreditation by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) in December 2024 and subsequently, its GANHRI membership in March 2025.

    According to the APF’s Constitution, full members hold an “A” status accreditation from GANHRI, indicating full compliance with the Paris Principles—the international standards for effective, credible, and independent NHRIs. Members with a “B” status accreditation—signifying only partial compliance—are only granted associate membership.

    As the APF uses GANHRI’s accreditation decisions to determine membership status in its network, the expulsion of the MNHRC following GANHRI’s removal of the MNHRC’s accreditation status was imminent and necessary.

    Five long months after GANHRI revoked the MNHRC’s accreditation, the APF has finally taken the critical decision required under its own constitution. This long-overdue, principled decision is the result of more than four years of consistent advocacy efforts and repeated calls by the Working Group and ANNI alongside their local, regional, and international partners.

    How the MNHRC supports the junta

    Since the attempted coup in 2021, the Myanmar military junta has continued to commit atrocity crimes against the people of Myanmar—killing more than 7,000 people, torching more than 110,000 homes, and conducting more than 5,000 airstrikes, most of which have targeted civilians.

    The MNHRC has been an accessory to these crimes, serving as a smokescreen for the junta by echoing false narratives, thus lending false legitimacy to the perpetrators of these human rights abuses.

    For more than four years, the MNHRC has clearly violated the Paris Principles through persistent silence and inaction towards the junta’s grave human rights violations. It has also expressed vocal support for the junta.

    Khin Ohmar, Chairperson of Progressive Voice, member of the Working Group, said: “The APF’s long-awaited decision to remove the junta-appointed MNHRC demonstrates that the network is, at last, willing to take a principled stance. This decision sends a clear message to the people of Myanmar that the APF is finally upholding its integrity by refusing to tolerate the MNHRC’s blatant disregard for the Paris Principles and cover-up of human rights violations.

    “This is an overdue but necessary commitment to accountability and human rights by the APF. This proxy institution of the Myanmar military—the MNHRC—is irreparable. All regional NHRIs and networks must cease any support for and engagement with the MNHRC. Continuing to do so risks complicity in the crimes of the Myanmar military and undermines the credibility and integrity of their own human rights institutions.”

    Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA, which serves as the Secretariat of ANNI, said: “The recognition by global and regional NHRI networks of the junta-controlled MNHRC as unacceptable and in violation of international standards is critical in promoting justice and accountability. We call on other international and regional bodies, particularly the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the SEANF to take immediate steps towards disengaging with the discredited MNHRC in order to preserve its credibility and public trust.”

    Bo Bo, Executive Director of Generation Wave, member of the Working Group, said: “The APF’s long-overdue decision must serve as a critical push for SEANF to uphold the same principles and remove the MNHRC from its human rights network without further delay. For SEANF’s credibility and integrity as a human rights network, this step must be taken. The removal of the MNHRC from the APF echoes the voices of Myanmar’s civil society that have tirelessly called out the MNHRC’s non-compliance with the Paris Principles and dangerous alignment with the murderous junta.

    “SEANF and regional NHRIs must honor these voices. At a time when the Myanmar people continue to suffer under the illegal junta’s campaign of terror, it is all the more urgent and imperative that regional NHRI networks stand with civil society in Myanmar as we work to build a genuinely independent and credible national human rights institution rooted in the Paris Principles.”

    For more information, please contact:

    About the Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI)

    The Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) was established in December 2006. It is a network of Asian non-governmental organisations and human rights defenders working on issues related to National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs). ANNI currently has 33 member organisations from 21 countries or territories. ANNI members work on strengthening the work and functioning of Asian NHRIs to better promote and protect human rights as well as to advocate for the improved compliance of Asian NHRIs with international standards, including the Paris Principles and General Observations of the Sub- Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the Global Alliance of NHRIs (GANHRI). The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) has served as the Secretariat of ANNI since its establishment in 2006.

    More information at http://l.forum-asia.org/ANNI

    About the CSO Working Group on Independent National Human Rights Institution (Burma/Myanmar)

    The CSO Working Group on Independent National Human Rights Institution (Burma/Myanmar) advocates for the establishment of a new NHRI—tentatively named the Union Human Rights Commission—to replace the illegitimate MNHRC which has aligned itself with the illegal military junta. The Working Group was previously known as the ‘CSO Working Group on MNHRC Reform.’ Currently, it consists of 20 Myanmar civil society organizations. From its founding in 2019 until the attempted coup in February 2021, the Working Group consistently advocated for an effective MNHRC that demonstrated a commitment to the international standards set forth in the Paris Principles.

    More information at https://www.facebook.com/WGonNHRIBurma

    For the PDF version of this statement, click here

    The post [Joint Statement] APF’s removal of junta-controlled Myanmar National Human Rights Commission is a principled step forward, SEANF must follow suit first appeared on FORUM-ASIA.

    This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.

  • [Statement] PHILIPPINES: FORUM-ASIA condemns the killing of environmental and indigenous rights defenders Rudolph Dela Cruz Espe and Rico Gonzaga Malubay

    BANGKOK, Thailand (7 August 2025) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the shooting of Filipino environmental and indigenous rights defenders Rudolph Dela Cruz Espe and Rico Gonzaga Malubay on 26 July 2025. 

    Justice and accountability must be served for victims and their families.

    “FORUM-ASIA condemns the brutal killing of Filipino environmental human rights defenders Espe and Malubay. We urge the authorities to thoroughly investigate this case. Justice should be accorded to victims and their families without delay.  Extrajudicial killings must stop. Any form of violence against human rights defenders should be stopped,” said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA. 

    What happened

    Espe and Malubay were reportedly shot multiple times by an unidentified gunman along the national highway in Banaybanay in the province of Davao Oriental. 

    Espe and Malubay served as paralegals for the Ateneo de Davao University. They were respected community leaders, who advocated for environmental and land rights protection as well community development. 

    Espe actively spoke against destructive mining operations. He openly opposed policies that jeopardized Banaybanay’s biodiversity as well as the rights of indigenous communities. Espe also reportedly criticized the laterite mining operations of Asiaticus Management Corporation and BHP Billiton, which have allegedly caused water pollution in Banaybanay river. 

    The brutal killing of the two defenders are not isolated incidents. In the Philippines, extrajudicial killings against human rights defenders remain rampant under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. 

    Last June, an LGBTQIA+ rights defender Ali Macalintal was also fatally shot. 

    For over a decade, the Philippines has consistently ranked as the deadliest Asian country for land and environmental defenders. A third of such documented killings in the country are linked to defenders opposing mining projects.  

    Call to action

    FORUM-ASIA renews its call for the Philippine Government to swiftly investigate the brutal killings of human rights defenders. 

    Perpetrators should be held accountable. 

    As the Philippines is set to chair ASEAN in 2026, it must fully commit to protecting human rights, particularly on the right to life for all as prescribed by Article 11 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. 

    “The extrajudicial killing of Espe and Malubay highlights the ongoing pattern of violence that environmental defenders in the Philippines  face for simply doing their invaluable work. The government must work hard to reverse this disturbing trend and ensure the safety of all human rights defenders,” Bacalso stressed.

    The post [Statement] PHILIPPINES: FORUM-ASIA condemns the killing of environmental and indigenous rights defenders Rudolph Dela Cruz Espe and Rico Gonzaga Malubay first appeared on FORUM-ASIA.

    This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.

  • Greenpeace condemns NZ’s ‘dodgy reforms’ plan weakening ocean protection

    By Emma Page

    Greenpeace says moves to weaken ocean protection through dodgy fisheries “reforms” will be met with strong opposition, as Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announces he wants to proceed with a raft of proposed changes to fisheries laws.

    The controversial changes are some of the largest in decades, and would restrict public access to cameras on boats footage, remove the requirement for fishers to land all their catch, and stop legal challenges to catch limits that have been successful in protecting species in recent years.

    The reforms will also give the minister the ability to set catch limits for five years.

    Greenpeace oceans campaigner Ellie Hooper said these proposals would give the industry carte blanche on ocean destruction, weaken transparency and block the public from having input into fisheries decisions.

    “These changes spell disaster for the already struggling ocean around us,” she said.

    “Championed by the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, the changes green light ocean destruction and remove the already minimal checks and balances designed to keep the fishing industry accountable.

    “It is yet another example of how this government is pandering to the fishing industry while ignoring the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders who want more ocean protection, not less.

    “New Zealanders want a healthy, thriving ocean where fish are plentiful and ecosystems are thriving.

    ‘More destruction’
    “These reforms will mean more destruction, more decline in fish populations, and will allow the industry to go back to operating in the dark — hiding the impact they have.”

    One of the proposed reforms is to restrict access to footage from cameras on boats to industry and government only.

    “This is not how it should work,” said Hooper.

    “There are far more people in this country than just the commercial fishing industry who have a right to know how the ocean is being impacted, and have a say on what happens about protecting it.”

    Hooper also warns that setting catch limits for five years could spell disaster for fish numbers, noting the recent collapse of the Chatham Rise Orange Roughy fishery, which has been so mismanaged it could now be at 8 percent of its original size.

    “Greenpeace, backed by thousands of New Zealanders, stands for defending nature and ocean health. We are calling for an urgent end to destructive bottom trawling on seamounts and other vulnerable features, and for all footage from cameras on boats to be made accessible via the OIA (Offical Information Act),” she said.

    “During a biodiversity and ocean crisis, we will strongly oppose moves to expedite destruction at the hands of the commercial fishing industry, as will the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who also back ocean protection.”

    Republished from Greenpeace News.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • NZ announces support package, new High Commission building in PNG

    By Russell Palmer, RNZ News political reporter

    The prime minister has announced a new High Commission building in Papua New Guinea and an economic support package, as his trip to the country concludes on Wednesday.

    Christopher Luxon arrived on Monday for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, and flew out of Port Moresby yesterday afternoon.

    The economic support package included funding assistance for the polio epidemic and the creation of fisheries scholarships.

    “I am delighted to be here to mark this important milestone,” Luxon said.


    New Zealand announces a new PNG package            Video: RNZ News

    “I talked with Prime Minister [James] Marape and his Cabinet ministers about the next 50 years of our partnership, increasing our engagement on issues of regional importance, and continuing to strengthen our proud legacy of supporting Papua New Guinea’s development.

    “Papua New Guinea is a country with big aspirations, with plans to expand its economy and play a bigger role in the Indo-Pacific. We are committed to supporting Papua New Guinea to achieve its goals.

    “Contributing to a more stable and prosperous Papua New Guinea benefits everyone in the Pacific — including New Zealand.”

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Mark Brown rejects talk of ‘strategic shift’ in Cook Islands-New Zealand relationship

    By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist in Rarotonga

    The Cook Islands has no intention of leaving its special relationship with New Zealand, says Prime Minister Mark Brown.

    The Cook Islands marked 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand on August 4.

    “The value of our relationship with New Zealand cannot be overstated,” Brown said at the national auditorium in Rarotonga on Monday. His remarks were met with a round of applause.

    “I would like to emphasise that there is not now, nor has there ever been, a strategic shift by the Cook Islands government or our peoples to reject the value and responsibilities of our relationship of free-association with New Zealand.”

    The Cook Islands marked 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand on August 4
    The Cook Islands marked 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand on August 4. Image: Caleb Fotheringham/RNZ Pacific

    The celebration was filled with dancing, singing, food and a 45-minute speech by Brown on where the nation has come from and where it’s going.

    “Every island holds a piece of our future, let us stand with conviction on the global stage. Our people span oceans. Our voice carries across borders. And our contribution continues to grow,” Brown said.

    Notably absent from the four Pacific leaders attending was New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is in Papua New Guinea. Foreign Minister Winston Peters was also absent.

    Reflection needed
    Brown said like any relationship, there will be moments that needed reflection.

    “There are times when we must pause and consider whether the conventions and evolved understandings between our freely associated states remain aligned, we find ourselves in such a moment.

    “I see our relationship as one grounded in enduring kinship, like members of a family who continue to care deeply for one another, even as each has grown and charted their own path.”

    Brown called the current issues a bump in the road. He said they had been through far worse, like natural disasters and the covid-19 pandemic.

    “[The relationship] is too well entrenched and too strong, like steel, that nothing will break it, it is too strong that even disagreeing governments will not break it.”

    Representing New Zealand was Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, who also talked of the long-standing relationship, stemming back hundreds of years to voyaging ancestors.

    “That bond of deep friendship between our two peoples, that will transcend all else as we continue to face the challenges, and celebrate the joys of the future, together.”

    60th celebrations
    Massive cakes at the Cook Islands 60th celebrations of free association with New Zealand. Image: Caleb Fotheringham/RNZ Pacific

    Sharing their thoughts
    After the official ceremony, there was a big kai kai. Those attending shared their thoughts on what they wanted for the future of their country.

    “To see our future generations grow up in our own paradise instead of them going overseas,” one woman said.

    Another said she wanted the Cook Islands to remain a Christian nation and to keep their culture strong.

    One nurse said medical was always on the go and wanted more investment, “the resources we have are very limited, so I want to see a bigger improvement within our medical side of things”.

    A dentist wanted the Cook Islands to be “a modern nation” and “to be a leader in economic wealth.”

    Another man wanted to remain in free association with New Zealand but wanted the country “to make its own decisions and stand on its own two feet”.

    A primary school principal said he wanted more young people to learn Cook Islands Māori.

    “This is our identity, our language.”

    More economic independence
    He also wanted the country to be more independent economically.

    “I think we as a nation need to look at how we can support other countries .. .  I don’t like that we’re still asking for money from New Zealand, from Australia, at some point in the future I would like us as a nation to help other nations.”

    There was a big kai kai as part of the celebrations
    A big kai kai was part of the celebrations. Image: Caleb Fotheringham/RNZ Pacific

    New Zealand paused close to $20 million in development funding in June, citing a lack of consultation on agreements signed between the Cook Islands and China earlier in the year.

    China’s ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, was attending the event.

    RNZ Pacific approached him, but the ambassador said he was unable to comment because he had to leave the event.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Soaring food prices prove the Gaza famine is real – and will affect generations to come

    ANALYSIS: By Ilan Noy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

    The words and pictures documenting the famine in the Gaza strip are horrifying.

    The coverage has led to acrimonious and often misguided debates about whether there is famine, and who is to blame for it — most recently exemplified by the controversy surrounding a picture published by The New York Times of an emaciated child who is also suffering from a preexisting health condition.

    While pictures and words may mislead, numbers usually don’t.

    The Nobel prize-winning Indian economist Amartya Sen observed some decades ago that famines are always political and economic events, and that the most direct way to analyse them is to look at food quantities and prices.

    This has led to decades of research on past famines. One observation is that dramatic increases in food prices always mean there is a famine, even though not every famine is accompanied by rising food costs.

    The price increases we have seen in Gaza are unprecedented.

    The economic historian Yannai Spitzer observed in the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz that staple food prices during the Irish Potato Famine showed a three- to five-fold increase, while there was a ten-fold rise during the Great Bengal Famine of 1943. In the North Korean famine of the 1990s, the price of rice rose by a factor of 12.

    At least a million people died of hunger in each of these events.

    Now, The New York Times has reported the price of flour in Gaza has increased by a factor of 30 and potatoes cost 50 times more.

    Israel’s food blockade
    As was the case for the UK government in Ireland in the 1840s and Bengal in the 1940s, Israel is responsible for this famine because it controls almost all the Gaza strip and its borders. But Israel has also created the conditions for the famine.

    Following a deliberate policy in March of stopping food from coming in, it resumed deliveries of food in May through a very limited set of “stations” it established through a new US-backed organisation (the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation), in a system that seemed designed to fail.

    Before Israel’s decision in March to stop food from coming in, the price of flour in Gaza was roughly back to its prewar levels (having previously peaked in 2024 in another round of border closures). Since March, food prices have gone up by an annualised inflation rate of more than 5000 percent.

    The excuse the Israeli government gives for its starvation policy is that Hamas controls the population by restricting food supplies. It blames Hamas for any shortage of food.

    However, if you want to disarm an enemy of its ability to wield food supplies as a weapon by rationing them, the obvious way to do so is the opposite: you would increase the food supply dramatically and hence lower its price.

    Restricting supplies and increasing their value is primarily immoral and criminal, but it is also counterproductive for Israel’s stated aims. Indeed, flooding Gaza with food would have achieved much more in weakening Hamas than the starvation policy the Israeli government has chosen.

    The UN’s top humanitarian aid official has described Israel’s decision to halt humanitarian assistance to put pressure on Hamas as “cruel collective punishment” — something forbidden under international humanitarian law.

    The long-term aftermath of famines
    Cormac Ó Gráda, the Irish economic historian of famines, quotes a Kashmiri proverb which says “famine goes, but the stains remain”.

    The current famine in Gaza will leave long-lasting pain for Gazans and an enduring moral stain on Israel — for many generations.

    Ó Gráda points out two main ways in which the consequences of famines endure. Most obvious is the persistent memory of it; second are the direct effects on the long-term wellbeing of exposed populations and their descendants.

    The Irish and the Indians have not forgotten the famines that affected them. They still resent the British government for its actions. The memory of these famines still influences relations between Ireland, India and the UK, just as Ukraine’s famine of the early 1930s is still a background to the Ukraine-Russia war.

    The generational impact is also significant. Several studies in China find children conceived during China’s Great Leap Forward famine of 1959–1960 (which also killed millions) are less healthy, face more mental health challenges and have lower cognitive abilities than those conceived either before or after the famine.

    Other researchers found similar evidence from famines in Ireland and the Netherlands, supporting what is known as the “foetal origins” hypothesis, which proposes that the period of gestation has significant impacts on health in adulthood. Even more worryingly, recent research shows these harmful effects can be transmitted to later generations through epigenetic channels.

    Each day without available and accessible food supplies means more serious ongoing effects for the people of Gaza and the Israeli civilian hostages still held by Hamas — as well as later generations. Failure to prevent the famine will persist in collective memory as a moral stain on the international community, but primarily on Israel. Only immediate flooding of the strip with food aid can help now.The Conversation

    Dr Ilan Noy is chair in the Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Cow-vigilante violence reaches Bengal: BJP youth leader who led brutal attack in Durgapur still at large

    Almost a week after a group of men assaulted, tied up and paraded several Muslim persons in West Bengal’s Durgapur district while accusing them of being Bangladeshi intruders smuggling cattle, Parijat Ganguly, the BJP youth leader who led the brutal attack, remains at large.

    The incident took place on July 31 at Gammon Bridge in DPL Coke Oven Colony, barely 200 metres from Coke Oven police station in Durgapur town. In videos that have since gone viral, a mob can be seen assaulting and tying up five men and accusing them of illegally smuggling cows. One of the men had the rope tied around his neck while the others had their hands tied together.

    Commissioner of Asansol-Durgapur Police Sunil Kumar Chaudhary has said that four to five cows were being transported from Asuria market in Bankura district for agricultural purposes. Four accused persons, identified as Kiran Man, Basudeb Badyakar, Anish Bhattacharya and Dipak Das, have been arrested so far, while Ganguly remains ‘untraceable’.

    এটা উত্তর প্রদেশ নয়, এটা দিদির সোনার বাংলার বর্ধমানে

    না, এটা উত্তরপ্রদেশ নয়! দিদির সোনার বাংলার বর্ধমানেই এই ঘটনা।
    গরু পাচারের অভিযোগে উত্তাল হয়ে ওঠে পশ্চিম বর্ধমানের দুর্গাপুরের ডিপিএল কলোনি এলাকা। বাঁকুড়া থেকে আসা গরু বোঝাই পিকআপ ভ্যান আটকায় বিজেপির যুবনেতা পারিজাত গঙ্গোপাধ্যায়ের নেতৃত্বে বিজেপি কর্মীরা।
    গাড়ির লোকজনকে দড়ি দিয়ে বেঁধে মারধর করা হয় এবং কান ধরে উঠবোস করানো হয়। গরুগুলিকে নামিয়ে ছেড়ে দেওয়া হয়।
    এই ঘটনায় তৃণমূল জেলা সভাপতি নরেন্দ্রনাথ চক্রবর্তী থানায় লিখিত অভিযোগ দায়ের করেছেন।

    📹 ভিডিওটি দেখুন ও শেয়ার করুন।

    Posted by Prince News on Friday 1 August 2025

     

    While roughing up the alleged cattle smugglers, the group of ‘vigilantes’ forced them to chant Jai Sri Ram and warned them against smuggling cattle again. The men were also made to do sit-ups while holding their ears. The vigilantes then proceeded to ‘rescue’ the cattle from the truck in which they were being transported, parked near the scene of the assault.

    Ganguly can be seen in the videos leading the group, wearing a pink kurta and dark sunglasses. He is first seen rounding up two older men, aggressively questioning them about where they were from and on whose behalf they were allegedly ‘selling the cattle’. The men kept shaking their heads repeatedly, insisting they were doing it for no one. The man was then seen instructing his compatriots to tie the alleged smugglers up.

    Speaking to local media channels after the incident, Ganguly said around 20 cows were in the truck. “We want to know who is behind this. Surprisingly, all of the people we apprehend are Jihadis. All of them have beards, wear skull caps, and are selling cows… It is not my responsibility if they are getting beaten up. Maybe locals have done it (assaulted them)… They are saying they are from Joydeb, but they are actually not from there. They are all Bangladeshi. They do not have specific Aadhaar cards… We do not want such foreigners residing in Durgapur or West Bengal…”

    Parijat also accuses the police of being involved in this ‘trade’.

    গরুপাচার আটকালো বিজেপি কর্মীরা ! বিরোধীরা বলছে চক্রান্ত ! || দুর্গাপুর

    গরুপাচার আটকালো বিজেপি কর্মীরা ! বিরোধীরা বলছে চক্রান্ত ! || দুর্গাপুর || #tvnews10 #LocalNews #follower #TMC #BJPNEWS #congress

    Posted by TVNews10 on Thursday 31 July 2025

     

    While Parijat denied physically assaulting the alleged smugglers, during his media byte the man standing next to him wearing a pink t-shirt could be seen hitting the victims with sticks. The man, identified as Dipak Das, also issued an open threat on camera. The victims were later paraded down the street, forced to hold their ears and subjected to physical intimidation, including being shoved by Dipak, as bystanders, including school students, looked on.

    One of the people apprehended, Nasimuddin, spoke to a reporter, stating that he was from Jemua, a town approximately 12 km from the place of assault. He said that they often had to pay the police at several stops during their journey, with the amounts ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 500. He also stated that they were held captive for nearly four hours by the vigilantes, during which they were beaten up. The release of the cattle, he said, resulted in an estimated loss of Rs 5 to 7 lakh.

    গরু পাচারের অভিযোগকে ঘিরে ব্যাপক উত্তেজনা দুর্গাপুরের কোকওভেন থানার অন্তর্গত গ্যামন ব্রিজ এলাকায়।

    Posted by Bengal Tv on Friday 1 August 2025

     

    In a statement on X, Bengal police said the ‘hooligans’ who were behind the attack belonged to a ‘particular political party’.

    Allegations of Police Inaction

    It is worth noting that both Parijat Ganguly and Nasimuddin, in their respective media statements, said that police had not arrived at the scene at the time of the ruckus, despite Coke Oven police station being only 200 metres away. Choudhary, the police commissioner, later issued a statement saying that Parijat, Dipak, and around 15 to 20 others had stopped the vehicle, assaulted the men severely, damaged the vehicle, and taken away the small amount of money they had on them. He added that police had taken immediate and strong action as soon as they were alerted to the incident.

    Choudhary also confirmed said that both Das and Ganguly were affiliated with the BJP, and that Parijat Ganguly held a position in the party’s state youth wing, the BJP Yuva Morcha. According to him, Ganguly was absconding since the incident, and police had conducted raids at his residence and other potential hideouts.

    মুসলিম গরু ব্যবসায়ীদের উপর আ*ক্রমণ, দুজনকে গ্রেফতার করেছে পুলিশ।

    Posted by Bengal Tv on Friday 1 August 2025

     

    After videos of the assault went viral, Parijat Ganguly gave another media statement in which he said he would file a case against the victims for allegedly failing to transport the cattle in accordance with the law. He said he was willing to have a hundred cases filed against him, but would never let a single cow pass illegally. He also denied accusations of theft, saying that opposition leaders were behind the ‘false accusations’ against him.

    দুর্গাপুরের নিরীহ মুসলিম ব্যবসায়ীদের হেনস্ত করা মূল অভিযুক্ত Parijat Ganguly এখনো গ্রেপ্তার হয়নি!

    Posted by Bengal Tv on Saturday 2 August 2025

    Parijat’s History

    While cases of cow vigilantism are extremely rare in West Bengal, Alt News found that this was not the first time Parijat Ganguly was involved in ‘apprehending’ alleged cattle smugglers. About a month ago, on July 2, Parijat and his compatriots were behind the arrest of two alleged cattle smugglers. According to a local Bengali news report, the accused in that case, Farukh Sheikh (resident of Pandua in the Hooghly district) and Mohammed Ashraf (a resident of Bihar) were arrested in Kanksa Police Station area in Durgapur for allegedly smuggling 20-25 cows in a container.

    In videos of that incident, Ganguly and his group can be seen physically intimidating the accused and kicking them in front of police. In another video, they can be seen forcing the accused to chant slogans of Jai Sri Ram.

    গরু পাচারের অভিযোগে ধৃত ২, আদালতে পেশ || কাঁকসা || #tvnews10 #LocalNews #follower #TMC #BJPNEWS #congress

    Posted by TVNews10 on Thursday 3 July 2025

     

    Below are some images of Parijat being discernibly aggressive during the same incident, reported by local Bengali news outlet Durgapur Darpan.

    Click to view slideshow.

    Needless to say, Parijat Ganguly has been pictured with several BJP West Bengal bigshots, including present state president Samik Bhattacharya and two former presidents, Sukanta Majumder and Dilip Ghosh.

    In the following video, Bhattacharya is seen alongside Ganguly and Durgapur West MLA Lakshman Chandra Ghorui. Bhattacharya can be seen endearingly putting a saffron stole around Ganguly’s neck.

    Ganguly has also been photographed alongside other BJP WB leaders like Dilip Ghosh (seen here with wife Rinku Majumder), West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, film star turned BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty, BJP Bengal co-in-charge Asha Lakra, former Bengal BJP president and Union education minister for state Sukanta Majumder, among others.

    Click to view slideshow.

    The post Cow-vigilante violence reaches Bengal: BJP youth leader who led brutal attack in Durgapur still at large appeared first on Alt News.


    This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Shinjinee Majumder.

    This post was originally published on Radio Free.

  • Marshall Islands president warns of threat to Pacific Islands Forum unity

    By Giff Johnson, Marshall Islands Journal editor/RNZ Pacific correspondent

    Leaders of the three Pacific nations with diplomatic ties to Taiwan are united in a message to the Pacific Islands Forum that the premier regional body must not allow non-member countries to dictate Forum policies — a reference to the China-Taiwan geopolitical debate.

    Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, in remarks to the opening of Parliament in Majuro yesterday, joined leaders from Tuvalu and Palau in strongly worded comments putting the region on notice that the future unity and stability of the Forum hangs in the balance of decisions that are made for next month’s Forum leaders’ meeting in the Solomon Islands.

    This is just three years since the organisation pulled back from the brink of splintering.

    Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu are among the 12 countries globally that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

    At issue is next month’s annual meeting of leaders being hosted by Solomon Islands, which is closely allied to China, and the concern that the Solomon Islands will choose to limit or prevent Taiwan’s engagement in the Forum, despite it being a major donor partner to the three island nations as well as a donor to the Forum Secretariat.

    President Surangel Whipps Jr
    President Surangel Whipps Jr . . . diplomatic ties to Taiwan. Image: Richard Brooks/RNZ Pacific

    China worked to marginalise Taiwan and its international relationships including getting the Forum to eliminate a reference to Taiwan in last year’s Forum leaders’ communique after leaders had agreed on the text.

    “I believe firmly that the Forum belongs to its members, not countries that are non-members,” said President Heine yesterday in Parliament’s opening ceremony. “And non-members should not be allowed to dictate how our premier regional organisation conducts its business.”

    Heine continued: “We witnessed at the Forum in Tonga how China, a world superpower, interfered to change the language of the Forum Communique, the communiqué of our Pacific Leaders . . . If the practice of interference in the affairs of the Forum becomes the norm, then I question our nation’s membership in the organisation.”

    She cited the position of the three Taiwan allies in the Pacific in support of Taiwan participation at next month’s Forum.

    Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo
    Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Feleti Teo . . . also has diplomatic ties to Taiwan. Image: Ludovic Marin/RNZ Pacific:

    “There should not be any debate on the issue since Taiwan has been a Forum development partner since 1993,” Heine said.

    Heine also mentioned that there was an “ongoing review of the regional architecture of the Forum” and its many agencies “to ensure that their deliverables are on target, and inter-agency conflicts are minimised.”

    The President said during this review of the Forum and its agencies, “it is critical that the question of Taiwan’s participation in Forum meetings is settled once and for all to safeguard equity and sovereignty of member governments.”

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Marshall Islands president warns of threat to Pacific Islands Forum unity

    By Giff Johnson, Marshall Islands Journal editor/RNZ Pacific correspondent

    Leaders of the three Pacific nations with diplomatic ties to Taiwan are united in a message to the Pacific Islands Forum that the premier regional body must not allow non-member countries to dictate Forum policies — a reference to the China-Taiwan geopolitical debate.

    Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, in remarks to the opening of Parliament in Majuro yesterday, joined leaders from Tuvalu and Palau in strongly worded comments putting the region on notice that the future unity and stability of the Forum hangs in the balance of decisions that are made for next month’s Forum leaders’ meeting in the Solomon Islands.

    This is just three years since the organisation pulled back from the brink of splintering.

    Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu are among the 12 countries globally that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

    At issue is next month’s annual meeting of leaders being hosted by Solomon Islands, which is closely allied to China, and the concern that the Solomon Islands will choose to limit or prevent Taiwan’s engagement in the Forum, despite it being a major donor partner to the three island nations as well as a donor to the Forum Secretariat.

    President Surangel Whipps Jr
    President Surangel Whipps Jr . . . diplomatic ties to Taiwan. Image: Richard Brooks/RNZ Pacific

    China worked to marginalise Taiwan and its international relationships including getting the Forum to eliminate a reference to Taiwan in last year’s Forum leaders’ communique after leaders had agreed on the text.

    “I believe firmly that the Forum belongs to its members, not countries that are non-members,” said President Heine yesterday in Parliament’s opening ceremony. “And non-members should not be allowed to dictate how our premier regional organisation conducts its business.”

    Heine continued: “We witnessed at the Forum in Tonga how China, a world superpower, interfered to change the language of the Forum Communique, the communiqué of our Pacific Leaders . . . If the practice of interference in the affairs of the Forum becomes the norm, then I question our nation’s membership in the organisation.”

    She cited the position of the three Taiwan allies in the Pacific in support of Taiwan participation at next month’s Forum.

    Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo
    Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Feleti Teo . . . also has diplomatic ties to Taiwan. Image: Ludovic Marin/RNZ Pacific:

    “There should not be any debate on the issue since Taiwan has been a Forum development partner since 1993,” Heine said.

    Heine also mentioned that there was an “ongoing review of the regional architecture of the Forum” and its many agencies “to ensure that their deliverables are on target, and inter-agency conflicts are minimised.”

    The President said during this review of the Forum and its agencies, “it is critical that the question of Taiwan’s participation in Forum meetings is settled once and for all to safeguard equity and sovereignty of member governments.”

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.